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Two party systems and Malaysia's UMNO Party- (2) the future economic prospects of Malaysia under Razak, India under Modi, Indonesia under Widodo
12/08/2014
Najib Razak follows his father Tun Abdul Razak, Mahathir before him, all the way back to Tunku Abdul Rahman, all of the UMNO party, in an uninterrupted control of the United Malay Naional Organization Party which has ruled Malaysia for almost 6 decades. Malaysia has followed the example of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore by keeping the opposition parties weak to maintain control. Both the UMNO and the party of Lee in Singapore face questions about the merits of suppressing the development of two party systems, at a time when government is changing hands to opposition parties in most of the region and improving economic prospects in each country with a change of government- Abe in Japan, Widodo in Indonesia, Modi and Sharif in India and Pakistan, Aquino in the Philippines, Wickremesinghe in Sri Lanka. A economic drift with no clear direction under Singh and Bhutto in India and Pakistan was reversed with the election of Modi and Sharif, the economic drift and deflation under the Kan and Noda governments was reversed in Japan with the election of Abe, and the economic drift in Indonesia is being reversed by the Widodo government. This shows how critical two party systems are to functioning democracies as middle classes develop and voters look for competing views of the future to choose from.
Linked Articles
Fund Controversy Threatens Malaysia’s Leader
Wall Street Journal 06/19/2015
Indonesian President Joko Widodo Pledges to Cut Investment BarriersWall Street Journal 12/08/2014
The ways in which the Modi administration can accelerate growth in India (2) - rapid technology adoption and the synergy between new technologies, human resources and invested capital
05/17/2014
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 05/17/2014
Tata Consultancy Services CEO Welcomes Narendra Modi ElectionWall Street Journal 05/19/2014
Studies on mammograms by the British Medical Association and Harvard researcher Keating show lack of effectiveness of mammograms
02/11/2014
More mammograms are done the more cancer is suspected, with many women being treated when there was no cancer. Some lives are saved but the large number of women who begin treatment when they have no cancer shows the technology is still not there for effective screening without arousing fears that are not founded. Both studies confirm this from decades of data of women taking mammograms.
Linked Articles
More Doubts About Mammograms' Value Are Raised in Large Study
Wall Street Journal 04/02/2014
Study Adds New Doubts About Value of MammogramsNew York Times 02/11/2014
Predominance of rail over pipelines in transport of crude from Canada and the Bakken region till 2016
02/02/2014
Pressure to build pipelines comes from congestion and safety issues for the rail system in the U.S. In the short term rail still remains the main method of transport.
Linked Articles
In Dakota Oil Patch, Trains Trump Pipelines
Wall Street Journal 03/04/2014
Even Without Keystone Pipeline, Oil Has FlowedWall Street Journal 02/02/2014
The common challenges facing Pakistan's elected democratic government and its military leaders in modernizing the economy
05/18/2013
A new dynamic is taking hold in South Asia even as Indian officials remain skeptical. China's prime minister Li Keqiang visits India with a trade delegaton and sees trade reaching $100 billion a year between the two countries and growing rapidly. Pakistan's military and civilian leaders also see the urgency for modernizing the economy and building infrastructure as Pakistan begins to catchup with its neighbors in Asia.
Linked Articles
Pakistan army chief meets incoming prime minister in ‘good omen’ - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/20/2013
In a Journey on a Crumbling Railway, a Picture of a Nationâs TroublesNew York Times 05/18/2013
Greece and living up to euro currency responsibilities- efforts under Papadopoulos 2002, Giannitsis 2001, Manos 1998 and Tsipras's commitment in 2015 15
01/28/2013
Can Greece live up to its euro currency responsibilities, is the question raised inside the eurozone, as Greece renews its commitment to reforms to build a modern economy. A look back at politicians who emphasized euro currency responsibilities and the candid remarks by Tsipras in an intervew with Bret Stephens of the WSJ.
Linked Articles
The Politicians Who Warned Greece—but Were Ignored
Wall Street Journal 07/11/2015
Stephens: The Conscience of a RadicalWall Street Journal 01/28/2013
A more cautious Shinzo Abe as prime ministerof Japan in 2013- compared to 2006-2007
12/17/2012
Abe is determined not to repeat the mistakes of his first term as Japan's prime minister following the LDP's popular prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi. That term ended with adefeat in the upper house elections and lasted only 10 months. This means staying close to the U.S. and toning down a nationalist message, with focus mainly on creating economic revival.
