So you want to contract in the Congo? Force majeure clauses and resource nationalism

The DRC sits at the precipice of two rising menaces — resource nationalism and resource conflict. As critical minerals grow in value during the global energy transition, a key question has arisen. What is international contract law’s capacity to protect private persons attempting to trade from the trenches of mounting geopolitical tides, breeding embargo and war? … Continue readingSo you want to contract in the Congo? Force majeure clauses and resource nationalism

Cost-of-Living Crisis, Contract Killers, and Cobalt Kings: The Global Architecture of Insecurity

Too poor to afford a house, not enough space in the market to get a job; governments hiring modern-day mercenaries, committing unspeakable acts without any form of punishment; and, in our pockets, goods, made from the suffering of the bruised, bloodied, and broken.
We are living through an insecurity crisis, a global crisis that few are safe from. While there are many factors that have helped sculpt this issue, the hand of exploitation has been a principal architect of this state we find ourselves in.
… Continue readingCost-of-Living Crisis, Contract Killers, and Cobalt Kings: The Global Architecture of Insecurity

The Dictator’s Ghost: The Cold War Network Still Haunting South America 

1976. In the cold streets of Buenos Aires, an estimated 300 academics, activists, trade unionists and journalists are taken from an ordinary van into a nondescript garage named Automotores Orletti in the dead of night. People scream, never to be heard again. Fifty years on. The nondescript garage still stands; however, the sound of the screams are replaced with a deafening silence. … Continue readingThe Dictator’s Ghost: The Cold War Network Still Haunting South America 

Saving Women, Selling War: Feminist Foreign Policy as a Tool of Imperial Power

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked the rights of Iranian women to rally international support for military action against Tehran, it brought people a sense of deja vu. The language was familiar — the appeal to women’s dignity, the implicit promise of liberation — but so was the source: a long tradition of Western imperialism that historically used the rhetoric of saving women to legitimise war.  … Continue readingSaving Women, Selling War: Feminist Foreign Policy as a Tool of Imperial Power

The Limits of International Law: from Srebrenica to Gaza

With every major human rights violation, war, or humanitarian catastrophe, we see the invocation of international law. From Rwanda to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Iraq and, most recently, Gaza, the language is familiar and repeats itself.
The question, then, is not whether international law exists, but whether its failure lies in inherent weakness or in its selective implementation. … Continue readingThe Limits of International Law: from Srebrenica to Gaza

Why thrifting is not the answer to our global overconsumption problem: The Case for Corporate Responsibility

Thrifting is often celebrated as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion. Purchasing clothes that otherwise would have ended up in landfill, thereby promoting a circular economy. While there is no denying that thrifting is beneficial for the environment, without challenging the consumption narrative and placing corporate responsibility on fast fashion brands, thrifting alone will never solve our overconsumption and overproduction problems. … Continue readingWhy thrifting is not the answer to our global overconsumption problem: The Case for Corporate Responsibility

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Western Empire: The 80 Year Obsession Over Oil and Regime Change

At 9:45am IRST on 28 February, Iranians starting their workday were met with US-Israeli attacks, targeting key civil and military infrastructure. A history of Western aggression, sanctions, and regime change make this chapter in Iran’s history no surprise; however, with the US-led decline of the rules-based order, and a far more concerted effort by Iran to threaten the global oil trade, it remains to be seen how the world will rear from the newest iteration of an 80 year long rivalry between Iran and Western ambitions. … Continue readingThe Islamic Republic of Iran and Western Empire: The 80 Year Obsession Over Oil and Regime Change

Empire Strikes Back: Imperialism as the Final Frontier of the United States

The United States has long been losing global power to China, as Beijing challenges Western dominance by leveraging strategic pressure points such as Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran. Imperialism becomes the final frontier of a falling hegemon, a move arising out of diplomatic insecurity, not power. As such, it can be concluded that such interventions globally sends a single message across nations, about the uncertain fate of the global order. … Continue readingEmpire Strikes Back: Imperialism as the Final Frontier of the United States

Reforming the Kimberley Process: Are blood diamonds truly a girl’s best friend?

Behind the glitz and the glamour of an annual 300-billion-dollar industry lies a troubling reality. From alleged human rights abuses to multilateral pitfalls, it appears diamonds aren’t the only thing you find when you dig below the surface. In November 2025, the Kimberley Process, a process designed to reduce the production of conflict diamonds, failed to reach consensus for the third year in a row. … Continue readingReforming the Kimberley Process: Are blood diamonds truly a girl’s best friend?

Mark Carney, a Non-Aligned Movement and The Middle Power Conundrum – Is There a Third Way?

In a speech that may be considered one of the great speeches of history, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated a need to stop operating under the pretence that the international order is working ‘as intended’ and that alignment with the great powers protects member states of the world. What is perhaps most notable about Carney’s statement however is not its unique challenge to the world order, but its replication and parallels to a challenge issued more than 60 years ago.
… Continue readingMark Carney, a Non-Aligned Movement and The Middle Power Conundrum – Is There a Third Way?