b. traven Traven asked an American ex-pat who lives in England to explain what is goimg on in the British Parliament, particularly on the inability of the Tory and Labour parties to come up with a viable plan for Brexit (British exit from the European Union). Leaving the EU will totally disrupt England’s trade relationship…
A couple of days ago I ran into an acquaintance who happens to be a millionaire. I was curious about how he felt about our new president. The first word out of his mouth was “fascist.” I was astounded to say the least! I knew that he was ‘liberal,’ but most liberals seem to be…
Beyoncé’s venerable lyric in the 50 Cent Thug Love classic may be about street toughs, but it applies well to our need for really good bad guys to focus our efforts in making the world safe for, er, American business. Let’s let Peter Van Buren explain… – Ed. Peter Van Buren There is a nasty…
Alex Dunn The US and indeed the world is currently obsessed with how the run up to the US presidential elections is developing. In Europe, whilst this contest is followed with interest (and a mixture of amusement and fear whenever Donald Trump makes an appearance) Europeans have their own elections to keep them busy. On…
by Peter Van Buren What other nation on earth would signal its intent to “bury the hatchet, and what it believes to be the start of a new relationship, other than the United States, by lifting an arms embargo? The United States is rescinding a decades-old ban on sales of lethal military equipment to Vietnam,…
b. traven With oil leading the way, the drop in world commodity prices has had a a politically destabilizing effect, particularly strongly on South America’s most politically progressive regimes, including Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador. Although oil is the most prominent of these commodities, falling mineral and agricultural products prices, like soybeans native to…
Jacek Popiel (Editor’s Note: This is the final installment of Jacek’s examination of U.S. and Russian relations. Parts 1 and 2 are here and here.) Russia’s rejection of Marxism has given her and the U.S. three options in their mutual relations: Return to a friendly coexistence such as existed before 1917. Continue playing Cold War…
Jacek Popiel In earlier articles (here and here) we have pointed out: China’s economy is headed downwards, with major problems facing its government and people. History shows that such situations, if serious enough, have led to the breakdown of the Chinese state. As the United States and China are intimately tied on many levels, what…
Jacek Popiel A few weeks ago we examined the source of China’s “meteoric” rise to the rank of the second largest world economy and concluded that the “miracle” was essentially a one-off play based on offering the lowest cost for the production of goods for export. While successful, the policy destroyed both income and assets…
by Stuart Lyle I like the feeling of a book, as opposed to a gun, in my hand. I’ve been holding a lot of books recently, all while reading to my granddaughter. She has a voracious appetite for the printed word, and an impressive collection of books, both recent and hand-me-downs that I read to…
The Contrary Perspective 