Iran nuclear talks: 'Historic' agreement struck

World powers have reached a deal with Iran on limiting Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of international economic sanctions.

US President Barack Obama said that with the deal, "every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off" for Iran.

The Perils of the Pursuit of Geopolitical Interest

How have the geopolitical interests of various stakeholders changed since the start of the Arab Spring, both within the Middle East and beyond? According to Lina Khatib, they’ve changed very little. Promoting security, stability and economic development continues to trump democracy and reform – to the detriment of the wider region.

More than four years after the 2011 Arab uprisings, the geopolitical considerations of major countries inside and outside the region appear to remain largely within the familiar parameters of security, stability and economic interests, as opposed to those of democracy and reform. The strategies followed by some states as they pursue those security and economic goals have often remained constant, as in the cases of France, Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), and China. But other countries, like Turkey and Russia, have shifted some of their tactics following the uprisings with the aim of increasing their geopolitical influence, not only within the region but also, in the case of Russia, in the face of the West. However, the results of both longstanding strategies as well as new tactics have for the main part not been positive, because the focus on security and economic benefits at the expense of reform has contributed either to sustaining autocratic regimes or, ironically, to increasing instability across the Middle East. While this may be beneficial for some countries’ interests in the short term, both autocracy and instability eventually result in the opposite outcome.

Deutsche Bank Inquiry Deepens as New York Seeks Moscow Memos

New York’s banking regulator has asked Deutsche Bank AG for e-mails, memos, client lists and other details as part of an effort to survey how broadly a set of suspicious trades extended beyond the bank’s Moscow office, according to a person briefed on the matter.

The formal request for information, which was sent last week, the person said, marks a deepening of the New York State Department of Financial Services’ probe into Deutsche Bank’s activities in Russia. The DFS has been looking into whether people at the bank’s Moscow operation conducted trades that would help Russian clients skirt economic sanctions, the person said.

Reality Check: Σε Απλά Ελληνικά

Το παρακάτω κείμενο είναι η προσωπική μου αντίληψη για ότι συνέβη στην Ελλάδα την τελευταία περίοδο.

Γιατί έγινε ότι έγινε?

Παραποιώντας τα οικονομικά της στοιχεία, η Ελλάδα “απέδειξε” πως μπορεί να συμμετάσχει σε μία νομισματική ένωση στην οποία συμμετείχαν οικονομίες πολύ πιο ισχυρές απο την δική της. Είναι σαν να συμμετέχει ο Αχιλλέας Φαρσάλων σε πρωτάθλημα που παίρνει μέρος η Μπαρτσελόνα και η Μίλαν. Η Ελλάδα δεν μπορούσε να γίνει ανταγωνιστική (να γίνει δηλαδή Μπαρτσελόνα) με αποτέλεσμα να συσσωρεύσει πάρα πολύ χρέος.

The euro ‘family’ has shown it is capable of real cruelty

The seemingly indestructible Angela Merkel can go without sleep, and still manage a half smile and speak about Greece’s wish to remain in “the euro family”. This may sound reasonable and pleasant. All families have their little local difficulties, don’t they? But they work through them. People see reason. When they are forced to.

 German chancellor Angela Merkel. 'By infantilising Greece, Germany resembles a child who closes its own eyes and thinks we can not see it.' Photograph: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

By infantilising Greece, Germany resembles a child who closes its own eyes and thinks we can not see it. We can. The world is watching what is being done to Greece in the name of euro stability.

Η ηθική του χρέους: Μια ιστορία οικονομικών αγίων και αμαρτωλών

Η λέξη «χρεοκοπία» σε έναν τοίχο στο Ντιτρόιτ, στις 25 Οκτωβρίου 2013. JOSHUA LOTT /REUTERS, στο Μίσιγκαν

Η πίστωση και το χρέος είναι κάτι περισσότερο από ορθολογικές συναλλαγές υλικών εντός μιας οικονομίας της αγοράς. Είναι κοινωνικά δομημένες [ενέργειες] και επικεντρώνονται σε θέματα σκληρών ηθικών κρίσεων για τον χαρακτήρα, την ισότητα και την «καλή πίστη». Οι κρίσεις αυτές, με την σειρά τους, συνδέονται με έντονα συναισθήματα δυσαρέσκειας, ντροπής και ταπείνωσης. Οι αλλαγές και οι αντικρουόμενες απεικονίσεις των προσωπικών πιστώσεων και χρεών επηρεάζουν σοβαρά την δύναμη και την ευημερία των κρατών.

Southeast Asia: The new piracy capital

Southeast Asia has recently regained the reputation as the world’s worst region for piracy. With one third of world shipping going through the regions’ waters, the costs to trade and shipping are likely to be extensive.   

According to a recent report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and International Maritime Bureau (IMB), since the start of 2015, Southeast Asia has accounted for 55 per cent of the world’s 54 piracy and armed robbery incidents. According to these statistics, Southeast Asia has regained the reputation as the region in the world most afflicted by piracy.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Debt

If it’s 1 a.m., it must be Greece.

Looking beyond Greece’s debt. Source: Fotolia [M]

Endless summits are the stuff of nightmares for European leaders who have spent five years attending meetings that run late into the Brussels night and morning. It was true again over the last 24 hours, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her counterparts worked through the night to hammer out a dealthat keeps the Mediterranean country within the 19-nation euro zone.