Author: Mikal Khoso
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Abstraction & Substraction
Abstraction & Substraction The world is more complex, interconnected and interdependent than ever before. Information is flowing in all directions at an unprecedented scale and as individuals we are increasingly on the receiving end of more information, from more mediums and in more formats than ever before. This is a growing problem and it can…
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The Populist Revolt
It is now abundantly clear that the Western world is in the midst of an expansive, multifaceted populist revolt. The ideological, institutional and cultural achievements of the Left in recent decades are now at risk of implosion. The return of the right to the political discourse in force and uncertainty around security and economics are…
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Economic Democracy in the Startup Age
With the collapse of communism and the crumbling of the Soviet Bloc in 1991 the triumph of liberal capitalism seemed complete. The liberalization of countries of the former Soviet Bloc, and of economies worldwide saw an explosion of trade coinciding with a period of profound economic growth from the late 1980s to mid-2000s. Capitalism seemed…
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The Doctrine of Three
We often remark quixotically that life is chaotic, random and uncertain. We talk of how one should appreciate every moment because one can never know when your last day will be. We observe how you shouldn’t expect to have a plan and follow it to the letter in life because, well, life happens. At some…
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Circa 1930: The Neoliberal Retreat
As the chorus of Neoliberalism quietens, the world enters a period of uncertainty and tension similar to the decade before WWII. Since the end of WWII with the victory of the Allies (Britain, the US and Russia), democracy and free market economics have made a stunning joint advance worldwide. Together, these policies form the core…
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Imagining a Post-Work World
You pull out your phone and swipe right to order a ride. Moments later, a sleek black car pulls up to the curb, and you take your seat. You’re greeted by a lush interior—and no driver. As you cruise to work, you pass a truck carrying all sorts of cargo. The truck has no cockpit;…
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Boston’s Startup Story
The Boston of the 50s, 60s and 70s was a powerhouse of American innovation and enterprise muscle. MIT was powering out a series of jumps forward in computer technology, and major tech companies like Digital Equipment, Wang, and Data General are all based in the Greater Boston area. But this innovative spark and muscle slowly…
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Recession 2016: The Debt Anchor
In Antifragile, author Nassim Nicholas Taleb makes the argument that when we try to remove disorder from a system and render it predictable we in fact set this system on a course to major shocks and even destruction. This is precisely what has happened to the world economy since the financial crisis. Government responses to…
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Desperate in Diriyah
The harsh deserts surrounding Diriyah in central Saudi Arabia played host to a meeting that would shape the destiny of the Arabian Peninsula for centuries to come. Here in Diriyah, in the 18th century, the House of Saud forged an alliance with Muslim preacher Ibn Abdel-Wahhab and went on to conquer much of the Arabian…
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The Economics of a Multipolar World
On December 26th 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved with 12 states emerging out of the wreckage of this former superpower. What followed was over 2 decades of unparalleled economic, political and moral dominance by the United States – the lone surviving superpower. The United States had (and continues to have) the world’s largest economy,…