Argentina under President Cristina Kirchner is wrecking its own economy. That’s bad enough, from a Brazilian point of view, as neighboring Argentina is an important market for Brazilian exports. Worse, the Kirchner government, short of hard currency and desperate to create jobs at home, is pushing a made-in-Argentina policy to build up Argentina’s manufacturing industry.But […]

China’s rise is stirring its neighbors into action, and watching Japan’s foreign policy moves in Asia is especially useful if you want to understand what’s going on in the region. Besides developing a closer relationship with far-away India, Japan is also cozying up to its island neighbor Taiwan. Like Japan, Taiwan is an off-shore trading […]

New Orleans, a city not famous for good governance, has one of the most generous — and worst funded — pension systems of any city in the country. According to an article in the Times-Picayune reporting on a study by the Bureau of Government Research, those enrolled in the particularly over-the-top fireman’s pension fund will […]

Moscow’s Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center is like no other Jewish Museum. First, there’s its size: according to its organizers, it’s the largest Jewish history museum in the world. Then, there are the exhibits. A Russian news site called it “Jewish Disneyland.” One exhibit in the massive, state-of-the-art institution virtually displays Jewish historical clothing on the […]

We reported earlier that America may be preparing to intervene in Mali. In recent months, however, the Nigerian army has been the Great White Hope, so to speak, of those looking for a regional solution to the establishment of a jihadi regime there. The regional bloc known as Ecowas (Economic Community of West African States) had […]

Argentina’s President Kirchner has really done it this time: A massive blackout in the capital has prompted 300,000 protesters to take to the streets not only throughout Argentina but also outside Argentinean embassies around the world.The demonstrations are the largest so far in the Kirchner era (including Nestor Kirchner’s term). The protesters are comparing the current political […]

It’s no longer much of a secret that America is facing a serious pensions crisis, but the severity of that crisis depends on where you live. In much of the South and the breadbasket, they’re a minor concern. In more densely populated states like New York, California, and Illinois, they’re driving state governments to the […]

A diplomatic argument has erupted between Germany and Russia over a German politician’s criticism of President Putin and his crackdown on Russian civil society. Russia protested, but Chancellor Angela Merkel’s own spokesman retaliated, saying the Kremlin’s position “astonished us.”Berlin’s relationship with the Kremlin has “for decades oscillated between realpolitik and values,” says the Economist. But Russia […]

Greece is still driving Europeans bananas. For the umpteenth time, international talks about a Greek rescue package have come to an impasse, this time regarding a dispute between Brussels and the IMF over the size of the package and how the burden should be divided. Northern European lending countries like Germany have already ruled out taking […]

In the past two days alone, six Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest of Chinese oppression, adding to an already alarming death toll. The AP reports: A total of 69 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since February 2009, of which 54 have died, according to the government in exile, which has been based […]