Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Wednesday, November 05, 2014
COLD WAR 2.0 -- The Super-Secure Great Firewall of China / Politics / New Cold War
Is Quantum Cryptography The New Enigma Code? Or Is QC The Launch of The New Space Race?
1. Imagine an encryption more "hack proof" than Hitler's Enigma code. One that even a genius like Alan Turing would not be able to hack! Welcome to Quantum Cryptography in the 21st century where quantum entangled photons are utilised to transmit and to receive messages super securely.
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Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Lower Crude Oil Prices Carry Geopolitical Consequences / Politics / Crude Oil
Since mid-June, the price of Brent crude oil has fallen by nearly 25 percent -- going from a high of $115 to about $87 a barrel -- and structural factors are causing concern among global oil producers that oil prices will remain near current levels through at least the end of 2015. This concern has caused several investment banks to slash their oil price outlooks for the immediate future. Stratfor believes that oil supplies will stay high as energy production in North America increases and OPEC countries remain hesitant or unable to cut production significantly. Moreover, in the short term, the Chinese economic slowdown and stagnant European economy will limit the potential for growth in oil demand. These factors could make it harder for global oil prices to rebound to their previous levels.
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Tuesday, November 04, 2014
David Cameron Uses EU Fine to Bolster Support / Politics / UK Politics
Last week, the unelected European Commission demanded that the United Kingdom pay an additional $2.8 billion to fund the European Union. The new charges resulted from the fact that the British economy had grown faster than had been expected in the past year. The demand sparked outrage from Great Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, and media, particularly as France and Germany would receive rebates, financed largely by the new funds being demanded from the UK. Looked at in a different light, it is simply a tax on growth that will not sit well with the British public, and could perhaps hasten the day that the UK will split from the Eurozone.
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Monday, November 03, 2014
The War on Terror Increases the Number of Terrorists / Politics / War on Terror
My hypothesis is that the war on terror has not decreased the number of “terrorists”. I use the term “terrorist” but one might substitute others such as jihadist or anti-western Muslims or pro-Islamic State Muslims. We are talking about people whose agendas vary, often greatly, but who want to get U.S. forces out of the Middle East and Central Asia or who want states to become fundamental Islamic states or who favor one brand of Islam over another; and these people use terror bombings as one of their military means. At present the largest contingent wants an Islamic State, controls territory in Syria and Iraq, and calls itself IS or Islamic State. It’s also called ISIS, ISIL and Daesh.
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Monday, November 03, 2014
How Do You Feel About Child Poverty? / Politics / Social Issues
I often find myself wondering what people, people in the street, western people in general, my readers perhaps, think when they see something like the recent Unicef report, Children of Recession: the Impact of the Economic Crisis on Child Wellbeing in Rich Countries, which states that child poverty in developed nations has risen significantly.
How many of you who live in Europe still see the EU as something good and beneficial when you see that not only does Greece today has 25% unemployment and 55% youth unemployment, and its child poverty rate also went up from 23% to 40.5% since 2008? Or do you put the blame not with the EU, but elsewhere?
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Monday, November 03, 2014
Ron Paul - More Guns Plus Less War Equals Real Security / Politics / US Politics
Last week's tragic shootings in Canada and Washington state are certain to lead to new calls for gun control. The media-generated fear over "lone wolf terrorists" will enable the gun control lobby to smear Second Amendment supporters as "pro-terrorist." Marketing gun control as an anti-terrorist measure will also enable gun control supporters to ally with those who support any infringement on liberty done in the name of "homeland security."
As with most infringements on liberty, gun control will not only make us less free, it will make us less safe. Respecting the right of the people to keep and bear arms is the original and best homeland security policy. Restricting the right of people to arm themselves leaves them with no effective defense against violent criminals or a tyrannical government.
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Sunday, November 02, 2014
American Tariffs and Wars From the Revolution to the Great Depression / Politics / US Politics
James Bovard writes: Fair trade is once again a rallying cry for many Americans. Many contemporary leftists believe that the U.S. government should impose restrictions or tariffs on imported goods that are alleged to have been produced by underpaid or oppressed Third World workers. Few contemporary protectionists are aware of the sordid history of trade conflicts earlier in American history.
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Saturday, November 01, 2014
The Fed Ends QE / Politics / Quantitative Easing
On October 29, A Federal Reserve press release said in part:
The Open Market Committee (FOMC) "decided to conclude its (QE) asset purchase program this month."
It's "maintaining its existing policy of reinvesting principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities and of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction."
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Saturday, November 01, 2014
The Day Israel Attacked America / Politics / US Politics
One ally attacking another willfully is unheard of. Israel violated its special relationship.
What James Petras called "the first (instance) in modern history in which the imperial country cover(ed) up a deliberate major military assault by a supposed ally."
