Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Saturday, March 01, 2014
Investor Energy Potential in Ukraine's Troubles / Politics / Energy Resources
By: Money_Morning
Dr. Kent Moors writes: [LONDON] As you read this, Marina and I will be in London for the annual energy consultations at Windsor Castle.
Now, if it seems like I'm spending far too much time traveling these days, you're right. But the truth is our trip to England is just the beginning... more is yet to come.
You see, most of the major new developments are no longer taking place in North America. The global energy sector is intensifying, and its importance has never been more striking than it is right now.
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Saturday, March 01, 2014
Trashing Saudi Cutout States and Ransacking their Gold / Politics / Middle East
By: Jim_Willie_CB
Betrayals occur in high places, even the highest offices of the land. Furthermore, betrayals occur with some of the most important allies for the nation. See the official German gold account thefts, called euphemistically the repatriation demand. See the shredding of the Constitution, by virtue of the Patriot Act which could easily pass for a comprehensive Fascist Manifesto. See the renege on the Chinese gold lease, on the back end of the Most Favored Nation status granted in 1999. See the permitted security agency narcotics centered in Afghanistan, with its vertically integrated business operation, the clearing house function in Iraq, and money laundering among New York banks, whose product fills American streets. See the numerous deals for stolen Defense weapons, in particular those conducted by the favored US ally, accounted for by means of scrap metal costs associated with entire systems, the details promised the day before 911 but never to have arrived. See the planned bank account confiscations and pension fund confiscations, the procedures having been worked into law, or imminently, as the sacred privacy is stripped. See the string of Executive Decrees, which trample on rights in every conceivable manner, including life itself. See the NSA surveillance, which has been revealed not only for ordinary diverse communications but also for stealing trade secrets and monitoring discussions behind walls during trade deals. Now the latest. See the trashing of the Saudis, and the outright theft of their vast gold held on account in London.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Did Natural Gas Debt Trigger the Ukraine Crisis? / Politics / Eastern Europe
By: Andrew_McKillop
Defending Moscow's December 18, 2013 agreement to provide Ukraine with an aid package estimated at about $15 billion, and cheaper natural gas through discounts and “gas debt forgiveness” estimated as able to save Ukraine $7 bn in one year, Vladimir Putin said the decision to invest $15 bn in 'brotherly slavic' Ukraine, and grant the gas discount was “pragmatic and based on economic facts”.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Ukraines Road to War as Crimea Boils Over / Politics / Eastern Europe
By: LewRockwell
Eric Margolis writes: The surging crisis in Ukraine is a dramatic example of how wars begin. Take arrogance, toxic nationalism, tribalism, moral outrage and profound miscalculation, mix thoroughly, and, voilà !, another great leap forward in the march of human folly.
Russia just mobilized its western regions armed forces, an inevitable response to the growing turmoil in Ukraine. Most westerners are unaware that Ukraine is the cradle of Russian civilization and, when properly run, one of the world’s great producers of grains.
Friday, February 28, 2014
One of the Biggest Financial “Rip off Traps” In History Has Just Met Its Match / Politics / Student Finances
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani writes: I’ve written and railed about rip-off student financial aid schemes here for years.
And based on all the very personal stories I’ve received, I know many of you are outraged as well – even more so because of your devastating first-hand experiences.
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Friday, February 28, 2014
What’s Behind Ukraine’s Energy Mess / Politics / Eastern Europe
By: Money_Morning
Dr. Kent Moors writes: As you read this, Marina and I are on an airplane flying to London for the annual energy consultations at Windsor Castle.
Now, if it seems like I’m spending far too much time traveling these days, you’re right. But the truth is our trip to England is just the beginning… more is yet to come.
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Thursday, February 27, 2014
End to Economic Austerity? / Politics / Economic Austerity
By: Mark_Thornton
President Barack Obama has recently released his budget in which he calls for an “end of austerity.” This is an amazing statement from a president whose government has spent the highest percentage of GDP in history and added more to the national debt than all past presidents combined. What must he mean by austerity?
There are demonstrations around the world over austerity on an almost daily basis. It is condemned as an evil poison for tough economic times while others tout it as the elixir for economic depressions.
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Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Those FOMC Transcripts: Watch Out Below / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Fred_Sheehan
The Federal Reserve releases transcripts of FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meetings after a five-year wait. The 2008 transcripts were made public late, last week. The FOMC is the monetary policymaking body within the Federal Reserve System. Having read at least 10 years of transcripts when writing about Greenspan and his Fed, there is a lingering question of what might have been redacted before the public release as well as what might be said outside the boardroom so as to escape transcription. Every once in awhile some forward-thinking FOMC attendee (a rarity, to be sure) will remind the mob: "Remember, that comment will be public in five years."
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Japan's Non Nuclear Energy Nightmare / Politics / Nuclear Power
By: Andrew_McKillop
No Nuclear – No Future
The draft of Japan's new Basic Energy Plan, made public on Tuesday, calls nuclear power an “important baseload electricity source”, effectively reversing or heavily diluting the 2012 datsu genpatsu – “escape from nuclear” – decision, or outline decision made by Naoto Kan the more left-leaning predecessor of Shinzo Abe. Naoto Kan's escape plan, however, gave no specific timelines to close all of Japan’s atomic power plants, only saying this would happen “over the next several decades”, in stark contrast with Angela Merkel's political decision of May 2011 to close all German nuclear power plants (NPPs) by January 1st, 2022.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ukraine Turns From Revolution to Recovery / Politics / Eastern Europe
By: STRATFOR
The uprising in Kiev has apparently reached its conclusion. President Viktor Yanukovich and the opposition reached an agreement, negotiated by the Polish, German and French foreign ministers. The parliament is now effectively in charge, deciding who will be ministers and when elections will be held, whether to dismiss judges and so on. It isn't clear whether the parliament can fire the sitting president without impeachment and trial, but all of this is now moot. What is interesting is that the Polish, French and German foreign ministers negotiated an outcome that, for practical purposes, ignored the Constitution of Ukraine. It sets an interesting precedent. But for Ukraine, the constitution didn't have the patina of tradition that a true constitution requires, and few will miss Yanukovich.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Cold War II? WWIII? Must war be the answer? NO! / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Michael_T_Bucci
It is pointless to learn history in order to avoid repeating it if the desire to repeat it is stronger.
