Autor: João

Multipolarity : Russia’s Mission

Por | 15 nov, 2018 | , |

Russia’s Mission   Nicolai N. Petro Nov. 14, 2018   A decade ago, influential Russian analysts concluded that the emergence of a multipolar world was inevitable, and that Russia could benefit from this transition by adopting a strategy that combined great power realism and “traditional” Russian values.This strategy, first elaborated in Vladimir Putin’s Valdai Speech of 2013, has since come to be known as “civilizational realism.” This essay describes how, through civilizational realism, Russia hopes to forge a new, and more ‘congenial’ world order.   The unexpectedly peaceful end of the Soviet Union seemed to augur an end to the Cold War. The first inklings that this was not to be were revealed by the eastward expansion of NATO in the late 1990s. The exact nature of what was agreed to at end of the Soviet Union is still hotly debated. On the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, those involved in negotiations on the Russian side insist that the alliance would not be expanded even “an inch to the East.” Many, though not all, of those involved on the American side had a different recollection. Whatever the reality, NATO expansion has become symptomatic of the broader misunderstandings of the post-Cold War era. Despite this disappointment, however, Russia still aspired to become a full-fledged part of the Western community, though early on Putin hinted that much would depend on how...

Ler mais

USA’s Absence in Istanbul

Por | 14 nov, 2018 | , |

Lost in the Memory Palace: US Leads, But No One Follows   Patric Lawrence Nov. 13, 2018   You would hardly know it from reading the U.S. press, but a summit of considerable significance took place late last month. German, French, Russian, and Turkish leaders convened in Istanbul Oct. 27 to create a comprehensive plan to end the seven-year war in Syria. On the agenda: increase humanitarian aid, rebuild ruined towns and cities, assist returning refugees, draft a new constitution and arrange internationally supervised elections. All this will take time, but the Syria story is evolving from one of conflict to one of reconciliation and reconstruction. Two features of the summit deserve special note. The four nations are not all fast friends, to put it mildly. But they drew together to find common interests in resolving what may count as the worst crisis since the Cold War’s end. Second, there was a conspicuous absence at the Istanbul gathering: the United States. Despite its prominent role in the Syrian conflict for at least the past six years, if not longer, the United States wanted no part of a many-sided summit dedicated to resolving it via negotiation. A matter of days later came the Trump administration’s sweeping new sanctions against Iran, planned for many months and put into force at midnight on Nov. 4. Never mind Washington’s adversaries: Even its traditional allies...

Ler mais

Donald Trump and Iran

Por | 14 nov, 2018 | , , |

Trump’s Iran Policy – Is It Normal?   Ron Paul Nov. 12, 2018   It’s not often that US Government officials are honest when they talk about our foreign policy. The unprovoked 2003 attack on Iraq was called a “liberation.” The 2011 US-led destruction of Libya was a “humanitarian intervention.” And so on. So, in a way, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was refreshingly honest last week when, speaking about newly-imposed US sanctions, he told the BBC that the Iranian leadership “has to make a decision that they want their people to eat.” It was an honest admission that new US sanctions are designed to starve Iranians unless the Iranian leadership accepts US demands. His statement also reveals the lengths to which the neocons are willing to go to get their “regime change” in Iran. Just like then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said it was “worth it” that half a million Iraqi children died because of our sanctions on that country, Pompeo is letting us know that a few million dead Iranians is also “worth it” if the government in Tehran can be overthrown. The US Secretary of State has demanded that Iran “act like a normal country” or the US would continue its pressure until Iran’s economy crumbles. How twisted is US foreign policy that Washington considers it “normal” to impose sanctions specifically designed to make life miserable...

Ler mais

US Debt

Por | 6 nov, 2018 | , , |

America’s Debt: A Recipe for Disaster   Bill Bonner Oct. 30, 2018   (…) So let’s look at yesterday’s trading… Selling Off The stock market began the day with a positive outlook. When we looked early in the morning, we saw green. But by noon, the Dow began selling off. It fell more than 400 points at one point. Then, late in the day, investors found their inner dogs, cats, and other animal spirits, and barked up prices a bit. But the Dow still ended the day down 245 points. That was bad news for the old-timers. It left the index below the technical levels – such as the 200-day moving average – causing them to sweat. This morning, stocks opened up… But the day ain’t over ’til it’s over. What’s going on? Why so much volatility? What next? People need an explanation. The media’s job is to give it to them – the simpler, the better. So newscasters looked around for a cause. More trade barriers, said one. Violence in America, said another. Trump, said an analyst. The Fed, countered an economist. None of these explanations are very challenging. In fact, all allow viewers to blame someone other than themselves, which is the goal of all modern media and political discussion. The commentators might just as well have offered this explanation: “Because you’ve been damned fools… spending too much…...

Ler mais

Tech Police State

Por | 5 nov, 2018 | , , |

Americans Will Welcome the Tech-Fueled Police State   Bill Bonner Nov. 5, 2018   Fast Company reports: Internet freedom is in decline across much of the globe as various governments crack down on dissent and so-called fake news, according to an annual report from Freedom House, a nonprofit that receives much of its funding from the U.S. government. China is not only continuing to restrict online speech within its own borders, but also providing seminars and tours to delegations from other countries, where it promotes its restrictive techniques and tools. “While it is not always clear what transpires during such seminars, a training for Vietnamese officials in April 2017 was followed in 2018 by the introduction of a cybersecurity law that closely mimics China’s own law,” according to the report. PARIS – A new, modern form of slavery is coming. We are calm. We are patient. We await developments with zen-like resignation. Que sera, sera. Let it be. Amor fati… and all that. We will soon be turned into a slave by algorithms and Big Data. But so what? Maybe we’ll like it. Galaxy of Lies Meanwhile, we continue to examine the whole cluster of dots… the galaxy of lies, misapprehensions, and myths that entertain us so much. Then, we will take our telescope and look more closely at why new technology may mean that Mr. Trump is not...

Ler mais