Who’s Nexit?

Which will be the next eurozone domino to fall? With Greece enjoying a temporary lull in its apparently permanent crisis, we can take a moment to look around its neighborhood at other candidates for trouble. There are several — and the euro’s future looks far from bright.

Greece ran into trouble mainly because it should never have been in the eurozone in the first place. Its governments couldn’t balance their budgets, and its economic cycle was far out of sync with those of the eurozone’s leading lights. When Germany grew, Greece shrank, and vice versa. Using the same monetary policy in both countries made no sense at all.

Quantum Geopolitics

Forecasting the shape the world will take in several years or decades is an audacious undertaking. There are no images to observe or precise data points to anchor us. We can only create a picture, and a fuzzy one at best. This is, after all, our basic human empirical instinct: to draw effortlessly from the vivid imagery of our present world and past experiences while we squint and hesitate before faint, blobby images of the future.

Greek foreign policy: The next ruin?

The economic consequences of Greece leaving the eurozone would be serious for the Greek people and the rest of the EU. The foreign policy implications could be equally bad. Russia policy aside, the Syriza-led coalition has been part of the European mainstream. If a post-Grexit Greece lurched from left-wing populist to right-wing nationalist government, its foreign policy could be an even bigger problem for Europe. 

The EU and Greece have finally agreed on a bail-out deal. But, as Christian Odendahl and John Springford have written recently (‘The Greek bailout deal resolves nothing’, July 13th), its flaws are so serious that it is likely to fail eventually. Before EU leaders steel themselves to expel Greece from the eurozone, they should think about Greece’s geopolitical importance (and not just its flirtation with Russia). 

Collapsing currency signals need for reform in Colombia

The Colombian economy is faltering after years of oil-driven economic bonanza. Now, more than ever, a government-led national discussion to restructure and strengthen strategic import-competing industries is necessary.

In a span of twelve months, the Colombian economy has been rocked. On July 24, 2014, the Colombian peso (COP) was trading at 1,848 COP to the U.S. dollar (USD). Exactly one year later, the peso was trading at 2,861 to the dollar—a 36% depreciation. The massive depreciation of the peso is caused by both external and internal factors and exemplifies the broader structural problems hindering Colombian potential for growth.

Δανείζοντας στην Αθήνα έναν κουβά με χρυσό

Διαδηλωτής ανεμίζει την ιρλανδική σημαία σε διαδήλωση ενάντια στις πολιτικές λιτότητας στο κέντρο του Δουβλίνου, στις 31 Ιανουαρίου 2015. CATHAL MCNAUGHTON / REUTERS

Μετά από τρεις μακρές εβδομάδες που ήταν κλειστές, οι τράπεζες στην Ελλάδα έχουν αρχίσει να ανοίγουν τις πόρτες τους σε ένα ανυπόμονο κοινό. Μετά από εντατικές διαπραγματεύσεις διάσωσης, η Ελλάδα έλαβε ένα ενδιάμεσο δάνειο 7 δισ. ευρώ για να πληρώσει τα 6,8 δισ. ευρώ του χρέους που χρωστούσε την περασμένη εβδομάδα στους επίσημους πιστωτές της. Ουσιαστικά, πρόκειται για ένα νέο δάνειο για να ξεπληρώσει το παλιό. Ή ακριβέστερα, ξεχρεώνει το παλιό δάνειο πληρώνοντας κι άλλους τόκους. Αλλά το τέλος του αδιεξόδου έχει τουλάχιστον φέρει ξανά κάποια ομαλότητα στην Ελλάδα. Οι επιταγές μπορούν τώρα να εξαργυρωθούν. Περιορισμένες μεταφορές χρημάτων είναι και πάλι δυνατές. Οι αναλήψεις περιορίζονται πλέον στα 60 ευρώ ανά άτομο ανά ημέρα, αν και οι έλεγχοι κεφαλαίων παραμένουν στην θέση τους και θα είναι έτσι για κάποιο χρονικό διάστημα. Προς το παρόν, η μέγιστη ανάληψη είναι 420 ευρώ ανά ημέρα, και τα χρήματα δεν μπορούν ακόμη να βγουν από την χώρα χωρίς έγκριση από το Υπουργείο Οικονομικών. Αυτό έχει το κόστος της ακόμη περισσότερης δημοσιονομικής πειθαρχίας για τους Έλληνες, παρ’όλο που συνολικά η χώρα έχει ήδη υπομείνει ένα επίπεδο λιτότητας ανάλογο μόνο σε περιόδους πολέμου ή βαριάς ύφεσης.

