Ask any question about geopolitics, broadly defined. We — and others reading the FM website — will attempt to answer it in the comments. All answers welcomed!
Contents
- Questions received so far
- To start the discussion: articles of interest this week
- Quote of the week
(1) Questions received so far (click on the link to go directly to that thread)
Please use the REPLY button when replying to a previous comment. This keeps threads together, making it easy for readers to follow the discussion.
- Why was the public’s response so feeble to the horrific provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act?
- Are we massing carriers near Iran, preparing to attack?
- Will the ECB’s massive loans to European banks stabilize Europe’s financial situation? If so, how long will the stability last?
- What is the largest underappreciated news story of 2012?
- Do you believe the world is going through a very dynamic period in is history?
- What foreign Policy would you advocate for the United States during this period?
- Might the NDAA discourage business investment, foreign professionals, or innovative thinkers from visiting or migrating to the US due to the unwelcoming culture that the NDAA might spawn?
- Is Iraq sliding into civil-war? Are the troubles in Iraq pushing up the price of oil?
- What about the centrifugal forces in Europe and the US? Will they continue, and to what end?
- About seperatist movements in Italy.
(2) To start the discussion: articles of interest this week
(a) Miscellaneous good news!
- Christmas shopping assistance (the FM website provides a full range of services): An educational toy for your children (from the geopolitical shelf)
- Good news (only massive corporate action prevented this going into effect many years ago: “New EPA mercury rules are a bona fide Big Deal“, Grist, 21 December 2011 — More evidence that people saying that government does nothing useful are insane.
(b) Twitter Terrorism! This will strike fear into your heart, so that you’ll surrender all rights in exchange for safety.
- “Somalia’s Insurgents Embrace Twitter as a Weapon“, New York Times, 14 December 2011
- The government will save you from Twitter Terrorism: “Can the U.S. Government close social media accounts?“, Glenn Greenwald, Salon, 20 December 2011
(c) Donald Trump, Michelle Bachman, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and … now they turn to Ron Paul. Here we see an old fashioned defense by this old pol, as he makes stuff up to explain away racist remarks in his old newsletter. This history also tells us much about Libertarians (as a movement).
- “Angry White Man“, James Kirchick, The New Republic, 8 January 2008 — “The bigoted past of Ron Paul.”
- “‘Old News’? ‘Rehashed for Over a Decade’?“, Matt Welch, Reason, 11 January 2008
- “Who Wrote Ron Paul’s Newsletters?“, Julian Sanchez & David Weigel, Reason, 16 January 2008 — “Libertarian movement veterans, and a Paul campaign staffer, say it was “paleolibertarian” strategist Lew Rockwell”
- “Ron Paul’s Shaggy Defense“, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Atlantic, 20 December 2011 — Ron Paul is 76; perhaps amnesia is natural for him.
- “Why Don’t Libertarians Care About Ron Paul’s Bigoted Newsletters?“, James Kirchick, The New Republic, 22 December 2011 — A very good question.
- “Ron Paul quits CNN interview after questions about racist newsletters“, Reuters, 22 December 2011
- “The Trouble with Ron Paul’s Defense“, Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online, 26 November 2011
- “Ron Paul Takes Credit For & Explains The Ron Paul Survival Report“, Real Clear Politics, 26 November 2011 — In a 1995 video interval.
- Solicitation Letter for Ron Paul’s Investment Letter and Political Report — Undated, from 1985 through late 1990s. Source: Reuters
(d) More shilling for war with Iran
- “Time to Attack Iran – Why a Strike Is the Least Bad Option“, Matthew Kroenig, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2012
- Devastating rebuttal: “The worst case for war with Iran“, Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, 21 December 2011
(3) Quote of the week
“The hallmark of the well-trained citizen-slave mentality: the corruption of our elites and leaders is normal and common and so we must not object to it but passively bow to it.”
— Glenn Greenwald, Salon, 14 November 2011
