The Immigration Myth
A tipping point has been reached across the West where immigration is increasingly regarded as unacceptable across all economic and educational classes. The indigenous population sees new immigrants as competitors […]
Read MoreThe Struggle for Democracy has Begun
For decades, we have been taking our freedom for granted. But suddenly authoritarian populists are threatening liberal societies worldwide. Time to wake up. Die Zeit, 4 August 2016. *** The […]
Read MoreTime for Common Sense
On June 18, 2013, President Putin warned that government revenues would be less than previously expected and that the budget policy for 2014-2016 had to be planned accordingly. He also said that while revenues from natural […]
Read MoreA democratic deficit – or just sheer apathy?
While people in the streets at first glance seems to indicate a movement for political change, it may only indicate how easy it is to organize large groups using the […]
Read MoreOccupy Russia
An Occupy Wall Street campaign demonstrator stands in Zuccotti Park, near Wall Street in New York October 17, 2011. Source: Reuters / Vostock Photo Is Russia immune to Occupy Wall […]
Read MoreDifferent consumers, same products
In the 1990s, many economists in the U.S. and Europe predicted that the euro would fail. Yet precious few pointed to the West’s huge debt in the late 1990s – or forecast […]
Read MoreA triumph of willful ignorance
Even before 9/11, politicians had a tendency to rely on poorly researched information about distant regions and culture. Since then, the situation has just gotten worse. I had just boarded […]
Read MoreIs the West in debt to the Rest?
Developed economies may be in trouble, but those in emerging markets shouldn’t write them off yet. Official reactions in Moscow and Beijing to the debt debacle in Washington provide the […]
Read MoreToyota will bounce back
Toyota’s recall of nearly 2 million cars doesn’t look good, but any company that records its first loss some 70 years after its foundation must be world class. In late […]
Read MoreRussia’s economic bandwagon rolls on despite major problems
MOSCOW. (Ian Pryde for RIA Novosti) – Several events this week cast interesting light on Russia’s economy, and the different perceptions of the country here and abroad. After Heiligendamm and […]
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