Italy, “Safe Bonds,” and Europe’s Populist Fantasyland
Mises.org
So, what’s wrong with Italy’s populist economic program? Contrary to populist belief, what makes it a threat to Europe? Here’s a critical question: to what extent are Italy’s economic woes attributable to Italian politics and economics vs the Euro? Perhaps the current economic problems are due to policies inhibiting growth and competition, the championing of certain companies (many of them state-owned) over others, penalizing growing sectors of the economy with punitive taxes, erecting legal barriers to repo assets from bad debt. Overall, it’s a huge mess.
Is America’s Global Influence Shrinking?
Ron Paul Institute
Prior to the Iran nuclear deal pull-out, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, presented Iran with 12 demands. 12 “impossible” demands. Iran knew, and perhaps so did Mike Pompeo. So, what was the point of issuing them? Was it an implicit provocation veiled within a more explicit language of diplomacy? At any rate, what’s really interesting is what happened next. Iran reached out to Europe. Trump was furious, threatening sanctions on European countries. Yet Merkel reached out to Russia. The point is this: it appears that just about every nation sees US isolation as something “beneficial” rather than as a disadvantage. Is America losing its global influence?
Central Banks Haven’t Always Been Quite as Bad as They Are Now
Mises.org
To many people, the Fed is an institution that, using sophisticated financial models, overreaches into the complex domain of markets, adding to its complexities, multiplying the potential for catastrophic risk; a consequence of over-complicating a system that is already complex due to its dynamic and heterogeneous nature. Well, the Fed wasn’t always that way, believe it or not.
Congress May Fund the New Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead, Making Nuclear War More Possible
Zerohedge
Since the advent of the Cold War, the nuclear option has always served as a means of deterrence. Unlike most munitions, nuclear bombs were, ironically, developed to ensure their non-usage. Annihilation would not only be mutual, but its effects would spread to other nations who may not be involved in the conflict. But now, the new “low-yield” nuclear warhead—with “smaller” explosive power—may become a more practical option. This makes it more usable. It also disrupts the original “deterrence” model that for decades had guided the nuclear proliferation strategy. With deterrence gone, the likelihood of smaller nuclear strikes becomes more prevalent.
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