Posted by smeddum on March 24, 2009
We are living through history in the making. Not the good kind of history. More like Nero-fiddling-while-Rome-burned history. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Financial crisis | Tagged: End of empire | Leave a Comment »
Posted by smeddum on March 23, 2009
| March 23, 2009
By Justin Raimondo |
Author’s note: The following is the text of a talk given in Paris on March 21, at the “Prendre le Moyens de la paix au XXI siecle,” which I believe roughly translates into “Prospects for Peace in the 21st Century,” a conference sponsored by Bernardins College and the Sorbonne. I am not cheered by the subject of my talk here today, which is the decline and fall of the American empire, first, because I am an American, and, second, because the description of America as an empire fits it all too well. When you remember that the American Revolution was fought against an imperial power, that U.S. was born in a struggle against an occupying army, and that its victory against the British was an inspiration to anti-imperialist liberals everywhere, it is a shaming thing to have to come here to describe how it ended in tragedy, betrayal, and a short and ugly decline. Read the rest of this entry » |
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: End of empire | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 22, 2009
This incomparable article tells us pretty well exactly what this crisis is about; not just money, not just fraud, but the direct seizure of power by a financier clique. Unhappily for them they are now emerging into the light of day away from the dark recesses of power in which they thrived and pulled the strings behind the scenes. Oligarchy is having to seize the direct reins of power and formally ratify itself- just look at the composition of the Obama administration. Such a development, however, will prove fatal and can only hasten their end.
The global economic crisis isn’t about money – it’s about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution
Matt Taibbi
19th March, 2009
It’s over — we’re officially, royally fucked. no empire can survive being rendered a permanent laughingstock, which is what happened as of a few weeks ago, when the buffoons who have been running things in this country finally went one step too far. It happened when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was forced to admit that he was once again going to have to stuff billions of taxpayer dollars into a dying insurance giant called AIG, itself a profound symbol of our national decline — a corporation that got rich insuring the concrete and steel of American industry in the country’s heyday, only to destroy itself chasing phantom fortunes at the Wall Street card tables, like a dissolute nobleman gambling away the family estate in the waning days of the British Empire.
Posted in Financial crisis | Tagged: coup d'etat in America, End of empire, financial fraud, oligarchy | 1 Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 15, 2009
Posted in Afghanistan, Multipolar world | Tagged: Afghanistan, Afghanistan. Khyber Pass, End of empire, Multipolar world, New Cold War, Russian diplomacy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 14, 2009
This rebalancing of existing global institutions to
reflect multipolarity is a moment in the reform of
these institutions leading ultimately to their
refoundation on the basis of a new paradigm
March 14 (Reuters) – Issuing their first-ever communique at
a G20 finance ministers’ meeting, Brazil, China, Russia and
India have called for a bigger voice on international bodies —
signalling their growing political resolve to influence global
affairs. [ID:nLE152911]
Following is the text of the statement:
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Financial crisis, Multipolar world | Tagged: BRIC alliance, BRIC joint communique, End of empire, Financial crisis | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 14, 2009
MOSCOW, March 14 (RIA Novosti) – International financial organizations should be more fair in their treatment of the countries with the largest developing economies, including to Russia, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Multipolar world | Tagged: End of empire, Financial crisis, new global architecture, new global financial system, new global leadership, Russian diplomacy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 14, 2009
“The summit is also expected to call for an increase in funding for the International Monetary Fund (IMF).However, Brazil, China, India and Russia said they would not contribute extra money until their voting power at the IMF rises. The IMF voting structure gives greater voting power to the US and Europe in the agency’s decisions.”
The BRIC alliance has emerged as a counterpole to US/UK hegemony and is here frustrating Brown’s plan to use the IMF to gain control of the global economy
14th March, 2009
Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 have met in London amid rifts on how to tackle the global financial crisis.
The US, supported by Britain, is calling for more government spending to spur growth. European governments, however, want rapid moves to change the rules governing financial markets in addition to massive public expenditure.
Posted in Financial crisis, Multipolar world | Tagged: BRIC alliance, End of empire, Financial crisis, IMF reform, Multipolar world, The Brown Plan | 1 Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 12, 2009
Click on above link to view photo gallery.
Remains of a City
On their website, the photographers write, “Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes…the volatile result of the change of eras and the fall of empires. This fragility leads us to watch them one very last time: to be dismayed, or to admire, it makes us wonder about the permanence of things.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: End of empire | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 10, 2009
It looks like the New Cold War is already over as, not only have US/UK efforts to put a wedge between Iran and Russia have clearly failed, but NATO dependence on Russia with regard to Afghan supllies is confirmed. We can now expect Russian diplomacy to become more forceful with their brokering of a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East back on the agenda:
Also, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week, “[The] American side should join the position of the ‘[Iran] Six’ [the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany] not only on paper, but also the talks with Iran as proposed by the six … At issue is also involving Iran on an equal, worthy basis in efforts to resolve the Iraqi and Afghan conflicts, as well as in all aspects of the Middle East settlement.”
By M K Bhadrakumar
Asia Times
11th March, 2009
With the likelihood of the United States engaging Iran in the near future and with Washington “resetting the button” in relations with Moscow, the air is thick with rumors of trade-offs. This is almost inevitable, given the interlocking cross-currents swirling around the three-way US-Iran-Russia equations.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Multipolar world | Tagged: Afghanistan, End of empire, Iran, Multipolar world, Obama agenda, Russian diplomacy, SCO | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 8, 2009
Banking crisis undermines Britain’s reputation as a safe place to hold funds
A silent $1 trillion “Run on Britain” by foreign investors was revealed yesterday in the latest statistical releases from the Bank of England. The external liabilities of banks operating in the UK – that is monies held in the UK on behalf of foreign investors – fell by $1 trillion (£700bn) between the spring and the end of 2008, representing a huge loss of funds and of confidence in the City of London.
Posted in Financial crisis | Tagged: End of empire, failing banks, financial collapse, stop the bailout | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on March 5, 2009
By Stephen Gowans
1st March, 2009
Michael D. Yates wrote an MRZine article accusing Fox and CNN journalists, and Michael Steele, the first black person to be selected to chair the Republican National Committee, of being complete boneheads. That Yates chose MRZine as his vehicle for launching a diatribe against the intellectual failings of the likes of Lou Dobbs and Wolf Blitzer means he must have been looking for an easy sell. He might as well have told Palestinians that Zionists are not their friends.
Posted in Iraq | Tagged: End of empire, iraq withdrawal, Obama agenda | Leave a Comment »
In These New Times 