Fallout from Obama’s Russia Strategy Is Spreading through Europe
The Obama administration’s sanctions against Russia, reluctantly supported by the Europeans, bite more deeply every day. But it is also clearer with each daily news report that Russians are not going to suffer alone. Russia’s immediate neighbors and the Europeans…
Ukraine Starts Its March to Free-Market Capitalism
Ukraine watchers, to say nothing of Ukrainians, had better fasten their seatbelts. The passage of a former Soviet republic to free-market capitalism is about to begin. None of the players involved in this transition — the Poroshenko government in Kiev,…
Why the Hell Does Mario Draghi Want to Leave the ECB Now!?
What would happen to Europe’s prospects for recovery if Mario Draghi left his job as president of the European Central Bank? Would Draghi’s plans to implement an ambitious policy of monetary stimulus get bulldozed by German inflation hawks and others…
As Deflation Looms, It’s Europe’s Moment of Truth
Europe is in trouble… Again. This time, Europe is on the brink of disastrous trouble. This, unfortunately, seems to be news not yet delivered to many European Union technocrats—in particular, many Germans. It starts to look reckless for policy makers…
Why Google and Uber Are Playing Badly in Europe
Big data is in Big Trouble in Europe—Merkel won’t forgive NSA spying. Google faces an antitrust suit that could break up the company in Europe. Ubergeddon goes global as Singapore also imposes a ban. Things aren’t looking too good across…
Monetary Easing’s the Game, but It Can’t Fix Economies By Itself
It’s all forces to the deflation front now, except when the troops are fighting inflation. Either way, monetary policy is now the confirmed fashion as all three of the leading economies—Europe, Japan, and the U.S.—simultaneously put their faith in money…
Europe Faces Anti-Austerity Mutiny as Crisis Looms
The running theme at the meeting of European Union leaders in Milan last week was, “The toolbox is empty. Nobody knows what to do next to get Europe’s economies out of the ditch.” News reports from Milan correspondents told a…
Europe’s New Recession Is One Just One of the West’s Problems
After the mini-avalanche in the markets last week, it would be comforting to conclude they are oversold and investors will soon come to their senses. Could be. But behind the clear indications of slower growth in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere,…
The Mess Obama Made on the Way to the So-Called Ceasefire in Ukraine
Assuming the ceasefire declared in Ukraine as of sundown Friday holds—and the early signs are favorable—we celebrate the end of a conflict that has claimed a startling 2,600 lives since it broke out in April. But not so fast. It’s…
The Eurozone’s So-Called Recovery Is a Bust
It’s almost a year since the eurozone was supposed to enter recovery mode. But you can’t eat statistics, as people in the southern-rim crisis nations have learned. Even now, the laser-thin growth numbers sustaining the “austerity works” argument are evaporating….
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