America, the fragile empire – latimes.com

Posted by Matt in February 28th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Niall Ferguson, Armageddon, Central And Eastern Europe, Collapse Of The Soviet Union, empire, Hindsight, Historian, Historians, Imperium, Lenin, Less Than Five Years, Mikhail Gorbachev, Oil Prices, Political Scientist, Precipitous Decline, Soviet Nuclear Arsenal, Soviet System, Soviets, Stephen Kotkin, Stockpile, Third World

The most recent and familiar example of precipitous decline is the collapse of the Soviet Union. With the benefit of hindsight, historians have traced all kinds of rot within the Soviet system back to the Brezhnev era and beyond. Perhaps, as the historian and political scientist Stephen Kotkin has argued, it was only the high [...]

Iran’s leader plays the pan-Muslim populist | GlobalPost

Posted by Matt in September 22nd, 2009 | no comment

Published in Iran, Addresses, Arab Street, Cavernous Hall, General Assembly, Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Muslim World, Nuclear Saber, Persian Society, Plays, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Reputation, Saber Rattling, Third World, United Nations, World Hero, World Leaders

How Ahmadinejad’s Israel bashing and nuclear saber rattling plays better on the Arab street than in Persian society
When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses the United Nations on Wednesday, he will speak past the world leaders gathered in the cavernous hall of the General Assembly. His message will be crafted to improve his standing in the [...]

Warning: You are now entering a double-dip recession

Posted by Matt in April 25th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Economy, Financial, Back To The Future, Bush Tax Cuts, Capacity Utilization, Carbon Credits, Consumer Spending, Corporate Bonds, Deficit Spending, Dollar Bubble, Double Dip Recession, Economists, Energy Costs, Excerpts, Factories, Financial Crisis, Fourth Quarter, Global Financial Crisis, Green Card, Immigrants, Market Numbers, Money Supply, Money Supply M2, Obama, Program Legislation, Rationalization, Reset Button, Safety Reasons, Security Trust Fund, Social Security Trust, Social Security Trust Fund, Tax Increases, Third World, Treasuries, Trust Fund Surpluses, Unstable Economy

When the current recession starts to hit bottom in the next year or two, new problems/issues will start to emerge. These issues will most certainly send us right back into a new recession.
1. When the recession starts to bottom out in next year or two (2009-2010), there are two bubbles that will probably burst: the [...]

Losing the Cold Peace

Posted by Matt in July 21st, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Russia, Apex, Authoritarian, Capitalist Powers, China, Cold Peace, Defeat Of Japan, Foreign Affairs Magazine, Germany, Military Power, National Security, Russia, Security Specialist, Soviet Union, Tel Aviv University, Third World, Victory

“China and Russia represent the return of economically successful authoritarian capitalist powers, which have been absent since the defeat of Japan and Germany in 1945,” writes Azar Gat, a national security specialist at Tel Aviv University, in Foreign Affairs magazine.
Ironically, at precisely the moment when America’s military power appears to be at its apex, the [...]

Moscow: 65 Meters Underground in a Secret Bunker

Posted by Matt in July 13th, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in Russia, Shelters, Alcoholics, Bolshoi Theatre, Citizens, moscow, Notions, Poll Results, Red Square, Russia, Russia Pictures, Russian Pictures, Russians, Secret Bunker, St Basil, St Basil S Cathedral, Third World, Tourists, Traveller, Tretyakov Gallery, tunnels, Underground, Ussr, World Superpower

The Red Square, St. Basil`s Cathedral, Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theatre are amongst the “standard” must-see attractions in Moscow for a foreign traveller. However, there are a number of places in Moscow foreign tourists are rarely shown. One of them is restricted USSR military object – Secured Command Post «Taganskiy» (GO-42), located 65 meters underground.
Kotelnicheskii [...]