With Friends Like These…

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: October 26, 2009

I just published a quick rant on Huffington Post after watching Joe Scarborough complain and moan about how the U.S. is going it alone on Afghanistan during his morning MSNBC show.  It’s no wonder so many countries are getting into bed with Venezuela, Russia, and China … they probably show more appreciation. Both Washington and […]

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Parag Khanna on the Future of Sovereign Borders

By Citizen M | Published: October 1, 2009

If you can find 20 minutes to spare, Parag Khanna’s presentation at this year’s TED conference has some thought provoking moments. Among them: 2:45 – 6:00 – a discussion of the China-Mongolia-Russia space and how the de facto Chinese influence in the area echoes a prior point in history. 6:00 – 9:00 – the protrusion […]

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Zero Security for Russia and Venezuela’s Elites

By James Kimer | Published:

Yesterday the insider blog Caracas Chronicles ran a cool post about Eligio Cedeño, a once successful banker turned political prisoner whom (as you probably know) Bob represents.  The article captures the sinister threat of legalistic machine that Hugo Chávez had built, but the source is a little off on what contributed to the motives (such […]

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Chávez Tests New Boundaries with Nuclear Assistance to Iran

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: September 29, 2009

U.S. policy towards Hugo Chávez’s increasingly ugly antics in Venezuela has been one of failed reverse psychology – that the less attention is paid to him, the less reason he would have for misbehavior.  This consideration of Chávez as an annoyance rather than a threat was illustrated very clearly last year when Miraflores invited Russian […]

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Zelaya Has Gone Batshit Crazy

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: September 24, 2009

I’ve written in various places about the coup in Honduras, and stated in radio interviews that I support Washington’s stance and the efforts of Oscar Arias to bring resolution to the conflict and restore constitutional normality.  Even if Manuel “Mel” Zelaya broke the law while in office, the military had no right to handle the […]

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Arvo Pärt Symphony to Khodorkovsky Debuts Tonight in Toronto

By Robert Amsterdam | Published:

In the past we have blogged about the famed Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s dedication of his latest Symphony #4 to Mikhail Khodorkovsky.  Tonight at 8PM at the Toronto Centre for the Arts this work will debut.  For my fellow Canadian citizens and blog readers, please get out there to Yonge street to see this unique […]

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Obama’s Homage to Lewis Carroll

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: September 23, 2009

For years I have enjoyed Mark Helprin’s novels – “Winter’s Tale” is specifically quite good.  What many may not have known is that Helprin is a pretty prolific and uncompromising political opinion writer – and I believe that for many of my readers he may come off as strident and absolutist.  In other words, his […]

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Snapshot Observations on the Global Economic Crisis

By Citizen M | Published: September 22, 2009

CNN Money is running an interesting feature by David Goldman entitled “10 countries, 10 solutions” which details the particularities of the global economic crisis facing 10 key countries. In typical old-media fashion, the layout makes no sense from a user-friendliness perspective, so I’m going to take significant liberties in reposting their original content. They also […]

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A (Temporary?) Resolution to the Bank of New York Money Laundering Epic

By Citizen M | Published:

Of all the coverage coming out of the recent judgment on the Bank of New York Mellon money laundering case, Fortune’s coverage appears to be the most thorough so far, not to mention that it immediately won me over with its headline: “Russia settles suit against U.S. bank for a pittance”. So that we’re all on […]

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Of course it’s a deal

By James Kimer | Published: September 18, 2009

Meir Javedanfar at the Guardian has an article entitled “Did the US do a deal with Russia?”  Duh.   I wonder when Israel sends a wry thank you letter to Poland and the Czech Republic. Should Russia desert Iran’s side and join the west, China could find itself standing alone. Under such circumstances, its leadership could […]

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