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

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

Real Change

The governmental changes in Europe and the wide-spread belief that the system is broken, now perhaps real change is not only possible, but absolutely necessary.

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/boskin18/English

Monti To The Rescue?

Italy, and indeed Europe, holds its collective breath as Mario Monti takes the increasingly unsteady Italian reins.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/11/20/can-monti-save-italy-the-trouble-with-technocrats.html

Sharp Shift in the World Order

The slow death of the Euro gives China and the USA the opportunity to call the shots.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100013198/america-and-china-must-crush-germany-into-submission/

The Fall and Rise of Iceland

The reaction of Iceland to their economic crisis should be an example to the rest of Europe, especially smaller economies like Ireland.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2011/0924/1224304661287.html

Europe's Woe is China's Chance

European economic problems offer China, with it's cash reserves, a chance to step further up the ladder of world trade dominance. A massive investment into Europe by China seems to have short term benefits for both regions but is it an attractive proposal?

http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/09/16/chinas_investing_woes

The Trends of Ill Health

Excellent graphic displaying the growing gap in income levels and the relationship between productivity and reward in the USA.


http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/09/great-prosperity-1947-1977-vs-great-regression-1981-present/

The Day China Took Over

The downgrading of the United States credit rating is not in itself a big deal, it is, however, symptomatic of a wider trend whereby the Americans are seen to be a failing power, unable to manage wither it's foreign or domestic financial affairs, never mind lead the world. In contrast, China has been flexing it's economic muscles since the start of the current economic downturn and is now in a position to not only claim to challenge the US position as world hegemon but indeed to put forward it's case as the senior partner in a symbiotic relationship between the two giants. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8684245/China-cant-and-wont-save-the-world.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14430598

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/business/global/china-a-big-creditor-says-us-has-only-itself-to-blame.html

http://blogs.forbes.com/kenrapoza/2011/08/06/the-post-western-world/

Mind The Gap

“the rich are different from you and me.”

An article regarding the growing inequality gap in America and the reasons those in the know give for it

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/11633/let_them_eat_megabytes

An Ever Closer Transfer Union

"The heads of government decided that Greece, Portugal and Ireland would only have to pay approximately 3.5 percent rather than 4.5 percent interest on their emergency loans. At the same time, countries like Italy, Cyprus and Belgium will have to pay much higher interest rates on the money they have borrowed to help bail out these countries. "Taking out expensive loans and extending cheap ones -- that's a clear sign of a transfer union," Fuest says".

The current trend in the economic transfer of resources in Europe is evidence of the evolution of the EU away from a Union of 'Equals' and towards a Transfer Union.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,777671,00.html

Who to Blame?

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/jamesfallows/assets_c/2011/07/debt_chart_wh_0-58731.php

Looking for a scapegoat or getting to the root of the problem? Who and what caused the debt? Rebuffing the idea that Obama's 'spending binge' was the sole or even primary reason for the current crisis.

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/93159/what-caused-the-deficit-reply-megan-mcardle

United States of Parasites?

Vladimir Putin attacks 'Dollar Dominance' and the negative impact Americans frivolous spending is having on the world economy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/01/us-russia-putin-usa-idUSTRE77052R20110801

The Debt Ceiling Debate

What has been learned in Washington from the debate between the Democrats and the Republicans over the Debt Ceiling. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/the-debt-ceiling-fight-what-we-learned/2011/08/01/gIQA94dbnI_blog.html?hpid=z1

The Pacific Century

Obama and Gillard

A realistic look at the shifting axis of world power from the Atlantic to the Pacific
http://www.theeuropean-magazine.com/40-goerlach-alexander/308-the-pacific-century

Counting the Cost of Conflict

Political upheaval and protest has had a huge knock on effect on the already fragile economies of some Arab states.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/22/the_arab_recession

Africa Today

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it is an act of justice.

Nelson Mandela

An indication of some of the problems still facing the African continent as another new state is created. With civil conflict, disputes over territiry, natural disasters and general economic and political mismanagement throughout the region, these links look at both the geographical scale of the African continent and some of the primary reasons for it's current woes.

http://world-poverty.org/povertyinafrica.aspx

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/interactive/2011/jul/11/a-political-history-of-africa-interactive

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/the-true-size-of-africa/

China-US Relations in South East Asia

US and China continue to clash in the South China Sea over the perceived spheres of influence of both governments. China has launched its clearest warning yet that it is running out of patience with the US.

http://the-diplomat.com/new-leaders-forum/2011/06/26/china-plays-nationalism-card/

South Sudan Secedes

The impending secession of South Sudan and the impact on the people of particular disputed areas, and indeed the international community.

http://www.towardfreedom.com/africa/2379-toward-secession-the-future-of-south-sudan