WORLD.OS - Rethinking International Cooperation in a Multiplex World

In this episode, I explore why international cooperation needs to be fundamentally rethought in a world where power, technology, and economic dependencies are rapidly shifting.I argue that we are moving beyond traditional models of development cooperation, trade, and security policy—and toward something more integrated: a form of partnership built around joint industrial and technological development.At the center of this episode is the idea of “collaborative industrial policy.” Not as a national strategy, but as a shared approach between middle powers and countries across the global majority. The goal is not technology transfer or market access alone, but the joint creation of value—through co-investment, shared standards, and interconnected production systems.I walk through a practical framework for understanding different types of technology partnerships and analyze real-world examples such as Airbus, SEMATECH, and the European Battery Alliance to show what works, what doesn’t, and why.Finally, I focus on a key practical question: how do we actually prioritize areas for collaboration? I outline a pragmatic approach based on identifying critical dependencies, key technologies, and aligned interests—while working closely with the private sector and building partnerships that are economically viable for all sides.This episode is about moving from fragmented cooperation to shared capability. From isolated projects to ecosystems. And from competition alone to strategic collaboration in shaping the technologies that will define the future.

Global trade is no longer what it used to be.As the WTO Ministerial Conference unfolds in Yaoundé, the gap between formal negotiations and real-world economic shifts is becoming impossible to ignore. While talks remain stuck on familiar issues—agriculture, digital trade, development—the real transformation of global trade is happening elsewhere: in industrial policy, supply chains, and strategic partnerships.In this episode, I explore why trust in the global trading system is eroding—and why this is a challenge for export-driven economies and countries seeking to integrate into global markets.I explain how rising subsidies, import restrictions, and geopolitical competition—especially between the US and China—are creating a new dynamic that risks fragmenting the global economy. But I also show why this moment creates new opportunities for middle powers and the global majority to reshape their role.At the center of the episode is a concrete proposal: objective-driven trade agreements. Instead of negotiating rules line by line, countries align on shared goals—on investment, sustainability, and value creation—and adapt policies together to achieve them.The question is no longer whether globalization continues—but how it is redesigned.Can trade become a tool for building shared industrial ecosystems, rather than a battlefield of competing interests?

Global power is shifting—and for many countries, the stakes are rising fast.In this opening episode of World.OS, I take Mark Carney’s warning seriously: middle powers must act together, or risk being sidelined in a world increasingly shaped by technological competition and geopolitical fragmentation.But this is not just a story about risk. It is a story about opportunity.Across Europe and the Global Majority, a new alignment of interests is emerging—around technological sovereignty, economic resilience, and the need for new forms of partnership. This episode argues that the future of international cooperation lies in industrial and technological partnerships that move beyond aid and toward shared value creation.Blending strategic insight with real-world experience, World.OS sets out to answer a central question:How do we build cooperation that actually works in today’s world?