The Professor gives his take on a few international stories he thinks are of equal, if not greater, significance this week than the domestic political discourse or even the over-touted huge UN meeting going on in New Your UN headquarters. This week:
...Mahmoud Abbas gains Palestinian popularity
...Islamic extremist/separatist activity in SouthEast Asia
...Russian Prime Minister Putin throws his ushanka into the presidential race
...Center-right leaders across Europe are taking political hits
...and the head US military man lays the smack-down on the Pakistani ISI as being part of the problem, not part of the solution, to instability and terrorism in Central Asia…US/Pakistani relations now at an all time low?
Keywords: Palestine, sovereignty, UN, US, Philippines, Abu Sayyaf, Moro National Liberation Front, Awliyah, Indonesia, religious violence, Russia, Germany, Italy, UK, fiscal policy, Admiral Mullins, Pakistan, ISI, Haqqani network, General Kayani, deteriorating relations
The Professor gives his take on a few international stories he thinks are of much greater significance this week than the droll domestic political drivel that is forced upon the American public on a daily basis. This week:
...floods in southern Pakistan, along with increased terror attacks
...flaring tensions on the Kosovo-Serbian border
...the big UN meeting meeting next week, wherein Palestinian sovereignty is a big issue
...Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan’s increasing influence in the world….
and how Recep and Obama are likely to have a pow-wow on the sidelines of the imminent UN meeting!
As decided on by the awesome Plaid Viewers, this Professor rant outlines what ‘Rare Earth’ elements are, what industries they are crucial to, how the Chinese completely cornered the world market on them, and how this has give China tremendous political leverage over countries as a result. The Prof also points out repercussions of this Chinese “cheating” the capitalist system in terms of new mining operations globally, possible moves by governments to be more involved in national industries…and even the possible new sovereign state of Greenland? Say what? Yep. It’s all in there!
Synopsis:
Wowsers!!! Huge big nuke deal just went down in Germany, and I ain’t talkin’ meltdown here! Prime Minister Angela Merkel of Germany just announced that her state has totally renounced nuclear energy use, and will have all reactors off-line by 2022…which is a stunning 180 degree turn from her administration’s position just 9 months ago! Of course, a lot of this stems from fears of the Japanese nuclear disaster earlier this year, but the move by the 4th largest economy and a world superpower in its own right is sending shockwaves thru the nuclear industry and the world. This could very well be a “JFK:we-will-put-a-man-on-the-moon” moment in history that shapes the future of the planet as Germany may spur a true movement towards alternative energies that other countries embrace. BUT, don’t count out nuke energy just yet, as there are many other states still going forward in the future with the fission fun!
Synopsis: Watch out! The floodgates for Middle Eastern migration to Europe may have possibly just been opened up by the instability and chaotic nature caused by the Arab revolutionary spirit being unleashed in multiple Mediterranean countries! Say what? What do revolutions in the Middle East have to do with immigration policy in Europe? Just everything, my friends! In this episode, the Plaid Avenger explains the repercussions of the Arab revolutions on the already fractured and frayed immigration policies of the EU, and how this sudden inflow of folks to Europe is causing a serious re-evaluation of how European nations will be running their affairs in the near future. Is the era of multiculturalism dead? Only the Avenger knows!
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