Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Friday, June 02, 2017

Trump's 'Arab NATO' Vision is a Desert Mirage / Politics / US Politics

By: STRATFOR

Ever since Teddy Roosevelt began a tradition of overseas state visits when he headed to Panama to check on his canal project in 1906, American presidents have chosen the destination of their first overseas visit with foreign policy theater in mind. The majority, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama, stayed close to home to focus on North America or the Caribbean Basin. Others, from Woodrow Wilson to Jimmy Carter, crossed the Atlantic amid wars hot and cold. Donald Trump, however, is the first to choose the Middle East for his foreign debut. His reach, in this case, may well exceed his grasp, especially when it comes to the concept of building an "Arab NATO" to manage the region.

Thursday, June 01, 2017

President Trump’s Impending Resignation and Declaration of Victory / Politics / US Politics

By: Harry_Dent

Thursday, June 01, 2017

Russia’s Disinformation Seems To Work—But It Doesn’t / Politics / Russia

By: John_Mauldin

BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN : From its founding, the Soviet Union ran campaigns designed to destabilize and neutralize potential enemies. Disinformation was and is the name of the game.

After the Russian Revolution, Lenin founded the Third International to support Communist parties around the world. Soviet intelligence ran disinformation campaigns. These campaigns were designed to undermine national governments, to discredit leading figures, and so on.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

China’s Belt and Road to Nowhere / Politics / China

By: Michael_Pento

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded China’s credit rating recently to A1 from Aa3. The rational being that it expects the financial strength of the economy to erode, as GDP growth slows and debt levels continue to pile up. What is Beijing’s response to the slowing economy and intractable debt accumulation that was just underscored by Moody’s: issue a mountain of new debt in order to pave over 60 countries around the globe?

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

What is the Best Way to Support Veterans? / Politics / US Military

By: BATR

Since the abolishment of the draft, volunteers have manned the military. By professional armed services standards, this conversion has produced the most efficient and competitive war machine ever. However, what escapes this simplistic viewpoint is that the forces deployed "To Kill People and Break Things", are used to expand and perpetuate an empire, while forgoing an actual defense of our nation. Decisions to police the world are made by non elected agencies, who essentially formulate the detailed policies that shed the blood of soldiers and drain the treasure of the country. Presidents and politicians talk about the hard determinations to place service personnel in harm's way, but it is the military-industrial-complex that does the grunt work in staging the logistics and directing what theater of operations the grand imperial military can operate.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Fracking – An Unconventional Poisoning / Politics / Fracking

By: Richard_Mills

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it’s more commonly referred to, is used to stimulate the production of oil and gas from unconventional oil and gas deposits - shales, coalbeds, and tight sands. These types of deposits need to be stimulated because they have a lower permeability than conventional reservoirs and require the additional stimulation for production.

Hydraulic fracturing involves drilling a well then injecting it with a slurry of water, chemical additives and proppants. Wells are drilled and lined with a steel pipe that’s cemented into place. A perforating gun is used to shoot small holes through the steel and cement into the shale. The highly pressurized fluid and proppant mixture injected into the well escapes and create cracks and fractures in the surrounding shale layers and that stimulates the flow of natural gas or oil. The proppants (grains of sand, ceramic beads, or sintered bauxite) prevent the fractures from closing when the injection is stopped and the pressure of the fluid is removed.

Monday, May 29, 2017

An Invisible Curtain Falls Between Russia and the West / Politics / GeoPolitics

By: STRATFOR

By Jon Sather : The Cold War ended over 25 years ago, but the lingering Soviet specter continues to haunt the Western world. Since the election of Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2000, a new conflict has been brewing, this time in cyberspace. And on a battlefield monopolized by the United States and Russia, the historical threats of nuclear war, ambitions of global dominance and aspirations of containing the enemy may not be the relics of the past we imagine them to be.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Trump’s Predatory Infrastructure Privatization Scheme / Politics / US Politics

By: Stephen_Lendman

Straightaway in office, Trump proved he’s an imperial/predatory corporatist tool - his rhetorical populism pretense, not real, his agenda hugely harming ordinary people at home and abroad.

