Σπάνε οι Κουμπαράδες στα Πετρελαιοπαραγωγά Κράτη

Τη μεθυστική περίοδο της έκρηξης των τιμών των εμπορευμάτων, οι πλούσιες σε πετρέλαιο χώρες συσσώρευσαν εκατοντάδες δισεκατομμύρια δολάρια από την πώληση φυσικού αερίου και αργού πετρελαίου στο εξωτερικό. Τα συναλλαγματικά διαθέσιμα των μεγαλύτερων πετρελαιοπαραγωγών κρατών «εκτοξεύτηκαν» στα 2,5 τρισ. δολάρια στα μέσα του 2014. Οι χώρες αυτές –η Αλγερία, η Ανγκόλα, το Καζακστάν, η Νιγηρία, η Ρωσία, η Σαουδική Αραβία και άλλες– επένδυσαν σε αμερικανικούς τίτλους χρέους και άλλα χρεόγραφα. Πήραν επίσης «τρόπαια» όπως τα κεντρικά γραφεία της Time Warner στο Μανχάταν, την ποδοσφαιρική ομάδα Παρί Σεν Ζερμέν και πολυτελείς κατοικίες στο Λονδίνο, δίνοντας σημαντική ώθηση στις τιμές τέτοιου είδους παγίων.

An Israeli Lobby in China?

Image Credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Earlier this year, StandWithUs (SWU), a pro-Israeli American advocacy group that coordinates its activities closely with the Israeli government, finally unveiled an SWU-China division for its organization in an event that marked a joint celebration of the Chinese New Year and Jewish Tu B’Shvat in Jerusalem (involving, interestingly enough, talks by three Israel Defense Force soldiers from China’s Kaifeng Jewish community).

Does Turkey Prefer A European Or Eurasian Energy Union?

The sixth meeting of the World Forum on Energy Regulation is scheduled to be held on May 25–28, in Istanbul, and is being organized by the office of the prime minister of the Turkish Republic. The competitive and dynamically expanding nature of the energy sector in Eurasia has been boosting Turkey’s regional importance as it prepares to take on the role of a strategically important transit and energy hub country (Hurriyet Daily News, January 28).

December 2014 saw the reemergence of competition between rival pipeline projects in Eurasia—similar to the earlier competition between the Nabucco natural gas pipeline, proposed by a consortium of European companies, and Russia’s South Stream. Currently, Russia’s new proposed pipeline project—Turkish Stream—is challenging the Azerbaijani-initiated Southern Gas Corridor, which will carry Caspian-basin gas to Europe via the South Caucasus, Turkey and then across Southeastern Europe.

The Starving Children of Helmand Province

The malnutrition ward at Bost Hospital in Lashkar Gah is normally packed with wide-eyed, withered babies and skeletal toddlers with swollen stomachs. But at the moment, only half of the beds are full.

In Kazakhstan, fears of becoming the next Ukraine

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev greets supporters during a rally at a sports center in Astana in April 2011. (Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images)

A volatile mix now building in Kazakhstan contains the same ingredients that ignited in Ukraine: a Russian minority that says it fears being under siege, rising anti-Russian nationalist sentiment and pressure on the Russian language.

Μ. Ακιντζί: «Οι εγγυήσεις δεν τερματίζονται μονομερώς από την Ελλάδα»

Οι εγγυήσεις βασίζονται σε διεθνείς συμφωνίες και δεν μπορούν να τερματιστούν μονομερώς με δήλωση της Ελλάδας, δήλωσε ο νέος Τ/κ ηγέτης Μουσταφά Ακιντζί, σε συνέντευξή του στην τουρκική εφημερίδα "Σταρ", ενώ απέρριψε την αντίληψη που κυριαρχεί, όπως είπε, στην ελληνοκυπριακή πλευρά,  σύμφωνα με την οποία "Εγώ είμαι το κυρίαρχο κράτος και εσείς είστε πολίτες μου".

Υποστήριξε ότι η ε/κ πλευρά συμπεριφέρεται με τσιγκουνιά στο θέμα του διαμοιρασμού της εξουσίας και πρόσθεσε πως αν η ε/κ πλευρά χωνέψει ότι είναι ίση με την τ/κ, τότε θα έχει ξεπεραστεί το πιο σημαντικό εμπόδιο.  Έστειλε μήνυμα προς την Τουρκία, λέγοντας ότι δεν έχει κρυφή ατζέντα και πρέπει να γίνεται αντιληπτό αυτό που λέει και όχι κάτι διαφορετικό.

Could Asia’s debt torpedo growth?

Debt-to-GDP ratios have built up rapidly across Asia and may start impeding growth. Even more worrisome than the absolute levels of debt is the pace of the increase. While the Asian debt surge signals rising risks, it is not necessarily the advent of a new crisis.

Levels of debt have skyrocketed in a number of Asian economies, raising fresh concerns. In the 2015 report on debt and deleveraging, McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) analysts highlight that Asian governments, corporations, and households have accumulated debt worth 205% of total annual economic output.

Two cheers for Ukraine

Despite recent progress, Ukraine remains militarily, politically and economically fragile. The EU needs to do more to help.



There are plenty of reasons for those in Kyiv to be optimistic. The government, more competent and less corrupt than any since independence in 1991, is undertaking serious reform. But Ukraine’s success is far from assured: the political class is fractious, Russia may be preparing for more fighting in the Donbass and the economy is shrinking. Without sustained Western attention, the country’s attempt to become a Western-orientated democracy may once again fail, as happened after the ‘orange revolution’ of 2004.

5 Long-Term Solutions To Europe's Refugee Crisis

As EU ministers meet in reaction to the disaster in the Mediterranean earlier, their focus will be on immediate responses. For example, it is likely that they will agree to strengthen patrols in the Mediterranean and support the capacity of countries in North Africa to control irregular migration flows. This is only appropriate.

Over 30,000 asylum seekers are estimated to have arrived in Europe this year already, and over 1,000 have already lost their lives.  But for these and other short-term measures to have lasting impact, they need to be part of a wider approach that also pays attention to the underlying drivers for growing irregular migration towards Europe.

Immigration Drives a Deeper Wedge Between EU States

The European Union is once again struggling to come up with a coherent asylum strategy for its 28 members. In recent years, the rising number of asylum seekers entering the European Union through countries such as Italy and Greece has generated friction among member states, fueled criticism of the Schengen Agreement and contributed to the growing popularity of nationalist parties.

However, the European Union will not reform its asylum policies in any significant way. Member states will provide more financial assistance to Mediterranean countries, but they will refuse to accept quotas of immigrants over the coming months and years. Anti-immigration sentiments will persist across the Continent, putting substantial pressure on one of the European Union's founding principles: the free movement of people.