U.S. intelligence agencies forecast beyond the next five years any possible threats to US interests. Robert Gates, serving as U.S. secretary of defense, noted two months into NATO’s intervention in Libya, “If you’d asked me four months ago if we’d be in Libya today, I would have asked, ‘What were you smoking?’” The U.S […]
Do you believe that 2012 will be more difficult for the global economy than 2011 was? Well, that is what German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes. The woman that has become the most important politician in Europe recently declared that 2012 “will no doubt be more difficult than 2011”. The funny thing is that she has […]
Denmark takes up the rotating EU presidency as the year begins, succeeding Poland. Denmark and its left-of-center government are taking the helm in most inauspicious circumstances. The main order of business will be stabilizing the euro, but Denmark itself is out of the euro zone and any attempt by the government to join the currency […]
Given the economic stagnation in the West, the tendency has been to regard Asia as the supplier of growth engines. Unfortunately China has reported a slowdown and now India is joining suit as the global crisis is depressing demands for Indian exports. Indian manufacturing and export has contracted for the first time since 2009 and […]
If little Greece (11 m. people) and tiny Ireland (6 m. people) rattled Europe’s windows, because of their debts, Italy is about to blow up Europe’s shaky house. Here is why. Italy is huge (60 m. people, $2 trillion economy, $34,000 per capita GDP), and nearly bankrupt. Italy has the world’s third largest bond […]
Few things are as galling as being right too soon. Back in 1970, dissident Soviet historian Andrei Amalrik wrote a book boldly called “Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984?” He predicted that it would not, which greatly annoyed the Communist regime. He was sent to Siberia for his temerity, and later forced to leave […]
The polls show a tightening race between the incumbent French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the current favorite French Socialist Francois Hollande and they are in a virtual tie on the first ballot with 30%. When the French are asked about their second ballot opinion, the race is still Hollande’s to lose. He will mop up […]
Thank you for inviting me to Berlin. It is an honour to be here in this beautiful city of Berlin. When I was here last year I emphasized how important Germany is for all of us. We all benefit from a healthy, democratic, self-confident Germany. Much has happened since my last visit. In the Netherlands […]
U.S. unemployment rates may officially be hovering around 9 percent but in reality, they’re up near the 20 percent levels around the time of the Great Depression, maybe even higher, economist and author Mark Skousen told Newsmax in an exclusive interview. Unemployment rates measure the number of people in the workforce looking for jobs. But […]
ATHENS — The Greek government was plunged into chaos on Tuesday and faced an imminent collapse, as lawmakers rebelled against Prime Minister George Papandreou’s surprise call for a popular referendum on a new debt deal with Greece’s foreign lenders. Such a collapse would not only render the referendum plan moot, it would likely scuttle — […]