Days after his election, Ellen Brown exposed his phony promised economic change, saying “his infrastructure plan appears to be just more of the same - privatizing public assets and delivering unearned profits to investors at the expense of the people.”

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Libya: A US-Created Terrorist Haven / Politics / Middle East

By: Stephen_Lendman

US-led NATO aggression on Libya raped and destroyed its sovereign independence - one of history’s great crimes.

Africa’s developed nation was transformed into a cauldron of failed state, terrorist-infested violence, chaos, deep poverty, mass unemployment, and devastating human misery.

Libya was Obama’s war, launched in 2011, orchestrated by Hillary Clinton. Her remark after hearing of Muammar Gaddafi’s death, saying “(w)e came, we saw, he died” alone will long define her pure evil.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

BBC Newsnight Falls for FAKE POLLS, Opinion Pollsters Illusion for Mainstream Media to Sell / Politics / UK General Election

By: Nadeem_Walayat

Apparently the boring election that everyone knew the Tories would win with a landslide is no more, for the Tory's 24 point lead over Labour has not just narrowed but collapsed to just 5% over the course of the past few days (Yougov Con 43%, Labour 38%). Which the BBC's flagship current affairs programme Newsnight made a good job of regurgitating at length. Emily Maitlis did her thing of prancing around the studio as intelligent eye candy so as to hold the attention span of viewers as the talking heads one after another explained the shock narrowing of polls which if it continues could even result in Labour winning the election!

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Rosenstein and Mueller: the Regime Change Tag-Team / Politics / US Politics

By: Mike_Whitney

Let’s say you own a big US corporation but need help managing your domestic accounts. So you hire a bright, young man named Bruno who just graduated from Harvard Business School with a Masters in corporate finance.  And the first day on the job, you discover that Bruno has secretly employed a private detective who has obtained subpoena power to dig through all of your business accounts, all your investments past and present, all your taxes going back decades, and any personal transactions you might have made in the last 20 years or so.  And, oh yeah, and he also has the authority to interview anyone he chooses, including people who might have a grudge against you or who lost money on one of your dodgy real estate deals or who simply doesn’t like the way you comb your hair. And, of course, Bruno knows that the information he gathers is going to be deliberately tweaked to look as suspicious as possible, then it’s going to be leaked to the press and splashed across the headlines, then it’s going to be presented as evidence to a Grand Jury, and then, finally– after months of excruciating testimony and nonstop mud-slinging– it will be used in criminal proceedings that will lead your removal as CEO of your corporation.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

The US-Saudi Arms Deal - Sordid Saudi Signals / Politics / Saudi Arabia

By: Jim_Willie_CB

THE SAUDI ARMS DEAL SUDDENLY TRIPLED IN SIZE WITH LONG TIME SCHEDULE WITHIN THE AGREEMENT… TRUMP COMPLETED THE SINGLE LARGEST ARMS DEAL IN US-HISTORY, DONE WITH SAUDI ARABIA… IT EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS COMMITMENT FROM TWO WEEKS AGO, NOW WORTH $350 BILLION… WITNESS US-STYLE ECONOMIC STIMULUS, THE TOXIC WAY… THE USGOVT SUPPORTS THE FADING SAUDI KINGDOM, SUPPORTS THEIR VICIOUS YEMEN WAR, AND APPLAUDS THEIR SUPPORT OF ISIS TERROR… THE USGOVT IS ENCOURAGING THE FORMATION OF A GULF REGION NATO, SURELY DEDICATED TO US-ARMS SUPPLY… CURIOUS THE PAYMENT METHOD TO COME, WITH CONJECTURE.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Ian Bremmer: Trump Faces a Far More Dangerous Risk Than Impeachment / Politics / US Politics

By: John_Mauldin

by Patrick W. Watson : The words "Trump" and "impeachment" are often seen in the same sentence now. Few think it would happen. But there's no question another presidential impeachment attempt would be a wrenching experience for the nation.

