Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
America Superpower 2016 / Politics / US Military
By: John_Mauldin
Ian Bremmer’s new book on the future of the US and geopolitics, Superpower, just hit the streets yesterday, and it’s already creating quite a buzz. It draws on Bremmer’s remarkable understanding of politics, America, and the world. I first ran into Ian at a conference about four years ago, where he was the after-dinner keynote speaker. It was one of those dinners where I had to go (I had spoken earlier), and I confess I had no knowledge of Ian other than his official bio. A professor of geopolitics. From New Yawk. So this Texas boy settled in while Ian walked on stage … and in three seconds I realized that this was an uber-nerd. Total geek. Seriously, when Hollywood wants to type cast a brilliant super-nerd, they should use Ian as the model. He hit all my stereotype buttons, and I of all people should know better.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
The Russia-West Rivalry in the Balkans / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
Russia, Turkey and the West all share one rival in the Balkans: political instability. Located at the confluence of three historic empires, the strip of land between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea has long been the focus of competition among global powers. Now it is just one arena in the standoff between Russia and the West. Yet, with both sides attempting to buy influence with investments and energy projects, and with Turkey struggling to keep pace, internal political challenges threaten to undermine outside efforts to develop and shape the region. As major powers use their financial and political clout to gain influence in the Balkans, weak local governments will continue to balance among competing nations.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Countdown to Global Financial Collapse / Politics / Credit Crisis 2015
By: Submissions
Raymond Matison writes: It is a well established practice of market and economic observers to either predict the direction of a company, financial market or the economy, or the expected timing of an event –but not both. The reason for this is that past experience has made such prognosticators humble in attempting to predict both. However, since many experienced observers have already predicted a continued decline in our economy, the likely collapse of our currency and banking system, and a consequent global depression, what remains is only to answer the question of timing. No longer are we required to forecast both events; we can now concentrate on predicting just the timing of this event. Famous economists and market commentators have valuable reputations to shield, and so they are not likely to forecast the window in time when the likely rapid collapse is to begin. This can only be risked by others.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Greece Debt Crisis - Obama Has A Big Fat Greek Finger / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Raul_I_Meijer
Will this Greek stuff ever stop? Probably, but don’t hold your breath. I was reading up on China, but that will have to wait till tomorrow. A friend just sent me a Sputnik story -they’re a Russian news channel, so they can’t be trusted, right?!- that adds more juice to the Syriza vs troika tale. And whaddaya know, the king of Greece leaks, Paul Mason at Channel 4, is involved once again.
Let’s do Mason first. He’s in Athens and, wait for it, he scored another leak. But not a direct leak to Mason; this one concerns a European Commission document leaked to Greek newspaper To Vima. There are some useful numbers here. Mason:
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Tuesday, May 19, 2015
The Patriot Act is now USA Freedom Act / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
By: BATR
How many times has the mainstream media mentioned the USA Freedom Act? Well, if you did hear of this legislation, you must have been watching C-SPAN or a foreign press channel. Read a report from NPR, that government funded broadcast, which never fails to present a known editorial viewpoint.
Monday, May 18, 2015
The IMF Leaks Greece, Institutions Forcing a Debt Default / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Raul_I_Meijer
Whenever secret or confidential information or documents are leaked to the press, the first question should always be who leaked it and why. That’s often more important than the contents of what has been leaked. And since there’s been a lot of hullabaloo about a leaked document the past two days, here’s a closer look. Spoiler alert: the document(s) don’t reveal much of anything new, despite the hullabaloo.
Monday, May 18, 2015
New U.S. Military Spending Bill Expands American Empire But Forbids Debate on War / Politics / US Military
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
On Friday the House passed a massive National Defense Authorization for 2016 that will guarantee US involvement in more wars and overseas interventions for years to come. The Republican majority resorted to trickery to evade the meager spending limitations imposed by the 2011 budget control act - limitations that did not, as often reported, cut military spending but only slowed its growth.
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Sunday, May 17, 2015
UK Election Result Strikes Another Blow Against EU / Politics / European Union
By: MISES
Ryan W. McMaken writes: With the victory of the Conservatives in last week’s British election, the future of both the European Union and the United Kingdom looks more doubtful. Newly re-elected Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, in order to please anti-EU constituents who were essential to his re-election, promised a referendum on EU membership by 2017, although it could come sooner than that.
At the same time, the promised referendum is again inflaming secessionist sentiment among Scottish nationalists and separatists who wish to remain a part of the EU.
