As I indicated last time, I'm here to discuss what Barry Buzan and Ole Waever have to say about the Americas in their book on the application of the regional security complex theory of international relations. I should begin by adding something to what I have said so far about a foundational concept here: what IS a "regional security complex"? It is a group of countries in proximity, whose chief security interests entail one another, making them a system onto themselves. Buzan and Waever contend that the map is largely divided up into various such complexes, or RSCs, and that the global picture is best understood from the bottom up, looking at the globe from the perspective of the regions rather than the other way around. More specifically, it is worth our while to distinguish two sorts of RSCs: "conflict formations" and security communities". South Asia is a conflict formations. The underlying conflict between India and Pakistan has been central to th...
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Bess Levin, for more than ten years the guiding genius behind the Wall Street gossip blog and humor rag Dealbreaker, is leaving that post. This is a good time for a moment of silence. On Friday, October 28, Bess broke the news to the world under the headline, “Housekeeping: This Is One of My Last Posts for Dealbreaker.” She’s moving to Vanity Fair’s The Hive. Props to VF, but it won’t be the same. Dealbreaker during Levin’s tenure has with some regularity turned its sharp and often sex-obsessed lens on the world of alpha seekers. Recent efforts include the Thornton McEnery post about Pete Muller, manager of a $5 billion quant fund firm, and musician on the side, who has composed a little ditty about Ken Griffin’s post-divorce sex life. Highland Hijinks Bess’ own recent writing includes an item this September about Joshua Terry’s lawsuit against Highland Capital. The story consisted of three equal parts. From bottom to ...
Not yet prominently covered by the finance media in the US: boardroom troubles at Petrobras, the company that was once the national oil company of Brazil, that was privatized in 2010 but that remains of great importance there (and in the South American continent in general) -- this looks like something that could explode into big front page headlines soon. (Its impressive looking HQ building in Rio is portrayed here.) The chairman of the board has taken a temporary leave of absence, after only five months on the job. The company isn't saying why, except for a terse reference to "personal reasons." Does this mean he is retiring, and simply hopes to play a lot of golf? Almost certainly not. After all, Murilo Ferreira remains a member of the board of Vale SA< Brazil's big mining corp., a task which one presumes also cuts into golf time. So what is there specific about Petrobras that requires he be absent? Petrobras contends these days with a bid rigging and br...