A bunch of seemingly unrelated stories are unfolding concurrently in Europe that really get at the heart of the struggle for the future of the European Union. Protests for/against states rights in Hungary; a referendum for EU membership in Croatia; and even a downgrading of credit rating to most of the Eurozone countries all play into a broader picture of where the European Union as a unit is heading. Will it become the “United States of Europe,” or will countries start bailing out of the organization altogether? Only time will tell, but get the latest lowdown on the EU from the Professor right here!
Keywords: EU, European Union, Hungary, protests, Croatia, referendum, membership, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, UK,
As promised last podcast, the Professor now looks forward to the new year of 2012 to inform you of the details of the significant shift of world leadership going down in the next 365 days. From new leaders to be tested in North Korea, Italy and Spain; to election cycles in US, Mexico, France, Russia, and Taiwan; to major turnovers in China, Palestine and possibly Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen…the parade of new faces started in 2011 is going to be accelerated significantly in the coming year, and the Professor wants you to be in the know!
Happy New Year’s Eve! The Professor takes some time on the brink of 2012 to look back at what happened to world leaders from around the globe in 2011. It was a tough year to be in charge this year, as evidenced by the demise of dictators, the overthrow of or attacks on authoritarian regimes, plagues of personal health, and even the decline in support of significant democratic leaders all over the planet. Sometimes “it’s good to be da’ king!”....but not in 2011 it wasn’t!!!!
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
In this second installment of reporting on aspects of this current international intervention into Libya, the Plaid Avenger attempts to explain the role of the major states and international organizations that have driven the action of this ‘liberating’ project. Led by France (France in the lead?) and the UK, and joined by a hesitant US, these major world players got a resolution passed through the United Nations which cleared the way for the international community to ‘protect’ Libyan civilians from their own government. But this was a very shady deal, indeed! Who voted for it, and who did not? And now that it is passed and military action has been initiated against Libya, who is in charge of this rapidly escalating event? NATO….WTF…NATO? Yeah, this whole business is baffling, and the Avenger does his best to enlighten the befuddled…including himself.
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Keywords: UN, NATO, BRIC, sovereignty, US, France, UK, Germany, BRazil, Russia, India, China, veto, UN Security Council, UN Permanent Security Council members
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