Geostrategy Channel: Latest Posts
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Geostrategy
The Distortions of U.S. Intelligence and U.S. International Strategy
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. [...]
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Finance & Markets
Shell to Spend $1bn in Iraqi Oilfield Development
As Royal Dutch Shell prepares to resume operations at Majnoon field in Iraq in May, the supergiant plans to invest more than $1 billion this year to bring production online. After having shut down last summer for maintenance and to build new production facilities, the Majnoon field will begin produced 100,000 barrels per day in May—a volume [...]
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Europe
Professor Monti and the Bubble
Who saved Italy? This column argues that the crisis began with Silvio Berlusconi and ended with Mario Monti. Evidence suggests that restoring a sense of credibility to Italian policymaking was difficult to earn but may be very easy to lose (as the recent run on Italian debt suggests). New and old Italian politicians cannot afford [...]
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Ed Dolan's Econ Blog
Ten Years On, New Estimates of the Economic Cost of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. What have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost the United States to date? What additional bills will come due in the future? Economists and budget analysts have made many estimates since the early 2000s. Only one regularity has emerged from their work: [...]
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Geostrategy
Highlighting Global Trends in Carbon Emissions
By Matt Smith, Energy Burrito It is rather easy to get swept up in the ‘holier than thou’ mindset when it comes to lower carbon emissions in the US. Granted, the US is making progress on this front: 2012 levels were about 13% below those seen in 2005. But it would be remiss to ignore the impact of [...]
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Europe
Why Cyprus Matters
Cyprus measures 0.2 percent of the Eurozone economy. A proposed rescue package is only €17 billion, of which perhaps €9 billion will be used to recapitalize banks weighed down by bad loans and losses on the Greek government debt. A new government has signaled its commitment to reform, and creditors want to get a deal [...]
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Asia
Waiting for North Korea
“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 [...]
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Europe
European Ships Switch to LNG to Cut Emissions and Comply with EU Law
Ports in Northern Europe are switching to natural gas as a cleaner, cheaper way of powering ships, compared to the traditional fuel oil. A European Union law has set the target to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry to 40% of 2005 levels by 2050. Switching to liquefied natural gas will play a [...]
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Finance & Markets
Investors Should Ignore Politics
Politics matters little to your investment outcomes. This has been a theme of mine for nearly forever. I discuss this in presentations all the time. It was — literally — my first column for the Washington Post. And yet the financial press simply cannot get enough of this stuff. They love a good narrative. While these story [...]
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Finance & Markets
Environmental Issues that Could De-Rail the Natural Gas Boom
There are two key environmental issues that have the most likelihood of slowing the natural gas boom or, perhaps, redirecting its trajectory: fracking chemicals and fracking water usage. Fracking chemicals: what the frack? Inflamed by dramatic scenes like tap water catching on fire, worries over the effect of fracking on the quality of groundwater have [...]
