Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
The Only Road Out Of Davos / Politics / Social Issues
By: Raul_I_Meijer
After 6+ (BIG +) years of deepening poverty and rising stock markets, of creative accounting, of QE and ultralow interest rates, of extend and pretend and outright propaganda and of what have you, all of which have led us to where we are today, facing yet more rounds of stumbling from crisis into multiple crises, it would seem clear that the model, if not the mold, is broken. In order to fix it, let alone replace it altogether, we need to understand to what extent it is broken. And to do that, we first need to know what exactly the model is.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
The European Union, Nationalism and the Crisis of Europe / Politics / European Union
By: STRATFOR
Last week, I wrote about the crisis of Islamic radicalism and the problem of European nationalism. This week's events give me the opportunity to address the question of European nationalism again, this time from the standpoint of the European Union and the European Central Bank, using a term that only an economist could invent: "quantitative easing."
European media has been flooded for the past week with leaks about the European Central Bank's forthcoming plan to stimulate the faltering European economy by implementing quantitative easing. First carried by Der Spiegel and then picked up by other media, the story has not been denied by anyone at the bank nor any senior European official. We can therefore call this an official leak, because it lets everyone know what is coming before an official announcement is made later in the week.
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Monday, January 19, 2015
People Have More Money? Let’s Tax It! / Politics / Taxes
By: MISES
John P. Cochran writes: As highlighted by David Henderson and Peter Boettke, markets and competition are like weeds, not delicate flowers. Economies recover even from severe boom-bust episodes and despite growth-retarding regime uncertainty. Even burdensome regulation, per Pierre Lemieux, causes a “slow-motion collapse” or stagnation, not a crash. But one thing can be counted on, as innovation or recovery begin to deliver additional spending power to the productive class of the economy, the “unmet needs” crowd will just as quickly be out clamoring for a heightened government share of the ‘bounty’ for some imagined greater public good.
Monday, January 19, 2015
If The Fed Has Nothing to Hide, It Has Nothing to Fear / Politics / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, the dollar has lost over 97 percent of its purchasing power, the US economy has been subjected to a series of painful Federal Reserve-created recessions and depressions, and government has grown to dangerous levels thanks to the Fed's policy of monetizing the debt. Yet the Federal Reserve still operates under a congressionally-created shroud of secrecy.
No wonder almost 75 percent of the American public supports legislation to audit the Federal Reserve.
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Sunday, January 18, 2015
More Global Warming Hot Air, As Climate Fundamentalists Continue Inflating a False Reality / Politics / Climate Change
By: Patrick_Henningsen
We’re told this week that Washington’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center (NOAA) had finally crunched its numbers for 2014, and Al Gore is a very happy man, as are the armies of amateur climate experts who take government scientific announcements as gospel.
Not surprisingly, NPR was very excited about this latest government proclamation, running the headline, “It’s Official: 2014 Was The Hottest Year On Record, NOAA Says”.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Lady Fortune Spinning Her Wheels / Politics / Social Issues
By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas A Edison
I'm writing this after spending a few days with my son and a couple of friends. My wife and I are both health professionals by day. Our life and schedule often leaves one of us "in charge" on the weekends -- usually me. Now, at the advanced age of five years old, these fellows are just learning how to get along. They are learning how to work out differences, negotiate possessions, and deal with all of the emotions contained and expressed therein...
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Friday, January 16, 2015
Islamic Fundamentalism - The Problem of Confusing Muslims with Islam / Politics / Religion
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The whole world over, people, are people are people and most people are moderate. In the wake of the Paris terror attack there has been an outbreak of muslim phobia that carries the label of Islamophobia, which in my opinion cannot exist because Islam is not a race or people but an ideology. Just as Christianity and Judaism are ideologies and not a race or people i.e. you can change your ideology but you cannot change the colour of your skin (see Israel's Dark DNA Secret Revealed ).
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Thursday, January 15, 2015
Paris - Setting Aside Emotion and Seeking Reason, A War Between Two Worlds / Politics / European Union
By: John_Mauldin
The terrorist attacks in Paris have fixated the world’s attention on the contrast between competing worldviews and what constitutes acceptable behavior in modern society. What are the principles by which society should be organized and run? Who gets to set those rules, and to what standards should others who do not believe in them be held?
While at their core these are philosophical questions, the way we answer those questions can have profound economic consequences. They are especially important to understand in the context of Europe. For today’s Outside the Box reading, I think we should look at two essays by old friends to OTB, Charles Gave and George Friedman.
