Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
In Mexico, Crime Is Bigger Than a Crime Boss / Politics / Mexico
By: STRATFOR
The July 11 escape of the notorious Sinaloa crime boss, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, from a maximum-security prison in Mexico has drawn considerable Mexican and international media attention. While the brazen and elaborate nature of the escape will add to the lore already surrounding Guzman, the escape itself carries little significance for organized crime in Mexico — though it will place a momentary strain on coordination between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement. The forces that drive the evolution of organized crime and their impact on society in Mexico are simply greater than any single crime boss.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
How Socialism Destroyed Puerto Rico, and How Capitalism Can Save It / Politics / Social Issues
By: Peter_Schiff
While Greece is now dominating the debt default stage, the real tragedy is playing out much closer to home, with the downward spiral of Puerto Rico. As in Greece, the Puerto Rican economy has been destroyed by its participation in an unrealistic monetary system that it does not control and the failure of domestic politicians to confront their own insolvency. But the damage done to the Puerto Rican economy by the United States has been far more debilitating than whatever damage the European Union has inflicted on Greece. In fact, the lessons we should be learning in Puerto Rico, most notably how socialistic labor and tax policies can devastate an economy, should serve as a wake up call to those advocating prescribing the same for the mainland.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
IRAN was the First Time the CIA Overthrew a Government… / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
By: Casey_Research
By Nick Giambruno
62 years later, the aftermath is still troubling global politics.
Operation Ajax was a pivotal moment in US and world history. It was the first time the CIA overthrew a government.
Yet even today the US government would rather not talk about it. That’s why it remains an unknown story for many Americans.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Grexit or Jubilee? How Greek Debt Can Be Annulled / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Ellen_Brown
The crushing Greek debt could be canceled the way it was made – by sleight of hand. But saving the Greek people and their economy is evidently not in the game plan of the Eurocrats.
Greece’s creditors have finally brought the country to its knees, forcing President Alexis Tsipras to agree to austerity and privatization measures more severe than those overwhelmingly rejected by popular vote a week earlier. No write-down of Greece’s debt was included in the deal, although the IMF has warned that the current debt is unsustainable.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Why Historic Iran Nuclear Deal with Will be a Historic Failure / Politics / Nuclear Weapons
By: Atlantic_Perspective
For years the United States has tried to reach a nuclear deal with Iran. Never before in the history of the US, has a Secretary of State been so involved in a task or invested so much time and energy on a single mission. John Kerry has spent so much time with the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, that finishing the deal probably felt like signing a divorce from your closest partner.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2015
The Humiliation and Subjugation of Greece... / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Clive_Maund
Europe is a fascinating place, but not as interesting as it was before the European Union came into existence. Older travellers may recall the fun of going from one European country to another, with each having its own currency and banknotes which you could scrutinize with interest as you relaxed at various cafes or restaurants. The national stereotypes could still easily be found - Frenchmen on bicycles dressed in blue and white striped shirts and black berets pedaling around selling strings of onions, and refusing to speak English on principle even when they understood it, or spending their time productively on four hour lunches or womanizing. Germans with their ruthless efficiency and organization, but who produced great sausages and beer, which they would routinely consume in vast quantities in gigantic steins. They were supposed to be humorless, and were wonderfully personified by Gert Frobe in the classic 60's film Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, who let slip a chuckle when one of his officers crashed a flying machine into a tree, but you certainly can't call the Bavarians in southern Germany humorless, with their oompah bands and their vaguely silly lederhosen - these people are an inspiration to drinkers the world over.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
European Empire Strikes Back: Germany and the Greek Crisis / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: STRATFOR
George Friedman writes: A desperate battle was fought last week. It pitted Germany and Greece against each other. Each country had everything at stake. Based on the deal that was agreed to, Germany forced a Greek capitulation. But it is far from clear that Greece can allow the agreement reached to be implemented, or that it has the national political will to do so. It is also not clear what its options are, especially given that the Greek people had backed Germany into a corner, where its only choice was to risk everything. It was not a good place for Greece to put the Germans. They struck back with vengeance.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
The Greek Deal From Germany - Reading Between the Lines - Darkness Over the Earth / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Jesse
Perhaps the Greeks made a mistake, and relied too much on rationality, on a belief in a Eurozone in which good sense and reason would prevail. As it was, the Germans were willing to ruthlessly crush the Greek banking system, while the ECB and IMF stood idly by, fomenting a financial panic and humanitarian disaster in order to displace a sovereign government and put an entire nation 'in its place.' We certainly have seen this kind of example made before.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Greece Humiliation; Arrogance; Crucifixion; Demolition of Eurozone Project / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Mike_Shedlock
As I further ponder on the Breathtaking Political Capitulation of Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras I still seek an explanation for his stunning reversal. Here is a short recap.
Read full article... Read full article...Shockingly Stupid Sequence of Events
I am seldom stunned by political stupidity. In fact, I am surprised when I don't see it.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Syriza Breathtaking Political Capitulation; Tsipras Should Resign / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Mike_Shedlock
Shockingly Stupid Sequence of Events
I am seldom stunned by political stupidity. In fact, I am surprised when I don't see it.
Yet, I have never witnessed a political reversal so shockingly stupid as we saw tonight from Greek Prime minister Alexis Tsipras.
