Lufthansa in denial about the need for effective screening of pilots and Germany's culture of privacy

03/28/2015

Linked Articles

Germanwings Co-Pilot Andreas Lubitz Concealed Depression From Airline

Wall Street Journal 03/28/2015

William Boston And Andrea Thomas, William, Boston, And, Andrea, Thomas

New York Times 04/18/2015

Nicholas Kulish, Nicholas, Kulish, Nicola Clark, Nicola, Clark

Deep differences in 2015 between Alexis Tsipras of Syriza and the Merkel government in Germany on debt forgiveness and the bailouts for Greece

01/26/2015

The deep differences between Greeks and Merkel operate at two levels. On the level of austerity policies Greece shares the view with other EU countries, the governments of Hollande in France and Renzi in Italy that austerity is not the best course for the eurozone. This view is also shared by people in Spain facing unemployment exceeding 20%, though the government of Rajoy in Spain like that of Samaras in Greece lived with the austerity policies with some changes. At this level there is also support from within Merkel's coalition government from Social Democrats. The other level of deep differences is on debt forgiveness and bailouts where Greece has to find its own way out in negotiations hoping that the EU and the IMF will agree to make concessions based on action taken by Syriza to ensure prudence in fianncial management. On issues such as minimum wage one would expect Syriza to be firm and make concessions where the hardship does not fall on the poorer and working class, winning support from the Social Democrats in Merkel's coalition. Beyond the symbolic moves and posturing the actual negotiations are likely to take into account the eurozone's need for help on the fiscal side desired by the ECB's Draghi to support monetary easing to fight deflation, and the need to keep the eurozone intact at a sensitive time. Syriza for its part is aware that a majority of Greeks favor staying in the eurozone.

Linked Articles

Greece’s new prime minister wants Germany to pay for Nazi war crimes - The Washington Post

Washington Post 01/26/2015

Ishaan Tharoor, Ishaan, Tharoor

Washington Post 01/27/2015

Griff Witte, Griff, Witte

The miscalculations and missteps of Russian president Putin in 2014 leading to a major crisis for the Russian economy in 2015

12/18/2014

A major miscalculation was totally misjudging Merkel and post-war German public opinion about policies that remind people about the period between the two World Wars- this is anathema to Germans who see the European Union as a way to build a new and different Europe. The other miscalculation was on how a foreign adventurous policy in Syria would affect Sunni world opinion, in particular Saudi Arabia. Just as Brezhnev took Russia into Afghanistan where Russia had no vital interest leading to eventual Soviet collapse, Putin risked alienating a key member in OPEC pricing moves and hurting Russia's economic interest. By not listening to Kudrin, the head of Sberbank, and other economic advisers from the first and second terms of the Putin-Medvedev administrations, Putin opened the door to two years of serious missteps, risking the very real accomplishments of the first and second term of creating a stable growing Russian economy with close economic ties to Europe. The only positive outcome of the crisis and low oil prices would be making the shift away from oil dependence, which was talked about but never seriously attempted in the Putin administrations. For this to happen major new investments would have to be made and technology links to the outside strengthened, both hammered by the missteps in 2013-2014. The irony of all this is that Putin gained the support of rural Russians in the countryside in the 2012 presidential elections by promising no return to the economic crisis conditions following earlier ruble collapses. Now by ignoring Kudrin and other wiser counsel from the first and second administrations he does just that.

Linked Articles

Putin’s Year of Defiance and Miscalculation

Wall Street Journal 12/18/2014

Gregory White, Gregory, White, Anton Troianovski, Anton, Troianovski

Wall Street Journal 12/18/2014

Alexander Kolyandr, Alexander, Kolyandr, James Marson, James, Marson

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

Tom Wright, Tom, Wright

Wall Street Journal 12/08/2014

Patrick Mcdowell, Patrick, Mcdowell, Ben Otto, Ben, Otto, Matt Murray, Matt, Murray

Republican party gains in U.S. 2014 elections as differences with Democrats for the women's vote narrows

10/23/2014

Linked Articles

Election Results: Republicans Win Senate Control With at Least 7 New Seats

New York Times 11/04/2014

Jonathan Weisman, Jonathan, Weisman, Ashley Parker, Ashley, Parker

Wall Street Journal 10/23/2014

Janet Hook, Janet, Hook

Much needed boost from lower oil prices for eurozone countries Germany, France, Italy and Spain

10/09/2014

For countries like Germany in the eurozone with what Draghi calls "fiscal space" but did not use it, the drop in oil prices from $100 to $65 in 2014 offers relief at the right time to get back to growth in 2015.

Linked Articles

Falling Oil Prices Spur New Bets on Global Economic Growth

Wall Street Journal 12/08/2014

Ian Talley, Ian, Talley

New York Times 10/09/2014

Jack Ewing, Jack, Ewing, Alison Smale, Alison, Smale

The Hong Kong legislature votes 28-8 to reject the Beijing election plan with 34 walking out- staying with the current system where a Chief Executive is elected from 1200 business and political leaders

09/29/2014

The current system actually may offer more choice of candidates as it provides for a Chief Executive to be elected from 1200 business and poltiical leaders from Hong Kong, compared to the Beijing plan to have a pro-Beijing committee vetting candidates. This realization led to the historic vote in the legislature after the failure to convince the government led by Xi Jinping to allow free choice of candidates.

