It is evident that these global issues require united and sustainable solutions, but this article aims to identify how the state of global politics and power may shift in the age of resource anxiety. Control over water and food sources is a form of geopolitical currency.

Thought experiments test the internal logic of political beliefs, inspire creative thinking, and produce more productive conversations than whether capitalism or socialism is better. In the spirit of promoting better dialogue, this paper will present three thought experiments and demonstrate their real-world relevance.

What happens when a regime figures out how to Photoshop its tyranny into “democracy”? When the dictator swaps the military jacket for a tailored suit and starts quoting human rights conventions between propaganda speeches?

Today, and perhaps more than ever, Van Boven’s critical and irreverent spirit must inspire us: the protections of Human Rights demand objectivity, sensitivity, and action, always fighting against impunity, which completely undermines the entire system.