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Continuing coverage on the Rise of State-sponsored Capitalism” href=”http://globaleconomy.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/05/09/the-rise-of-state-sponsored-capitalism/” target=”_blank”>I’ve written about frequently here in my Global Markets blog — namely the Chinese state’s spin on capitalism. Though there were many critics early on — and still are in many quarters — who argued that China’s state-managed version of capitalism was unsustainable, it seems the long-term sustainability of so-called ‘State Capitalism‘ has been proven, and is even gathering steam in unlikely places — India, Cuba, Vietnam and the Middle-East to name a few — with great success. It’s a trend that Western financial centers should be attuned to, nor should it be dismissed as the global financial architecture continues to evolve following the global financial crisis.

Last week Libya became the subject of official investigation by the International Criminal Court, the sixth since the court’s inception in 2002. There are three ways in which an investigation can be initiated by the Office of The Prosecutor; referral of a situation by a state party of the Rome Statute, referral from the U.N. […]

May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go, and guide you in whatever you do– and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always. Saint Patrick, or Naomh Padraig in Irish, was born in Scotland, and as a mere teenager when he was kidnapped from Wales by Irish brigands, raiders, and was then […]

The situation at the Fukushima nuclear site just keeps getting worse. If it isn’t a hydrogen explosion in one of the six reactors, it’s a fire in the spent fuel pool of another. The nuclear power industry likes to point to its safety record – years of operation without an incident. The industry’s opponents will […]

Amid reports that Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces continue to make gains against the rebel forces to include air strikes on the rebel stronghold at Benghazi, it looks like the international community is reaching agreement to intervene militarily.  A New York Times report quotes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the turning point was the Arab […]

“Violence produces violence,” said Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in his initial statement following last weekend’s Itamar attack, in which five Israeli settlers were murdered.  No one has claimed responsibility for the attack except for Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who no one seems to believe actually did it because they have claimed responsibility for things they […]

Excitement was brewing on Capital Hill today as, Senators Wyden (D-OR) and Cornyn (R-TX) Reintroduced the 2010 Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 (H.R. 5575). The 2010 Act, which was introduced by introduced this week by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who were the co-chairs […]

“Being sorry isn’t nearly enough, but I can’t tear myself apart or destroy myself. It’s so terrible. I’ve suffered anyway for over half a century and it will never end, until I die. It’s such an incredible burden, that to say ‘sorry’… it’s inadequate, it expresses too little.” That is a 1993 quote from director […]

In a previous post, I flagged an analysis by Robert Alvarez on the situation with the spent fuel pools.  Here is a look from this morning at the situation from another expert, David Wright, at the Union of Concerned Scientists:  Spent Fuel Pools at Fukushima.  Wright concludes that the indications are that the water level […]

According to UNESCO’s 2011 Global Monitoring Report (GMR), armed conflict in some 35 countries, is robbing some 28 million children of their right to an education by exposing them to widespread rape and other sexual violence, targeted attacks on schools and other human rights abuses. The report,  The hidden crisis: Armed conflict and education, which […]

It might help the U.S. media better understand the various rebellions breaking out in the Middle East if they could clear their minds of thoughts of 1776 and the strange idea that despots like Hosni Mubarak and Moammar Gadhafi are somehow equivalent to King George III. Although a number of commentators are comparing the Arab […]

In the PBS Newshour segment to which I linked last week, Richard Haas said: Why are we so confident that we know enough about the tribal structure of Libya, about the various clans that are competing for power, that if we intervene, that the guys we want are going to win, that we’re not, for […]

UPDATE: March 15, 2011, 11:00 AM EST: In addition to the links to aid organizations and funds that are aiding Japan, the Japanese Red Cross Society and the American Red Cross are providing disaster relief. The Japanese Salvation Army is also actively aiding in the affected areas. Lady Gaga is offering fans a “We Pray […]

Over the weekend forces loyal to Colonel el-Qaddafi advanced against rebel forces in the west regaining lost territory and heading east toward Benghazi, the opposition capitol.  General Abdul Fattah Younes, Qaddafi’s former interior minister and one of the rebel leaders is calling the movement a strategic retreat.  According to press reports, the rebels are preparing […]