Linked Articles
Japanâs Next Leader, Shinzo Abe, Shifts Focus
New York Times 12/17/2012
Japan Voters Sweep In New LeaderWall Street Journal 12/17/2012
Profits hard to come by at Amazon as it focusses on growth as the overriding goal
07/27/2012
Linked Articles
Amazon Profit Margins Evaporate
Wall Street Journal 07/27/2012
Amazon's Growth Story Keeps SellingWall Street Journal 01/31/2014
The $436 million payment by Greece to holdout bondholder Dart Management and the $1.5 billion demanded by holdout bondholder Elliott Management leading to Argentine default in 2014
05/15/2012
Greece made the payment to Dart Management at a time of 20% unemployment and daily protests on Athens streets, a month before elections in June 2012. Greece only did this as a last resort for release of EU funds that were being held up to make pament of interest on debt. This exacerabated discontent inside Greece as pensions were being cut and layoffs taking place, including increase in electricity bills. The Syriza party made gains in that election and the two main parties lost ground to other parties, including a violent anti-immigrant party. Argentina's Christina Kirchner faces a difficult time with the unions and centrist parties in Buenos Aires province, with a shortage of cash and sovereign wealth fund down to $29 billion in May 2014. Stevenson points out the payment to Elliott Management could lead to a situation where Argentina owed $15-$27 billion to all holdout and exchange investors in its bonds.
Linked Articles
Argentina Finds Relentless Foe in Paul Singer's Hedge Fund
New York Times 07/30/2014
Bet on Greek Bonds Paid Off for a Vulture FundNew York Times 05/15/2012
The Apple iPad and the decline of PC's from their dominant role
03/05/2012
Steve Jobs saw the PC as being used by only one of many users, with devices like the iPad playing a dominant role.
Linked Articles
As New iPad Debut Nears, Some See Decline of PCs
New York Times 03/05/2012
Apple Updates iPad With Some RefinementsNew York Times 03/07/2012
Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, as the leaders of China after 2012, and the future direction of the economy.
02/23/2012
A gradual change away from the dominance of state owned companies as China shifts direction. The World Bank-DRC Report as the first step in this direction, marking the beginning of the beginning.
Linked Articles
Xi Appeals for 'Purity' Amid Party Scandal
Wall Street Journal 03/16/2012
New Push for Reform in ChinaWall Street Journal 02/23/2012
Zhou Xiaochuan, head of the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, and the Development Research Center (DRC) think tank
02/23/2012
The road map and priorities of the DRC and the PBOC are now the road map and priorities of the Jinping-Keqiang administration A sense of deepening awareness takes hold on party leaders Jinping and Li Keqiang that the current trajectory of Debt to GDP ratios could lead to the kind of situation before the banking crisis in Japan and S. Korea. The importance of striking a balance with growth of private companies to support future growth and move away from reliance on state owned enterprises is part of the change supported by DRC and PBOC.
Linked Articles
China's Central Banker Leads Push to Overhaul Economy
Wall Street Journal 11/05/2013
New Push for Reform in ChinaWall Street Journal 02/23/2012
Challenges of a bubble economy, dependence on exports, pollution and inequality that face the leadership of Li Keqiang and Xi Jinping in China
01/31/2012
Linked Articles
Heartland Return for Chinese Leader
Wall Street Journal 01/31/2012
Heartland Return for Chinese LeaderWall Street Journal 01/31/2012
The ways in which the Modi administration can accelerate growth in India (1)- the boost from approval of projects already in the pipeline but stalled for lack of leadership
05/17/2014
Linked Articles
Tata Consultancy Services CEO Welcomes Narendra Modi Election
Wall Street Journal 05/19/2014
Business Executives in India Ready to Welcome Modi AdministrationWall Street Journal 05/17/2014
Hope and reality in India and Nigeria- The Singh administration in India 2010-2014, and the Jonathan administration in Nigeria 2011-2015
02/21/2014
Are too many young people in the most populous countries of Africa and Asia seeing their hopes dashed and their dreams vanish with the mismanagement of the resources of the country and of the economy? Is the demographic dividend in these countries about to be wasted? Is the goodwill of foreign investors in Europe and the U.S. eager to bring the latest technologies to these countries, as they did in China, about to be wasted by sheer mismanagement and misallocation of resources? These questions are on the minds of young people in Nigeria and India as they rest their hopes on the Buhari and Modi administrations.
Linked Articles
Nigerian Central Bank Governor Ousted
Wall Street Journal 02/21/2014
India Allocated Coal Fields to Private Companies Illegally, Top Court RulesNew York Times 08/25/2014
Faces of workers quitting work or reducing hours as they qualify for subsidies on health insurance under the Obama Healthcare Law
02/05/2014
Faces of the workers taking subsidies available to lower income workers under the Obama Health Care Law. The Congressional Budget Office projections for 2021 show about the equivalent of 2.3 million workers worth of hours reduced as a result of the healthcare law subsidies giving workers more choice. Many use the time to work on startup business or child care for grandchildren. The jobs freed up and the hours could be taken up by other workers looking for jobs. Gains in childcare would be another result.
Linked Articles
Health Law To Cut Into Labor Force
Wall Street Journal 02/05/2014
They quit their jobs, thanks to the health law - The Washington PostWashington Post 02/09/2014
The 150 million single children of parents, and the 61 million children of migrant workers- today's young generation in China growing up in unusual conditions
01/17/2014
The children of migrant workers were mostly brought up away from parents in rural areas by grandparents. The children born under a single child policy in urban areas had the opposite happen, with too much attention from doting parents. Both groups were raised in a manner not seen anywhere else in the world and face growing pains and lives with different burdens and needs than the rest of us. China's social and economic experiment may have come too fast, as policy planners may only now begin to realize. A lot may need to be done to address their needs and burdens, not so easily seen as the burdens of pollution and contamination whicha are easily observed.
