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POLITICAL ANALYSIS · HISTORY Why Dictatorships Inevitably Consume Their Own Inner Circle By Dennis Dodo February 21, 2026 Look at the history of the world’s most studied dictatorships, and a striking pattern emerges. The people standing beside the dictator at the movement’s inception are almost never present at its demise. By the end, the early allies, the true believers, the enforcers, the men who helped build the myth, have been jailed, exiled, killed, or have reb

MARKETS & BEHAVIOR · APRIL 7, 2026 While missiles fly over Tehran and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the S&P 500 posts four straight days of gains. This is not a miscalculation. It is a structural alibi — and Wall Street has been perfecting it for decades. I have been sitting here watching guest after guest on Bloomberg come on and repeat the same script to explain how the market is expecting a quick resolution to President Trump’s ongoing war with Iran. Well, I h

An Analysis of Unity Through Opposition INTRODUCTION When I moved to Boston in the late 90s, one of the first things that struck me — something I never quite got used to — was the sight of Red Sox fans marching to or from Fenway Park, no matter who the team was playing, chanting “Yankees Suck, Yankees Suck!” even when they’d just won. Even when the Yankees weren’t anywhere near Boston. I remember standing there, watching these crowds file past, trying to understand

Analytical Policy Brief Author: Dennis M. Dodo – Aiden Consulting Abstract This paper argues that the price of petroleum distillates (diesel and gasoline) exerts a more powerful, direct, and immediate influence on near-term consumer price inflation than changes in central bank interest rates. A critical distinction frames this argument: distillate shocks and monetary policy operate on fundamentally different time horizons. While central banks are the appropriate instrument

The perfect economic storm is here, and every policy is pushing prices higher. By Dennis. M. Dodo Aiden Consulting — Curated Analytics March 10, 2026 Over the past few weeks, we have seen a convergence of conflict and policy that is squeezing the American consumer from every angle. It is not just one thing going wrong. It is everything, all at once. The protections that once helped the U.S. economy are being taken apart, replaced by a system where every decision seems to le

ESSAY OPINION Sport Gambling Is the New Big Tobacco The industry uses the same playbook that hooked millions on cigarettes. It's time we noticed. I was just sitting there watching sports. Nothing unusual. Except I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen this before—this density of recruitment, this relentlessness, this sense that every break, every broadcast, every jersey was trying to sign me up for something. And then it hit me. I hadn’t seen anything like this since the l

OPINION · GEOPOLITICS The push to 5% of GDP isn’t about security. It’s a business model — and peaceful countries are being asked to keep buying things they don’t need. Published Apri 9th, 2026 – Aiden Consulting You’ve probably heard the news. NATO wants its members to spend more on defence. First the target was 2% of GDP. Now some voices are pushing for 2.5% — or even 5%. On the surface, that sounds responsible. The world feels more dangerous. Russia is aggressive. Chi

A Reading of “Boderation” by Bunny Wailer Back in the 1980s, Bunny Wailer looked at Jamaica and saw trouble. Boderation-type trouble. Botheration on steroids. The kind where you wake up, and the landlord is at the door, the lights are cut, the dollar is funny, and someone is trying to sell you a “conman, gun man, hang man” special. Verse 1: Workhouse, Arms House, Madhouse “Workhouse, arms house, madhouse / Away we do you” Translation: We will put you in the workhouse,