Economy

Posted: Monday, February 1, 2010
Author: Andrew Baer

In his just-released memoirs On The Brink, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson alleges that top Russian officials made overtures to their Chinese counterparts suggesting coordinated economic disruption (warfare?) against the United States in the Summer of 2008. Paulson claims that during the 2008 Summer Beijing Olympics Russian officials pressed China to dump its Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac holdings, suggesting “that together they might sell big chunks of their GSE holdings to force the U.S. to use its emergency authorities to prop up these companies.” Central bank data confirms that Russia sold all 65.6 billion dollars worth of its Mae-Mac holdings mid-2008. Though China rejected Russia’s proposal, the incident highlights the potential for state-level, non-military disruptions as a potential blind-spot in U.S. National Security thinking.

Posted: Thursday, October 22, 2009
Author: Amber Pembleton

Moving beyond security and military cooperation, Iraq and the U.S. talked business this week. The U.S. State Department hosted the Iraqi prime minister for the U.S.-Iraq Dialogue and Economic Cooperation summit on Monday followed by two days of session for the Iraq Investment and Business Conference. The U.S. troops are withdrawing from Iraqi cities, and the violence may be lessening, but is there enough security for investment? According to one New York Times article, many U.S. investors are still weary of investment in Iraq because of the overall political situation that still favors corruption.

Posted: Monday, August 3, 2009
Author: Steven Rotchtin

As it becomes clearer that Iran is, under present conditions, uninterested in engaging President Obama in bilateral discussions over its nuclear program, the New York Times reports that elements within the American administration have begun to explore the possibility of imposing more substantial sanctions against Iran. The most popular option at the moment is cutting off the regime’s imports of refined petroleum, a sanction that, if carried out successfully, would have an enormous effect on the energy- starved Iranian economy.

Posted: Friday, July 17, 2009
Author: Andrew Akhlaghi

The long maligned Nabucco pipeline made a startling comeback into the realm of feasibility with the signing of several memoranda between Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Turkey. From a geo-political perspective, Russia has feared Nabucco as a threat to Gazproms dominant position in Europe.

Posted: Friday, July 3, 2009
Author: Adriana Piotrowska

In Nigeria, more than 100 laptops were distributed to primary school children, as part of the program “One-Laptop-Per-Child”, which distributes laptops to both private and public schools, in developed and developing nations. The cost is about $200 per unit and is expected to decrease in the next year to $75. The computer comes with software, servers, and internet connectivity. This program will have beneficial educational implications.

Posted: Friday, July 3, 2009
Author: Andrew Akhlaghi

Pakistanis have come to see the Taliban as a major problem and there is support for the current offensives against the Pakistani Taliban. However, it should be noted that the key to preserving what gain has been made by the Pakistani military will involve more than convincing Punjabis that the Tehrik-e Taliban (the umbrella organization for Pakistan’s Taliban) is dangerous. The key will be getting IDPs (internally displaced persons) back to their homes and maintaining security and basic services for those displaced in the offensive in the NWFP (North-West Frontier Provinces). Essentially, the Pakistani government needs to make sure that the current offensives do not alienate the population and that they prevent the Taliban from regaining a foothold in the NWFP.

Posted: Friday, July 3, 2009
Author:Natalie Matthews

China has agreed to give Zimbabwe a $950 million loan to help it revive its economy. Zimbabwe’s government has estimated it needs $8 billion to rebuild the country. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai recently toured Western nations in a bid to get aid for his country. However, these nations, including the United States, are reluctant to release money to the government Tsvangirai is sharing with his rival, Robert Mugabe, until demonstrated improvements occur in Zimbabwe. China is free from these concerns about human rights and governance.

Posted: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Author: Steven Rotchtin

As the 2010 Defense Budget moves through Congress, US defense contractors are being confronted with a dilemma. The proposed 2010 Defense Budget marks the end of a trend of the last eight years, in which the DoD invested heavily in advanced weapons systems; the defense budget increased 40% in the years under President Bush. While the 2010 budget again increases above the previous year’s level, it is differentiated by a $30 billion dollar decrease in proposed weapons expenditures. The DoD is shifting the focus of its spending and is planning on cutting contracts for the expensive, big-ticket weapons projects on which defense contractors thrive.

Posted: Friday, June 26, 2009
Author: Andrew Akhlaghi

The recent agreement between Pakistan and Iran for a natural gas pipeline (dubbed the “peace pipeline”) may be running into new problems. Iran has long sought to gain greater access to China and India. These two emerging markets form a gaping energy maw that is sucking in resources from all over the world. However, the recent electoral turmoil may further negotiations with Iran even more difficult.

Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Author: Adriana Piotrowska

With the global economic crisis, poverty in Africa is receiving even more media attention; and the old debate, “aid or trade”, has become even more heated. The subject has been examined and analyzed over and over by academics -- but what do the African people think and is anything being done about it? Aid is welcome in all nations, yet as expected, long-term solutions affiliated with economy and security are preferred.