Frenchie President to Foil Status Quo
France elected a new President a few weeks ago, and its not just a change of faces but a full change of attitude, policies, and direction for the Fifth Republic. Left-of-center, socialist President François Hollande took office on May 15th, and has been on a flurry of global functions ever since, including now hanging out in the US for the G-8 Summit followed by a NATO Summit. The Professor discussed some of the big policy changes that are already occurring due to this political shift from right to left in France, including economic policy favoring spending, Eurobonds, and the pulling out of French troops from Afghanistan, and perhaps NATO leadership too!
Keywords: G-8, NATO, fiscal stimulus, Euro-bonds, economic crisis, Afghanistan, French troops
Russia Tilts East by Double-Dissing the West!
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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Vladimir Putin skips G8 summit, sends Medvedev
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US nuke upgrade to trigger new arms race with Russia?
Keywords: Russia, US, Putin, Medvedev, Obama, G-8, NATO, missile defense shield, SCO, Eurasian Union, China, geopolitical, Chicago, diss
Sayonara to Okinawa!
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
Tsunami of Change Hitting Burma!
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!
Related Stories:
Japan to write off Myanmar debt in thumbs-up for reform
Myanmar president to visit Friday with resumption of aid in the offing
Burma activists say go slow on easing sanctions
David Cameron lauds Aung San Suu Kyi as he arrives in Burma
Keywords: Burma, NLD, National League for Democracy, US, UK, EU, sanctions, Japan, debt forgiveness, Jim Webb, Virginia, democracy
US Screws Self at Summit of Americas
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
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Issue 2: Battle For Burma
Well, the battle for the heart and soul of this country is on, but no one outside Burma seems to be able to do a damn thing about it! Why not?
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