A New Alliance

“Pakistan and Iran need each other and no foreign pressure can hinder their ties.”

- Pakistan President Zardari

A shift in the relationship between Iran and Pakistan may cause a shift in focus on the Muslim world.

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/02/18-0

State vs. Liberty

Rockwell's analysis of the ongoing struggle between the forces of the state and those of classical liberalism.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller8.html

The Iran War

Robert Fisk on the saber rattling build up to an attack on Tehran.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-an-attack-on-tehran-would-be-madness-so-dont-rule-it-out-6358872.html

Selection of articles setting the scene for the 'inevitable' attack:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/iran-begins-monthlong-naval-exercises-near-strait-of-hormuz-key-world-oil-waterway/2012/02/04/gIQA80hfoQ_story.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/04/iran-military-manouveres-tensions?newsfeed=true

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/292810/20120203/iran-war-bomb-israel-panetta-attack-oil.htm

Money

"The monetary system that sowed the seeds of the Great Depression in the 1920s was a central-bank-manipulated and inflationary pseudogold standard. It was central banking that failed in the 1920s and stands discredited to this day as the cause of the Great Depression"


Talk given to the Mises institute regarding Money and the Gold Standard.


http://mises.org/daily/377/Money-and-Freedom

2050

Excellent map by Worldmapper.org recording a projection of the world population from 2050.

http://www.worldmapper.org/posters/worldmapper_map11_ver5.pdf

Conflicts in the New Year

Foreign Policy issues for 2012.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/12/27/next_years_wars?page=0,2#.TvsJcLI7arc.twitter

Ireland and the EU

"Why did the eurozone governments pressure Ireland to ask for the bailout?"

Economic analysis from the Austrian School of Economics regarding the current economic climate in the EU and in particular the treatment of Ireland's economic problems.

http://mises.org/daily/4876

EU Unemployment Rates

Infograph charting the unemployment rates across Europe, which have risen from a low of 6.8% in 2008 to 9.7% now. This site also contains a breakdown of unemployment rates by gender and nationality so we can see that Spain is suffering the worst rates in Europe and, in general, women are more likely to be unemployed than men.

http://www.iiea.com/blogosphere/the-eu-unemployment-infographic