Geopolitics expert and Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer doesn't worry about impeachment. Speaking at the Mauldin Economics Strategic Investment Conference on Tuesday, Bremmer said he sees a different and more worrisome risk.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Global Warming - Saving Us From Us / Politics / Climate Change

By: Richard_Mills

According to Al Gore if we would all pony up US$15,000,000,000,000.00 he and his cronies will save us from ourselves.

Gore’s Energy Transitions Commission’s (ETC) stated goal is net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to keep global temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius by 2100.

To this scribbler and question asker net zero carbon emissions costing $15T to accomplish seems like a radical environmental vision and a steep price for us to pay for it.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

US Attack on North Korea Is Imminent / Politics / North Korea

By: John_Mauldin

George Friedman: The US is preparing to attack North Korea, according to Geopolitical Futures founder George Friedman—setting the stage for a difficult, messy war with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Speaking Monday to a rapt audience at the 2017 Strategic Investment Conference in Orlando, Friedman said that while it is unlikely the US will take action before President Trump returns home at the weekend, North Korea’s actions appear to have “offered the US no alternative” to a clash.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

America's Southern Heritage is a Threat to the Deep State / Politics / US Politics

By: BATR

In an age where the accounts of history are no longer taught or the chronicles of past generations are lost to the consciousness of the current culture; all that is left is a fairy tale of deception designed to confuse, indoctrinate and eliminate critical thinking. Astute students of the War of Northern Aggression understand that the cessation of hostilities set into motion the forces of imperialism and the perversion of a Constitution with the addition of harmful amendments. Liberty was the primary causality of all the bloodshed and the institution of a totalitarian statist regime became the permanent outcome of the conflict.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Manchester Bombing - ISIS Islamic Terrorist Attack Attempt to Influence BrExit Election / Politics / ISIS Islamic State

By: Nadeem_Walayat

The people of Britain are waking up to a terrorist bomb attack on young people attending an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena at 10.33pm killing 22 people, including children and injuring 59, Britain's worst terror attack since the London 7/7 bombings nearly 12 years ago. A suspected suicide bomber detonated a device at 10.33pm last night in the foyer as concert goers were leaving. The response of politicians has been to suspend election campaigning for at least 24 hours.

Friday, May 19, 2017

If China Can Fund Infrastructure With Its Own Credit, So Can We / Politics / Infrastructure

By: Ellen_Brown

May 15th-19th has been designated "National Infrastructure Week" by the US Chambers of Commerce, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and over 150 affiliates. Their message: "It's time to rebuild." Ever since ASCE began issuing its "National Infrastructure Report Card" in 1998, the nation has gotten a dismal grade of D or D+. In the meantime, the estimated cost of fixing its infrastructure has gone up from $1.3 trillion to $4.6 trillion.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Here’s Why Trump Won’t Pursue His Pledged Foreign Policy / Politics / GeoPolitics

By: John_Mauldin

BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN : For all the tumult that has defined President Donald Trump’s domestic policy, his foreign policy is relatively stable.

There are some notable differences, but what went on before is pretty much what is going on now—a surprise given the expectations.

Trump promised to disengage from burdensome commitments to other countries, shifting the risks and costs of the security of allies away from the United States.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Obamacare May Become Zombiecare In 2018 / Politics / Healthcare Sector

By: John_Mauldin

BY PATRICK WATSON : Before the election, few people would have predicted today’s healthcare standoff.

Clinton supporters expected Obamacare would continue with some minor adjustments. Those behind Trump thought Republicans would quickly repeal Obamacare, as repeatedly promised.

Instead, the GOP House (barely) passed a replacement plan that the GOP Senate has little interest in pursuing. Negotiations continue, so we’ll see.