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Monday, July 13, 2015
The Troika And The Five Families / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Raul_I_Meijer
Personally, like most of you, I always thought Germany, besides all its other talents, good or bad, was a nation of solid calculus and accounting. Gründlichkeit. And that they knew a thing or two about psychology. But I stand corrected.
The Germans just made their biggest mistake in a long time (how about some 75 years) over the weekend. Now, when all you have to bring to a conversation slash negotiation is bullying and strong arming and brute force, that should perhaps not be overly surprising. But it’s a behemoth failure all by itself regardless.
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Monday, July 13, 2015
Greece Today, America Tomorrow? / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
The drama over Greece's financial crisis continues to dominate the headlines. As this column is being written, a deal may have been reached providing Greece with yet another bailout if the Greek government adopts new "austerity" measures. The deal will allow all sides to brag about how they came together to save the Greek economy and the European Monetary Union. However, this deal is merely a Band-Aid, not a permanent fix to Greece's problems. So another crisis is inevitable.
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Sunday, July 12, 2015
Greece’s Biggest Problem Is Its Anti-Capitalist Culture / Politics / Euro-Zone
By: MISES
Russell Lamberti writes: It’s considered politically incorrect to criticize culture these days, but whether using euros or drachmas, in or out of the European Union, Greece really has to, somehow, sort out its cultural dysfunction. I’m not talking about its customs, traditions, architecture or music, and I’m definitely not talking about its food. I’m talking about its cultural anti-capitalism. The negotiations, deals, counter-deals, referenda, protests and everything in between all mean very little if Greeks, by and large, don’t ditch their statist zeitgeist and rediscover Greek capitalistic exceptionalism.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Greece, EU and the Tower of Babel / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Submissions
Athanasios Laspopoulos writes: I remember when I was at school, many years ago, that a course was developed
for the Tower of Babel and a sketch showing a huge Tower building from thousands
of people. As I remember the Tower was building by many countries and different
peoples in order to reach heaven and God. This project because of the
multilingualism and misunderstanding was abandoned. This was the model on
which the EU was based on?? Because as I can see in pictures and the model
the EU is made of, are almost the same. And the funny thing is that in EU
there are multiple states, multiple languages and a relative disconnection
between the members just as it was happening at the Tower of Babel.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Tsipras Invites Schäuble To Fall Into His Own Sword / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Raul_I_Meijer
Too many voices the past few days are all pointing the same way, and I’ve always thought that is never good. A guessing-based consensus, jumping to conclusions and all that. Look, it’s fine if you don’t have all the answers, no matter how nervous it makes you.
What I’m referring to in this instance is the overwhelming conviction that Greece and Tsipras have conceded, given in to the Troika, flown a white flag, you get the drift. But guys, the battle ain’t over yet.
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Sunday, July 12, 2015
Grexit: Montenegro, Ecuador or Bulgaria? / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Steve_H_Hanke
Could Greece adopt the dollar?
In truth, Bulgaria, not the greenback, is the better currency model after Grexit.
What if the eurozone shows Greece the door? There are claims that the creation of a new currency regime in Greece would be fraught with problems. While the practical, technical problems would be relatively small, the political problems could be daunting.
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Sunday, July 12, 2015
"Guerrilla Warfare Against a Hegemonic Power": The Challenge and Promise of Greece / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Ellen_Brown
Banks create money when they make loans. Greece could restore the liquidity desperately needed by its banks and its economy by nationalizing the banks and issuing digital loans backed by government guarantees to its ailing businesses. Greece could provide an inspiring model of sustainable prosperity for the world. But it is being strangled by a hegemonic power in a financial war that is being waged against us all.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Syriza Cruel Hoax on Greek People, Led Like Sheep to Economic Collapse Slaughter House / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Syriza presents bailout proposals worse than Greece rejected at the 5th July referendum. The Syriza game theory players 6 month long intensifying black mail of the euro-zone that culminated in the NO referendum to the previous bailout package from the 'evil Troika', who according to Syriza were financial terrorists hell bent on the destruction of Greece, to which end only Syriza were the Greek people's saviors who would prevail with no austerity over the evil Troika.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Greece Crisis - Someone Pull The Plug or This Will End in War / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Raul_I_Meijer
I was going to write up on the uselessness of Angela Merkel, given that she said on this week that “giving in to Greece could ‘blow apart’ the euro”, and it’s the 180º other way around; it’s the consistent refusal to allow any leniency towards the Greeks that is blowing the currency union to smithereens.
Merkel’s been such an abject failure, the fullblown lack of leadership, the addiction to her right wing backbenchers, no opinion that seems to be remotely her own. But I don’t think the topic by itself makes much sense anymore for an article. It’s high time to take a step back and oversee the entire failing euro and EU system.
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Friday, July 10, 2015
Forget about Reaching a Deal with Greece, Europe Needs a deal with... Europe! / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
By: Atlantic_Perspective
Mathematically speaking, Greece needs debt relief. There´s no other option. The country can´t pay back its debts. But there is a nasty “but” in this statement...
If Europe lets Greece off the hook, then all the other “emerging Greeces” of the UE will want the same. Far-left governments would start winning elections all over the place, starting with Portugal and Spain - just a few months away from electing a new government. And that would be the end of the European Union.