Mike Norman Economics

Political economist Chris Mouré has a new paper out in the Review of Capital as Power. It’s called ‘Soft-wars’, and it is a fascinating case study of the behavior of big tech. The story starts in 2011, when Microsoft led a $4.5 billion consortium purchase of Nortel and Novel. Later than year, Google responded by buying Motorola for $12.9 billion. The funny thing is that Google then proceeded to sell off what it had just bought. By 2014, almost nothing was left of Google-owned Motorola....

In his address at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, 2021, Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, declared that the peoples of the world, more than ever before, desire peace, development, equality, and social justice, and they are determined more than ever to attain these hopes through win-win cooperation….New Cold WarXi Jinping proposes Global Development InitiativeCatherine Davies

A project of the multilateral development banking system, the Rockefeller Foundation and the New York Stock Exchange recently created a new asset class that will put, not just the natural world, but the processes underpinning all life, up for sale under the guise of promoting “sustainability.”Hey, it's capitalism. What could go wrong?The conversation needs to be about public and private goods — the tragedy of the commons, with Garrett Hardin facing off with Elinor Ostrom, Hardin arguing for...

 Power and sociopathy.CaitlinJohnstone.comThe Drivers Of Empire Want To Rule As Greek GodsCaitlin Johnstone

Hoarding has a way of spiraling once it takes hold. Rationing on the way?Zero Hedge"People Are Hoarding" - Supermarkets Are The Next Supply Chain Crunch As Food Shortages PersistTyler DurdenSpeaking of spiraling. Arms race and nuclear proliferation threatening?RTIAEA chief says AUKUS deal could spark race for nuclear subs, task force will investigate safeguards & legality

Backgrounder.The Vineyard of the SakerSochi probes the Utopia of a multipolar worldPepe Escobar

Economist Michael Hudson discusses the update of his book “Super Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire” and the financial motivations behind the US new cold war on China and Russia.Video and transcript.The GrayzoneSuper Imperialism: The economic strategy of American empire with economist Michael HudsonBen Norton and Max Blumenthal

It is Wednesday and so just a few points today. I obviously like data as it tells me a lot about the world and often forces me to alter my views on things. While I mostly analyse economic and financial data, which is my professional skill, I also like to investigate other data sets on things that interest me. Today, I am looking into the vaccine question, which has been playing on my mind lately as the Australian political class, under pressure from all sorts of business lobby groups who...

I said this would happen due to the slowdown in the fiscal support. But bank credit likely to spur a rebound in the fourth quarter.

One of the recurring criticisms I face when presenting at events comes from those who say they are ‘socialists’ or ‘Marxists’. They accuse me in various ways of being an apologist for capitalism, for offering palliative solutions to workers, which will delay the break down of the system and the revolution to socialism and communism. These critics proudly announce they follow Marx’s solutions and that they reject Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) because it is just a stooge for capitalism. The...