Drugs Money and Crime Make the World Go Round

Introduction

My purpose is to draw attention to the phenomenon of a new form of crime network, in effect the globalisation of crime aided by terrorism, sometimes energised by “anti political” governments, and the hijacking of freedom movements in the developing world by people with very dubious agendas.

In the early years of his first presidency, Vladimir Putin predicted that the confluence of major criminal networks with terrorism would prove to be a major challenge for the world.

I begin by examining important recent research published by two reputable international bodies. Both show that Russia’s current prime minister got it right. Continue reading

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The European Dream is Over. What Will Replace it?

The imminent collapse of the Euro is a symptom of a broader and potentially terminal malaise in the EU. This latest, fourth failed effort this year, signals the beginning of the end. Continue reading

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And What About the Banks? Or Did We Imagine it?

Richard Whelan takes issue with an inaccurate account of fiscal imbalances and of Ireland’s role in the economic crisis.

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The October 27 “Comprehensive Package” Was Always Going to Fail

The eurozone’s third comprehensive package in 2011 will make matters worse, and continues the 17 little Indians saga. Continue reading

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The Recent Iranian Plot is Very Real and a Vision of the Future

There’s a discernible logic to what Iran is doing funding Mexican drug traffickers to bomb a US restaurant and kill the Saudi ambassador, and whoever else might be eating there. Three elements have come together in a dangerous cocktail of terrorism, international rivalry and criminality, and the threat is serious.

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Merkel’s Folly an Exercise in Germany Neo-Colonialism

My article “Merkel’s Folly an exercise in Germany neo-colonialism” in Studies review, autumn 2011 edition, also deals with German behaviour in the current economic difficulties. Studies is a serious and challenging quarterly review, a recognised forum for serious discussion, published in Ireland by the Jesuit community,www.studiesirishreview.ie.

Although the Studies article and my more comprehensive analysis both consider Germany’s role in the new European order, the articles differ considerably in content and treatment. The Studies article is shorter and deals with the basics as they presented themselves writing to a deadline. The other piece is longer, more fluid in presentation and reflects developments up to mid-September 2011.

See also:

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Global Strategic Review

The Global Strategic Review, the annual conference of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 to 11 September 2011.

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German Economic Behaviour, as Illustrated in the Eurozone Crisis, is a Form of Neo-Colonialism, and an Inadvertent “Game” of 10 Little Indians

My article “Merkel’s Folly an exercise in Germany neo-colonialism” in Studies review, autumn 2011 edition, also deals with German behaviour in the current economic difficulties. Studies is a serious and challenging quarterly review, a recognised forum for serious discussion, published in Ireland by the Jesuit community,www.studiesirishreview.ie. Continue reading

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Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice

Terrorism and Political Violence July-August 2011

Jarret M. Brachman. Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge, 2009. 212 pp., $41.95 paper. ISBN: 978-0-415-45242-7.
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