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Thursday, January 15, 2015
Oil Price Crash and SNP Independent Scotland Economic Collapse Bankruptcy / Politics / Scotland
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Whilst most ordinary people across the UK are reaping the benefits of the oil price crash to below $50 that has resulted in energy bills being cut by 10% and the price at the petrol pumps nudging to below £1 a litre not seen since 2009. However, there is one part of the UK where its largest industry is in a state of collapse and along with it the regional economy and that is Scotland and its North Sea Oil industry which has been thrown into turmoil.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Europe Rediscovers Nationalism / Politics / European Union
By: STRATFOR
In his latest novel, French writer Michel Houellebecq presents a controversial situation: The year is 2022, and France has become an Islamicized country where universities have to teach the Koran, women have to wear the veil and polygamy is legal. The book, which created a stir in France, went on sale Jan. 7. That day, a group of terrorists killed 12 people at the headquarters of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Also on Jan. 7, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met British Prime Minister David Cameron in London. Although the formal reason for the meeting was to discuss the upcoming G-7 summit, the two leaders also discussed Cameron's proposals to limit migration in Europe. Finally, a much less publicized event took place in Germany that day: A group of politicians from the Euroskeptic Alternative for Germany party met with members of Pegida, the anti-Islam protest group that has staged large protests in Dresden and minor protests in other German cities.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Netanyahu Gatecrashes Paris / Politics / France
By: Stephen_Lendman
He finds ways of giving chutzpah new meaning. Gate crashing his latest offense. Showing up where not wanted.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Islamic World Transition From the 'Age of Religion' to the 'Age of Reason' / Politics / Religion
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Whilst the worlds focus today is on the Islamic threat as a consequence of the terror attacks on Paris resulting in 17 innocents being killed that has prompted the world wide 'Je Suis Charlie' marches amongst many hash tags of solidarity of which I favoured the "I am not charlie, I am Ahmed the dead cop. Charlie ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so". #JesuisAhmed
The mainstream press as usual have run off at an tangent by trying to analyse why the three french muslims committed the atrocities by looking at their backgrounds, their lack of opportunity in France etc. However, the very simple answer is that these individuals perceived their actions as playing a part in the fulfillment of prophecy and that they expected that their real lives would only begin AFTER they completed this TEST in this world which is how all devout muslims perceive this world to be, as a test for worthiness to enter paradise for eternity at End Time.
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Monday, January 12, 2015
Ron Paul on the Lessons from Paris Attacks / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
After the tragic shooting at a provocative magazine in Paris last week, I pointed out that given the foreign policy positions of France we must consider blowback as a factor. Those who do not understand blowback made the ridiculous claim that I was excusing the attack or even blaming the victims. Not at all, as I abhor the initiation of force. The police blaming victims when they search for the motive of a criminal.
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Monday, January 12, 2015
Something’s Not Right: Major New Report On Insecure Britain / Politics / Social Issues
By: Submissions
A major new report from the good society pressure group Compass analyses the precarious, insecure and anxious state of our country as we enter an election year.
The major findings of this in-depth report are:
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Monday, January 12, 2015
The U.S. Police Threat “Is Too High” / Politics / US Politics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
The hypocrisy of American police is beginning to bother even law and order conservatives. The New York Police Department is rivaling the black community in Ferguson in keeping alive the murders of their community members.
We are constantly reminded of how dangerous it is to be a police officer. A total of 50 police officers were reportedly killed last year in the “line of duty,” but the police themselves managed to kill 1,029 Americans during the same time period, most of whom were unarmed and innocent of wrongdoings.
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Monday, January 12, 2015
France Unity Day - Western Leaders Massive Display of Hypocrisy / Politics / War on Terror
By: Michael_S_Rozeff
Hypocrites up and down the line. Terrorists themselves. Leaders who have been stoking the furnace of terrorism themselves, creating terrorists, supplying them with arms, tolerating their education in Saudi Arabia. Hypocrites. All those leaders who have been attacking Muslim countries for years on end and supplying arms. Hypocrites. All those leaders who yell “terrorism” when it suits their grander schemes of domination. Now when there is blowback in Paris, they yell “extremism” and use the occasion to continue and enlarge the war on terror.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Greece Blackmailing Euro-Zone Again, 50% Debt Write Off Or Default / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Following 5 years of euro-zone bailouts (loans) that even after hair cuts (50% writedown's of privately held debt) Greece's debt mountain now totals over Euro 320 billion (175% of GDP) and Greece is about to up the anti once more by electing the far left leaning Syriza party that promises to end economic austerity by Greece being in receipt of a perpetual free lunch at euro-zone tax payers expense (mainly Germany) by effectively defaulting on all of its debts despite the impact of the debts having been watered down to the state that effectively annual debt interest payments are being indirectly paid for by the ECB as the Eurozone's central bank loans Greece money to make debt interest payments with.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Charlie Hebdo: Can We Understand Extremism In France Via Self Assembling Dynamic Networks (SADNs)? / Politics / Religion
By: DK_Matai
· The regrettable and tragic extremist incidents in France, which resulted in double digit loss of ordinary citizens’ lives are the worst since the Second World War.
· ATCA 5000 offers its deep condolences to the bereaved families, the victims of the atrocities and solidarity with the people of France.
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Saturday, January 10, 2015
Je ne suis pas Charlie - I am not Charlie / Politics / Propaganda
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The terrorist attack on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that left 12 dead Wednesday in an apparently well organised assault by subsequently identified two French born brothers of Algerian decent, an attack that they said was conducted in the name of Islam as an act of vengeance against a series of cartoons depicting Islam published by the French magazine over a number of years which prompted world wide condemnation that manifested itself in the slogan 'Je Suis Charlie' , 'I am Charlie'.
Friday, January 09, 2015
Islamic Terrorism And Counter Terrorism - New Twists And Turns / Politics / Religion
By: Dr_R_M_Mathew
The latest Paris Murder at the office of Charlie Hebdo was a strategic and well-articulated move to give lasting lessons to the enemies of Islam or the Non-believers by the Islamic Terrorist outfit so as to mobilize the sympathy or support of the Muslims all over the world. It has got wide coverage in all medias, Islamic, Anti-Islamic and Secular. Undoubtedly, it has great propaganda value for the Muslim Fundamentalists to create fear in the mind of the people, especially intellectuals and media persons who are criticizing Islam. They are in shock. But it is only a beginning of a new dreadful chapter with greater intensity and impacts.