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Moisés Naím / El País
What’s going to happen to money? Until recently the idea of doing without bills and coins seemed like science fiction. But today, it’s a reality. In many countries, money – as we know it – is becoming obsolete. Wallets are being replaced by our ubiquitous smartphones, while banknotes and metal coins are being replaced by digital ones and zeros.
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At the end of last year a series of pornographic videos began showing up on the internet. This is nothing new, but these were different because they starred some of the world’s top actresses and singers. Naturally, they went viral: millions of people around the world saw them. Very quickly it became clear that Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and other artists were not the real protagonists of the sex videos, but rather the victims of a new technology that – using artificial intelligence and other advanced digital tools – allows their creators to insert anyone’s face into a very credible video.
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Political instability distracts us from economic challenges while economic crises distract us from our political problems
Read moreMoisés Naím / World Energy & Oil
Most of energy industry disruption has come from new technologies. This will continue. But a source of turmoil far more potent looms large.
Read moreMoisés Naím / El País
Will Mexico’s president-elect try to change the Constitution in order to stay in power?
Read moreMoisés Naím / El País
Crimea was not invaded by the Russian Army, but rather by armed civilian militias. In February 2014, they rose up against the Ukrainian government in order to “free the region” and annex it to the Russian motherland. That, anyway, is the official version of events according to the Kremlin-controlled media. Never mind that there is irrefutable proof that the “patriots” who took Crimea by force were, in fact, Russian troops who were ordered to remove any identifying badges and insignia from their uniforms, tanks, and equipment just before the invasion.
Read moreMoisés Naím / The Washington Post
U.S. Department of Education secretary Betsy Devos has reorganized the unit charged with investigating fraud at for-profit colleges. Ending these investigations have left students to bare the burden of these problematic behaviors.
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Those in power now have much graver consequences due to globalization, technology, and the complexity of society. The kleptocracy and kakistocracy feed back on each other.
Read moreMoisés Naím / El País
The world seems to be growing more paradoxical where democratic practices are becoming more popular among dictators. Democracy gives them something repression can’t - a modicum of legitimacy.
Read moreMoisés Naím and Francisco Toro / The Atlantic
Maduro has no clue how to reverse any of the multiple crises he has set off. At this point, the goal of staying in power is just to be in power.
Read moreMoisés Naím / El País
A blow-by-blow dissection of the statements made by the Venezuelan president.
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A fake memo written to Cuban President Raúl Castro proposing action in relations with Venezuela.
Read moreMoisés Naím / TruthDig
Historians may have paid too much attention to hierarchies and too little to the loose social networks that often end up disrupting them.
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The US government is failing to protect its citizens from the predatory behavior of some corporations. Irresponsibly lax gun control, the opioid epidemic, pharmaceutical price gouging and the ravages of climate change are just four examples
Read moreMoisés Naím / El País
Venezuelans want to vote, but not in elections where traps and tricks will guarantee the continuity of this government
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Schooling is not the same as learning. In other words, going to school, and getting a diploma, does not mean that the student has learned much.
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Before, companies needed financial, human, technological and brand capital to succeed. From here on they will also need digital capital.
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Both the new nuclear stance and the growing energy autonomy of the United States reinforce the isolationism that characterizes President Donald Trump’s mindset.
Read moreMoisés Naím / World Energy & Oil
The plan to upgrade China’s energy mix announced by President Xi Jinping during the 19th National Congress of the CCP, which is expected to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions, faces five political and economic challenges that could hinder its implementation.
Read moreMoisés Naím / The Atlantic
The good news is that much of the world is fed up with corruption. The bad news is that the way many are fighting corruption is ineffective. Too often, the remedy centers on finding and empowering an honest leader who promises to stamp out the problem. Worldwide, candidates for elected offices are running on highly personalized anti-corruption platforms, offering themselves as the solution. What countries really need, though, are smart laws that reduce the incentives and opportunities for corruption. They also need strong institutions that enforce those laws and deprive corrupt officials, and their private-sector accomplices, of impunity in their efforts to get rich at the public’s expense.
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