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| A giant statue of St Michael in Mexico City (CNS photo/Greg Tarczynski) |
- World Economy 2011: An FT Special Report (reg. required).
The need for concerted action is greater than ever, as imbalances across the eurozone are replicated globally. (You might enjoy this one in particular, especially if you are in low spirits: Financial institutions stare into the abyss) - New Fox News Poll - Herman Cain rises to top 3, Newt Gingrich up, Rick Perry down after debate debacle (He lost ten points of his once substantial lead!).
- Ron Paul’s Republican problem - On the one hand, his call for fiscal austerity resounds with tea party-affiliated primary voters. On the other, his views on foreign policy—including the idea that America all but incited the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11—are decidedly less popular. (How many Paul-ites are actually Republicans? Awful question, I know)
- Herman Cain: How high can he rise?
Ever since his straw poll win in Florida last weekend, it’s been pretty clear that Cain has some momentum. (Be it as it may, but who said Republicans are racist?)
- The saint who threw Satan out of heaven - (Today is the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel—not a saint for hopeless cases, such as both the eurozone crisis and Rick Perry... but he is the First Knight of the Kingdom, after all!)
Re. Ron Paul's Republican problem and views on the US inciting 11/9, it's incredible how such insular views can still be expressed.
ReplyDeleteObviously there was serious security negligence. But what triggered off the whole episode of tragic circumstances, endless wars and costly mistakes- which seem to continue even today- was a fatal mixture of apathy and ignorance.
The apathy of Europe, European Parliament and France under Chirac, who preferred to turn a deaf ear to the warnings of Commander Massoud when he visited Europe to try to get help and warn the West of the consequences if help wasn't forthcoming.
Perhaps history would have been vastly different had Sarkozy been President at that time, assuming he would have reacted without hesitation, as he did for the Libyans. Had the Taliban been prevented from taking Kabul and routed then, perhaps there would never have been an 11/9. Maybe Massoud himself would be still alive to realise his dream for Afghanistan. The dream he had been fighting for, for more than 20 years. The Iraqi incursion would have been considered far less urgent, etc.
It was a critical period when nations hadn't yet realised that what goes wrong 'elsewhere', causes things to go wrong 'here'. The domino effect of the financial crisis is a perfect parallel. Initially it was 'the American problem'. In fact it's plausible that the authorities of the CEB imagined it could be their golden opportunity to substituted the dollar with the euro as the international money. This instead of anticipating the tidal wave, and taking adequate preventive measures, like cutting the interests rates dramatically.
Had the CEB been representing the interests of Europe, and thus the world, more than what seems to have been regarded as its own interests, maybe Europe would never have found itself in its present situation.
There's no question regarding the quality, diversity and speciality of what each Euro nation can produce, and this of course includes Greek products, but despite certain national cases of poor governing, there has to be serious question about the way the CEB has been managing the Euro.
But such is history..