Mike Norman Economics

American Intelligence gets paid Billions, but it's intelligence is rubbish, says Alexander Lukashenko. [embedded content]

Middle Eastern OPEC producers have made it clear that they do not plan to increase production beyond the current OPEC+ quotas.The producers believe that the current price rally has been driven by geopolitical factors rather than market fundamentals.Saudi Arabia’s energy minister did recognize that years of underinvestment in oil exploration was now causing risks on the supply side.The Saudis are the swing producers so they set the price. OilpriceWhy OPEC Won’t Open The TapsIrina...

Miao Wei, former minister of industry and information technology, said a lesson from the global chip shortages is that China needs a strong indigenous auto chip industry."Competition" coming.ECNSMany hands to shape China's chip dreamsChina Daily (Chinese state-sponsored media)

Asia Times (Important! No one wants a basket case, especially one full of neo-Nazis. The US is begging Russia to take it.)Why Russia won’t invade UkrainistanDavid P. Goldmanhttps://asiatimes.com/2022/02/why-russia-wont-invade-ukrainistan/AxiosBiden and Putin agree "in principle" to hold summit, Macron's office saysRebecca Falconerhttps://www.axios.com/biden-putin-agree-in-principle-to-hold-summit-macron-24b5e9de-4aab-4142-b2ce-d293f53c6bd5.htmlTASS (Russian state media)French TV channel...

There are some Op Eds that are bad, and then others that transcend that standard to become terrible. Such was the case last week when I read this article in the Australian press (Sydney Morning Herald) (February 18, 2022) – It’s time to return to Costello economics, whoever wins the federal election – which was written by a former advisor to the last Labor Prime Minister in Australia. The article is dishonest in that it completely ignores the most significant aspects of the period he seeks...

Scott Ritter is straight talking: The Ukraine wants to take Crimea back through negotiation, or by war, and that's the reason why they want to join NATO, because they think it will help them to do it. But Scott Ritter says that Ukraine is a suicide pill for NATO, because Russia has massive military superiority. NATO has a policy of letting anyone in, if they ask, says Ritter, but it also has written into its treaty that it must look at each situation separately to weigh up the pros and cons...

Interesting historical backgrounder, even if one is not interested in Marx or Marxism. Marx remains a global influencer, and his work is presently experiencing a revival even in the capitalist West.Global InequalityThe unexpected immortality of Karl MarxBranko Milanovic | Visiting Presidential Professor at City University of New York Graduate Center and senior scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-economic Inequality, senior scholar at the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), and formerly lead...

Russian and Eurasian Politics (Linked to earlier today, but if you missed it, it is important.)Western Intel as Incendiary Device: Does Washington Want Russia to Invade Donbass/Ukraine?Gordon M. Hahn | Expert Analyst at Corr Analytics, http://www.canalyt.com and a Senior Researcher at the Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies (CETIS), Akribis Grouphttps://gordonhahn.com/2022/02/20/western-intel-as-incendiary-device-does-washington-want-russia-to-invade-donbass-ukraine/The Vineyard of...

If you're careful, there are still very good profits to made in China, says the FT. The Beijing is not happy with the amount of data that private companies are collecting on people, say the panel of experts here. They Beijing’s green policies are excellent, but the government is increasing regulations on business. As property companies such as Evergrande teeter on the brink of collapse and the Chinese government cracks down on the tech sector, the FT's global China editor James Kynge and...

Russian and Eurasian PoliticsWestern Intel as Incendiary Device: Does Washington Want Russia to Invade Donbass/Ukraine?Gordon M. Hahn | Expert Analyst at Corr Analytics, http://www.canalyt.com and a Senior Researcher at the Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies (CETIS), Akribis Grouphttps://gordonhahn.com/2022/02/20/western-intel-as-incendiary-device-does-washington-want-russia-to-invade-donbass-ukraine/Sputnik International (Russian state-sponsored media)Moscow Has No Plans for...