Linked Articles

Hong Kong Votes Down Beijing-Backed Election Plan

Wall Street Journal 06/18/2015

Isabella Steger, Isabella, Steger

New York Times 09/29/2014

Michael Forsythe, Michael, Forsythe

German chancellor Merkel and U.S. president Obama on an increasing NATO presence in the Baltic States of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia

08/23/2014

Linked Articles

Obama Pledges NATO Backing for Baltic Allies

Wall Street Journal 09/03/2014

Colleen Mccain Nelson, Colleen, Mccain, Nelson

Wall Street Journal 08/23/2014

Anton Troianovski, Anton, Troianovski, Paul Sonne, Paul, Sonne

China, the U.S. and Japan- the task of reestablishing peaceful cooperation in the Pacific region after the missteps of 2011-2013

07/09/2014

Meetings for the sixth round of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Bieijing between the U.S. and China, and Japanese prime minister's address to the Australian parliament in Canberra, at about the same time in July 2014, showing how the path of peaceful cooperation will have to be actively pursued to remain a reality. Underpinning the hopes of China, Japan and neighboring countries in Asia is the U.S. will and purpose for maininting the post war peace and stability for the benefit of all, that at times has been missing in the words and actions of the Obama administration. Lack of peace in the region would seriously affect China's effort to bring better incomes to the large majority of people still in the countryside and leave China stuck in middle income status of countries like Mexico, damage the prospects of improving incomes of billions of people in India, other parts of Asia and Latin America. In this sense the Japanese people have shown the wisdom of keeping the conditions of peace that have prevailed for the post war period, and the U.S. with undiminished will and purpose in its post war role can affirm the hopes of the people of the region, including the hope of people in China, India, Japan, S. Korea, and Latin America.

Linked Articles

U.S., China try to emphasize potential for cooperation - The Washington Post

Washington Post 07/09/2014

Simon Denyer, Simon, Denyer

Wall Street Journal 07/09/2014

Yuka Hayashi, Yuka, Hayashi

From Amethi to Ladakh- Exceptional NYT reporting on the 2014 parliamentary elections in India

05/09/2014

Bearak reports from Ladakh in the northern Himalayas, and Barry reports from Amethi in the Ganges valley state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India, to give readers in America a feel for the largest parliamentary elections in the world at a turning point in the region.

Linked Articles

In Stronghold, a Gandhi Finds the Reception Is More Skeptical than Worshipful

New York Times 05/09/2014

Ellen Barry, Ellen, Barry

New York Times 05/12/2014

Max Bearak, Max, Bearak

BaFin, German federal financial regulatory authority, and the problems at Deutsche Bank- regulators slow to act on information

03/28/2014

Eyk Henning of the WSJ points out the slow response of regulator BaFin to information about problems at Deutsche Bank that suggest a broken culture in a report on March 28, 2014. This comes 6 years after the WSJ first reported the LIBOR rate manipulation in 2008 leading to British and U.S. regulatory investigations. In April 2015 Deutsche Bank made a legal settlement for LIBOR rate manipulation of $2.5 billion with U.S. and British regulators. As the time when regulatory authority passes to the European Central Bank, and after a period of 7 years since the 2008 WSJ report, BaFin finally sends its report on the broken culture at the bank. A month later the two co-CEO's at the bank resign.

Linked Articles

Germany Blasts Deutsche Bank Executives Over Culture

Wall Street Journal 07/17/2015

David Enrich, David, Enrich, Jenny Strasburg And Eyk Henning, Jenny, Strasburg, And, Eyk, Henning

Wall Street Journal 03/28/2014

Eyk Henning, Eyk, Henning

GE (General Electric) low tax rate of 4.2% in 2013, 10.3% in 2014, and the move to a normal tax rate in 2015

03/05/2014

An aggressive policy of tax reduction using GE Capital at GE leads to an astonishingly low tax rate. Shareholders see the uncertainty from GE Capital's volatile earnings and tax strategies with great skepticism. GE shares dropped to $6 during the 2008 global financial crisis because of GE Capital losses, and GE needed government rescue funds. The day CEO Immelt announced the decision to exit the banking business GE shares went up by 11%. GE's tax rate without the banking business will go up to about 20%.

Linked Articles

Price of Selling GE Capital? Tax Breaks

Wall Street Journal 04/14/2015

Ted Mann, Ted, Mann

Washington Post 03/05/2014

Jia Lyn Yang, Jia, Lyn, Yang

Setting a path for a better future for the people of Ukraine- Germany, the EU and the U.S.

02/23/2014

Linked Articles

What the West Must Do for Ukraine

New York Times 02/23/2014

Ulrich Speck, Ulrich, Speck

Wall Street Journal 02/24/2014

Editorial