Patrick Hall

Patrick Hall is currently an analyst in Fargo, ND. He received a M.A. in Diplomacy and International Relations from Norwich University, as well as a B.A. in English and B.A. in History at the University of South Dakota. He is currently a Contributing Geopolitical Researcher and Analyst for Wikistrat. He has also written for the Atlantic Sentinel.

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Articles by Patrick Hall:

Sudan’s Oil War

May 7, 2012 by

Since the January 2011 referendum vote for independence and subsequent separation the following July, militia violence has been increasing across the borderlands. Hostilities were initiated by Sudan as a means of destabilizing the newly formed South Sudanese government. The situation continued to escalate with both sides funding and arming paramilitaries to conduct cross-border raids.

Analysis: Putin’s Port Project to Divert Russia Urals Oil to Baltic

April 12, 2012 by

In a move to further expand Russia’s market into the world system, Moscow commissioned a port to be constructed on the Baltic Sea, thus creating a route in which oil from the Urals could be traded more easily in the European market. Concerns over expected future production levels—Russia’s current volume has been deemed unsustainable when compared to overall project cost—have been leveled against Moscow.

Argentina’s Economic Policy: Failing to Learn from History

March 28, 2012 by

Argentina is heading toward its second economic crisis in just over a decade and national leaders are unwilling to publicly acknowledge that the country’s growth is unsustainable. Since the country’s economic collapse a decade ago, President Nestor Kirchner (2003-2007) and President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner (2007 – present) have allowed the national economy to function without interference or direction.

Losing Bolivia: Evo Morales’ Failing Presidency

March 13, 2012 by

For the sixth time in as many years, Bolivia is poised to nationalize more of its natural resource-based industries; a primary focus of the Morales administration since coming to power in 2006. For five years, the government – to the citizenry’s fanfare – has taken control of much of the country’s oil, gas, and mining industries; a transition justified by the government in that these sectors are integral for the nation’s survival.

Protecting Progress: South America’s Battle with Chevron

February 19, 2012 by

The oil spill 230 miles off Brazil’s coast last November was, when compared to other international environmental disasters, relatively small and easily contained. What captured the world’s attention was not the spill itself, but the Brazilian government’s reaction. Domestic and international criticism concerning the penalties levied against Chevron focused primarily on the disparity between the leak’s size and the nearly $20 billion in fines currently being fought over in civil court.

Latin American Success: A Case for Comparative Advantage

February 7, 2012 by

The innovation and integration set in motion throughout Central and South America over the past decade is replacing the notion that effective market strategies must be devised within the zero-sum framework. Unifying socio-political schemes and initiating region-centric policies has made regional comparative advantage Latin America’s primary focus over the past decade.

Kazakhstan: National Elections and Regional Security

January 15, 2012 by

For the past two decades, President Nursultan Nazarbayev sculpted Kazakhstan into a bastion of economic development in Central Asia; an image the autocrat valued to entice in foreign investment. Focusing domestic policies on market reforms, rather than democratic advancement, afforded the nation the foundation necessary to become the region’s strongest economy and largest oil producer.

Russia and the WTO: The Politics of Economics

December 18, 2011 by

After a nearly two-decade accession process completed, the World Trade Organization has welcomed Russia as a member, pending formal ratification from the Duma that is expected to be completed next June. The Kremlin has been struggling to achieve membership in the WTO since 1993. The process was slowed as interest has been mixed over the past decade under the Putin administration, which desired the growth achieved by China but was reluctant to cede any power to the private sector or foreign interests.

The United States and the Asia-Pacific Region

November 26, 2011 by

China’s centralized policymaking continues to be at odds with a world system that strives to observe the principles promoted by the international community. At the Reuters Washington Summit, Undersecretary of State Robert Hormats stated that “There’s competition between the American economic model and the more state-centered economic model of China.”

PRI Resurgence & the Future of the Border Wars

November 12, 2011 by

Election results in this year’s gubernatorial races have placed the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) back at the forefront of Mexican politics. Led by front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto – the former governor of the State of Mexico – the PRI is striving to rebuild its tarnished image rightfully earned during their seventy year reign. Since the beginning of the year, the party’s confidence has acquired hubris due to it amassing a nearly 30 point advantage over the other 2012 presidential candidates.