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.
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
Brrrrrr…it’s getting cold out there! And for Russians, I’m not just talking about the weather! While there has been a significant cold-snap-smack-down on western Russia and Eastern Europe, this Professor rant deals more with the political, economic, and social chill that has set in on Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The western news media portray the Russian public protest against the government and upcoming elections as a simplistic anti-Putin/pro-democracy thing…but there is much more going on behind the scenes in Russia that is causing this anti-establishment chill to set in. Included in this discussion are corruption, wealth disparity, a fleeing middle class, mafia, and an un-diversified economy that together are creating a sense of hopelessness and political despondency amongst some Russian peoples. And Putin is now paying attention to the change in the Russian political climate!
The violence continues to escalate in Syria, where the entrenched regime of Bashar al-Assad continues a bloody repression of protestors who are trying to bring the ‘Arab Spring’ revolution to their country. In the latest news, Russia has now publicly stated that there is no way in hell they will allow any UN-sponsored and NATO-led invasion of Syria—the likes of which toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi last year. Say what? Why would Russia openly support a civilian-slaughtering regime? The Professor talks about some of the reasons for this Russian promise of a veto at the UN, and also why the Syrian regime has lasted longer than other Arab dictatorships which have bitten the dust much quicker.
Keywords: Syria, regime, Russia, veto, UN, Security Council, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Arab Spring, weapons, revolution
A bunch of seemingly unrelated stories are unfolding concurrently in Europe that really get at the heart of the struggle for the future of the European Union. Protests for/against states rights in Hungary; a referendum for EU membership in Croatia; and even a downgrading of credit rating to most of the Eurozone countries all play into a broader picture of where the European Union as a unit is heading. Will it become the “United States of Europe,” or will countries start bailing out of the organization altogether? Only time will tell, but get the latest lowdown on the EU from the Professor right here!
Keywords: EU, European Union, Hungary, protests, Croatia, referendum, membership, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, UK,
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