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Workers paving over the Killdeer Nesting Ground

In the days and weeks since I first posted about the tragedy that had befallen a nest of Killdeer eggs, I have returned to the scene of the crime on a daily basis, using the activity associated with the walking of my dogs as operational cover for determining the fate of the nesting pair of Killdeer whose efforts at procreation had run afoul of human development.

The birds had not fled the area, and after awhile could be localized in a particular patch of ground where, upon further investigation, it appeared they were making an effort to give nesting another go.

No sooner than the birds had made themselves at home, however, the construction crews moved in, beginning the process of paving over the field where this nesting pair and several more like it had situated themselves.

Today the nesting pair, and the half dozen other Killdeer who had called the field their home, have been pushed out of the field, and into a grassy median which separates the access road from the river. They run around, emitting their unique calls, when approached by the dogs. But gone are the antics of the past—the wing dragging, the feigning injury.

They have nothing to protect.

One of the Killdeer that had been displaced from their nesting area by construction

Book knowledge suggests that it is too late in the season for the Killdeer to take another pass at nesting. But the weather in the Greater Capital District has been unpredictable, with heat waves blending in with rainy cold fronts. Who knows what these birds will end up doing.

Mother Nature is resilient, and there is no doubt in my mind this time next year these birds will be back, tending to their fledglings as the bounce and flutter their way into maturity, where they will continue the circle of life that defines all existence on this planet.

I reflect on this inevitability, and take comfort at what it portends for the future, even as the world around me explodes in human-induced violence. The construction crews that dug up and paved over the Killdeer nesting area were, to the Killdeer, the equivalent of the kind of conflagration that rends humanity in places like Gaza, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Kiev, and Kursk.

However disruptive this construction has been, the Killdeer adapt and move on.

And we humans will have to as well.

If we are to survive.

So once again, I take heed of the Killdeer and the life lessons they provide.

Mother Nature continues to give me hope in a world otherwise full of metaphorical construction crews trying pave me into oblivion.

Please find below a gallery of photographs of the Citizen’s Summit, taken in Saint Petersburg, Russia and Kingston, New York.

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In a media landscape dominated by sensationalism and culture wars, the headlines often miss what truly matters. A structural power shift is underway across the Global South, and most visibly among the BRICS+ nations. While the West is entangled in narratives of its exceptionalism, the rest of the world is recalibrating. China offloaded $150 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds during the first quarter of 2024. Across the BRICS alliance—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and now newer members like Iran, Egypt, and the UAE—there is a coordinated, deliberate reduction of exposure to U.S. assets.

This trend isn’t new, but the pace and intent have accelerated. What was once a slow rebalancing is now a purposeful flight. The reasons are clear - ballooning U.S. debt, increasing weaponization of the dollar, and geopolitical adventurism have all made the American financial system less attractive. The same policies that once reinforced U.S. dominance are now unraveling it.

A reordering of the post-World War II financial architecture that kept the U.S. dollar at the center of the global economy has begun.

The $7.5 Trillion Warning

Over $7.5 trillion in U.S. assets, primarily Treasury bonds, is at risk of being pulled by foreign holders. For decades, the American government enjoyed a privilege no other country had: the ability to borrow at scale, cheaply, and in its own currency, thanks to the dollar’s position as the world’s primary reserve currency. But today, confidence in that arrangement is declining. What started as isolated divestments—first by Russia, then China—has matured into a coordinated policy direction by much of the Global South.

The implications are truly profound. If the holders of these U.S. assets begin to accelerate their divestment—which, again, we’re already seeing—the U.S. could face a trifecta of consequences: higher interest rates, a weaker dollar, and an increasingly unstable debt market. The mere signal that foreign buyers are retreating forces domestic investors to demand higher yields for the risk they’re now shouldering alone. That translates into a rising cost of borrowing across every level of American life—from the federal budget to mortgages to student loans.

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