Category Archives: Foreign Policy
Simple Economic Solutions to Big Problems
“My business, Miss Taggart?” said Midas Mulligan. “My business is blood transfusion—and I’m still doing it. My job is to feed a life-fuel into the plants that are capable of growing. But ask Dr. Hendricks whether any amount of blood … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign Policy
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How to Get America Back on Track
Introduction In my last post, I discussed the unfortunate state of affairs in the United States today. From a pre-industrial agrarian economy controlled by wealthy landowners, to an era of industrialization marked by the creation of a middle class and … Continue reading
Posted in Development Economics, Foreign Policy
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The Convergence: America’s Long Arc of Development
The following is a four-part post about the phases of the economic development of nations – pre-industrial, industrial, post-industrial – and a discussion of the current state of affairs in the United States and the world. Part I: How Countries … Continue reading
The Ethical Obligations of Writing About Poverty and Conflict
I. A Long Way Gone The other day I finished reading “A Long Way Gone”, the autobiography of Ishmael Beah, a child soldier during the country’s civil in the 1990’s. After his village was attacked by the rebel army known … Continue reading
The Sad Aftermath of the Nairobi Attack
Last month, terrorists from the group al Shabaab attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, killing 67 people. In the wake of the devastating event, Kenyans rallied together in a showing of national unity often missing in this deeply divided country. … Continue reading
Thoughts on the Nairobi Terrorist Attack, Pt. 2
In the last post, I gave a brief history of the events leading up to this horrible terrorist attack. Now, I want to talk about why this is happening now. If you were to Google “Somalia” anytime in the last … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign Policy
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Thoughts on the Nairobi Terrorist Attack, Pt. 1
This weekend a dozen gunmen stormed the Westgate Mall in the Westlands neighborhood of Nairobi. Armed with AK-47s and grenades, they killed 70 people and injured 150 more. As I write this, a former colleague at Bridge is in the … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign Policy
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The Intangible Wealth of Nations
A few months ago, the White House released its “New Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa,” which contains four key bullets summarizing its approach. The first, and most important, goal is one that has been a pillar of American foreign policy for … Continue reading
Dambisa Moyo: Right and Wrong About China in Africa
Dambisa Moyo recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times asserting that the surge in investment by China in Africa has been a positive development for the continent. A lot of people take issue with Moyo’s oversimplification of highly … Continue reading
Why Jim Kim is Right for the World Bank
As faithful readers of this blog know, I am a big fan of the Barack Obama’s foreign policy positions and decisions. Specifically, I like his deference to nuanced conditions and his emphasis on achieving the objective over claiming credit. In … Continue reading
