The Mission
I grew up in the quiet, carpeted hallways of American embassies, watching my father navigate the delicate machinery of 20th-century diplomacy. It was a world of protocols and cables—the steady, if slow, advancement of democratic ideals.
But I chose a different path. After the Ivy League, I went where the ink was still wet on the contracts: post-1989 Eastern Europe. I spent my career as an investor and entrepreneur in Warsaw and St. Petersburg, learning a truth they don’t teach in political science seminars: The "Rule of Law" is the most valuable infrastructure a nation owns. It is more essential than power grids or fiber-optic cables. Without a judge you cannot bribe, you don’t have a market; you have a racket.
On the Name "Julian Aris"
A note on the name: Julian Aris is a pseudonym. I write under a pen name not out of a desire for mystery, but for the sake of institutional independence. Having spent decades in the private sector—managing assets, navigating boardrooms, and brokering deals across borders—my primary responsibility remains to my partners and the stability of the firms I represent.
By writing as Aris, I can speak with the "frankness of a pitch deck" without the filters of corporate PR or the diplomatic hedging that my professional life often requires. It allows me to call out corruption and authoritarianism by name, ensuring the analysis remains focused on the principle, not the personality.
The Institutional Realist
I am often described as a "Moral Capitalist." I sit on the center-right, but I have no patience for authoritarians. To me, a dictator isn’t a "strongman"—he’s a fragile CEO prioritizing his ego over the long-term growth of the firm.
In my travels between the American Rust Belt and the European Union, I see the same patterns of decay:
- Institutional Erosion: Institutions do not protect themselves. We protect them, or they vanish.
- Ethics as ROI: Corruption might make you rich today, but it destroys the market tomorrow. Ethics are the only sustainable return on investment.
- Isolationism as a Breach of Contract: Abandoning allies devalues the "American Brand." It makes the world more expensive, more volatile, and infinitely more dangerous.
Why This Blog?
I write for those who understand that democracy is not a spectator sport. It is a fragile asset that requires active management and constant reinvestment. We are currently living through a "bad merger" of populism and kleptocracy that threatens the global stability required for markets—and people—to thrive.
Through historical parallels, economic analysis, and Field Notes from my transatlantic life, I provide a sober look at the world as it is—not as we wish it to be.
"Appeasement isn't diplomacy; it's a bad merger that devalues your own equity."
The Bottom Line: Liberty is the ultimate blue-chip stock; if we don’t defend the dividend, we lose the principal.