Latin America and the US: The Apotheosis of Distrust

The year 2013 was shockingly damaging to relations between the U.S. and the countries of Latin America. Edward Snowden’s revelations showed that in the Western Hemisphere, Washington is trying to play only by the rules it itself…

Malaysia: Desperately Needing a New National Narrative

The ritualistic month long celebration of Merdeka (independence) activities have largely lost their meaning. Discussion about the roles that different groups played in the road to independence has largely been rewritten to support the current…

Hiroshima, Nagasaki and ‘Bomb Iran’

Last week marked the 68th anniversary of the WWII destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9) — the first and only deployment of nuclear weapons in human history. Within…

US Shale Myths and European Market Reality

Many US shale companies that have been beating the drums of shale “revolution” are now facing oil and gas well depletion. In February 2013 the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) warned that “diminishing returns to scale and…

Reinvigorating Rural Malaysia – New Paradigms Needed

As urban Malaysia has grown and prospered, the rural hinterlands have generally declined. Back in the 1980s approximately 70% of Malaysia’s population was considered rurally domiciled, where today 72% of Malaysia is urbanized with a…