The City is a semi-offshore state, a bit like the UK’s crown dependencies and overseas territories, tax havens legitimized by the Privy Council. Britain’s financial secrecy undermines the tax base while providing a conduit into the legal economy for gangsters, kleptocrats and drug barons. Even the more orthodox financial institutions deploy a succession of scandalous practices: pension mis-selling, … Read more
Hundreds of Turkish academics are waiting to find out whether they will be prosecuted or sacked for spreading “terrorist propaganda”, after they signed a petition calling for violence to end in Turkey’s southeast, where government forces have been fighting Kurdish separatists. After the petition provoked a furious response from Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, several … Read more
With all the U.S.-trained fighters dead, captured or missing and their leader in the hands of Al Qaeda, top U.S. commanders are scrambling this week to determine how to revive the half-billion dollar program to create a moderate Syrian army to fight the Islamic State. The outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General … Read more
23 links today. Enjoy. Facebook Democratized the News, but New Changes Do the Opposite (Important read, New York Times) Shaken Austrian Government Pledges Action on Asylum After Far-Right Surge (Reuters) The Senate Killed JASTA, Then Passed It… (The “sue Saudis for terrorism” legislation was totally watered down, Just Security) When It Comes to Losing Ugly, Bernie Has … Read more
In retrospect, Obama’s intervention in Libya was an abject failure, judged even by its own standards. Libya has not only failed to evolve into a democracy; it has devolved into a failed state. Violent deaths and other human rights abuses have increased severalfold. Rather than helping the United States combat terrorism, as Qaddafi did during … Read more
20 links today. Enjoy. The Age of Impunity (Excellent rant by Jeffrey Sachs, Boston Globe) SOUTH CHINA SEA WATCH: US Angers China as UN Ruling Looms (More escalation with China, AP) U.S. to Switch on European Missile Shield Despite Russian Alarm (More escalation with Russia, Reuters) The Pentagon is Building a ‘Self-Aware’ Killer Robot Army Fueled … Read more
The City is a semi-offshore state, a bit like the UK’s crown dependencies and overseas territories, tax havens legitimised by the Privy Council. Britain’s financial secrecy undermines the tax base while providing a conduit into the legal economy for gangsters, kleptocrats and drug barons. Even the more orthodox financial institutions deploy a succession of scandalous practices: pension mis-selling, … Read more
While extremely disturbing, I can’t say the following is particularly surprising. The Hill reports: Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) is criticizing the Obama administration as having tried to strong-arm a former senator who is pushing to declassify 28 pages of the 9/11 report dealing with Saudi Arabia. Like this post? Donate bitcoins: 35DBUbbAQHTqbDaAc5mAaN6BqwA2AxuE7G Follow me on Twitter.
The EU is turning a blind eye to an opposition crackdown in Turkey that’s polarizing society and complicating efforts to find a political solution to the nation’s Kurdish conflict, Demirtas said in an impromptu interview en route to Brussels. European leaders are expected to ink an agreement with Turkey on Monday that will offer faster … Read more
23 links today. Enjoy. Twitter Pummels ‘War Criminal’ Donald Rumsfeld (Feel good story of the day, Raw Story) Microsoft Sues US Government for the Right to Tell You When the Feds Are Reading Your Email (BoingBoing) Peter King: “I’ll Take Cyanide if He (Cruz) Ever Got the Nomination” (I’d vote for Cruz just to see … Read more