Monthly Archives: December 2011

Most posts on this blog are about things that worry us — from revolutions to financial crises. Fortunately, I have things I can celebrate; most of all my family. So posts will be sporadic for the next few days, as … Continue reading →

2011 — the annus horribilus for dictators — ends with the death of Kim Jong Il.  But the only thing certain now is great uncertainty for the next 12-18 months. What comes now is the regency, with Chang Song Taek, … Continue reading →

The big summit has come and gone — and Italian interest rates are already back over 6%.  So much for a dramatic rescue.  Moreover, Britain has essentially withdrawn from the EU as regards fiscal policy, in order to protect the … Continue reading →

The mass protests in Russia this week mark a new era for the Russian state — an end to a cowed population that will accept whatever the government offers. This is not a “Moscow Spring” — the government is not … Continue reading →

I spent this week in Vietnam and Cambodia.  These two nations were inextricably linked in America’s wars in Indochina (it is interesting, but logical, to find that the conflict we refer to as “the Vietnam War” is here known to … Continue reading →

The outlines of a deal to save the Euro are now perfectly clear.  European nations using the Euro will cede soverign control of the their budgets to a Eurozone fiscal authority that will set limits for debt; in return, now … Continue reading →

I have been saying in this blog that what the Eurozone needs is an agreement to turn the ECB loose to print Euros (e.g. Germany gives its approval) in exchange for Eurozone countries accepting oversight from a regional fiscal authority. … Continue reading →