Linked Articles
End of China’s One-Child Policy Stings Its ‘Loneliest Generation’
New York Times 11/13/2015
Left-Behind Children of China's Migrant Workers Bear Grown-Up BurdensWall Street Journal 01/17/2014
Setting the record straight and restoring the credibility of credit ratings- the U.S. Justice Department's struggle with S&P 2013-2015
02/05/2013
U.S. Associate Attorney General Dillery, the governments top negotiator in a $1.5 billion settlement in Jan 2015, says never has the Justice Department produced 290 million documents in discovery in Justice Department history.This is how many documents were produced in this case which he said showed S&P in serious breach of duty, which affected the U.S. financial system leading to many adverse consequences.
Linked Articles
S&P to Pay $1.5 Billion to Resolve Crisis-Era Litigation
Wall Street Journal 02/04/2015
S. & P. E-Mails on Mortgage Crisis Show Alarm and Gallows HumorNew York Times 02/05/2013
Auditor General and Supreme Court three panel bench in India agree that there was an improper allocation of coal licenses in India
12/28/2012
India's Supreme Court confirms in August 2014 an earlier report by the Auditor General about improper allocation of coal licenses under the Congress party administration of former prime minister Manmohan Singh. Because this is in a strategic sector of energy where India has fallen behind it has many implications for declining economic growth.
Linked Articles
India Allocated Coal Fields to Private Companies Illegally, Top Court Rules
New York Times 08/25/2014
India’s chief auditor leads battle against corruption - The Washington PostWashington Post 12/28/2012
The Obama admnistration and the conflict in Syria
08/28/2012
A brief history shows the Alawite community constitutes about 13% of the population in Syria and live mainly in the coastal region near the Mediterranean. Under the French Alawites generally supported the colonial regime and the community was used by the French colonial regime to act as a buffer as they ruled a predominantly Sunni population. The Alawites joined the military and Hafez Assad, an Alawite general, seized control in 1971. His son now rules Syria. The Obama administration has largely missed the struggle of the people for freedom from dictatorships in Syria and Egypt under Mubarak.. With Turkey and Egypt supporting the young people in Syria, the U.S. investment is minor in military and other support compared to the cost of letting the war continue with unintended consequences for the entire region.
Linked Articles
New York Times 11/13/2012
Assad Draws Shock Troops From Elite Sect in SyriaWall Street Journal 08/28/2012
Span's Cajas Savings bank, problems with managment and culture, lack of financial controls, and the large losses from the real estate bubble
05/24/2012
Bankia was the new name for seven troubled cajas savings banks that were merged. The failure of the government's handling of the bad real estate debt, the collapse of the IPO price for bankia's IPO, and the insovency followed by takeover of Bankia by the government, is what led to the $125 recapitalization request by Spain to the EU. The cajas in Galicia give an insight into the operation of these savings banks, in many cases run by leaders who became influential in the political system and expanded healvily int real estate during the bubble years. Management remained in place for decades with authoritarian leaders and there were no financial controls.
Linked Articles
Clash of Cultures Upends Spain's Cajas
New York Times 08/20/2012
Spain to Recapitalize Bankia in Latest BailoutWall Street Journal 05/24/2012
Research In Motion's Blackberry 10 and the effort to put together a patchwork of technologies
03/30/2012
Research in Motion failed to come up with a smartphone in time to match the iPhone and Android based smartphones. The Blackberry 10 was put together in crisis mode by June 2012. This is a classic example of the chaos created for established players by new entrants and new technologies.
Linked Articles
RIM's New BlackBerry 10: The Patchwork Smartphone
Wall Street Journal 06/07/2012
BlackBerry Maker in TurmoilWall Street Journal 03/30/2012
Israeli military chief Jodi Rudoren's view about a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis and the views of ordinary Israelis in 2012
03/05/2012
Linked Articles
Israeli Army Chief Says He Believes Iran Wonât Build Bomb
New York Times 04/26/2012
Israelis Embrace Washington's View Regarding Unilateral Military StrikeWall Street Journal 03/05/2012
Li Keqiang, China's new prime minister, the World Bank's Zoellick, and the World Bank-DRC Report "China: 2030"
02/23/2012
Linked Articles
Next Premier Came of Age in Era of Openness
Wall Street Journal 11/16/2012
New Push for Reform in ChinaWall Street Journal 02/23/2012
Why America has a role to play as a leader for liberal democracy and free trade
02/10/2012
Much of the progress that the world has enjoyed in the last six decades is a result of America's leadership and championing of liberal democracy and its institutions, and free trade. A lot will be at risk if this role is jeopardized by a policy of indifference to American economic strength and astrong its manufacturing base, indifference to Europe as an invaluable partner of the U.S. with the same goals and ideals, and a new generation unaware of the role the U.S. played and continues to play in bringing the peoples of the world together around common goals and aspirations.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 02/11/2012
Now That The Sun Has SetWall Street Journal 02/10/2012
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