Notebook
Writer. Essays and notes on how the world works and how we live in it.
We Need to Watch the AfD in Germany
That is why the AfD needs close attention. Not because Germany is fated to return to its past and not because every person who votes for it can be reduced to one motive, but because a party with this much support can change a country long before it takes control of a government.
What Trump Is Trying to Prove in Cuba
The essay contends Trump’s sanctions and fuel squeeze on weakened Cuba aren’t about danger but a test of U.S. coercive power, showing Washington can discipline neighbours through oil and finance.
The License as Chokepoint
Tightening export licences turned Chinese battery‑metal supplies into chokepoints. The note shows how the licence itself becomes the weapon, making critical minerals unobtainable and highlighting the urgency of diversification.
When Productive Capacity Becomes Security Strategy
The Pentagon’s list of Chinese military companies now includes tech and EV firms, showing productive capacity itself is being treated as a security target and blurring commercial with military.