Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Major Powers Scramble for Energy Security in Africa's Resources / Politics / Energy Resources
By: OilPrice_Com
China’s completion of an historic natural gas pipeline with Kazakhstan bypassing Russia this week tightens the Asian behemoth’s grip on energy resources needed to fuel a burgeoning economy, a desire also forcing it on a quest for oil and gas wealth in other corners of the globe.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Gossip from the Wall Street Journal's Future of Finance Initiative / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
By: Janet_Tavakoli
Last week I was a participant in the Wall Street Journal's Future of Finance Initiative in England. WSJ has written a summary of the conference highlights, and missed some key points. Allow me to fill in the blanks.
Monday, December 14, 2009
American Fractionalized Banking Madness / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
By: Douglas_French
Some analysts see the outlook for America's banks to be bright for the coming year; just earlier this year the financial sector looked to be toast. Those who follow the industry at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods believe all will be well for at least the banking behemoths. As a sign that things are looking up, Charlotte banking giant Bank of America (BofA) just managed to issue $20 billion in stock to help repay the $45 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds the government infused into the bank during the financial meltdown a year ago.
Monday, December 14, 2009
America's Race to the Bottom / Politics / Recession 2008 - 2010
By: Submissions
David Michael Green writes: I sure hope that there is a full and speedy recovery to the massive recession we are all now suffering under.
But, I'll be honest. I doubt that there will be. Most of the upticks following our latest national downturns have been dismal enough that economists have had to invent a new term for them. The phrase is "jobless recovery", and the implications are as ugly as they sound.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Malalai Joya's Afghanistan Solution Withdraw All Foreign Troops / Politics / Afghanistan
By: Mike_Whitney
Malalai Joya: "Afghans Are Fed Up With the U.S. Occupation and the Corrupt, Mafia-state of Hamid Karzai "
Book Review
It's too bad Barack Obama didn't consult with Malalai Joya before giving his Nobel acceptance speech on Thursday. The ex-Afghan Parliamentarian could have helped the president to see that the ongoing US occupation is damaging to both American and Afghan interests.
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Sunday, December 13, 2009
Nassim Taleb, Time to Nationalize US Banking System / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
By: Submissions
Nassim Nicholas Taleb argues that banks should be regarded as performing a function similar to that of utility companies, and should ...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Financial, Economic and Climate Crisis Ushering In Brave New World 2009 / Politics / New World Order
By: James_Quinn
O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world! That has such people in't! -
William Shakespeare – The Tempest
“Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.”- Aldous Huxley
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
New Derivatives Regulation Is Weaker Than Current, Resulting in Greater Destabilisation of Economy / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Washingtons_Blog
As I have repeatedly pointed out, proposed derivatives legislation will not make things better:
A leading credit default swap expert (Satyajit Das) says that the new credit default swap regulations not only won't help stabilize the economy, they might actually help to destabilize it.
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
Janet Tavakoli Comments on Goldman Sachs Fueled AIG Gambles / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Janet_Tavakoli
Goldman Fueled AIG Gambles - Wall Street Journal – December 12, 2009 - By Serena Ng and Carrick Mollenkamp (contribution from Amir Efrati)
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. played a bigger role than has been publicly disclosed in fueling the mortgage bets that nearly felled American Insurance Group Inc.
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
Labour Governments UK State Pension 2.5% Increase Con Trick / Politics / UK General Election
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Alistair Darling which much fanfare amidst a gloomy budget announced on Wednesday a 2.5% increase in state pension payments from 1st of April 2010. Which was clearly aimed at traditional labour voters ahead of a April or May 2010 General Election.
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Friday, December 11, 2009
Middle Class Debt and Economic Outrage, Solutions, and The Financial Markets / Politics / Credit Crisis 2009
By: DeepCaster_LLC
“We don’t need The Fed, The Fed is making our lives miserable…”
“Audit The Fed, then Abolish It” Jim Rogers, Fame Investor, Tech Ticker 12/10/09
"What's so frustrating is you have an administration that is arguing such a populist (ideology) and not appreciating all the unintended consequences that the consumer and small businesses have far less credit," Whitney said.
