As the sovereign debt crisis in Europe reaches alarming proportions, the European Central Bank (ECB) is under increasing pressure to act decisively. In mid-July the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the 17 countries that use the euro could suffer “a debilitating decline in prices,” and urged the ECB to buy large quantities of government … Continue reading
Filed under Politics …
The Future of the Euro
One of the most interesting aspects of the 3-year-old European debt crisis has been the resilience of the euro. Throughout 2011 it was a sweetheart currency, in spite of being caught up in a whirlwind of worries: Concern about the health of the major banks; rising debt to GDP ratios throughout the EU; fears of … Continue reading
Europe in Transition, Postpone Panic
The MSCI Asia Pacific index lost 1.5 per cent with Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average off 2.2 per cent, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index down 1.7 per cent and South Korea’s Kospi Composite index 2.1 per cent lower.
Stock markets the world over are rocked by the “uncertainty” in Europe. Asia is a good example:
Euro Talks Tense Up Over Austerity Pact
With the election of Francois Hollande to the French presidency, French-German tensions over European Union economic policy are escalating. In the course of his campaign, Hollande repeatedly promised to mitigate the austerity programs championed by outgoing president Nicholas Sarkozy and his partner, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, over the last two years. But Merkel insists that … Continue reading
Can War Torn Syria Avoid Total Chaos?
Yesterday UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said that war torn Syria is running out of options, and risks descending into “full civil war.” “We cannot allow that to happen,” he added (www.cnn.com,May 9,2012.) Annan’s statement begs the question of what anyone can do to prevent chaos that could destabilize the entire region. The Assad regime … Continue reading
The Fractious Voices of Syria
Bashar and Asma al-Assad appear on fashionable people pages the world over: enjoying an art exhibit inParis, or frequenting one of New York’s trendiest clubs. They’re slim, attractive and stylish, the envy of international wannabes the world over. Bashar al-Assad’s ascent to power after his father’s death was hailed as a new, more liberal … Continue reading
As Jews and Christians Celebrate
For Jews it’s the morning of the first day of Passover, and it’s Holy Saturday for Christians. Tomorrow Christians will celebrate the Resurrection of their Savior, and Jews will keep Passover by not eating levened foods, and remembering the passage from freedom to slavery. There are learned people who claim that neither celebration is what … Continue reading
France, the Jews and the Arabs
This morning when I logged on to my laptop, the first thing that appeared on my screen was an article about a shooting in a Jewish school in Toulouse. My heart sank and I found myself awash in a familiar conflict about my “other home.” While in college I lived in Paris for two years and traveled … Continue reading
Monosyllabic Primaries: Mitt, Rick, Newt and Ron
Why is it that when one political party finds itself in deep doodoo, the other, given a golden opportunity, systematically self destructs? It’s annoying, to say the least. I usually vote Democratic, so I shouldn’t care about the current Republican fiasco, but I do. Because politicians should be better at what they do. They’re … Continue reading
Susan LaDue Writes 