I consider myself an internationalist, but...

2026-02-10 09:43

Some of you may not know, but in addition to having graduated in economics, I have an MBA in international affairs. These are subjects I deeply enjoy, and I am constantly following the news and reading articles on these topics.

I consider myself an internationalist who believes institutions like the UN are extremely relevant and important. Needless to say, I am saddened by the current moment we are living in — and even sadder to find myself protesting by stepping away from US products and services. But the pragmatist in me knows that — at least for now — this is necessary.

Here are the latest items added to my protest list:

• Google Wallet: I’ve switched to MB Way, a local payment system, for contactless payments on my phone. By doing this, I’m ensuring that even fractions of cents from my transactions aren't being sent to the US.
• Uber: I’ve removed the app from my phone to build the habit of using Bolt instead, which is an EU-based company.

This list is growing longer every day, and I will keep adding to it for as long as necessary. However, the optimist in me still believes this is temporary. For the record, I really hate how often "pragmatic me" has to fight with "optimistic me."

As humans, I’m sure we can do better than this mess. We’ve done it before, and I am confident we will do it again.