How the US Outplayed China in the South China Sea

What separates the aggressive move from the modest one?  Or the unnecessarily risky move from the prudent one?  Context.  Last week, the recently appointed commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Scott Swift, joined a routine surveillance mission in the South China Sea conducted by a U.S. P-8 aircraft.  Four-star admirals don’t routinely join such frontline missions, of course, which may lead some to view the move as confrontational and risky.  To the Chinese, it was “irresponsible and dangerous.”

Image Credit: U.S. Navy Photo

But this was a single well-played move in an iterative and indirect competition with high stakes.  The Chinese are understandably upset because it shifts the terms of the next move in their disfavor, creating a circumstance that requires them to adapt expectations.  Moves like the one taken last week, putting a high-level U.S. commander in harm’s way but in a highly anodyne way, help (temporarily at least) stack the deck in favor of the United States and the status quo.

Has The E&P Industry Lost Touch With Reality?

The U.S. rig count increased by 19 this week as oil prices dropped below $48 per barrel–the latest sign that the E&P industry is out of touch with reality.

Getty Images from The New York Times (July 26, 2015)

The last time the rig count increased this much was the week ending August 8, 2014 when WTI was $98 and Brent was $103 per barrel.

Requiem for the Macrosaurus: The beginning of the end of the Jurassic Period of economics.

This summer’s biggest movie is Jurassic World. Apparently, people have an endless appetite for dinosaurs, which could also explain much about the popularity of Flintstones vitamins or, for that matter, Vladimir Putin. Fortunately for these people, there remain dinosaurs among us who are producing mayhem on a scale unimagined by even Hollywood’s CGI wizards.

Could eurozone integration damage the single market?

Can Britain be at ease in a European Union that is increasingly focused on the euro and its troubles? Britain’s eurosceptics think not. The eurozone’s many problems require it to integrate more closely, and that will be bad for Britain, they say, since the euro countries will start to act as a bloc and manipulate EU institutions for their own benefit. Therefore Britain should quit this euro-centric club and negotiate a new and looser bilateral relationship with the EU.

David Cameron’s government has begun technical talks with its partners on reforms to the EU, prior to an in-or-out referendum. His officials say that though arguments over EU migrants’ access to benefits will generate more political heat, the relationship between the eurozone and the wider EU is the most important substantive problem. Both George Osborne, the chancellor, and many business leaders see this issue as a priority.

Greece and Turkey should build on "low politics"

Two of the major allies in NATO and the wider Mediterranean region, Greece and Turkey have long being faced with huge dilemmas of stability and security in the Middle East and North Africa. Under the current pivotal shifts of global and regional influence, these two countries have a lot to win by cooperating closely and consistently.

The unfolding of the Greek financial crisis has been heightened up during the last six months. Even after the first agreement at the latest Euro Summit over a third bailout deal, economic conditions and the future of Greece inside Eurozone are not yet secured. And not that much because the Greek government does not look for it, but because the financial deal has nothing to incite hopeful thoughts over growth development. The bailout deal is not investment-oriented  nor addresses the major macroeconomic burdens of the Greek economy. 

Progress despite adversity: women's empowerment and conflict in Colombia

The Colombian case is an example of progress in women’s empowerment in the face of formidable and continuing challenges. Progress is identified in relation to: legal gains for women’s rights and gender equality; women’s presence and representation in public and elected positions; the advancement of a gender-responsive approach to addressing the legacies of conflict and associated mechanisms of memorialisation, reparations, restitution and transitional justice.

Britain's renegotiation: Advice to Mr Cameron

To succeed in his renegotiation, David Cameron needs to build an alliance for reforms that benefit the EU as a whole. Shortly after midnight on June 26th, a new chapter in the chequered history of Britain in Europe opened in Brussels. The European Council conclusions note, in two lines on page eight, that David Cameron, re-elected as prime minister, "set out his plans for an (In/Out) referendum in the UK" and that "the European Council agreed to revert to the matter in December". What will happen then will depend on how Cameron handles his intended negotiation about reform of the EU and Britain's relationship with it: he has yet to tell the European Council what he wants. But his plans will certainly work in London: the promise of a referendum was set out in the Conservative Party's election manifesto, and, despite misgivings in the House of Lords, a century-old convention that the unelected upper chamber does not obstruct a government's manifesto measures means that the necessary enabling legislation will not be blocked. So in 2017, or, more likely 2016, the British will vote on Brexit. 

