Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Monday, July 20, 2015
Was Greece Debt Crisis Always Part Of Eurozone Master Plan? / Politics / Euro-Zone
Since its inception, critics of the eurozone have been pointing to its incomplete nature — everyone uses the same money but keeps their own national budgets and tax regimes — and speculating that this “fatal flaw” would doom the system. Other observers, however, gave the euro’s creators more (Machiavellian) credit and assumed the initial version was simply what was politically attainable at the time. Future leaders, they predicted, would wait for (or engineer) a crisis and then use it to bully their reluctant citizens into a centralized government.
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Sunday, July 19, 2015
Was Greece Set Up To Fail? / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
I started writing this on my last night in Athens for now, Wednesday, and had no time to finish it then:
On the eve of my temp absence from this great city, a few things. I could simply extend my stay, which might be slightly cheaper, but A) flights to Athens cost less all the time, and B) I have to go see my mom in Holland, who’s not doing well at all. On top of that, Nicole arrived in Holland last week, and we might as well just fly out back here together in a few weeks.
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Saturday, July 18, 2015
The Truth About God and Religion - Video / Politics / Religion
The promise at the heart of virtually every religion is that DEATH is not final, that an afterlife of sorts awaits all those who follow the righteous path in devotion to the supreme being that watches over everything one does. Where each iteration of religious ideology maps out its own true path towards salvation, one of following the rules and rituals as laid out in revealed doctrine of complete devotion to the Supreme Being, to constantly reinforce the belief that this life is temporary and to wholly focus securing entry after death to an eternal perfect afterlife, a paradise that will be granted to all followers of the religion by the supreme being that goes hand in hand with the threat of infinite pain and suffering that awaits all those who fail to follow the the one true religion as all of the others are false religions.
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Friday, July 17, 2015
Greek People Victims Of Political Games / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
Last Sunday, we arrived in Greece. We have interviewed since then more than 25 people across the country. We have selected ordinary people, with different jobs, from all ages, both in cities and rural areas. So our research is representative for the whole population. What people told us is staggering, and it becomes worse we compare this with the acts of the government. This is a live report about the government debt crisis.
In general, people describe the current economic situation as hopeless; there is no outlook for growth whatsoever. Everyone agrees that this crisis will go on for many years before the country can see any economic improvement.
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Friday, July 17, 2015
China May be Preparing for War to Rally the Country in Case of Recession / Politics / China US Conflict
As the living standards improved in China for hundreds of millions of people. Instead of a grateful nation, the Chinese Communist Party got more demanding people. The more the Chinese people get, the more the Party is asked to deliver.
There is an unwritten agreement in China: the people will tolerate the Communist Party as long as there is strong economic growth. But what happens if the economy stalls, or worse still, contracts? War could be the answer.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
In Mexico, Crime Is Bigger Than a Crime Boss / Politics / Mexico
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.
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Thursday, July 16, 2015
How Socialism Destroyed Puerto Rico, and How Capitalism Can Save It / Politics / Social Issues
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.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2015
IRAN was the First Time the CIA Overthrew a Government… / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
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
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
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
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.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015
European Empire Strikes Back: Germany and the Greek Crisis / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
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.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015
The Greek Deal From Germany - Reading Between the Lines - Darkness Over the Earth / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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Sunday, July 12, 2015
Greece, EU and the Tower of Babel / Politics / Eurozone Debt Crisis
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
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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