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Around world, Obama’s presidency a disappointment- The Associated Press

May 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In Europe, where more than 200,000 people thronged a Berlin rally in 2008 to hear Barack Obama speak, there’s disappointment that he hasn’t kept his promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and perceptions that he’s shunting blame for the financial crisis across the Atlantic.

In Mogadishu, a former teacher wishes he had sent more economic assistance and fewer armed drones to fix Somalia’s problems. And many in the Middle East wonder what became of Obama’s vow, in a landmark 2009 speech at the University of Cairo, to [continue reading in new window...]

 

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, Featured, Politics, United States, World News Tagged With: ,

What an Israeli attack on Iran will mean for the Muslims – Haaretz

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If Israel bombs Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iran is likely to mobilize on the basis of the much wider support it can muster in the Muslim world.

Iran’s nuclear program, which could have the capacity to produce weapons-grade nuclear material sooner rather than later, remains a principal focus of international attention, despite a vast international policy crisis vis-a-vis the Middle East, due to the developments engendered by the so-called Arab Spring. The harshest sanctions regime applied in modern times is in place against Iran, even as other covert efforts, including a cyber-war intended to sabotage Iran’s research, have been carried out, presumably by Israel and the United States. As a result of this global pressure, Iran has come back to the negotiating table to see if it can strike a deal that will alleviate some of the pressure.

Nonetheless, hawks in both Israel and the United States still maintain that bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities is the [continue reading in new window...]

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, World News Tagged With: ,

Why the euro is doomed to fall apart: it was an incredibly stupid idea in the first place – Telegraph Blogs

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The euro is doomed to fall apart: no, not because I’m some nasty man in UKIP but because the basic idea was such a terrible one. Our chart above (from JP Morgan Asset Management, which you can see more easily by clicking here) shows just how terrible it was. It would, in economic terms, have been better to have a new currency for all countries beginning with the letter M than for the eurozone. Or for all countries that have the 5th parallel North passing through them.

Yes, of course, we all know, the euro is the bright new dawn, the vital step in stopping Germany from invading France. Again. No one seems to have noticed it that they managed it last time and having experienced the place seem to have no desire at all to go back. So this might not be a problem that needs a solution.

However, let’s look behind the political posturing and ask ourselves whether, in economic terms, the euro was a sensible idea [continue reading in new window...]

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, Economy, World News

Gay marriage, Obama and the fierce urgency of now: Why did he do it this week? – Yahoo News

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Even now, during the closing months of his first term, Barack Obama remains a curiously elusive political leader. That is why the abrupt conclusion to his evolution on gay marriage, announced Wednesday in an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, is one of the most fascinating moments in his presidency. Glib theories about Obama’s often-cautious approach to the presidency, especially in an election year, have to be revamped in light of his sudden endorsement of gay marriage.

There is a temptation to view the turnabout solely in electoral terms. Obama himself said that the politics of same-sex marriage “may hurt me.” But perhaps the president made the calculation that he was willing to risk the loss of a fraction of socially conservative swing voters in states like Ohio in order to guarantee the enthusiasm of his top fundraisers [continue reading in new window...]

 

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, Politics Tagged With: , ,

China’s Latest Reforms Not a Sign of Economic Strength – Bloomberg

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This article was authored by Samuel Sherraden and appeared on Bloomberg.com.  The article is courtesy of Bloomberg.com

This year, China has announced a flurry of financial liberalization measures that were perceived by many in the U.S. and Europe as a sign of confidence among Chinese leaders about their economy’s growth prospects.

Some analysts, such as Paul Markowski, president of MES Advisers Inc., have argued that these reforms indicate Chinese leaders believe they have avoided a so-called hard landing.

In reality, these measures — such as widening the trading band on the yuan, allowing greater capital inflows and permitting a domestic pension fund to invest in the stock market– point to growing Chinese insecurity about the future. They are defensive steps intended to protect the economy from a coming slowdown and possibly to boost domestic asset prices.

China’s economy is slowing because of weaker demand for its exports in Europe and the U.S. and because it is reaching the limits of its investment-driven growth model. Growth in electricity consumption and railway cargo has halved since last year and data show that the transition to consumer-led growth is going slowly. As a result, the outlook for China’s currency has weakened and capital outflows have become an increasing concern.

These signs of weakness are the main reasons why Chinese officials have liberalized the exchange rate and tried to counter outflows by encouraging foreign and domestic investors to put more money into the Chinese stock market. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, China, Economy, Featured, World News Tagged With:

New York Times: Obama Is a Socialist | The Weekly Standard

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Article authored by William Kriston on weeklystandard.com

We’ve been skeptical of the arguments by some of our brethren on the right that Barack Obama is a quasi-socialist or a crypto-socialist … or just a plain old socialist. But now the New York Times is weighing in, in favor of the proposition.

