Notes - The Economist, September 29th - October 5th 2018 (1)

More on the Chinese-American relations - "China postponed military talks with America and denied a request for an American warship to make a port call in Hong Kong. Tension between the two countries has risen since America decided to impose sanctions on China for buying jets and missiles from Russia."

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On what to do with Venezuelan tyrants to push them to do right by their people - "The United States Treasury imposed sanctions on Cilia Fores, the wife of Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, and three other members of his inner circle. The sanctions bar American citizens from doing business with them and subject any assets they have in America to seizure. America has imposed sanctions on dozens of members of Venezuela's dictatorial regime." Venezuela's leaders have taken advantage of the general population for their personal gain. This took Venezuela's finances to the floor. The only solution I can think of is a complete reboot of its economic system. Nevertheless, people like Nicolas Maduro keep holding Venezuela hostage. I do not see an economic recovery coming unless Venezuela's economy is given a chance to fully crash and reboot.

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On how garbage disposal systems are cheaper than burning the trash - "One study found that burning, dumping or discharging rubbish into waterways costs south Asian economies $375 per tonne in pollution and disease. Basic disposal systems would cost only $50-100 per tonne. Morocco's government reckons the $300m it has recently invested in sanitary landfills has already averted $440m in damage. Such spending makes sense even when budgets are tight." Yet another proof that when you do things right, there is no need of doing them twice.

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On a controversial topic, the selling of passports - "Citizenship- and residence-for-sale schemes, typically charging between $100,000 and $2m, are booming [...]. More than a dozen of countries sell passports and around 100 sell residence. An industry of lawyers, bankers, accountants, consultants, and estate agents has sprouted up to serve well-heeled 'investment migrants'." When I first heard that you could buy passports of other countries, I was very upset. To me, nationality is supposed to represent way more than just economic status. Nevertheless, since globalization exploded, economic status seems to have gained importance in determining your identity. What do you think about passports being sold?

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On why Trump did not withdraw Kavanaugh's nomination - "Some have wondered why Mr Trump does not withdraw Mr Kavanaugh's nomination in favour of an equally conservative judge, such as Amy Coney Barrett. But to ask that is to misunderstand contemporary Republican politics which, under Mr Trump's leadership, has become less about ideals than about power and dominance. Withdrawing Mr Kavanaugh would mean admitting that historical accusations of sexual assault can be disqualifying, which leads back to the president."

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When writing this, I noticed I am quite behind on my readings! I have been programming like crazy. Hopefully, this week I will be able to catch up. This short posts are just meant to be food for thought and trigger your own analysis and research.

Best,

@capatazche