Episode notes
In this Special Edition of The Whitepaper, Nicolin Decker unveils the Panama Canal Resilience Accord (PCRA)—the first hydrodiplomatic treaty architecture that converts neutrality from a fragile promise into an enforceable, self-financing covenant. Where climate-driven droughts, sediment inflows, and systemic scarcity once pushed the Canal into the escalation band, PCRA fuses law, science, finance, and diplomacy to deliver stability that is auditable, reproducible, and intergenerational.
Why now: The Canal carries ~6% of global maritime trade. Neutrality “in form” is no longer enough—operability under stress is the standard for neutrality in substance. PCRA meets that standard by codifying minimum hydrological thresholds, fiduciary finance, multilateral oversight, and binding arbitration to ...
Keywords
U.S. Department of StateThe White House National Security CouncilU.S. Department of DefenseU.S. Department of CommerceU.S. Coast GuardPeople’s Republic of China: Ministry of Foreign AffairsPeople’s Republic of China: Ministry of CommercePeople’s Republic of China: National Development and Reform CommissionJapan: Ministry of Foreign AffairsJapan: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and TourismRepublic of Korea (South Korea): Ministry of Foreign AffairsRepublic of Korea (South Korea): Ministry of Oceans and FisheriesRepublic of Chile: Ministry of Foreign AffairsRepublic of Chile: Ministry of Economy, Development and TourismRepublic of Peru: Ministry of Foreign AffairsRepublic of Peru: Ministry of Foreign Trade and TourismFederative Republic of Brazil: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty)Federative Republic of Brazil: Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and ServicesUnited Mexican States (Mexico): Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE)Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE): Secretariat of EconomyRepublic of Colombia: Ministry of Foreign AffairsRepublic of Colombia: Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and TourismEuropean Union: European External Action ServiceEuropean Union: European Commission Directorate-General for TradeUnited Nations: Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA)United Nations: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)United Nations: United Nations Security CouncilHarvard Law School
Harvard Kennedy SchoolHarvard Economics DepartmentHarvard Business SchoolHarvard Weatherhead Center for International AffairsMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)