He referred to the 1967 USS Liberty attack. An intelligence-gathering ship. On June 8. In international waters. About 25.5 nautical miles northwest of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
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Friday, October 31, 2014
Only a Pawn in Their Game / Politics / Social Issues
The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Putin vs Obama: Who’s Dominating the Colder War? / Politics / New Cold War
Putin is attacking the true source of American power—the petrodollar—and he’s got China, Brazil, India, and South Africa in his corner. They’re aligning themselves to fight the EU, America, and the IMF. And as each month passes, Putin is using Russia’s position at the center of the world’s energy matrix to forge new alliances and deals. How long before the world discovers that Obama and America are hiding behind a curtain with no powers anymore?
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
Depression and the Economy of a Country / Politics / Economic Depression
My father worked in politics with many great leaders. I also had the opportunity to speak, and work with many great communicators and entrepreneurs. It’s appropriate for most people to admire accomplished leaders… but on the inside, they also get envious. They wish they could be like them.
Remember the old adage — be careful what you wish for.
I’ve noticed, and with few exceptions, that most great leaders or entrepreneurs experience some major challenge early on in life that forces them to rise up against it. Reacting to this dilemma, they develop strengths most people never will
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
Apocalypse Now Or Nirvana Next Week? / Politics / Social Issues
The Theory of Hydra
Dovetailing seamlessly with the unstated political goal of dumbing down society beyond and below the dementia threshold, the cult of Multiple Threats to the economy, society, the environment, the rule of law, the status of western civilization and electric power plant capacity at times of peak demand have at least one common thread. That is downsizing and dumbing down. This affects everything whether it is public knowledge and awareness or the ability to face challenges of any kind - like the shock of finding out that expensive windfarms don't work when the wind doesn't blow “but we didn't know that”.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Europe: Building a Banking Union / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
The recent stress tests by the European Central Bank offered few surprises and did not cause any significant political or financial reactions in the Continent. However, these tests were only the beginning of a complex process to build a banking union in the European Union. Unlike the stress tests, the next steps in this project could create more divisions in Europe because national parliaments will be involved at a time when Euroskepticism is on the rise. More important, the stress tests will not have a particular impact on Europe's main problem: tight credit conditions for households and businesses. Without a substantial improvement in credit conditions, there cannot be a substantial economic recovery, particularly in the eurozone periphery.
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
The Ebola Story Doesn’t Smell Right / Politics / Ebola
The federal government has announced that thousands of additional US soldiers are being sent to Liberia. General Gary Volesky said the troops would “stamp out” ebola.The official story is that combat troops are being sent to build treatment structures for those infected with ebola.
Why combat troops? Why not send a construction outfit such as an engineer battalion if it has to be military? Why not do what the government usually does and contract with a construction company to build the treatment units? “Additional thousands of troops” results in a very large inexperienced construction crew for 17 treatment units. It doesn’t make sense.
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Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Mysterious Death od CEO Who Went Against the Petrodollar / Politics / GeoPolitics
Last month in these pages, I wrote:
Patrick de la Chevardière, CFO of Total SA (which is France’s largest energy company), has publicly announced that Total is looking to finance its share in the $27-billion Yamal LNG project using euros, yuan, Russian rubles, and any other currency but US dollars.
“The effect of US sanctions was that Yamal LNG will be prevented from raising any dollar financings,” Patrick de la Chevardière stated in London at a news briefing.
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Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Hillary Clinton Could Be One of the Best U.S. Presidents Ever / Politics / US Politics
Cheap oil prices and the economic prosperity they bring can make politicians and investors look smarter than they are. In this interview with The Mining Report, Stansberry Research Editor Matt Badiali shares the secrets for finding underappreciated commodities and companies before they become overpriced, and names his favorites.
The Mining Report: You have said that Hillary Clinton could go down in history as one of the best presidents ever. Why?
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Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Principle, Rigor and Execution Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy / Politics / US Politics
U.S. President Barack Obama has come under intense criticism for his foreign policy, along with many other things. This is not unprecedented. Former President George W. Bush was similarly attacked. Stratfor has always maintained that the behavior of nations has much to do with the impersonal forces driving it, and little to do with the leaders who are currently passing through office. To what extent should American presidents be held accountable for events in the world, and what should they be held accountable for?
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Tuesday, October 28, 2014
This Little Piggy Bent The Market / Politics / Gold and Silver 2014
About 18 months ago, I had a very pleasant chat with a gentleman by the name of Luzi Stamm.
You may detect some measure of surprise in my words, and the reason for that is quite simple: Luzi Stamm is a politician; and, as regular readers will know, I am no fan of that particular class.
But Herr Stamm was different.
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Tuesday, October 28, 2014
All Crazy Now – Mental Healthcare In The UK / Politics / Healthcare Sector
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Returning to the UK, more exactly Scotland after many years in France I could call this a move from TSD Land to PTSD Land and the facts and figures back that claim. France like all other aging or mature democracies such as the UK is struggling with the unstoppable growth of Altzheimer's disease victims, with the curve suggesting the incidence of this disease will be claiming 750 000 new victims per year by the 2020s. Also having a fast-growing (by EU standards) population and a growing number of childhood cancer victims, as well as adult victims, the French national health spending implications are somber, but what happens to surviving victims of Altzheimer's disease, the treatement of which is improving and extending life expectancy of victims? In Britain, a UK Medical Research Council report of late October provides some of the answers.