Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Stimulus or Austerity, The People vs. the Banks / Politics / Global Economy
By: Shamus_Cooke
The most powerful nations in the world met recently at the G-20 in Toronto and managed to agree on only one thing of significance: the need to reduce deficits, “half by 2013.” Implied by the statement is the need to lower deficits via “austerity,” meaning eliminating or reducing social programs.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The G-20 Power Grab Accelerates / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Gary_North
The G-8 meeting (Friday and Saturday) and the G-20 meeting (Saturday and Sunday) that were held in Canada provided the world's major political leaders a forum to promise the usual grab-bag of goodies that governments are clearly incapable of providing: (1) economic growth, meaning no double-dip recession; (2) austerity spending programs that are politically sustainable; (3) reductions in deficit spending by 50%, no later than 2013; (4) a percentage increase in GDP to match any increase in debt by 2016. Yet few if any of the leaders who promised all this will be in office in 2016. There is no way that they can assure the public that they can deliver any of these benefits.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The 30-Year War in Afghanistan / Politics / Afghanistan
By: STRATFOR
The Afghan War is the longest war in U.S. history. It began in 1980 and continues to rage. It began under Democrats but has been fought under both Republican and Democratic administrations, making it truly a bipartisan war. The conflict is an odd obsession of U.S. foreign policy, one that never goes away and never seems to end. As the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal reminds us, the Afghan War is now in its fourth phase.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Why Petraeus Won't Salvage The Afghan War / Politics / US Politics
By: Submissions
Gareth Porter writes: As Gen. David Petraeus prepares for his next command, his supporters are hoping he can rescue a failing war for the second time in just a few years. But both the dire state of the war effort in Afghanistan and his approach to taking command in Iraq in early 2007 suggest that Petraeus will not try to replicate an apparent -- and temporary -- success that he knows was at least in part the result of fortuitous circumstances in Iraq. Instead he will maneuver to avoid having to go down with what increasingly appears to be a failed counterinsurgency war.
Monday, June 28, 2010
The U.S. Military Can Waste Money Too / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
This past week various news events once again made it abundantly clear that our foreign policy is an abject failure. Unfortunately, in spite of this the administration is determined to stay on this destructive course, despite any past promises to change it. For Afghanistan especially, if ever there was an opportunity to admit shortcomings and change strategies along with leaders, this past week was it.
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Monday, June 28, 2010
The Truth about North Korea, Contradictory Evidence About Cheonan Ship Sinking / Politics / North Korea
By: Pravda
An exclusive Pravda.Ru interview with: Alejandro Cao de Benos, Special Delegate, Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, Government of the DPR of Korea, President of the Korean Friendship Association (KFA)
In the interest of peace and mutual understanding, counteracting misinformation and propaganda and a commitment to seeing all nations made to equally adhere to international law, the following interview is being presented for Pravda readers.
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Monday, June 28, 2010
"I Don't Talk To Republicans!" and a little about PR, media, propaganda and the digital Skinner Box / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_T_Bucci
A long time resident here confided, "I don't talk to Republicans!" In this all-white Northern New England town, this excludes many people and the obvious question becomes 'why not'? "I once owned an advertising business in Manhattan," she explained slowly, "they call it a boutique if your gross is under $100M, and I exchanged this business, my co-op, my Smith Barney account, Lexus and American Express card for a cat, a collection of hand-me-down furniture and a free trip to the supermarket once a week, if my monthly food stamp allowance isn't drained." What happened? I asked.
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Reality Behind the McChrystal Interview Fall-Out / Politics / US Politics
By: Walter_Brasch
For a few days last week, the harpies of the extreme right assaulted the president of the United States for first considering, and then firing Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of allied forces in Afghanistan.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Final End of the Hydrocarbon Fuel Paradigm / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: T_Anthony_Michael
Dr. Tom Termotto writes: These are the realities on the ground (undersea floor), in the water (Gulf of Mexico & Seven Seas), and in the air (atmosphere) in the wake of the Oil & Gas Industry operations around the globe, as it has operated for well over 100 years. For illustration purposes let’s just focus on the northern Gulf Coast of Mexico, since that is where Mother Earth has directed our collective attention. We can do this quickly by consulting the following map of the oil and gas platforms that were in operation throughout the Gulf of Mexico in 2006 (per Wikipedia).
Sunday, June 27, 2010
UK Public Sector Workers Literally Wasting Tax Payer's Money Sitting Idle / Politics / Government Spending
By: Mike_Shedlock
Sheldon a former public sector worker in the UK writes ...
