EconAir

  INTRODUCTION   The English East India Company (EIC) was an innovative new type of corporation. It was not only  a multinational corporations but it was created to exploit the profit potential of global trade.  It might be a model for how a multinational corporation (MNC) could survive and prosper in an increasingly chaotic and hostile geopolitical world. For a description of the structure and strategy of the English East India Company, see The English East India Company (EIC):  Trade with Asia     THE EIC AS A MODEL FOR FUTURE MNCs?   The international political structure is now moving in reverse as the post-World War II economic and political order created mostly by the United States is breaking down. America seems to be less willing to pay for global  political  leadership, reverting back to its traditional policies of isolationism and protectionism. It hugely expensive military is paid for with deficit financing. Wealthy countries c...

        INTRODUCTION   In 1600, England had been an insular and agricultural nation, trading primarily with nearby northern Europe. By 1700, England’s commerce was complex and global, as London competed successfully with Amsterdam for American produce and Asian luxuries.   Alan Taylor,   American Colonies:  The Settling of North America, 258.   A theme that runs through this essay is the global maritime rivalry with Holland. England and Holland became global trade rivals in the 1600s. They fought three wars that weakened Holland and eliminated it as a naval rival.    England’s main instrument in its rivalry with the Dutch in Asia was the English East India Company (EIC). In America and the West Indies, it was the Navigation Acts.   By the end of the century, England was on its way to becoming a global maritime trading and naval power. The Dutch had lost out in North America but had established a vast trading network t...

  The objective is to eliminate Russia as a geopolitical threat in Europe and the Middle East.   An important objective of the war is to destroy Iranian drone production and storage sites. Iran is the main source of supply of the drones Russia is using in Ukraine. After Iran’s military has been sufficiently degraded, the US and Israel stop bombing. The US declares that its military will be responsible for security in the Persian Gulf and escort tankers. If Iran attacks shipping, the US and Israel will resume bombing.   Consequences:   Like Venezuela, Iran or any ally of Russia cannot depend on any Russian help or support if attacked. The US announces that, with our European allies, we will provide Ukraine with whatever weaponry and financial support it needs to defeat Russian forces. The goal is to remove Russia as a threat to Europe. The war makes it clear to the Gulf States they cannot defend themselves from Iranian attacks and that their security depends on the US...

    Demographic Issues   This is a summary of the essays in this blog on demographic projections.    It is not only the arc of population increases and then decreases that is important. It is what happens under the arc. Birth rates fall below replacement, the number of births go down, the size of the labor force decreases while the number of retired people go up. Eventually, the number of older citizens start to go down and the total population decreases faster and in larger numbers. This scenario happens in an increasing number of countries and then for the global population.   The demographic projections and discussion in this blog are based on the Lancet projections of birth rates and population using 2017-2020 data. Forecasts for global trends and for some countries have changed since the Lancet projections. The key projection is birth rates for each country, for geographical regions, and for the entire world.   But how good are estimates of future...