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The beginning of a negotiated settlement of the Afghan conflict through direct talks with the Taliban in 2012
11/13/2011
America's veteran diplomat, Richard Holbrooke- who is known for the Dayton Accords that settled the conflict in Yugoslavia-initiated the early efforts for a negotated settlement with all the warring factions including the Taliban, the ISI and the Pakistan military. After his death in 2010, these efforts were continued by Marc Grossman, a former ambassador to Turkey. The Taliban's willingness to open an office in Qatar and the willingness of all sides to talk directly opens the path to a negotiated settlement.
Linked Articles
Against Odds, Path Opens Up for U.S.-Taliban Talks
New York Times 01/11/2012
Book review: ‘The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World’ - The Washington PostWashington Post 11/13/2011
Former Fed chairman Volcker on the Volcker Rule and the ban on proprietary trading by banks
10/27/2011
Volcker's letter of comments on the Rule and the interview with Pete Rose. Here he says why this will make financial markets a safer place and why it will lead to healthy financial markets. The financial industry is opposing the Volcker Rule.
Linked Articles
Volcker to Push Back on Banks' Trading
Wall Street Journal 02/13/2012
Charlie Rose Talks to Paul VolckerBusinessWeek 10/27/2011
Sheila Bair, former chairwoman of the U.S. FDIC, and the short termism following the global financial crisis of 2008 that could bring the U.S. to another financial crisis
07/07/2011
Linked Articles
Short-termism and the risk of another financial crisis - The Washington Post
Washington Post 07/10/2011
Bair's Legacy: An FDIC With TeethWall Street Journal 07/07/2011
Hope and reality in Nigeria (1)- Goodluck Jonathan, president of Nigeria, 2011-2015, and president Muhammadu Buhari 2015-2019
05/28/2011
There is hope in Nigeria in 2015 with the election of Muhammadu Buhari as president. There was hope in Nigeria in 2011 with the election of Jonathan Goodluck as president. Are too many young people in Africa and Asia seeing their hopes dashed and their dreams vanish? Will the demographic dividend be wasted in corrupt systems and inefficient management of the economy and resources? These are questions on so many young people's minds as two of the largest populated countries on the planet face new administrations and new hope for the future.
Linked Articles
Nigeria Is a Case Study in the Curse of Oil
Wall Street Journal 04/03/2015
Nigeria's prospects: A man and a morassEconomist 05/28/2011
Saudi expert Karen Elliott House's thirty years of experience covering the Middle East tell us that the U.S. policy is sorely out of touch in the Middle East
02/15/2011
Elliott House is a former publisher of the Wall Street Journal and a Pulitzer prize winner for covering the Middle East. She sees the Saudi Arabian princes sorely out of touch with the ordinary Saudis and the young people and U.S. policy at an impasse. Rice says the policy of supporting autocracy only brings a false kind of stability. She sees Egypt, Tunisia and the rest of the Arab world and thinks it did not have to be this way.
Linked Articles
Condoleezza Rice - The future of a democratic Egypt
Washington Post 02/16/2011
From Tunis to Cairo to Riyadh?Wall Street Journal 02/15/2011
Angela Merkel's experience with the reunification of East and West Germany and her views of the eurozone crisis
01/30/2011
The perceptions of the eurozone crisis of ordinary Germans and of former East German Angela Merkel are colored by the period of reunification of the two Germany's. This was paid for with a"solidarity surcharge" tax paid by Germans amounting to $1.7 trillion and led in its early stages to 4 million unemployed in the eastern part and 20% unemployment. It took over a decade for East Germany to build new modernized industries in the larger cities of the east, but still leaves the rural parts of former East Germany in a neglected state as young peoplemoved out. During this period industry in the west also regained lost global competitiveness, especially in industries such as automobiles and advanced machinery, using wage restraint agreements with unions and increases in productivity. Germans see the need for eurozone countries in the southern part of Europe needing to make similiar sacrifices and see the tax evasion in Italy and Greece as unacceptable. The real estate bubble, the lack of transparency for banks bad loans, and out of control regional spending in Spain is also seen in a similiar light. Greece is seen as the most egregious offendor because of the bad financial accounting that grossly understated the extent of the bad loans. Less publicized in Germany is the role played in the bad loans through poor lending practices of German and French banks and that as experts have pointed out Germany was to some extent bailing out German banks when it was bailing out Greece- till German banks reduced their exposure to Greece in 2011.
