Sunday, April 26, 2026

Blog Roll: World-System Dynamic Component Models



The purpose of my blogs is to estimate Systems Models, specifically Dynamic Component Models, on historical data. My reason for the project are: (1) The historical data is widely available, (2) current analysis is largely based on mental models and (3) no one seems to be applying Systems models. The reason for point three is that historical data are highly correlated and co-linear. My contribution is to use Principal Components Analysis to implement the Satet Space and solve the co-linearity problem using correlations.


The unique aspect of my blogs, Google sites and work over the last 50 years is that I have estimated State Space Dynamic Component Models (DCM) for all the major countries and regions in the World-System from the year (0) until the present (for more information about periodization,  data sources and how the models are constructed, see the Boiler Plate). 

The video above explains State Space Systems models which are commonly used in Engineering (not Economics, History or the Social Sciences). What is unique about the DCM models is the definition of System state and how the State Space is constructed:

The state of any system is the collection of independent variables that predict the time path of the system from t1 to tn
 
In DCMs, the state space is constructed using Principal Components Analysis. In the video above, the x are the state variables and the y are the indicator variables. For macro-societal analysis, the scope of the system is defined by the Kaya Identity, the same identity used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

DCMs can be run using R-code on my Google Site, which is organized basically by regions of the World-System, by topics and by time periods (for example, the Long Twentieth Century).




Notes


Wallerstein, Immanuel (1974). The Modern World-System. New York: Academic Press


Pasdirtz, G.W. Instability and Late Nineteenth Century German Development


Please see the  Boiler Plate for more information on periodization, data sources and DCM Construction.

Blog Roll: Eastern Europe




The major Geopolitical Problem facing Eastern Europe at present is the War in Ukraine. Any scenarios constructed for Eastern Europe are contingent on the outcome of the War. Add into that, the 2026 War in Iran. The outcome of these wars also depends on the involvement of NATO, the European Union, the United States and Russia.

My current blog postings:

Notes

State Space Dynamic Component Models

Eastern Europe Measurement Model



Eastern Europe BAU Model





Eastern Europe AIC Statistics




Map





Friday, April 3, 2026

Blog Roll: Afghanistan



10 March 2026 UN warns that Afghanistan faces deepening crisis as regional 'instability' tightens grip

2 Apr 2026 Afghanistan Update


Notes

Map


Video








The Revenge of Geography






April 18, 2026 For Iran, Flexing Control Over Waterway Is New Deterrent Trump gave Iran a new weapon! It's about Geography!




On Fareed Zakaria GPS, Fareed interviewed Robert D. Kaplan (video above). Mr. Kaplan's thesis is that geography constrains the distribution of power within the World system and largely encourages particular outcomes in the balance of power between nations.

His analysis of geography leads him to the conclusion that Russian, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mexico will be the dominant powers in the future of the World System. World System theory, on the other hand, has focused on Hegemony.

The New Strategy in Afghanistan












A new report by Jeffrey A. Dressler "Securing Helmand: Understanding the Enemy".

Monday, March 23, 2026

Blog Roll: Israel




At the same time, the causes of the 2026 US-Israel-Iran War are entangled with the legal problems of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.


In my lifetime, there has never been peace in the Middle East and there has never been a US President serving with a lengthy record of Impeachments and criminal prosecutions. The day-to-day Political Events are surely a Random Walk, but there must be some causal structure in the long-term models.

Here is a Blog Roll of my posting on Israel:
None of my models predict Peace in the Middle East! 


Notes

More readings:
You can run the IL_L20 model, written in R-code, here. Instructions in the code show how to stabilize the system. Other models for the Middle East and North Africa are available here.

The Peace Process


The Combatants

The Map




Monday, March 16, 2026

Blog Roll: Middle East North Africa (MEA)

 


The Middle East and North Africa (MEA) are in turmoil right now as a result of the US-Israel-Iran 2026 War. The video above provides geographical overview of the MEA Countries.

This post presents a Blog Roll of the WL20 MEA Model and other country models I have estimated. 

For more information on Data Sources and how the models were estimates, see the Boiler Plate.


Notes

You can run the WL20R MEA BAU model, which is written in R-code, here. Instructions in the code allow you to run alternative futures.



Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Stooges Third Reich Putdown



Serious Nuclear Weapons Accidents on US Territory! Really?




The PBS American Experience Documentary Command and Control documents the deadly 1980 accident at a Titan II missile complex in Damascus, Arkansas. The footage was actually shot at the Titan Missile Museum outside Tucson, Arizona (a scene breakdown is available here). I visited the Museum last year and here's a brief review of the Museum and the documentary.


Blog Roll: Spain

 





A shock to Spain will decrease Overall Growth (ES1), increase Unemployment (ES2) and increase Environmental Damage (ES3) (see the ESL20 model). 


Mar 3, 2026 Spain is in the news today because it denied US permission to use jointly operated bases to attack Iran. Spain is one of the few EU countries that has stood up to the US against the war with Iran. chatGPT notes that:



and that 
Here are some of my posts on Spain:


Notes

You can run the ESL20 model yourself using R-code here.

Blog Roll: How Germany Became Europe's Richest Country



The video above lists 10 reasons why Germany has become so wealthy. According to chatGPT:


Also, according to chatGPT, Germany is facing a number of problems:



Here are some of my posts on Germany:



Notes

You can run the DEL20 model in R-code here.

Wikipedia Links





Blog Roll: Italy

 



Italy is approaching a Steady State Economy; it is not the "Sick Man" of Europe (unless you expect economies to grow forever).

 



Under Giogia Meloni's leadership, Italy (IT) has stared to play a more visible role in the European Union (EU). According the chaGPT, IT has always been an important member:


Here are some of my posts on Italy:
The major problems facing Italy, according to Chat GPT, are:

All these issue can be explored with the ITL20 model.


Steady State Growth (IT1) predictions from the ITL20 model.
 

Notes

Run the ITL20 model in R-code (here).

Wikipedia Links


More Video






Monday, March 2, 2026

Blog Roll: India



From Google AI:


The WL20 India Model in R-Code.
 

Blog Roll: The BRICS


 

The BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries: BrazilChinaEgyptEthiopiaIndiaIndonesiaIranRussiaSouth Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The initial four BRIC states were Brazil, Russia, India, and China). As an  intergovernmental organization, the  BRICS are designed to be a counter-weight to US Hegemonic Dominance.

Here are some of my postings on the BRICS countries:


Blog Rolls