Wheat is one of the world’s staple crops. And Ukraine and Russia are critical exporters
For American academic Scott Reynolds Nelson, the timing was fortuitous. His Oceans of Grain came to market coincident with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And as Nelson’s thesis revolves around the critical role wheat has played in history, the invasion’s implications for supply disruption add to the book’s topicality. For sure, Nelson may egg the pudding.…
Proved to be an effective negotiator while president, especially when dealing with dictators
Many people in the political mainstream will say, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day” when they discuss the viewpoints of left-leaning public intellectual Noam Chomsky. They will often say the same thing about Donald Trump, who is supported by the far right. Chomsky and Trump agree on issues far less than twice…
And OPEC is in no mood to open taps to fill in any gaps created by the absence of Russian crude
The oil markets are likely to face another round of supply disruptions. Most indicators point to a bullish trend in the near future. After recently announcing the release of over 180 million barrels of crude oil from its strategic reserves (SPR) over the next six months to cool down the markets, the United States government…
Finland was truly alone. That’s not the case with Ukraine today
Bordered by Russia to the east and Sweden to the northwest, Finland’s historical experience has been coloured by the existence of these more powerful neighbours. In fact, ‘dominated’ might be more apt. After being effectively part of Sweden for centuries, Finland was ceded to the Russian Empire in 1809. But when the chaos surrounding the…
Putin's war on Ukraine has changed everything
Energy security is back on the global agenda. Not long ago, energy security was almost taken for granted by all. With the emergence of new energy frontiers over the last decade and a half – including shale oil and gas and the growing emphasis on renewables in the Americas – it was felt that energy…
More than 100 million people will soon experience either famine or hunger
Food supply chain hangovers due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have resulted in questions about the global nature of our food systems. Some suggest we need to deglobalize and refocus our energy on making most economies around the world food sovereign, including Canada’s. Given what the world is…
Full European Union ban on Russian oil could have unintended economic consequences for the West
The war in Ukraine is transforming global geopolitics and crude oil dynamics. On the geopolitical front, the United States has relentlessly rallied its allies against Russia. The Russian energy sector has still not been directly impacted by the sanctions. But the repercussions are apparent, even as the world is finding it hard to replace Russian…
Already a steady supplier and can grow significantly if major projects get the go-ahead
Europe needs new suppliers to get off Russian oil and maintain energy security in the long term. Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil industry is already a steady supplier and can grow significantly if major projects get the go-ahead. “We have the potential certainly to be producing more,” says Paul Barnes, Atlantic Canada and Arctic director…
Leaders in NATO countries are guilty of crimes against humanity, yet only Africans are tried
In recent months, words like genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes have been used extensively in the media. These are important legal terms, and they shouldn’t be used loosely. Using them as political weapons risks making them meaningless. The word ‘genocide’ was coined in 1944 by Polish-Jewish law professor Raphael Lemkin after he studied…
'Evil' is back in rhetorical style, at least on a selective basis. Actual evil, of course, never went away
Evil was a very real concept when I was a child. Orthodox Catholic opinion in the Ireland I grew up in believed evil was personified by the devil. And the devil wasn’t just a metaphor but a real live entity. My grandmother’s house in rural County Cork had a religiously-themed image hanging on one of…