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
U.S. Taxpayers On The Hook For Ginnie Mae's Rampant Growth / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Mike_Shedlock
The Center for Public Integrity and The Washington Post collaborated nicely on a report detailing problems at Ginnie Mae.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
UK Pre-General Election Pre-Budget Report / Politics / UK General Election
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The pre-budget report (PBR) was pretty much inline with my earlier expectations as I highlighted in the article (Alistair Darling's UK Election Give Away Budget Crippled by Debt and Liabilities ) :
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Mexico At War with the Drug Cartels / Politics / Mexico
By: STRATFOR
There are two cartel wars currently raging in Mexico that have combined to produce record levels of violence in 2009. The first war is the struggle between the government of Mexico and the drug cartels. The second, a parallel war, is the fight among the various cartels as they compete for control of lucrative supply routes. Shortly after his inauguration in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon launched an all-out effort to target the cartels, which he viewed as a major threat to Mexico’s security and stability.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Ten Facts and Ten Myths About Climate Change and Global Warming / Politics / Climate Change
By: Prof_Robert_Carter
Ten facts about climate change
1. Climate has always changed, and it always will. The assumption that prior to the industrial revolution the Earth had a "stable" climate is simply wrong. The only sensible thing to do about climate change is to prepare for it.
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Wednesday, December 09, 2009
End the Fed? Or End the Market Economy? / Politics / Central Banks
By: Shamus_Cooke
When Republican Congressman Ron Paul recently introduced legislation to audit the Federal Reserve, diverse sections of the political spectrum applauded. And rightfully so. The Fed’s role in the still-developing bank bailouts is one of utter secrecy; the total cost of which — as estimated by the bailout’s Special Inspector General, Neil Barofsky — could cost taxpayers $23.7 trillion. The fact that legislation needed to be introduced to raise the question of the whereabouts of these funds points to a larger breakdown in U.S. democracy.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
The Multi-Billion Trade in Carbon Derivatives, Copenhagen's Hidden Agenda / Politics / Climate Change
By: Washingtons_Blog
As I have previously shown, speculative derivatives (especially credit default swaps) are a primary cause of the economic crisis.
And I have pointed out that (1) the giant banks will make a killing on carbon trading, (2) while the leading scientist crusading against global warming says it won't work, and (3) there is a very high probability of massive fraud and insider trading in the carbon trading markets.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Alistair Darling's UK Pre-Budget Report Full Text / Politics / UK General Election
By: Submissions
Mr Speaker, today's Pre-Budget Report takes place at a critical time for our economy and for our country.
Governments across the world have taken co-ordinated steps to deal with the biggest financial crisis for over half a century.
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Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Global Warming Climagate Illustrates Lying Academics for the State / Politics / Climate Change
By: Gary_North
A generation ago, Daniel Ellsberg stole thousands of documents from the Rand Corporation, photocopied them, and gave them to the New York Times, which began publishing them. Ellsberg was prosecuted by the government. So was the Times. The defendants won.
Only after the Times broke the story did the mainstream press pick up on it. The Times got its scoop, and the Nixon administration had no way to stop it. This led to Nixon's decision to stop the leaks with the Plumbers squad. That led to his defeat.
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Alistair Darling's UK Election Give Away Budget Crippled by Debt and Liabilities / Politics / UK General Election
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The Race is on, How Far Can Labour Boost the UK Economy Before it Goes Bust?
On Wednesday Alistair Darling had hoped he could implement the next phase of Britain's debt fuelled economic recovery in advance of the May 2010 General Election. Unfortunately time is not on the Chancellors side as the exploding debt mountain far beyond the levels estimated by the Chancellor of a year ago (as illustrated below) has now crippled the Chancellors options in delivering a further big stimulus bounce into the General Election, as further reckless behaviour will likely send foreign investors rushing for the exit out of sterling assets.
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