Commodity Shocks
How price volatility in essential inputs propagates through systems and exposes structural vulnerabilities in dependent industries.
3 pieces in this category
April 2026
- 28 Apr 6 min
Why the UAE Left OPEC
The UAE walked away from OPEC voluntarily. That choice reveals the fundamental mechanics of cartels: why producers form pacts, what makes them fragile, and why coordination fails even when cooperation benefits everyone.
How cartels work and why they fall apart - 20 Apr 8 min
The 21-Mile Bottleneck
When ships carrying one-fifth of the world's oil can't move through a strait narrower than a marathon route, the lesson isn't about the conflict—it's about how concentration creates control in every system we build.
Chokepoints and Global Systems - 19 Apr 7 min
Why Jet Fuel Price Spikes Break Some Airlines and Not Others
A sudden fuel price spike forces airlines to cut routes and raise fares. Why does the same shock kill budget carriers while legacy airlines survive? The answer reveals how systems break at their bottlenecks—and why efficiency creates brittleness.
How commodity shocks cascade through interconnected systems