What if trade wars, sanctions, debt crises, and geopolitical rivalry are not merely political failures, but symptoms of deeper flaws in the architecture of the global economy? In this two-part episode of Visions of a Better World Podcast, Max Tallberg and Astrid Aminoff are joined by Professor Heikki Patomäki and Dr. Konsta Kotilainen both contributors to Deweaponizing Interdependence: Bringing the Idea of International Clearing Union into the Twenty-First Century (available open access), to discuss the book’s central arguments and their relevance in today’s increasingly fragmented world economy.

The conversation explores how the current international monetary system contributes to global instability, geopolitical tensions, and economic inequalities. In the first episode, the guests discuss the weaponization of economic interdependence, the limits of monetary hegemony, and why the absence of adequate global monetary institutions may itself be generating conflict. In the second episode, the focus shifts to solutions and the idea of a Global Clearing Union: an international institution that would facilitate trade and financial exchanges through a shared accounting system, helping to reduce global imbalances while encouraging cooperation between both debtor and surplus countries. Inspired by John Maynard Keynes’s original proposal, the discussion considers whether such reforms could contribute to a more stable, democratic, and equitable global order, and what they could mean for the future of humanity and global cooperation.

Heikki Patomäki is Professor of World Politics and Global Political Economy at the University of Helsinki and one of Finland’s leading scholars of global political economy, democracy, and global governance. His work explores international relations, economics, philosophy, peace studies, and futures thinking, with a particular focus on democratic transformation at the global level. He has held professorships and visiting positions at institutions including Nottingham Trent University, RMIT University in Melbourne, and the University of Cambridge.

Konsta Kotilainen is a postdoctoral researcher in world politics and global political economy at the University of Helsinki whose work explores global governance, monetary theory, economics, and philosophy. His doctoral dissertation on monetary sovereignty and macroeconomic policy autonomy received an international PhD Thesis Prize from the University of Pavia. He is currently writing a book on supranational currency arrangements funded by the Kone Foundation and is also a researcher in the University of Helsinki’s Fragile Frontier (SPACE) project on space governance, resilience, and geopolitical change.

Suggested Resources

Global Justice Report 2026

Critical Realism & Peace Studies - Keynote Prof. Heikki Patomäki

Our Common Future: World System Scenarios for the 21st Century

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This episode is a recording of our recent event held in Think Corner in Helsinki.

Whose Future? Global Visions in a Contested World explored the state of the world in 2026 and what today’s shifting power dynamics mean for societies most affected by global inequality. As geopolitical tensions escalate and global governance faces growing contestation, the discussion asked: where does power truly lie, and whose futures are prioritized?

A central theme was the meaning of a “multipolar world.” Does multipolarity create new space for countries and communities outside traditional centers of power, or does it merely reshape old hierarchies under new forms?

The panel connected global dynamics — including deglobalization, autocratization, colonialism, neoliberalism, and populism — to everyday realities such as livelihoods, public services, migration, citizenship, and the struggle to meet basic needs. The discussion also explored what is often missing from mainstream narratives, and where there may still be room for solidarity, political agency, and alternative futures.

Guests:

Walden Bello is a renowned scholar and activist, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at SUNY Binghamton, and co-founder of Focus on the Global South in Bangkok. He received the Right Livelihood Award in 2003 for exposing the impacts of corporate-driven globalization. His latest book is Global Battlefields: Memoir of a Legendary Public Intellectual from the Global South.

Robtel Neajai Pailey is Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her work focuses on Critical Development, African, and Race Studies, with research on citizenship, belonging, and structural transformation in Africa. Her award-winning book is Development, (Dual) Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa.

Dr. Bonn Juego is a political economist and Senior Lecturer in International Development Studies at the University of Jyväskylä. He serves as Chair of the Finnish Society for Development Research and studies crises and alternatives to capitalism, with a focus on the Global South and North–South relations.

Moderated by Max Tallberg and Astrid Aminoff.

The event was part of the pre-conference programme of Development Days 2026, celebrating FSDR’s 40th anniversary.

Global Visions is a non-profit association based in Helsinki, Finland, working to bring people and organisations together to develop ideas aimed at building a better world.

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Take our Visionary Test and find out what type of Visionary you are! https://visionary.globalvisions.tech

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In the second episode of this two part series on transformative politics, futures, and hope, we turn to the question of what comes next. If the future is not predetermined, how can it be shaped, and by whom? The conversation explores the idea that the future is fundamentally open, while acknowledging the constraints posed by climate change, technological developments, and shifting geopolitical dynamics. What does it mean to act under uncertainty, and how can political imagination be sustained in times of crisis?

Sirkka Heinonen emphasises futures literacy, collective visioning, and the distinction between possible, probable, and preferable futures. She highlights the need to imagine alternatives and develop forms of anticipatory governance. Thomas Wallgren reflects on the ethical and political dimensions of uncertainty, questioning dominant narratives around technological progress and emphasising responsibility, agency, and the power of truth. The discussion engages with the limits of current political frameworks and how we understand expertise and collective action.

The episode brings together philosopher and political thinker Professor Thomas Wallgren (University of Helsinki) and Professor Emerita of Futures Research Sirkka Heinonen (University of Turku).

Thomas Wallgren’s work focuses on democracy, transformative politics, and the structural conditions shaping political possibility. He has been closely involved with the World Social Forum and has written extensively on its significance, limitations, and the evolving nature of global political movements.

Sirkka Heinonen is a leading scholar in futures research whose work explores foresight, anticipatory governance, and the role of imagination in shaping societal trajectories. Her research emphasises how engaging with multiple possible futures can itself be a democratic and transformative practice.

Suggested reading:

Paul Raskin, Journey to Earthland: The Great Transition to Planetary Civilization (Tellus Institute, 2016).

Heinonen, Sirkka & Viitamäki, Riku (2025). Society, Skills and Spaces – Curated Conversations on Futures of Work with Foresight Experts. FFRC eBooks 1/2025. Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku. ISBN 978-952-249-623-2 (pdf), 978-952-249-624-9 (print). ISSN 1797-1322.

Host: Astrid Aminoff

Global Visions is a non-profit association based in Helsinki, Finland, working to bring people and organisations together to develop ideas aimed at building a better world.

Follow and learn more:

Instagram: @globalvisionsry

Bluesky: globalvisions.bsky.social

TikTok: @globalvisionsry

LinkedIn: Global Visions

Watch our Panel Discussions on our YouTube Channel

YouTube: GlobalVisionsry

More information:

www.globalvisions.fi/en

Take our Visionary Test and find out what type of Visionary you are! https://visionary.globalvisions.tech

Our music is licensed from Premium Beat.