Vladimir Putin is back in the saddle of the Russian presidency, and one of his first moves involved a double-diss throw down on the US! He refused to attend the big G-8 Summit being hosted in the US! What is up with that? Plenty my friends, and it’s not all about the US either. Putin’s moves reflect a tilt way from the Team West dominated G-8 and NATO groups, and towards grander relationships with Asia and specifically China. Learn all the details of the double-diss here and the deeper meaning behind them.

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Keywords: Russia, US, Putin, Medvedev, Obama, G-8, NATO, missile defense shield, SCO, Eurasian Union, China, geopolitical, Chicago, diss

9000 US Marines are about to say “so long!” to Okinawa, Japan…from a much-contested US military base that has been a source of friction between these two allies for decades. In this podcast, the Professor sets the Okinawa stage of background for this saga, and more importantly discusses where these 9000 US Marines are likely to be going to—which is signaling a significant shift in priorities for the US military here in the 21st century. So, goodbye Japan, and hello US allies in the South China Sea!

Keywords: Okinawa, Japan, US, military, Marines, Futenma, airbase, Pacific, Asia, Guam, Hawaii, South Korea, South China Sea, Australia, Philippines, WW2, China, Indonesia, Vietnam

Sometimes the news can be good news! The historic April 1st election in Burma that saw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy win 43/45 parliamentary seats is being hailed as the first free and fair elections for 50 years! And it has caused a flurry of international activity from the US, the UK, the EU, Japan, and the world. Check out all the awesome details of the whirlwind of change in just the last 20 days! Viva democracy! Viva Aung San Suu Kyi!

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Keywords: Burma, NLD, National League for Democracy, US, UK, EU, sanctions, Japan, debt forgiveness, Jim Webb, Virginia, democracy

The 6th Summit of the Americas just wrapped up in Cartagena, Colombia…and it could not have been more of a debacle for the United States! President Obama went to this grand meeting of the leaders of all the countries of the Americas (minus Cuba!) in order to rebuild bridges and ties after decades of US apathy towards Latin America. He failed. The status of Cuba, the miserable Drug War in the Americas, and even a US Secret Service scandal involving hookers has perhaps widened the gap between the US and the rest of the hemisphere.  No bueno!!!

Keywords: Summit of Americas, US, Latin America, OAS, Organization of American States, Drug War, Cuba, legalization, decriminalization, embargo, Secret Service, Colombia

Big news unfolding on the Arabian Peninsula concerning what is shaping up to be a major power player in Middle Eastern action for the 21st century: the GCC! That’s right, the little known Gulf Cooperation Council just had an official joint meeting with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to discuss how this small band of 6 Arab states will likely become a major arm of power in the region, as the US is selling them butt-loads of arms and even promised a missile defense shield to the group! A much more potent player than the larger and unruly Arab League, this GCC group is the one to watch for possible moves against Iran, or even one of their own in Syria! Find out more about it here!

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Keywords: GCC, Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Abdullah, US, Clinton, missile defense shield, arms, Turkey, Syria, Iran, common military

Knock out the nukes! Well, at least the nuke weapons and random nuke materials floating around the planet! That is the new mission of the recently founded Nuclear Security Summit, which just convened it second meeting in Seoul, South Korea. Over 50 leaders of the world’s most powerful states got together to discuss how to make the world more secure from the threat of nuclear terrorism. Listen as the Professor rants about the structure of the NPT, the role of the IAEA, and what/why/how this Nuclear Security Summit will be playing into the future of nuclear nuances around the globe.

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Keywords: Nuclear Security Summit, NPT, Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, US, George Schultz, Russia, P5, South Korea, North Korea, Iran, nuclear material, plutonium, uranium, medical isotopes, terrorism

What do an Indian businessman, the world’s richest man, and Will Ferrell all have in common? MEXICO man! Forget that outdated stereotype in your brain about Mexico being a drug-infested, backwater underbelly of the US….this place has tremendous promise for the immediate future, and a whole variety of things are happening there right now that underscores its growing importance in the world. In this “in the filed” report from the SxSW conference in Austin, Texas, the Professor points out how business, technology, and even popular culture in Mexico are showing its potential as a powerhouse player in the Americas and the world, despite drug war problems and negative imagery ingrained in the average American’s mind about our neighbors to the south. Vamanos! Let’s learn!

Keywords: Mexico, Will Ferrell, Carlos Slim, business, culture, Spanish, US, cartel wars, economy

Was ist das? Germany is bailing out Greece, and will likely have to bail out other failing EU countries too? Why Germany, and not France or the UK? Oh, that’s because Germany has the most dynamic, vibrant, growing, powerhouse, awesome economy of Europe and the 4th largest economy in the world! In this plaid rant, the Avenger points out a slew of reasons why the German economic machine rocks, including their manufacturing emphasis, their education model which promotes skilled labor, their fiscal and monetary savvy, and even the role of the Euro in their economic success story….a story that will go on into the foreseeable future, even as other European economies fall by the wayside. Ich bin ein Berliner! Ja, ja!

Keywords: Germany, economy, manufacturing, exports, industrial, industry, services, fiscal policy, Euro, Deutschmark, European Central Bank, education, skilled labor, family-owned businesses, steel, autos, solar and wind technologies

2012 is a big election year…everywhere! The Professor takes a brief world tour to catch you up on the hot spots of political power transition happening right now across the planet.Russians are at the polls today to likely re-elect Vladimir Putin; a presidential run-off is in play in Senegal; Iran just wiped out political support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Nicolas Sarkozy of France is getting ready to be trounced; and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is a big question mark as a second round of cancer treatment calls into question his ability to stand again for office. Democratic change is afoot, Watson!

Keywords: Elections, democracy, Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, Russia, Iran, France, socialist, Venezuela

In tune with the Leap Year calendar, the North Korean leadership has a moment of sanity about every four years, and today is the day for both these events to unfold! How so? Kim Jong-Un’s North Korea has just brokered a deal with the US to have a moratorium on their nuclear program and to allow in IAEA inspectors, in exchange for food. This deal may or may not amount to anything given the psychotic history of the Hermit Kingdom, but the Professor points out several things that are of interest nonetheless, including: a possible new strategy for the Un-Kim regime; the re-start of the 6-Party; and how this move puts pressure on Iran. Leap it up!

Keywords: North Korea, US, China, nuclear, moratorium, starvation, food aid, 6-Party Talks, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Iran