Linked Articles
In former East Germany, anxious residents resent paying for Europe’s problems - The Washington Post
Washington Post 06/21/2012
Merkel's Defense of Euro Forged in East GermanyNew York Times 01/30/2011
Contrasts in the approaches of S. Korea in 1997 and the U.S. in 2008 to banking crises, and the hobbled U.S. economic recovery
01/06/2011
S. Korea in 1997 at the urging of Treasury Secretary Rubin took decisive step to unwind failed financial institutions. This in stark contrast to Treasury Secretary Geither, regulators and U.S. Fed officials actions in 2008 to merge troubled mortgage institutions such as Countrywide and Washington Mutual with Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase. In the process creating mega banks that are hard to manage and hard to run, and "too big to fail," according to former and current Fed governors Hoenig and Fisher. Prof. Cochrane of the University of Chicago says the U.S. Federal Reserve's new job as financial regulator after the 2008 financial crisis, is an impossible one.
Linked Articles
Red Flags said to Go Unheeded at Chase
New York Times 05/14/2012
South Korea Makes a Quick Economic RecoveryNew York Times 01/06/2011
Increasing use of temporary workers in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece- the consequences for young people
01/01/2011
Linked Articles
Frenzy Over Teaching Test Points to Italyâs Woes
New York Times 12/24/2012
Lack of Jobs in Southern Europe Frustrates the YoungNew York Times 01/01/2011
Tan Guocheng and Yuan Yandong- migrant workers on production lines in China and change in 2010-2013
06/13/2010
David Barboza's exceptional journalism talking to production workers on assembly lines in China. Here he tells the story of Tan Guocheng and Yuan Yandong, young migrant workers on assembly lines at Honda and Foxconn in the middle of major changes in China after the first wave of urbanization.
Linked Articles
In China, Unlikely Labor Leader Just Wanted a Middle-Class Life
New York Times 06/13/2010
A Night at the Electronics FactoryNew York Times 06/18/2010
Hope and reality in Nigeria (2)- President Goodluck Jonathan 2011-2015, and President Muhammadu Buhari 2015-2019
02/20/2010
The hope of so many young Nigerians rest on Buhari getting things right and restoring confidence in government and the management of the economy after four years of the Jonathan adminsitration.
Linked Articles
Muhammadu Buhari Defeats Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria Election
Wall Street Journal 04/01/2015
An Accidental Leader Stirs Hopes in NigeriaNew York Times 02/20/2010
The legacy of the two Clintons- putting behind old conflicts from the Balkans, to Russia and Turkey
10/10/2009
The role of Hillary in the entry of Russia to the World Trade Organization, in the Armenia-Turkey accords, follows the work of Bill Clinton in settling the Balkan conflict through special envoy Holbrooke. Bill Clinton had a special ability to select talented individuals and work with them in humility to promote peace- in the UK-Ireland conflict, and in the former Yugoslavia. Hillary Clinton did this with sheer tenacity of effort and working with humility with public servants who worked for Bill Clinton.
Linked Articles
Hillary Clinton: Trade With Russia Is a Win-Win
Wall Street Journal 06/19/2012
Armenia, Turkey Reach AccordWashington Post 10/10/2009
Former Treasury Secretary, Robert Rubin, and former SEC Commissioner, Arthur Levitt- leadership and responsibility
01/13/2009
Linked Articles
New York Times 01/25/2009
Parsing Rubin: The Exit MemoNew York Times 01/13/2009
Money managers Grantham, Rodriguez and Scheiff fears about the economy and IMF Chief Economist Rajan's concern.
01/02/2009
Raghuram Rajan of the University of Chicago, told the 2005 annual Jackson Hole gathering of central bankers economists and finance professionals, that he thought the world had become much riskier with the changes in financial markets in the 18 year Greenspan tenure. He was received rather coldly by others, including former Treasury Secretary Summers. Concerns expressed by Grantham, Rodriguez and Scheiff about these and other problems became louder by the time of the Rajan paper at Jackson Hole.
Linked Articles
Mr. Rajan Was Unpopular (But Prescient) at Greenspan Party
Wall Street Journal 01/02/2009
The Doomsayers Who Got It RightWall Street Journal 01/02/2009
The new government of Mario Monti, former EU commissioner, in Italy
11/13/2011
A government of technocrats formed from respected figures in academia, business and the civil service in Italy. It replaces the government of Silvio Berlusconi which had lost credibility inside Italy and with leaders of the European Union.
Linked Articles
Mario Monti, Italyâs New Leader, Faces Uphill Fight
New York Times 11/13/2011
Italyâs Monti Forms New GovernmentNew York Times 11/16/2011
The politicizing of the 2011 budget process- Obama, Cantor and McConnell (1)
07/14/2011
The negotiations taking place for the U.S. budget behind closed doors is against the spirit of the Budget Act of 1974, says a former CBO assistant general counsel and Stanford professor of constitutional law. The law requires transparency and accountability and sets forth a process for public scrutiny of the budget in Congressional hearings. This has not happened and in its place both political parties are seeing this as a start to the 2012 presidential election, with the public sorely left out of the process.
Linked Articles
Budget Shell Games Are Contrary to Law
Wall Street Journal 07/14/2011
Top Democrats laud GOP debt-ceiling move - The Washington PostWashington Post 07/14/2011
The views of Alex Weber, former head of the Bundesbank, on the ECB's role in Greece and addressing the underlying problems.