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Friday, May 15, 2015
A Novel Way to Kill Jobs and Tax Employers / Politics / Government Intervention
By: MISES
Christopher J. O'Connell writes: The state of Connecticut may be embarking on new territory as they seem to be pushing a rather creative way to extract revenue from for-profit businesses. The state legislature of Connecticut has proposed what’s commonly referred to as SB1044. Muddled in the labyrinth known as legal terminology, we find this gem of a sentence in the bill itself:
Friday, May 15, 2015
Why Not Tell Greece How To Run A Democracy? / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: Raul_I_Meijer
I know I’ve talked about this before, but it just keeps coming and it keeps being crzay.Bloomberg ‘reports’ that the ‘German Finance Ministry’, let me get this right, “is supporting the idea of a vote by Greek citizens to either accept the economic reforms being sought by creditors to receive a payout from the country’s bailout program or ultimately opt to leave the euro.” And that’s it.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Extorting Low-Income Individuals to Help "the Poor" / Politics / Social Issues
By: MISES
Gary Galles writes: Many policies are supposedly justified because they would “take from the rich and give to the poor.” While that fits with the view that theft “for a good purpose” makes one a philanthropist, from the perspective of self-ownership, it is an assertion that the majority’s might makes their coercion right.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Obamacare Caused The Gas Tax Cut To Go Up In Flames / Politics / Natural Gas
By: Michael_Pento
Wall Street analysts unanimously cheered last fall when the price of oil fell from nearly $100 a barrel in June of 2014, to almost $45 a barrel by the end of January 2015. The theory was that the average American family, paying less at the pump, would plow this savings into other goods and services, giving GDP a much needed boost.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
UK Election 2015 Results Repercussions for America / Politics / UK General Election
By: John_Browne
The British General Election, on May 7th, was an epic in two respects. First, in spite of polls forecasting a hung parliament, David Cameron's Conservative Party was given unexpectedly large support, winning 331 seats, or 51 % for an overall majority of four,and showing once again the failure of left wing parties to make traction in Europe. Second, Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish Nationalists Party (SNP) swept the Labour Party aside in Scotland to achieve an unexpected landslide and rekindle Scottish pressure for independence and, with it, a threat to the continued cohesion of the United Kingdom. Likely there will be important long-term repercussions for the United States.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Is It Illegal To Not Pay Taxes? / Politics / Taxes
By: Jeff_Berwick
Human beings have a major cognitive dissonance problem when it comes to taxes. For some reason they don't see it as an armed extortion racket. Some even think it is "voluntary"... but as we'll show, it is far from voluntary.
Some people may fail to file taxes for numerous reasons, like personal or business problems, feelings of hopelessness or fear due to the burdensome tax process, anti-theft sentiments, or beliefs that the penalty won’t be worse than the expense and trouble of filing.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015
China-Japan Before China-Taiwan / Politics / China
By: EconMatters
Some long time readers probably know I occasionally write about Asian geopolitics related to China and Taiwan. Since Taiwan typically goes under the radar of major news media, I usually google browse both Chinese and English news about Taiwan. Over the weekend, I came across one disturbing piece of article by Hugh White who's a professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. Excerpt below:
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
World War II and the Origins of American Unease / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
We are at the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. That victory did not usher in an era of universal peace. Rather, it introduced a new constellation of powers and a complex balance among them. Europe's great powers and empires declined, and the United States and the Soviet Union replaced them, performing an old dance to new musical instruments. Technology, geopolitics' companion, evolved dramatically as nuclear weapons, satellites and the microchip — among myriad wonders and horrors — changed not only the rules of war but also the circumstances under which war was possible. But one thing remained constant: Geopolitics, technology and war remained inseparable comrades.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The Secretive Bank of England / Politics / Central Banks
By: BATR
With the enactment of the privately owned central bank, the Bank of England provided the model for the financial enslavement of governments, and their citizens. Well before the conflict for establishing a National Bank in America or the eventual surrender to the money changers with the betrayal in instituting the Federal Reserve, the history of the Bank of England needs to be studied. Relying on British historians may seem to invoke a cultural bias; however, the range and wealth of information on this topic comes from an earlier age. Further research will expand this understanding and many of the sources cited can fulfill this objective.
Monday, May 11, 2015
The Grand Old Strategies for the Islamic Conquest of The West and The Counter Strategies... / Politics / Religion
By: Dr_R_M_Mathew
... for The Total Disintegration of Islam and The Islamic World
Till the Suez Canal Crisis in 1956, the rise of the petro-dollar in 1970s, the proposal for the Islamic Bomb put forward by the Pakistani scientist, Prof. Abdul Salam and the Grand Strategy of Islamic Conquest of the West and the Rest of the World formulated in early 80s, neither the West nor the rest of the world, including Israel had taken Islam seriously other than some peripheral academic or religious interests.
Monday, May 11, 2015
The US Leads All Other Countries In Citizen Defection / Politics / US Politics
By: Jeff_Berwick
When it comes to extortion, or as they call it, income tax, the places where you want to be a citizen are colored green on the following map. Those countries have no income tax on individuals. The next best countries to be a citizen of, but not live in (as per the Permanent Traveller/Prior Taxpayer - PT Theory) are the ones shaded in blue. Those countries will charge you income tax if you are a citizen of that country AND also residing there... but if you are not residing there they will not charge you income tax.
Monday, May 11, 2015
The Cycles of the Human Capital / Politics / Social Issues
By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis
One must go beyond the ‘Housing Crisis’, ‘Lehman’, ’Dot Com’, or LTCM. Beyond the Peso Crisis, before the Gold window closed; go back to the lead up to the Great Depression.
We must go backward to frame this reality. Backward in time.
But at each point we must let the ‘accepted’ interpretation dissolve as we move on to the next.
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