I turned to my conservative neighbor and remarked: "At this point, from watching events in the country and in the world, nothing would surprise me! Nothing!" He stared back blankly until I corrected myself: "Come to think of it there is one thing that would surprise me: the NRA endorsing Barack Obama". As a gun-rights activist and Tea Party Patriot, he wasn't amused.
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Monday, February 24, 2014
Russia Won The Sochi Games And Lost The Ukraine / Politics / Eastern Europe
By: Andrew_McKillop
Don't Enrage the Bear
Increasingly evident to the alert, the Ukraine crisis throws up another example of unavowed or not evident but common real US-Russian concern and reaction to world events, that we can call de facto collusion, not conflict, facing the end of the world as we knew it – and the great powers fought for it. “It is not in the interests of the Ukraine or of Russia or of Europe or of the United States to see the country split," Obama's national security chief Susan Rice told the massively-viewed Sunday 23 Feb NBC "Meet the Press" broadcast. She no doubt felt obliged to add that Vladimir Putin would be making a "grave mistake" if Russian armed forces were sent in, whether to “secure the Crimea” and its major Russian naval, air and land weapons bases, or to reinstall and restore a Kremlin-compliant Kiev government. "It's in nobody's interest to see violence return and the situation escalate," she said.
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Monday, February 24, 2014
Scottish Independence Economic Consequences for England, UK, Ukraine 2014, Britain 2016? / Politics / UK Politics
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Scotland voting for independence albeit by a small margin on the 18th September 2014 referendum would set in motion the painful process of separation that will have huge economic consequences for Scotland and to a lesser degree for the remaining UK that would be further dominated by England as comprising well over 90% of the remaining UK population. Therefore this article primarily concerns itself with the direct economic and social consequences for the remaining UK following Scottish Independence.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Ron Paul Warns - Leave Ukraine Alone! / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week Ukraine saw its worst violence since the break-up of the Soviet Union over 20 years ago. Protesters occupying the main square in the capitol city, Kiev, clashed with police leaving many protesters and police dead and many more wounded. It is an ongoing tragedy and it looks like there is no end in sight.
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Saturday, February 22, 2014
Why the Banks Are Doomed! / Politics / Banksters
By: Washingtons_Blog
It’s not just that banks are no longer needed–they pose a needless and potentially catastrophic risk to the nation. To understand why, we need to understand the key characteristics of risk.
The entire banking sector is based on two illusions:
1. Thanks to modern portfolio management, bank debt is now riskless.
2. Technology only enhances banks’ tools to skim profits; it does not undermine the fundamental role of banks.
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Saturday, February 22, 2014
Obama, Let Them Eat Food Stamps / Politics / US Politics
By: Jeff_Berwick
Wendy McElroy writes: Early immigrants fled Europe to America because the New World offered a glistening promise: the classless society. It was not a society without rich and poor because freedom always produces an inequality of results. It was a society in which people were equal under fair laws and they could move fluidly from one class to another. The North American dream said people could rise by merit and hard work into economic independence and become the rulers of their own lives.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Ukraine Broke, Bruised And Battered / Politics / Eastern Europe
By: Raul_I_Meijer
There’s a lot more to the Ukraine situation than meets the eye. The country was already on the verge of bankruptcy before the protests started three months ago, and seems dead set on default now. Russia seemed willing to help, but the protests against Yanukovych are protests against Putin too. Moreover, Russian banks have substantial holdings of Ukrainian bonds.
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Friday, February 21, 2014
While Ukraine Burns, Syria Cools - Sapping the Bedrock of Shaky Nations / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Andrew_McKillop
Bindar bin Sultan Replaced
Saudi Arabia has sidelined its veteran intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, as leader of the kingdom's efforts to recruit, arm, fund and direct Syrian rebels. He was replaced last week by two other, and different Saudi princes, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, King Abdullah's son and head of the Saudi National Guard, and the likely key future decider on Syria in Riyadh, KSA's Interior minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef,
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Friday, February 21, 2014
Don’t Believe the Headlines, Big Banks are Still Screwing You / Politics / Banksters
By: Money_Morning
Shah Gilani writes:When it comes to big banks’ bad behavior and the fines they pay to settle “allegations” — which are actually civil charges and which would be criminal charges if applied to any other business or in any parallel universe — things aren’t even close to what they seem.
Sure the headlines scream victory, at least monetary victory, for some ripped-off consumers, some hard-charging regulators, and our vaunted (NOT) Justice Department.
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Friday, February 21, 2014
Ukraine 2014, Britain 2016, Scottish Independence Could Trigger Balkanisation of UK / Politics / UK Politics
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Peaceful demonstrations in Ukraine's capital city Kiev, of barely a few days ago are fast descending into the chaos towards outright civil war as Ukraine is literally tearing itself apart as several regions in the north-west such as Lviv declare independence, whilst the south-east stands behind its democratically elected President.