The ink has barely dried on the nuclear treaty with Iran when the country violates United Nations (UN) prohibitions on long range missile testing. The Iranian government denies that the launch made earlier this month violates Security Council Resolution 2231, because the new missile they are using is not designed to carry nuclear weapons. The claim would be laughable, were it not so so serious. For those nonsensical politicians in the West who still believe that any agreement signed with Iran will […]
Jeffrey Hagenmeier
The American Democratic Party Veers Further To The Left
As the presidency of Barack Obama winds down, Americans are faced with the choice of moving the country even further to the left. After spending seven years in transforming the United States economy and society to be more like Western Europe, resistance to this movement has been slowing growing in opposition. Voices of protest are growing louder and voters have continued to place obstacles in the path of the President and his vision for the country. The political situation in the United […]
The Return Of The Russian Bear In The Middle East
The balance of power in the Middle East is rapidly changing. The retreat of the United States as a major power broker in the region, is unmistakable. The former colonial countries of the area mainly Britain and France, are unable and unwilling to involve themselves in the growing instability. In the resulting power vacuum, Russia has returned with a major force. It is the 45th anniversary of Operation Kavkaz, when then Soviet forces intervened in the ongoing military conflict between Egypt and […]
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Stumbles Forward
The twelve countries that have entered into the Trans-Pacific Partnership known as the TPP, were finally able to overcome a number of issues this month, that had forestalled an earlier conclusion in the negotiations. Investors are buoyed by a new trade pact that covers 40 percent of global trade. It is estimated that by 2025, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) will be boosted by 1 percent throughout the new trade bloc. That would equate to an over $200 billion USD (United States dollar) […]
The Present Economic Dead End In Leftist Latin American Politics
During the global commodity boom that lasted most of the 21st century, there was little impetus for economic and financial reforms in Latin America. The world economy was generating sufficient growth to lift some 60 million people out of abject poverty in South America alone. The middle class was growing rapidly, as investors in the region and from around the world, flocked to invest in the natural resources that were being exploited. Growth averaged over 4% during these years, allowing the possibility […]
The Rabbit Hole That Is Greece
Once again,voters in Greece chose to descend into the rabbit hole. They continue to believe the fantasy that the country can continue to live beyond the present means of the Greek economy. By returning to office the anti-austerity candidate, the Greek people let it be known that emotion and impressions triumph common sense. They will not accept that is was their earlier embrace of ideological illusion that has now lead the nation to ruin. A second opportunity for citizens arose when the […]
A Migration Crisis Will Fracture The European Union
Europe barely survived the debt crisis and the near sovereign default in Greece when the next issue has now been thrust upon central authorities. The deluge of refugees arriving from the Middle East and North Africa is threatening to undo what has taken a generation or two to achieve. Analysts are already questioning if European Union institutions are sturdy enough to confront what is proving to be the largest movement of people in Europe, since the Balkan crisis in the 1990’s. There […]
In The Global Economy Rises In Interest Rates Will Be Hard To Sustain
In response to the financial crisis of 2008 and the resulting economic downturn, the major central banks of the world responded by lowering interest rates dramatically. At the time it was determined that this would be the way to restore confidence in the markets and to keep enough liquidity in the economy. It would also prevent a massive wave of bankruptcies and foreclosures. It was hoped that in time, investors would feel reassured enough to return to the marketplace. Since that time […]
Canada Facing Economic Recession And Political Hard Choices
Earlier this month the government of Canada was finally forced to admit that the country had been in recession for the first half of 2015. The news could not have arrived at a worse time for the incumbent conservative Prime Minister Harper, facing upcoming national elections in October. A number of investors have recently soured on the Canadian economy, reeling from low crude prices and a general global collapse in commodity prices. National statistics indicate that Canada’s economy contracted 0.08% in the […]
The Refugee Crisis In Europe: The Price For A Failed Foreign Policy
One only has to observe the chaos occurring in Southern and Southeastern Europe to understand the something has gone seriously wrong. Hundreds of thousands of refugees began migrating from the Middle East and North Africa this summer in numbers unseen in Europe since the end of the 1940’s. The citizens of Europe are now discovering the price that will be paid, as a result of the failure of their governments in the conduct of foreign policy over the last few years. The […]