Your Blog: 2012

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Germany Worries About Its Gold Reserves

Philipp Missfelder, member of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, tried to inspect German gold reserves stored in New York, but was not given access. (Getty Images) German politicians and accounting bodies want more guarantees concerning the security of Germany’s gold reserves, with Germany’s federal audit office due to report to the finance committee of the German Parliament on the...

Germany’s gold reserves may prove a powerful weapon in the troubled world economy. (Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images) Gold skyrocketed to over us$1,800 an ounce on Tuesday. One nation gained powerfully as a result: Germany. As the markets fixate on Europe, seeking to understand the complexities involved in Franco-German moves to stabilize the eurozone and hence the global economy, little attention...

Did the Holy Roman Empire Plan the Greek Crisis? by Gerald Flurry

The Greek riots are a sign of a far greater upheaval that is threatening to engulf much of Europe. (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images) I’d like to add my thoughts to a critical article written by Richard Palmer, titled “Who Will Stop the Greece Fires?” It was placed on our website Dec. 16, 200...

Italy Calls in the Army to Protect Tax Collectors

Italy’s Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri announced May 13 that Equitalia, the private company that collects taxes, and Finmeccanica, an aerospace and defense conglomerate, may receive military protection after they were attacked by anarchists. Cancellieri warned that the army may also need to protect Italy’s high-speed rail network.&nbs...

Twitter. Trends. Nigeria #somewhereinNigeria In one sudden flash, young Nigerians have taken to Twitter like an army of vultures on post-World War II Japan. The last couple of months have witnessed such an influx of opinion makers and shameless attention-seekers to the Twittersphere, that one wouldn’t be surprised if the elderly ones start to challenge the younger ones thus: “Don’t you know...

Senator Bukola Saraki spoke to Omojuwa.com’s Japh and Fiyinfoluwa Elegbede. We spoke on issues ranging from his current travails with the police, the Senate and it’s allowances, the competence (or otherwise of president Jonathan), his tenure as Kwara State Governor and the issues around the N21 billion loan saga amongst others...

Still on Failing State & Fading Peacekeepers by Nasir El-Rufai

Last week’s column on our nation’s peacekeeping failures ruffled more than a few feathers both within the defence establishment and corridors of executive power. That was expected, because when those wasting our resources in the name of our defence become exposed in the way our peacekeeping capacity has rapidly deteriorated, all kinds of motives will be imputed to divert attention from the...

Between Terrorism and Corruption – Implications For Nigeria : Paper Presented by Nasir El-Rufai

Between Terrorism and Corruption – Implications for Nigeria (Draft for Discussion) Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai Protocols Introduction I am pleased to be with the Silver Knights this afternoon to share my thoughts about two issues that confront our nation – terrorism and corruption. As a well-known opposition figure, I want to state clearly that the views expressed here are mine, and not of the political party I belong to – the Congress for Progressive Change. Secondly, my opinions are based...

To Your Tents, O Nigerians! By Faith Abiodun

Why is everyone tired of Nigeria? Rather, why shouldn’t they be tired of Nigeria? It was about 8:30am and I needed to make a quick stop on my 4-hour drive from Syracuse to the United Nations headquarters in New York City. I pulled over at the closest gas station somewhere around Philadelphia and went into the store to conduct quick business. Ten minutes later, I emerged with my breakfast and set about resuming my trip, but wait, I needed to grab an extra bottle of water. I...

Musings From 35,000 Feet By Faith Abiodun

I’m sitting precariously at 35,000 feet above the earth, on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Syracuse, New York; thinking back on the activities of the weekend. I was at an event in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday where former US President, Bill Clinton was guest speaker. I’ve always been fascinated by the Clintons, and it’s barely three weeks since I was listening to Hillary talk about the role of young people in building a better world. Hillary spoke directly...

Rashidi Yekini Was Murdered By Segun Odegbami

This is one of the most difficult articles I have ever written. I now believe that the universe sought me out some months ago for an assignment, to bear witness and to testify in the unfolding events surrounding the life and death of Rashidi Yekini! But why me? Within the football circle I believe I am one of a very few persons that Rashidi Yekini was comfortable with. Secondly, in the past three months I have had the closest interaction with the man up till the time I received...