Η ανθεκτική δυστυχία της Αιγύπτου

Αστυνομικός των «ΜΑΤ» φρουρεί κτήριο όπου επρόκειτο να διεξαχθεί η δεύτερη δίκη του ανατραπέντος προέδρου της Αιγύπτου Μοχάμεντ Μόρσι, στις 8 Ιανουαρίου του 2014. AMR ABDALLAH DALSH / REUTERS

Τα τελευταία δύο χρόνια ήταν τα πιο βίαια και κατασταλτικά στην σύγχρονη ιστορία της Αιγύπτου. Από τότε που ο στρατός της χώρας αντέδρασε σε μαζικές διαδηλώσεις για την ανατροπή του πρώτου εκλεγμένου προέδρου της χώρας, του συνδεδεμένου με την Μουσουλμανική Αδελφότητα, Μοχάμεντ Μόρσι, τον Ιούλιο του 2013, τουλάχιστον 1.800 πολίτες και 700 άτομα από το προσωπικό ασφαλείας έχουν σκοτωθεί [1], δεκάδες χιλιάδες έχουν φυλακιστεί και έχουν τεθεί αυστηροί περιορισμοί για τα μέσα ενημέρωσης, την κοινωνία των πολιτών, και τις εκδηλώσεις διαμαρτυρίας. Και αυτή η πικρή ιστορία προβλέπεται να επιδεινωθεί. Μετά την δολοφονία του γενικού εισαγγελέα της Αιγύπτου στις 29 Ιουνίου, ο πρόεδρος Αμπντέλ Φατάχ αλ Σίσι κατηγόρησε την Αδελφότητα και υποσχέθηκε ολοένα και πιο σκληρά κατασταλτικά μέτρα κατά της οργάνωσης, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των αυστηρότερων νόμων [2] για να εξασφαλίσει ότι οι Αδελφοί Μουσουλμάνοι που βρίσκονται στην πτέρυγα των μελλοθανάτων θα εκτελεστούν νωρίτερα. Σε απάντηση, η Αδελφότητα ενέκρινε [3] την ξαφνική έξαρση των επιθέσεων σε υποδομές, συμπεριλαμβανομένων πύργων ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας. Και τζιχαντιστές που συνδέονται με το αυτοαποκαλούμενο Ισλαμικό Κράτος (επίσης γνωστό ως ISIS) ξεκίνησαν ένα νέο γύρο επιθέσεων, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των βομβιστικών επιθέσεων της 1ης Ιουλίου στο Βόρειο Σινά που σκότωσαν δεκάδες στρατιώτες [4], και της πρόσφατης επίθεσης κατά του ιταλικού προξενείου στο Κάιρο.

Europe’s geopolitical suffering

Andrea Bonetti

Professor Giancarlo Elia Valori

"Professor Giancarlo Elia Valori is an eminent Italian economist and businessman, a University Professor and a keen observer of the political and economic international situation. During his long career he has held numerous high positions in prestigious Italian and foreign companies. He currently chairs “La Centrale Finanziaria Generale SpA”, the Laboratory Foundation for Public Administration and the Italian delegation of the Abertis Foundation. He is also the honorary president of Huawei Italy, economic adviser to the Chinese giant HNA Group, Khashoggi Holding’s advisor and holder of important professorships at prestigious universities such as Yeshiva University in New York, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and The Peking University.

Strategic Petroleum Reserve No Longer Key Part Of U.S. National Security

The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), once seen as a cornerstone of America’s energy security, is losing its shine in Washington.

The SPR was established in the aftermath of the 1973-1974 oil embargo, which led to high gasoline prices, fuel rationing, price controls, and long lines at gas stations. The U.S. government decided to stockpile oil in salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana, fuel that could be used in the event of a supply outage. Today, the SPR holds 695 million barrels of oil.

