Two inter-linked phenomena have primarily defined the modern global economy: the concentration of enormous market power into a few corporations, and the increasing reliance on fragmented and opaque supply chains.

Unchecked corporate power sits at the root of nearly every progressive issue of our time. Financial deregulation and low union density, among other things, have contributed to skyrocketing corporate profits while wages remain relatively stagnant in comparison to the inflated cost of living. Climate change driven by an underregulated fossil fuel industry is increasing the frequency and intensity of climate disasters across the United States.

April 24 marked nine years since the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Just the day before, dangerous structural cracks were discovered in the building and although the stores in the lower floors of the building closed immediately, the garment factories forced their workers to return to work the next day. That day the building collapsed, killing at least 1,132 people and injuring more than 2,500.

In October 2021, Reuters reported that U.S. remote control maker Universal Electronics Inc (UEI), took part in an agreement with Xinjiang authorities for the transport of Uyghurs to work in their plant in southern China. While many global corporations, including American companies and many others which trade on the United States stock exchange, are reportedly linked Uyghur forced labor through their supply chains, this is the first confirmed instance of an American corporation directly employing and transporting Uyghur forced laborers in China from Xinjiang.

Our latest blogpost relating to the Covid-19 pandemic details how coronavirus response measures may exacerbate tactics used to silence dissent and benefit a variety of actors–SLAPP bullies, autocratic regimes, and paramilitary groups alike.