Sunday, June 27, 2010
BP Gulf Oil Well Blowout May Never End / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: Washingtons_Blog
As I have previously noted, it is now clear that there is damage to BP's well beneath the sea floor.
Recently-retired Shell Oil President John Hofmeister told MSNBC yesterday:
The question is whether there is enough mechanical structure left at the base of the reservoir to hold the cement when they start pouring cement in [from the relief well].
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Sunday, June 27, 2010
Who Owns the World? / Politics / New World Order
By: Submissions
Shirin Shafaie writes: No one owns the world, yet we all do, along with other non-speaking species. This is a reality which has very real consequences. Each one of us has the potential to impact the lives of everyone else in this world for better or worse. After all, it is up to individuals to make all the final decisions and act upon them whether towards enhancing the quality of our lives or destructing it altogether. It takes individual human beings to make decisions, even though it may take some machines to act upon them. It takes one pilot to press the button and one man to fly an airplane into a skyscraper; even the unmanned military aircrafts do have some men remotely controlling them. But it is not as simple as that.
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Saturday, June 26, 2010
Congress Or Fed Too Big To Fail? / Politics / Central Banks
By: Gary_North
The mark of political sovereignty is legal immunity from failure. For example, the government of the United States cannot be sued without its consent. It is above the law. It must consent to expose itself to the possibility of failure in a court.
In school, we are taught about an ancient idea that is long out of favor: the divine right of kings. What did it mean? I think most people would find it difficult to say. It meant that there was no earthly court of appeal above the king. The king's judicial word was law, because no higher authority could lawfully overturn his word.
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Saturday, June 26, 2010
What Now After Financial Reform? Will We Be Spared Another Market Crash? / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Danny_Schechter
The Sturm und Drang is over. The Bank lobbyists went home to collect their bonuses as the House and Senate agreed on a 2000 page financial “reform” quickly praised by the White House and superficially covered in the press.
The key underreported fact highlighted by Naked Capitalism: “On a flat trading day, financial firms shares rose 2.7% after the deal was announced.” Compare that to the market volatility and dire forecasts on Wall Street that followed the call for new financial regulations and you can see who won.
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Friday, June 25, 2010
The Design in Society / Politics / Technology
By: Christopher_Quigley
“Science will have its mastery of all things.”
“Thus the design of a system of generational control and transfer of
technology and technique and resources must have been developed long ago.”
Friday, June 25, 2010
Towards a New Monetary Order / Politics / Central Banks
By: Thorsten_Polleit
Henry Ford is alleged to have said that "it is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."
The spirit of his words encourages us to put forward questions about the banking and monetary system — especially in view of the international credit-market crisis. Is it a good thing that central banks have cut interest rates essentially to zero and have increased the base-money supply dramatically to support the financial sector? Will depression be prevented if governments underwrite banks' balance sheets and run up huge deficits in an attempt to strengthen production and employment?
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Friday, June 25, 2010
U.S. Afghanistan Strategy After McChrystal / Politics / Afghanistan
By: STRATFOR
The commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, Gen. Stanley McChrystal has resigned his command. His resignation is a direct result of his controversial remarks in a Rolling Stone interview broken late June 21, and not a reflection or indictment of the campaign he has led in Afghanistan. But that campaign and the strategy behind it are having significant issues of their own.
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Friday, June 25, 2010
Government Insiders Get Ready for the Gulf "Dead Zone" Environmental Disaster / Politics / US Politics
By: OilPrice_Com
Bad news concerning the Gulf oil disaster continues to come from WMR's federal government sources in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Emergency planners are dealing with a prospective "dead zone" within a 200 mile radius from the Deepwater Horizon disaster datum in the Gulf.
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Friday, June 25, 2010
Congress Dithers On Financial Reform While Courts Give “Get Out Of Jail Cards” To White Collar Crooks / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Danny_Schechter
No Yellow Cards Here: Wall Street Banksters Lead In The World Cup of Phony Reform
charade | sh əˈrād|
noun
an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance : talk of unity was nothing more than a charade.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Greek Plague, Sticky Wages / Politics / Social Issues
By: David_Howden
After the deaths of three bank employees, Greek president Karolos Papoulias lamented that the debt-ridden country had finally "reached the edge of the abyss." It should be so lucky. Abysses allow for falls into the deep unknown. If real wages would make the plunge, Greek workers would have a future with more options than striking and senseless destruction.