Britain Tells Germany to Rearm by Richard Palmer

Britain’s military establishment has a shockingly shallow grasp of history. British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said Germany must recognize “that it can’t continue to be the dominant economy in Europe without also significantly increasing its military capability,” after talks with his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere in Germany, May...

Merkel and Monti Revive Old Berlin-Rome Axis by Ron Fraser

Ron Fraser examines the next step for Germany as it has already lost an ally in Nicholas Sarkozy as he lost the election to Francois Hollande. Angela Merkel looks to Mario Monti for a new partnership. Sixty years of work by European elites to create a united Europe consummated recently in two events that bring the seventh and final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire much closer to being a current-day reality. First, the “Berlin Group,” a fringe EU group of nations formed...

This Is Germany’s Moment! by Brad MacDonald

In this article Brad MacDonald provides an insight into events around Europe and what steps the Germans are taking to take full advantage. Happy reading. It appears the current phase of Europe’s debt crisis is entering its last hour. We’ll know soon, but it’s possible the weekend of May 5, 2012, will be remembered as a transformative moment in the history of Europe. Once again, the nation at the center of it all is Germany. On Sunday, a noteworthy chain of events will culminate...

Russia's Strategy by George Friedman

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 reversed a process that had been under way since the Russian Empire's emergence in the 17th century. It was ultimately to incorporate four general elements: Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Siberia. The St. Petersburg-Moscow axis was its core, and Russia, Belorussia and Ukraine were its center of gravity. The borders were always dynamic, mostly expanding but periodically contracting as the international situation warranted....

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that his Cabinet would resign April 23. The announcement came after the government failed to agree on budget cuts with its key partner the Party for Freedom, whose support had boosted the minority coalition to a parliamentary majorit...

China-Philippines Standoff Intensifies

From theTrumpet.com China’s belligerency is on display on the world stage once again. Beijing intensified a 10-day standoff between the Philippines and China on Friday by sending a third ship to a shoal in the South China Sea where both sides claim sovereignt...

From theTrumpet.com Another idea from the ‘Berlin Club’ A group of EU foreign ministers discussed the idea of merging the European Union’s top jobs into one on April 19, the EU Observer reports, coining the term “super-president” to describe the new top job. The jobs of European Council president, currently held by Herman Van Rompuy,...

With Submarines against Pirates

German government advisors are pleading for using submarines in the war on piracy at the Horn of Africa. Thanks to their "highly modern sensor technology," German submarines are not only capable of "covertly observing the pirates' vessels" and following their course, but also of "observing the pirates' potential bases both day and night," according to a statement just published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). The bases could therefore be attacked...

Russia Planning Troops Deployment On Iran's Northern Border And Waiting For A Western Attack By F. Michael Maloof

"Information Clearing House" --- WASHINGTON – The Russian military anticipates that an attack will occur on Iran by the summer and has developed an action plan to move Russian troops through neighboring Georgia to stage in Armenia, which borders on the Islamic republic, according to informed Russian sources. Russian Security Council head Viktor Ozerov said that Russian General Military Headquarters has prepared an action plan in the event of an...

US Gives Iran 'Last Chance' Warning by Guy Adams

"The Independent" -Iran must immediately close a large nuclear facility built underneath a mountain if it is to take what President Obama has called a "last chance" to resolve its escalating dispute with the West via diplomacy. Other "near term" concessions which must be met in the early stages of talks to avoid a potential military conflict, include the suspension of higher level uranium enrichment, and the surrender by Tehran of existing...

Iran Warns West Against Military Intervention in Syria

A senior Iranian cleric warned the West and Saudi Arabia on Friday against taking military action in the Syrian crisis. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said that the West, “the Arab hardliner regimes, and the Saudi Arabian government, all should know that if they intervene militarily in Syria, a fire would be started that would burn themselves before anyone else.” The ayatollah’s comments come at a time of escalated violence in Syria, which is Iran’s most important regional ally....

EU Militaries Pool Resources, Reduce Dependence on America

EU defense ministers attend a Defense Ministers Council on March 22, at EU headquarters in Brussels. (Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images) From Thetrumpet.com EU nations will invest in joint military projects such as air-to-air refueling and field hospitals as they try to save money and reduce their dependence on the United States, defense ministers from across the European Union decided...

JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L), German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (C) and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Berlin on March 21 Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski visited Berlin on March 21 to meet informally with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The visit, while...

The Tuaregs: From African Nomads to Smugglers and Mercenaries

The Tuaregs, a nomadic tribe in North and West Africa, dominated the caravan trade through the Sahara Desert for thousands of years. Their entire way of life was disrupted, however, by the imposition of borders, natural desertification, urbanization and the rise of maritime trade. In their quest to survive, the Tuaregs have launched several revolts in Mali and Niger, fought as mercenaries in the Libyan civil war and used their expertise to smuggle illicit goods, which brought them...

The United States in Korea: A Strategy of Inertia

By George Friedman After U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone on March 25 during his trip to South Korea for a nuclear security summit, he made the obligatory presidential remarks warning North Korea against continued provocations. He also praised the strength of U.S.-South Korean relations and commended the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there. Obama's visit itself is of little importance, but it is an opportunity to ask just what Washington's strategy...

Gunman dead as French siege ends

A police siege in the French city of Toulouse has ended with a man suspected of killing seven people now dead, the French interior minister has said. Police stormed the flat where Mohammed Merah was holed up at 09:30 GMT, after a siege that had lasted 32 hours. Merah fired at officers and was found dead after jumping from a window. The self-confessed al-Qaeda militant was suspected of killing four people outside a Jewish school and three soldiers in three separate...

Germany Hasn’t Given Up on a United States of Europe

From theTrumpet.com Led by Berlin, a select group of 10 states has formed to ‘revive the ideal of a united Europe.’ The name “Berlin Club” evokes images of a secretive organization, one in which wealthy old aristocrats gather together to drink scotch and plot to conquer the world. By Brad MacDonald Time will tell, but that impression might not be too far from reality. Created and led by Germany, the “Berlin Club” met for the first time on March 20 in Berlin....

The Arabian Peninsula has not been immune to the wave of recent demonstrations in countries across the Middle East. Notably, protests have been ongoing in Saudi Arabia's Shiite-concentrated Eastern Province for more than a year. Recently, however, unrelated demonstrations began in parts of the country where such unrest is rare, including a March 19 protest by female students demanding changes...

Mali: Soldiers Reportedly Seize Power In Coup

Soldiers seized power in a coup in Bamako on March 22 and deposed President Amadou Toumani Toure, The Guardian reported. The mutineers, calling themselves the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR) said they suspended the constitution and dissolved institutions. Leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo announced a curfew on state television. CNRDR spokesman Amadou Konare said the group will hand power back to an elected president after the country is unified...

Russia's Energy Plans for Turkey

Russia is interested in building natural gas storage facilities in Turkey, officials from Russia's Gazprom said March 20. Over the winter, Gazprom redirected natural gas from its storage facilities in Europe after a spike in demand in Turkey. Now, Gazprom wants to build underground natural gas storage facilities in Turkey to help when supplies dwindle in the future. Gazprom's proposal is part of Russia's larger strategy -- in both Turkey and Europe -- to increase Moscow's energy...

How Myanmar Liberates Asia by Robert D. Kaplan

Myanmar's ongoing liberalization and its normalization of relations with the outside world have the possibility of profoundly affecting geopolitics in Asia -- and all for the better. Geographically, Myanmar dominates the Bay of Bengal. It is where the spheres of influence of China and India overlap. Myanmar is also abundant in oil, natural gas, coal, zinc, copper, precious stones, timber and hydropower, with some uranium deposits as well. The prize of the Indo-Pacific region, Myanmar...

The State of the World: Assessing China's StrategyThe State of the World: Assessing China's Strategy

By George Friedman Simply put, China has three core strategic interests. Paramount among them is the maintenance of domestic security. Historically, when China involves itself in global trade, as it did in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the coastal region prospers, while the interior of China -- which begins about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the coast and runs about 1,600 kilometers to the west -- languishes. Roughly two-thirds of all Chinese citizens currently have household...

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Sunday, May 20, 2012

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Friday, April 13, 2012

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