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Ukraine and the Minsk 2 agreement of Feb. 2015- (2) German and Italian views on implementation by June 2015
02/11/2015
Linked Articles
Hardening of Positions Undercuts Ukraine Peace Accord
New York Times 06/04/2015
In Ukraine, It’s Putin’s GameNew York Times 02/11/2015
Lt. Gen "Ben" Hodges, Commander U.S. Army in Europe, on the Russian moves towards Mariupol in eastern Ukraine in Feb. 2015
02/08/2015
Ben Hodges describes the Russian threat to peace in Eastern Europe under president Putin and the need for U.S. preparedness.
Linked Articles
The View From NATO’s Russian Front
Wall Street Journal 02/09/2015
Desperation and Destruction in Contested Ukraine CityNew York Times 02/08/2015
U.S. shale oil producers confounding Saudi oil price strategy- (2) the effect of technological advances and the future
01/13/2015
Linked Articles
The new economics of oil: Sheikhs v shale
Economist 01/13/2015
Exxon Mobil: Shale to the ChiefWall Street Journal 03/06/2015
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
Russian President Vladimir Putin Seeks to Reassure on EconomyWall Street Journal 12/18/2014
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 effects of lower oil prices to $60 in 2015- (1) the effect on Nigeria
12/03/2014
Linked Articles
Fall in Oil Prices Threatens Africa’s Economic Growth
Wall Street Journal 12/12/2014
Nigeria’s Tumbling Currency a Victim of Falling Oil PricesWall Street Journal 12/03/2014
How the Saudis negotiated a way to lower oil prices in 2014
11/28/2014
Linked Articles
Saudi Arabia Sees Oil Prices Stabilizing Around $60 a Barrel
Wall Street Journal 12/04/2014
Free Fall in Oil Price Underscores Shift Away From OPECNew York Times 11/28/2014
HSBC bank and the longer road to recovery
11/03/2014
Linked Articles
Road to Good Returns Gets Longer for HSBC
Wall Street Journal 11/04/2014
HSBC Hurt By $1.69 Billion in Legal CostsNew York Times 11/03/2014
The fragility of China's financial system in 2014-2015 as cited by Standard & Poors and the IMF
10/17/2014
With total debt to GDP of 250%, (and 100% of this since 2008), according to the Economist, the risks to China's financial system continue to grow.
Linked Articles
Economist 10/17/2014
Chinese debt: The great hole of ChinaEconomist 10/17/2014
Janet Yellen and the depletion of savings and wealth of the lower half of American households in the three decades since 1985
10/17/2014
Linked Articles
Bad Stock-Market Timing Fueled Wealth Disparity
Wall Street Journal 10/27/2014
Fed’s Yellen Says Extreme Inequality Could Be Un-AmericanWall Street Journal 10/17/2014
Tragedy in Africa (2) - Ebola virus and the breakdown for healthcare, running water, electricity, coupled with food shortages in West Africa
10/10/2014
Linked Articles
Liberia’s Ebola Crisis Puts President in Harsh Light
New York Times 10/30/2014
Rising Food Prices Make Africa Fight Ebola on Empty StomachWall Street Journal 10/10/2014
Obama's second term- (6) failures in foreign policy of the Obama White House in Syria and Iraq and the conflict in historical context
10/07/2014
Linked Articles
Former Defense Chief Panetta Criticizes Obama in New Memoir
Wall Street Journal 10/07/2014
Will Syria Be Obama’s Vietnam?New York Times 10/07/2014
The huge negative effect of tech on jobs in the U.S., and other countries- prioritizing solutions in 2015-2025
10/06/2014
The Economist and William Galston writing in the WSJ, look at the hugely negative effect on jobs as technology makes it possible to produce the same output in goods with fewer workers. Galston offers solutions for the U.S., and the Economist offers solutions for EUrope, Asia, and other regions that need to create jobs.
