Check out the piece. Corruption suggests that that it is simply a degenerate case of capitalism. I think we are moving into a different order of international relations. One that has actually been quite common for must of human history.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...

5/To understand what is going, check out piece w/ @segoddard.bsky.social in IO on neo-royalism. It is an international order based not on state interests but elite cliques. The objective is not sovereignty but extraction. What looks like norm breaking is the new norm.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...

4/"The recent blending of business and politics has shattered American norms but is ordinary in the Gulf, where hereditary ruling families hold nearly absolute power and the phrase “conflict of interest” carries little weight."

3/"Prince Mohammed...hopes to sign a mutual defense agreement with Washington...
That sets up a scenario in which Mr. Trump discusses matters of national security with a foreign leader who is also a key figure in a potential business deal with the president’s family."

2/"Deal-making and diplomacy are increasingly intertwined for Mr. Trump and his family members. Some have engaged in business talks around the world in tandem with his statecraft, mingling profit-making ventures with political relationships."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/w...

I dont think this needs to be semi-serious!
@segoddard.bsky.social
have a very related approach in what we call neo-royalism and how it could shape the international system. Now I'm going to do a deeper read of Anderson.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...

That is really the goal of this piece is to develop language that leaders from targets can use to distinguish types of economic coercion and condemn illegitimate uses. Similar moment to onset of nukes i.e. violent new weapons but no norms to contain their use.
academic.oup.com/jiel/article...

6/In the short term, this can amass quite a lot of power through rents, polarization, and salami tactics. But it also stokes resentment. The key is to challenge those that are focused on loss aversion and offer a win-win future.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

5/The key is to understand that these are not random policy maneuvers -- tariffs, university cuts, federal workforce layoffs, shrinking food aid/health care. It is part of a scarcity agenda.
www.bbc.com/news/videos/...

4/Politically, resource conflict drives polarization. It deepen the commitment of your base.
spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

3/In other cases, loss aversion is a powerful tool. Everyone tithes to avoid the worst. Whether it is Nvidia, the EU, or United, economic interests will bend over backwards in the face of coercion/further loss. Think of investors that hold onto the falling knife.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

2/In some cases, it is about targeting opponents. Universities are a site of opposition, food aid is a core democratic policy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/p...