U.S., Russia: The Case for Bilateral Talks

Phone calls between relatively low-level diplomats are normally not newsworthy. But Monday's conversation between U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin on the simmering conflict in Ukraine is an exception. The bilateral nature of the conversation and its timing amid mounting claims of cease-fire violations from the Ukrainian government and separatist forces makes it uniquely significant. Moreover, it reaffirms that the evolution of the Ukrainian conflict — whether toward a settlement or toward escalation — will be most strongly shaped not by Kiev but by the actions of and relationship between Moscow and Washington. 

The Turkish Enigma

In my "Net Assessment of the World," I argued that four major segments of the European and Asian landmass were in crisis: Europe, Russia, the Middle East (from the Levant to Iran) and China. Each crisis was different; each was at a different stage of development. Collectively the crises threatened to destabilize the Eurasian landmass, the Eastern Hemisphere, and potentially generate a global crisis. They do not have to merge into a single crisis to be dangerous. Four simultaneous crises in the center of humanity's geopolitical gravity would be destabilizing by itself. However, if they began to merge and interact, the risks would multiply. Containing each crisis by itself would be a daunting task. Managing crises that were interlocked would press the limits of manageability and even push beyond.

Hamas struggles to cope with regional and internal challenges

Hamas is experiencing internal divisions and external threats as the organization struggles to adjust to rapidly shifting geopolitical dynamics in the region.

On July 1, Wilayat Sinai, a local affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) which used to be known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, orchestrated a string of attacks in the peninsula that left over 60 Egyptian soldiers dead. Israeli officials accused Hamas of cooperating with the group.

Why debt sustains corruption in Greece and vice versa

As numerous Greek MEPs opposed the Eurozone summit deal, implementation will require a broad coalition of political parties. This column argues that corruption in Greek politics will prevent the formation of such a coalition. The heavy debt service leads parties to invent extreme ways of responding to super-austerity and to strongly oppose direct reforms that challenge existing clientelism. The way out is to sign a new agreement that combines debt restructuring and radical transparency reforms, including naming-and-shaming practices, to block clientelism in the medium and long run.

Τσόμσκι: “Δεν παίζουν κανένα ρόλο οι εκλογές πλέον στην Ευρώπη”

Σήμερα υπενθυμίζουμε μία ομιλία που έδωσε πριν περίπου δύο χρόνια, τον Ιούνη του 2013, ο γνωστός Αμερικανός πολιτικός φιλόσοφος Νοάμ Τσόμσκι σε ειδική εκδήλωση του Global Media Forum της Deutsche Welle. Όλα όσα είπε για το μέλλον της δημοκρατίας και την κρίση στην Ευρώπη μοιάζουν σαν να γράφτηκαν για σήμερα και την περίπτωση της Ελλάδας.

Το κείμενο είχε δημοσιευθεί στη Deutsche Welle:

Με θέμα το μέλλον της δημοκρατίας και κομβικά σημεία τις αγκυλώσεις της στην Ευρώπη της κρίσης αλλά και στις ΗΠΑ, μίλησε ο Νόαμ Τσόμσκι σε ειδική εκδήλωση του Global Media Forum της DW στη Βόννη.

Να βγει η Γερμανία από το ευρώ λένε οικονομολόγοι

Η πιθανότητα ενός Grexit, κυριάρχησε στην ειδησεογραφία τους τελευταίους μήνες καθώς βρίσκονταν σε εξέλιξη οι διαπραγματεύσεις της Ελλάδας με τους δανειστές της σχετικά με την παροχή ενός νέου προγράμματος βοήθειας και ενώ την ίδια ώρα ετίθετο υπό αμφισβήτηση το μέλλον της Ελλάδας στην ζώνη του ευρώ. Μάλιστα πολλοί ηγέτες της Ευρωζώνης, ιδίως στη Γερμανία, καλωσόριζαν αυτή την προοπτική.

Όμως ορισμένοι οικονομολόγοι λένε πως οι υποστηριχτές του Grexit κάνουν λάθος και αν κάποια χώρα πρέπει να εγκαταλείψει το ενιαίο νόμισμα τότε αυτή είναι η Γερμανία.

