A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday, has now left us filtering through the flood of disturbing images that have begun to flood in from the country. The epicenter of the quake was located just 10 miles from Port-au-Prince, leaving entire sections of the city utterly devastated. As rescue and humanitarian teams from across […]
The argument that climate change is a long-term security concern is strong (see CNA’s report, National Security and the Threat of Climate Change). The argument is also fairly strong that American power would benefit if the U.S. were to take the lead on innovating energy technology (see Thomas Friedman’s recent column, in which he warns […]
The Economist had an interesting article last week on Muslim students studying in the West – “the West” being the UK, US and Canada for this article. The piece is written in the wake of the attempted bombing of a US airliner on Christmas Day by a Nigerian man who had, until recently, attended university […]
There was a time when a bribe to obtain a driver’s license was corruption, but a bribe to obtain a contract was just business. No longer. Companies around the world are now paying attention not just to the practices of their own employees, but to those of their subsidiaries and partners. And most of the […]
The U.S. is rushing aid and assistance to the quake stricken nation of Haiti in response to the unfolding disaster. President Obama made a public statement this morning expressing the condolences and support of the American people and directing his administration to, “respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives.” Based on […]
German media reports allege that the husband of commissioner-designate for humanitarian aid and crisis response of the European Union (ECHO – 700+ million Euro budget), Rumiana Jeleva, has links to organized crime in Bulgaria*. Jeleva, a 41-year old former foreign minister in Bulgaria, underwent a tough hearing in front of the European Parliament last night […]
Good friends (Uribe and Obama) vs. Best friends (Uribe and Bush)… Sources: zimbio.com, AP. I have long argued that the Democrats have gotten it wrong on Colombia, by parroting the misinformation about this country and its President, Alvaro Uribe, circulated by US labor unions intent on stopping a free trade agreement between two staunch allies. This is […]
Stratfor is a global intelligence company founded in 1996 that is well respected for both the breadth and depth of their strategic analysis. In the following video report, Stratfor founder George Friedman examines the U.S. relationships with Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, noting U.S. goals and the likely complications that may arise in this new year. […]
Following the lead of Europe’s approach to their financial industry reforms, the Obama Administration in coming weeks is poised to take a more aggressive stance with the financial industry. In response to the proposed measures, Edward Yingling, President & CEO of the American Bankers Association (ABA), the banking sectors powerful industry lobby, said “It is perplexing to us,” why taxpayers are outraged about the bailouts and other financial indsutry behaviors.
Although we have entered upon a new year and a new decade, we still find ourselves battling the demons of the past. While we often look to the New Years it as a time for a fresh start and of renewed hope, we still find ourselves embattled in a recession. The continued recession has left […]
Even sound actions can have negative consequences. That is why in times of crisis, policy makers must remain vigilant. Easing monetary and credit policies last year and keeping them loose made sense. In an effort to avoid the mistakes of the Great Depression, when governments tightened both monetary and fiscal policies, policy makers this time around gave the wounded private sector what it […]
Planet Earth’s critical issue this decade will be whether American power will erode — and if so, what the implications will be for the liberal world order we erected after WWII. The Obama administration’s fiscal stimulus package cum bank bailout, building on the Paulson-Bush-Geithner-Bernanke efforts of 2008 and the unprecedented coordination of economic policy globally, constituted a brilliant, […]
According to an interesting empirical study commissioned by Capitol Hill’s weekly newspaper and the leading publisher of the nation’s legislative record, Congressional Quarterly, President Obama has accummulated an impressive string of legislative accomplishments unrivaled by any previous POTUS.
But that sure doesn’t have anything to do with “global cooling.” In fact, according to the British Met Office, 2010 may well be the warmest year on record. (2009 was the fifth warmest.) Further, as the Met Office, among others, have pointed out, it’s not cold everywhere in the world. Joe Romm had this item […]
China has a dual economy. There is the modern coastal economy oriented for export that has exploited China’s comparative advantage in labor-intensive manufacturing to generate US$2 trillion in fx reserves; and, there’s the rest — the government-directed economy of bank lending, state-owned enterprises, and massive, massive investment in real estate, roads and other infrastructure. With […]