In an article, “Change in Paris May Better Fit U.S. Economic Positions,” the Times reports:

“With the victory of the Socialist candidate, François Hollande, in the French presidential election, the White House has lost one of its closest allies on the Continent, but perhaps gained one with economic policy beliefs more closely aligned with its own….Mr. Hollande seems ‘naturally more palatable to the administration,’ said Justin Vaïsse, the director of research for the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution….Observers said that…Mr. Hollande was likely to hew closer to the Obama administration on economic issues….Mr. Hollande…said that the countries had a ‘convergence’ on economic issues.”

So, according to the Times, the French Socialist is “closely aligned with,” “naturally more palatable to,” and “likely to hew closer to” the Obama administration on economic issues. Is, therefore, Barack Obama (more or less) a socialist?

via New York Times: Obama Is a Socialist | The Weekly Standard.

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, Politics, United States Tagged With: ,

The old Vladimir Putin won’t work in the new Russia – Vancouver Sun

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Putin’s old-style politics won’t work in new Russia

 The president is yesterday’s man to the country’s young people who are  disillusioned with the political corruption and mismanaged economy.

Vladimir Putin’s next 12 years at Russia’s helm – if he lasts that long – will not be as smooth a ride as his first dozen.

His inauguration for his third term as president in the splendour of the gilded throne room of imperial Russia’s czars on Monday had about it the air of a dynasty that has reached its zenith.

The pomp and glitter of Putin’s return to the Kremlin for a new term as president, now extended from four to six years with the possibility of another six beyond that, could not obscure the sense that even he feels unsure about [continue reading in new window...]

 

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, Featured, World Affairs, World News Tagged With: ,

Our Anti-Innovation, Anti-Business, and Anti-People Immigration Law – The Atlantic

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If the United States is trying to build a system that stifles entrepreneurship and discourages start-up activity among foreign workers, it’s doing an excellent job.

Sen. Marco Rubio’s proposal to allow undocumented immigrant youth to stay in the country legally has elicited interest among some immigration reform advocates. That’s primarily because it has breathed life into a moribund effort.

Under Rubio’s as-yet unwritten plan, men and women who came to the United States as children and are pursuing higher education would be able to live in the country legally. Unlike the original DREAM Act, which has failed repeatedly to pass the U.S. Congress, the legislation wouldn’t provide a pathway to citizenship for this group. It would only create that venue for men and women joining the military.

Some cheerleaders for the original DREAM Act look at the Rubio plan as a way to [continue reading in new window...]

via Our Anti-Innovation, Anti-Business, and Anti-People Immigration Law – Alexandra Starr – Business – The Atlantic.

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, Economy, Featured, Politics

Citizens United – Monied interests run the government – TIME

May 8, 2012 By

Article is courtesy of Time Magazine:

In November 2008, on election night in Chicago, we made the mistake of believing that a leader can renew the country all by himself. Even someone who touched our hearts as deeply as Barack Obama cannot do it alone. A President can inspire and help mobilize us, but then you need the lieutenants and sergeants who make the dream operational. Clarity from leaders is necessary but not sufficient. Only when it is joined with commitment from citizens can great things happen. Democracy is not a vicarious experience.

In our current circumstances, our government is in danger of becoming a tool of entrenched and moneyed interests. Only the people can free our government from the clutches of those interests and put the country on the path to renewal. In the Internet age, apathy should not be an option. Citizens have to vote; for many, the vote is their most effective voice. But to vote wisely, citizens must take the time to become informed. Otherwise the future will be hijacked by a combination of greed, self-indulgence and excusemaking. The government will no longer belong to the people, and the people will suffer.

The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street offer contrasting examples of citizen involvement. The Tea Party promulgated a very specific objective — roll back government — and immediately converted its energy into electoral politics. The result was that in 2010, 49 Tea Party Republicans won election to Congress. Through their leverage in the Republican caucus, they almost forced the country into bankruptcy during the debate on the debt limit in the summer of 2011. That’s how quickly things can change. That’s how easily the status quo can crumble. Occupy, on the other hand, while full of passion and solidarity and armed with a catchy slogan — “We’re the 99%” — failed to have much of an impact on policy because it had no specific objective. Some people argued that it was enough simply to point out inequality; a detailed program would have divided the movement. I say, better than an emotional movement that hesitates to develop a specific program is a specific program — like getting money out of politics — that attracts emotion to it. Whether we like it or not, passion only goes partway. Remember Martin Luther King Jr. and LBJ. It took both of them, working together as they did, to transform America in the 1960s.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Analysis & Opinion, Featured, Politics
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