06/27/2011
Linked Articles
Ex-German Central Banker's Unconventional Career Path
Wall Street Journal 06/27/2011
Germany's Weber Slams Rescue EffortsWall Street Journal 06/27/2011
Hope and reality in Nigeria (3)- President Jonathan Goodluck 2011-2015, and President Muhammadu Buhari 2015-2019
02/24/2011
Too many young people in Africa are seeing their hopes dashed, and their dreams vanish. After 4 years of the Jonathan administration, young people in Kano and other cities place their hopes on Muhammadu Buhari. The demographic dividend is in danger of being wasted in Africa's most populous country.
Linked Articles
Nigerian Central Bank Governor Ousted
Wall Street Journal 02/21/2014
Nigeria Details Oil Windfall SpendingWall Street Journal 02/24/2011
Nathan Sharansky says there are limits to how much you can control people through the use of fear and all people everywhere want freedom
02/05/2011
Nathan Sharansky makes the case for democracy. Rice talks about the long arc of history and trusting America's best idea and the principles of 1776, as a guide that will serve us well. Sharansky is a former human rights activist from the former Soviet Union, who worked with Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov for human rights and democracy before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Linked Articles
Condoleezza Rice - The future of a democratic Egypt
Washington Post 02/16/2011
Democracy's Tribune on the Arab AwakeningWall Street Journal 02/05/2011
The unemployment rate and participation of young people in the U.S. labor force
01/08/2011
Linked Articles
Piecing Together the Job-Picture Puzzle
Wall Street Journal 03/12/2012
Jobless Rate Masks Depth of Labor WoesWall Street Journal 01/08/2011
Lack of jobs for young people in Southern European countries of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece
01/01/2011
Linked Articles
Italy Seeks to Spur Growth, Narrowing Gap With Peers
Wall Street Journal 07/18/2011
Lack of Jobs in Southern Europe Frustrates the YoungNew York Times 01/01/2011
Bringing peace to Kashmir- the elections in 2014 with a 70% turnout as ordinary Kashmiris turn to development and infrastructure building
01/01/2011
Weary of conflict a whole region turns to economic development and infrastructure building plans as the next step to a brighter future. South Asia makes a new beginning as it catches up with its neighbors in East Asia. A billion plus market extending from South Asia to Indonesia makes a new beginning in 2014. Even the Kashmir Valley hears the message- the synergy of technology, capital, human resources and good governance can pave the way to a better future that is within the reach of today's young generation of South Asians and Indonesians.
Linked Articles
Modi’s Campaign Stop in Kashmir Is Notable for Lack of Unrest
New York Times 12/08/2014
Kashmir's troubles: Shaking the mountainsEconomist 01/01/2011
Campbell Soup's acquisition of Bolthouse Farms as it diversifies away from canned soup
02/22/2010
The high end juice maker provides Campbell with products in a growing market. Store brands have eroded sales of Campbell brand canned soups. Campbell also hopes to tackle a younger demographic.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 07/10/2012
Headwinds Threaten Campbell's ChargeWall Street Journal 02/22/2010
Yale Prof. Fair and former Labor Secretary Reich differ on impact of yuan appreciation.
11/17/2009
Linked Articles
The Yin and Yang of Yuan Appreciation
Wall Street Journal 06/01/2010
China and the American Jobs MachineWall Street Journal 11/17/2009
The huge downsizing in the auto industry creates the need for big government supported initatives in retraining.
05/21/2009
Vicotr Brown and the 60,000 former workers at GM's BUick City have worked at GM all their lives, and can't imagine anything else. How does one get them from joining the ranks of the permanently unemployed, is a challenge for the government. THe labor underutilization rate expected to reach 20% for 2010, could threaten the economic recovery, and put everything at risk.
Linked Articles
Stuck at Unemployed: When A Layoff Becomes a Lifestyle
Washington Post 06/06/2009
The Last Holdouts Cast Their Lot With G.M.New York Times 05/21/2009
An Alternate View of U.S., and EU relations with Russia from Gates and German public opinion
01/05/2009
A look back at former Defense Secretary Gates views about Russia in the larger context of the postwar years and what it is today, including Georgia (and Crimea) and other issues. A similiar perspective fom the German side as seen by former chancellor Kohl, Merkel, Schroeder, and Ischinger, going back to the days of Wily Brandt. Brandt was Mayor of West Berlin in the period of enormous tensions between the Soviets and the Federal Republic during the sixties and later initiated the policy of constructive engagement.
Linked Articles
Pentagon Chief Sees Opportunities In Russia and the War on Terrorism
Washington Post 01/05/2009
Germany's Angela Merkel Treads Softly With Russia's Putin On UkraineWall Street Journal 04/08/2014
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