This is a visual story of where stuff is made, moved and consumed. From production to export, import to consumption, we'll explore the flows of the world's most crucial commodities and products. In Part 1 we covered $2.2T of agricultural products. Then in Part 2, we went over $6.6T of minerals, metals, and industrial materials. [...]
This is a visual story of where stuff is made, moved and consumed. From production to export, import to consumption, we'll explore the flows of the world's most crucial commodities and products. In Where Stuff Is Made Part 1 we covered $2.2T of agricultural products. Here in Part 2, we'll dig into $6.6T of minerals, [...]
This is a visual story of where stuff is made, moved and consumed. From production to export, import to consumption, we'll explore the flows of the world's most crucial commodities and products. Below is $21 trillion of global trade. Box size represents exports by dollar value. We'll dive into a hand-picked selection of the big [...]
This is a curation of charts and visuals that convey the state of global military power. The top 15 spenders: one of the best proxies for military strength and capabilities. And here's the top 40, better conveying the regional spheres of influence. Table of with various indicators of military strength. # Military personnel should account [...]
Fifty years ago today, one of the most momentous events of the 20th century unfolded. But unlike the well-known events frequently told in schools - fall of Berlin wall, Deng Xiaoping opening China, NASA moon landing, the pill, Hiroshima, the Great Depression, Bolshevik revolution, Ferdinand assassination, Wright brothers flight etc - what happened on 15th [...]
I've always been fascinated by the history of money. Not only as it's a key driver of human behaviour and geopolitics. But as major force that shapes the trajectory of human endeavor. Put simply, it's an integral part to understanding how the world works. "If you want to understand how the world works, follow the [...]
It was mid 2014. We were sipping cold beers on a rooftop bar on a humid Saigon evening. Let's call my friend Ryan. We were talking geopolitics. Or rather, he was raving on while I was just asking questions. Ryan: "Yeah, basically Russia called the West's bluff. They annexed Crimea to get access to another [...]
If you liked Nassim Taleb's books - Antifragile, Black Swan etc - then you'll love Mandelbrot's Misbehaviour of Markets. Benoit Mandelbrot is one of the greatest mathematicians of our time. Most renowned for his work on fractals (including the famous Mandelbrot set), he applies a complexity science lens to financial markets. As with most transdisciplinary [...]
TL;DR One cannot understand global oil geopolitics without grasping the Middle East. But understanding this region is rather difficult. "It's hot, sandy, and everyone hates each other." Despite the difficulty, one can still attempt to untangle the intricacies of the region by reviewing raw historical events and then drawing your own conclusions. Some observations from [...]
Oil geopolitics isn't a topic many would take natural interest in. Yet, I'm convinced it's one of the most effective routes to understanding how the the world works. Why? Geopolitics quickly becomes complex. The deeper you dive in, the more apparent its interconnectivity and transdisciplinarity becomes. It's easy to get stuck in the Valley of [...]
