Can We Do Better?

If you prefer to think outside the box, then this book is for you. It is an insightful, penetrating, and far-reaching call to decency, integrity, and accountability. The book is a clarion call to re-evaluate our man-made world of dogmas, ideologies, myths, and masculine institutions and industries. It is a strongly worded call to embrace facts and critical thinking; especially, in the face of religious, political, and conspiratorial distortions of key human and environmental issues. Can We Do Better? is a clear-headed invitation to informed, rational and values-based citizenship, custodianship, and leadership. Necessarily, therefore, this book is a robust call to integrity and accountability in governance.Every chapter invites us to be aware, factual, honest, sensitive, compassionate, and responsible. In contrast to the modern prominence of individualistic transactional leveraging, this book advocates values-based relationships, communities, and ecologies.We men are invited to confront some ‘inconvenient truths’, and to learn from and internalise Yin-based wisdom. To promote Yin-based wisdom, this book encourages women and First Peoples to step forward as role models, educators, stewards, and leaders. In conjunction with Yin-based wisdom, this book argues that a critical mass of us need to embrace holistic and homeostatic systems principles and priorities.‘Holistic systems wisdom’ is crucial in reducing longstanding fragmentation, harms, suffering and disasters. So… be curious and read this compelling and innovative book.Look out for the publication of a ‘Companion Workbook’ that is designed to enable you to explore and apply the values and principles in Can We Do Better?

Echoes in a Void

Richard A. Stothert retired some 10 years ago having enjoyed a very long career in the development of computer programmes forecasting strength or weakness of both individuals and businesses known as Credit Information Bureaus. This involved many international projects across the world. Australia, Botswana, Germany, Canada and many more. On retirement, he reviewed his learning of human attitudes toward each other throughout history and these are reflective in both positive and negative reactions. In the world of today self-destruction continues unabated.

Abundanomics – Unlocking the Real Wealth of Nations

Scarcity has been the driving force of decision makers throughout the ages.The necessity of choosing between competing wants and needs has always underpinned outcomes. However, we are now in an age of abundance – abundance in goods and services, information, in wealth, and abundance in ways to fairly distribute the rich bounty the world provides. The problem is we don’t! The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. People across the world are dying of hunger, thirst, and curable disease in their millions every year.We have the ability now, like never before, to rebalance the scales of humanity.The aim of the book is to create discussion with a view to attaining a collective realisation and belief that we can build a better future for everyone.

An Unfinished Story: Return of Pinocchio

Dear reader,

Remember what a metaphor is? In simple words, this is what we want to say, without naming names and positions, with elements of sharp humour, exposing the whole palette of political fraud, when politicians promise people ‘mountains of gold,’ and as a result, the people get ‘bitten and beaten.’

We present to your attention a humorous work, a story about a political circus that has existed throughout human history. And if we spin this wheel, we will see that all these situations described in the book, one way or another, occurred in certain states and eras. People have faced and continue to believe in political illusions for centuries.

After reading this book, you will react with humour when looking at those politicians who are going to govern society. The images of the characters we know reflect the stupidity, greed, and naivety of people who are ready to believe what they are promised…

New Governments and the Protection of Foreign Investments under International Law

In recent years, there has been a tension in international arbitration between legal stability and political change. This tension increases significantly when new governments face pressure to enact economic reforms that redress the perceived shortcomings of their predecessors. In doing so, new governments may have to renegotiate concession contracts, terminate monopolies and re-nationalise state assets that have been illegitimately transferred into private hands. However, when foreign investments are affected, foreign investors may claim that judicial, administrative or legislative measures have violated the core principles of international investment law under investment treaties. Indeed, foreign investors have previously raised claims against host states in relation to the implementation of treaty obligations. Such claims raise the question of how arbitral tribunals should address the tension between legal stability and political change.

The primary aim of this book is to effectively understand how international law deals with the tension between legal stability and political change. Specifically, this book seeks to address the vagueness that surrounds determinations on the international liability of new governments in relation to foreign investments under international law. Thus, the scope of the book covers three main areas of international law: 1) the law of state immunity; 2) the law of state responsibility; and 3) international investment law, which is a sub-field of international law that integrates both public and private international law.