At the merci of the water mafia

Down by the sandy banks of the Yamuna River, the men must work quickly. At a little past 12 a.m. one humid night in May, they pull back the black plastic tarp covering three boreholes sunk deep in the ground along the waterway that traces Delhi’s eastern edge. From a shack a few feet away, they then drag thick hoses toward a queue of 20-odd tanker trucks idling quietly with their headlights turned off. The men work in a team: While one man fits a hose’s mouth over a borehole, another clambers atop a truck at the front of the line and shoves the tube’s opposite end into the empty steel cistern attached to the vehicle’s creaky frame.

Who Cares if Iran Gets A Nuke? (Lessons from Pakistan)

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Iran and world powers finally clenched a long awaited nuclear deal earlier this week. As The Diplomat‘s Ankit Panda points out, the deal is written quite well, enough to ensure Iranian compliance because sanctions can easily be reimposed if Iran cheats. In any case, it is highly unlikely that Iran will cheat, or cheat too explicitly. Why would Iran do so anyhow? Iran’s leaders agreed to negotiations because they are rational actors–contrary to what some American politicians believe–who value the survival of their governmental system and the national’s welfare enough to negotiate.

Πολεμικά αεροσκάφη της Λιβύης βύθισαν πλοίο με μαχητές και όπλα

Πολεμικά αεροσκάφη της Λιβύης βύθισαν χθες ένα πλοίο και επιτέθηκαν σε ένα δεύτερο κοντά στην πόλη Βεγγάζη της ανατολικής Λιβύης, όπως δήλωσαν σήμερα εκπρόσωποι του στρατού της διεθνώς αναγνωρισμένης κυβέρνησης της χώρας.

veggazi-630.jpg

Κατεστραμμένα σπίτια στη Βεγγάζη, Μάρτιος 2015 | AP Photo/Mohamed Salama

Δεν υπάρχουν αναφορές από αυτόπτες μάρτυρες ή ανεξάρτητη επιβεβαίωση του πλήγματος κοντά στην πόλη Μαρίσα, το οποίο επιβεβαίωσε επίσης το τηλεοπτικό δίκτυο Αλ Αραμπίγια που εδρεύει στο Ντουμπάι.

You should actually read the IMF's memo on Greece. It's horrific.

Germany and the EU "won" their arguments with Greece, and the country accepted another bailout deal as the cost of staying in the eurozone.

Thomson ReutersChristine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

Neither the country nor the people wanted the bailout to come with another painful austerity package, but it has. 

Διχογνωμία για τη διπλωματία του Ομπάμα

Υπάρχει κάτι στο οποίο οι δύο πλευρές της διαμάχης για τη συμφωνία με το Ιράν συμφωνούν: ο πρόεδρος Ομπάμα θα μείνει στην Ιστορία για την επίτευξή της. Η διαφωνία τους έγκειται στον τρόπο με τον οποίο ο πρόεδρος των ΗΠΑ θα μείνει στην Ιστορία. Ως ειρηνοποιός ή ως κατευναστής; Η επικέντρωση στη λεπτομέρεια υποδηλώνει μια μεγαλύτερου μεγέθους σύγκρουση οραμάτων μεταξύ της πίστης του Ομπάμα στη διπλωματία, την οποία θεωρεί τον πιο λογικό τρόπο να επιλυθούν οι διαφορές, και του βαθέος σκεπτικισμού των επικριτών του γύρω από τις διαπραγματεύσεις με έναν αντίπαλο που δεν εμπιστεύονται.

Για τον Αμερικανό πρόεδρο αυτή η περίοδος αφιερώθηκε στη διπλωματία. Η κόπωση από τις πολεμικές συρράξεις των τελευταίων ετών έχουν οδηγήσει σε μια προσπάθεια αξιοποίησης των οφελών από τα διαπραγματευτικά τραπέζια. Η πληθώρα διαπραγματεύσεων δίνει τη δυνατότητα στον Ομπάμα να αφήσει πίσω του επιτεύγματα στην εξωτερική πολιτική, η οποία διαφορετικά θα αποτελούσε μια σειρά από ένοπλες συγκρούσεις στη Μέση Ανατολή.

In new sign of Assad’s troubles, Syria’s Druze turn away from president

During four years of civil war, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could count on the country’s Druze to keep quiet. Like other religious minorities, the Druze community tended to back the strongman, fearing their fate could be worse under the rebels, who are mostly Sunni Muslims.

Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (center) stands during a meeting of Druze spiritual figures in Beirut, Lebanon June 12. Members of Syria's Druze minority have helped repel a rebel attack on an army base in the south, mobilizing to confront insurgents including a- Qaeda's Nusra Front. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Recently, however, the Druze have been defying Assad's government. Many are refusing compulsory military service. Increasingly, Druze spiritual leaders are criticizing the embattled president and urging their community to adopt a neutral stance in the conflict.

"It is in Israel’s interest that the two-state solution will remain feasible and will be promoted"

Dr. Nimrod Goren is the Founder and Chairman of Mitvim - The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies and a Teaching Fellow in Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He holds a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Psychology from the Hebrew University, and his dissertation topic was "The role of external incentives in promoting peace: the cases of Israel and Turkey". After completing his doctorate, Nimrod was selected to take part in Public Policy training at Syracuse University as the Israeli participant in the 2009-10 US State Department's Fulbright Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program. Nimrod is the former Executive Director of the Young Israeli Forum for Cooperation (YIFC), and in this capacity he was awarded the 2009 Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East. In addition, Nimrod has worked at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, the Nehemia Levtzion Center for Islamic Studies, and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace. He is a Board Member at MALI – The Center for Enterprising Citizens, and his areas of expertise include the Middle East peace process, Israel’s foreign policy, and modern Turkey.

Despite sanctions, Russia remains global energy player

Sanctions may have damaged the Russian energy sector, but Russian energy diplomacy is still scoring goals and helping Russia to retain its global power status. By seeking out alternative markets – often in overlooked countries – Russia is seeking to diversify its export portfolio to counter sour relations with the EU.

In the past year, many Russian energy companies and their executives (including the oil giants Roseneft, Gazprom Neft and Novatek) found themselves on American and European sanction lists. Yet despite sanctions and the attendant heavy financial losses imposed on the country’s energy sector, Russia continues to pursue a robust energy diplomacy.

What The Iran Deal Could Mean For Natural Gas Markets

The historic deal between Iran and the P5+1 group (The U.S., France, UK, Russia, China and Germany) has several oil majors and oil refiners considering the impacts of new Iranian crude hitting the global oil market.

“As soon as Iranian oil becomes available, we will certainly start buying again. Motor Oil was always very fond of Iranian crude,” said Loukas Tripelopoulos of Motor Oil Hellas SA. The removal of international sanctions would be a game changer for the Islamic Republic, which has one of the world’s highest crude oil reserves.

Με πεντακάθαρο μυαλό: Τι υπάρχει πίσω από τις προσπάθειες στην Ευρώπη να νομοθετηθεί η μνήμη

Πυροτεχνήματα πάνω από το μνημείο της Νίκης στην διάρκεια της εορτής της Ημέρας της Νίκης στην Μόσχα, στις 9 Μαΐου 2015. HOST PHOTO AGENCY / RIA NOVOSTI / COURTESY REUTERS

Τον Απρίλιο του 2015, το κοινοβούλιο της Ουκρανίας ενέκρινε μια σειρά νόμων, τους λεγόμενους νόμους «αποκομμουνιστικοποίησης», οι οποίοι καθιστούν παράνομη την άρνηση της «εγκληματικής φύσης» του σοβιετικού καθεστώτος. Η πιο αμφιλεγόμενη διάταξη είναι αυτή που αναγνωρίζει τους βετεράνους του Ουκρανικού Επαναστατικού Στρατού ως «μαχητές για την ανεξαρτησία της Ουκρανίας», κάτι που τους κάνει να δικαιούνται παροχές από την κυβέρνηση και προστασία απέναντι στην δυσφήμιση παρά τον ρόλο τους στην εθνοκάθαρση κατά την διάρκεια του Β’ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου. Μακράν του να είναι μη ομαλοί, τέτοιοι πολιτικά κινητροδοτημένοι νόμοι αντιπροσωπεύουν μόνο τα τελευταία παραδείγματα των προσπαθειών της Ευρώπης να νομοθετήσει την ιστορική μνήμη.

The crucifixion of Greece is killing the European project

You couldn’t have had a clearer demonstration of what democracy now counts for in Europe than this week’s immolation of Greece. In January, after five years of grinding austerity imposed by the troika of creditors had shrunk its economy by a quarter and pushed millions into poverty, Greeks rebelled and elected an anti-austerity government.