Linked Articles
Countering Tech’s Damaging Effect on Jobs
Wall Street Journal 10/15/2014
The world economy: Wealth without workers, workers without wealthEconomist 10/06/2014
The 39% drop in Russia's auto sales in 2015 with the economic crisis- withdrawal of GM and other manufacturers
02/10/2015
Linked Articles
GM to Close Russian Assembly Plant
Wall Street Journal 03/19/2015
Russian Car Sales Skid Lower Amid Economic GloomWall Street Journal 02/10/2015
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
A young, impatient leftist is Greece’s defiant new face - The Washington PostWashington Post 01/27/2015
Looking back at Hong Kong and China today and yesterday- China in 1842 and in 1945, nationalism and commercial interests of foreign powers
01/09/2015
A wariness with foreign powers in China stems from the influences left behind from the British commercial interests and the Japanese invasion of China. Compared to that period, the period of collaboration on an equal footing and playing field is is a short and recent one that has taken place for just three decades 1985-2015. Fears that the accelerated development in China could slow down without a strong central government, combine with the awareness of the need for western technology and open communications in today's global economy to accelerate the development, create in the Chinese mind a problem that needs to be tackled carefully to continue progress. Awareness of the huge inequalities and corruption in the rush towards modernization, need to tackle extensive contamination of air and water, and need for social security and healthcare for an aging population create a new urgency for careful policy making to sustain progress.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 01/12/2015
‘China 1945,’ by Richard BernsteinNew York Times 01/09/2015
The combination effect of lower oil prices, lower commodity prices, and depreciating currencies on Africa- on S. Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Angola, Ghana, aand other countries
12/12/2014
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 03/25/2015
Fall in Oil Prices Threatens Africa’s Economic GrowthWall Street Journal 12/12/2014
Tesla Motors and the problem of meeting target deliveries at a time of low gas prices in 2015-2016
12/05/2014
Linked Articles
Tesla First-Quarter Car Deliveries Rise Above 10,000
Wall Street Journal 04/04/2015
Tesla May Run Slow on Cheap GasWall Street Journal 12/05/2014
Australia faces the risk of recession in 2015 as the mining boom ends
12/01/2014
Growth slows rapidly, and the currency declines, as the mining boom in Australia ends.
Linked Articles
Australia Faces Painful Choices in Economic Slowdown
Wall Street Journal 12/08/2014
China’s Slowdown Hits Price of Iron OreWall Street Journal 12/01/2014
The departure of U.S. Defense Secretary Hagel and the failure of U.S. president Obama's policies in the Middle East
11/25/2014
Linked Articles
With Chuck Hagel’s departure, Obama is turning into George W. Bush - The Washington Post
Washington Post 11/25/2014
White House seeks a stronger hand at Pentagon to manage crises - The Washington PostWashington Post 11/25/2014
The struggle to rebuild Liberia's health system so that it can handle another epidemic after the Ebola Virus crisis
10/30/2014
Alongside the report by Helene Cooper from Liberia, Betsy McKay's report provides an exceptional view of the health system and people coping with the Ebola virus in the region.
Linked Articles
West Africa Struggles to Rebuild Its Ravaged Health-Care System
Wall Street Journal 06/05/2015
Liberia’s Ebola Crisis Puts President in Harsh LightNew York Times 10/30/2014
The 56% of student loans that are being repaid to the government and the government not correctly reflecting its liabilities
10/17/2014
Studies by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York are cited by authors of the op-ed in WSJ, showing 56% of student loans are being repaid to the government.
Linked Articles
Student-Loan Debt: A Federal Toxic Asset
Wall Street Journal 10/17/2014
Student Loan Debt and Counting Liabilities as AssetsWall Street Journal 10/17/2014
Dangers of credit fueled bubble in China- 2015-2016
10/17/2014
Bob Davis of WSJ sees the end of China's economic miracle in 2015-2016. He is pessimistic about the future. The Economist cites estimates of debt to GDP reaching 250%, and the IMF warns of the dangers of credit fueled growth citing examples of Ireland, Spain, Brazil and Sweden.
Linked Articles
The End of China’s Economic Miracle?
Wall Street Journal 11/24/2014
Chinese debt: The great hole of ChinaEconomist 10/17/2014
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
Merkel Hints at Economic Policy Shift in GermanyNew York Times 10/09/2014
The Iraq-Syria conflict and the experience in Vietnam - readers reflect in the NYT in Oct. 2014
10/07/2014
Linked Articles
Is the Syria Conflict Like Vietnam?
New York Times 10/09/2014
Will Syria Be Obama’s Vietnam?New York Times 10/07/2014
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