Record-setting levels of U.S. oil production have sparked calls from industry officials and policymakers to reverse a 1970s ban on crude oil exports. Dissent, however, is emerging from inside the U.S. oil sector itself. A January report from the American Petroleum Institute, an energy trade group counting more than 500 energy companies among its members, said exporting […]
In the United States, proposed budget deals may ensure stability in the short-term. In China, the ongoing economic reforms could foster sustained growth in the medium-term. In both cases, new challenges await after 2015. In the near-term, Washington must manage austerity with pro-growth policies, even amid secular stagnation. In turn, Beijing seeks to manage local […]
By Daniel Graeber: A Russian court granted bail Monday to two of the 30 people arrested when activists with Greenpeace tried to climb the Arctic-class ice-resistant Prirazlomnaya oil rig deployed in the Pechora Sea earlier this year. The remaining detainees, charged initially with piracy, could face up to seven years in prison for hooliganism. Greenpeace […]
Syria’s chemical weapons arsenals represent the legacies of colonialism and the Cold War. In the advanced world, Russia’s diplomatic intervention has been seen as a step back. In reality, it heralds multipolar global governance. The facts are clear: On Wednesday August 21, 2013, the Syrian conflict entered a different stage with the deadliest use of […]
The Egyptian military had a great opportunity to remake the revolution on 3 July when it overthrew the moribund and definitely failed post-revolutionary Muslim Brotherhood experiment—but it has squandered that opportunity by resorting to sheer violence, and the interim government that has backed it will not recoup from the carnage. As of Sunday morning, at least […]
Changes are necessary in U.S. foreign policy during the President’s second term. But getting those changes in the face of what appears to be a fairly impregnable White House seems unlikely. The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board composed of present and past senior foreign policy figures, have cautioned that U.S. Intelligence has become distorted, beyond recognition. […]
“Our intercontinental ballistic missiles are on standby … If we push the button, they will blast off and their barrage will turn Washington, the stronghold of American imperialists and the nest of evil … into a sea of fire.” The North Korean Deputy Defense Minister just made this threat. Fortunately, North Korea has not succeeded […]
European officials have impressed upon investors that the tail risks of a EMU break up have receded markedly. Some officials talk even that the crisis is over. The premium Italy, and to a less extent, Spain, pay over Germany have narrowed to levels that had previously thought possible only if the ECB were to make […]
OK, it is Troll Friday and I’ve still got no Trolls stepping up to the challenge. Indeed, once I challenged them to go beyond their personal attacks, they all just crawled back into their little Troll Holes and curled up into little Troll Balls. No matter. I’m the Troll today. The public outcry over the […]
Despite contradictory information from Caracas, one thing is clear – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the country’s chief executive since 1998, is a very sick man. Having won reelection in October to a fourth term, many Venezuelans are now wondering if President Chavez will serve out his six years, or even if he will be well […]