 Anti-austerity protesters clash with police in front of the Greek parliament on Wednesday night. Photograph: UPI/Landov/Barcroft

Following months of fruitless negotiations, the country voted last week to reject the latest cuts, tax rises and privatisations demanded to deal with the disastrous impact of the first phase of austerity. The response of the eurozone’s masters was immediately to ratchet up the pain still further. For the “breach of trust” of daring to put the terms to its people, Athens was to be punished. So on Monday – threatened with expulsion from the eurozone and economic collapse courtesy of the European Central Bank’s cash blockade – the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, bent the knee.

Ιαπωνία: Η επιστροφή της στρατιωτικής ισχύος του Ανατέλλοντος Ήλιου

Η αυτοκρατορική Ιαπωνία αποτέλεσε την ασιατική υπερδύναμη που αντιτέθηκε στις ΗΠΑ κατά τον Δεύτερο Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο- ωστόσο, η τελική της ήττα, που «σφραγίστηκε» με τις ατομικές βόμβες στη Χιροσίμα και το Ναγκασάκι, άλλαξε το πρόσωπο της χώρας σε πάρα πολλά επίπεδα. Η ηττημένη αυτοκρατορία δεσμεύτηκε να μην αποτελέσει στρατιωτική απειλή ξανά, διαμορφώνοντας τις ένοπλες δυνάμεις της στο πλαίσιο ενός καθαρά αμυντικού δόγματος.

Can the Malaysian PM survive the 1MDB Scandal?

An anti-corruption probe has uncovered documents that appear to link Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds. The allegations have helped push the Malaysian ringgit to the lowest level in over a decade. Can the Malaysian economy survive the political fallout?

On 2 July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Malaysian investigators taking part in the 1MDB anti-corruption probe had traced funds entering into the personal bank account of what they believe to be Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

By the numbers: The Greek economy

As Greece works out the details of a deal with the EU for billions of euros in bailout funds and severe austerity measures, the nation continues to feel the effects of nearly a decade of financial turmoil. Here’s how Greece’s economy has fared.

Greece Bailout: What we should expect from today's voting?

The outcome of the 17-hour long meeting of Eurozone leaders last Sunday was a huge blow for the Greek government. Amidst rumors that the Greek PM Tsipras was blackmailed to agree with any measure put in the table, both by the United States and Eurozone leaders, and despite the outstanding support of Greek PM in Twitter using the hashtag #ThisIsACoup, the Greek government finally capitulated to creditors’ demands.

Ο ταραξίας της Ευρώπης

Η εκτίμηση του Αλέξη Τσίπρα ότι «ρίξαμε στην Ευρώπη το σπόρο της αμφισβήτησης που σύντομα θα βγάλει καρπούς» φαίνεται να δικαιώνεται.

Μεγάλα διεθνή μέσα ενημέρωσης κατηγορούν τη γερμανική ηγεσία ότι παίζει επικίνδυνα με τη φωτιά | AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

Κάθε μέρα μεγάλα διεθνή μέσα ενημέρωσης, υπεράνω υποψίας για ροπή προς τον εξτρεμισμό, φιλοξενούν αναλύσεις ειδικών που χαρακτηρίζουν τη στάση της γερμανικής κυβέρνησης απέναντι στην Ελλάδα απαράδεκτη στο ηθικό επίπεδο, τιμωρητική στο οικονομικό και αντιδημοκρατική στο πολιτικό, προειδοποιώντας ταυτοχρόνως την ηγεσία της ότι παίζει επικίνδυνα με τη φωτιά.

The I.M.F. Is Telling Europe the Euro Doesn’t Work

It reads like a dry, 1,184-word memorandum about fiscal projections. But the International Monetary Fund’s memo on Greek debt sustainability, explaining why the I.M.F. cannot participate in a new bailout program unless other European countries agree to huge debt relief for Greece, has provided the “Emperor Has No Clothes” moment of the Greek crisis, one that may finally force eurozone members to either move closer to fiscal union or break up.

The I.M.F. memo amounts to an admission that the eurozone cannot work in its current form. It lays out three options for achieving Greek debt sustainability, all of which are tantamount to a fiscal union, an arrangement through which wealthier countries would make payments to support the Greek economy. Not coincidentally, this is the solution many economists have been telling European officials is the only way to save the euro — and which northern European countries have been resisting because it is so costly.