A worsening drought in the U.S., a disappointing monsoon in India, locusts in Africa, the bacon shortage in Europe: world food prices are starting to rise as the bad news rolls in. While there’s not much to be done about the weather, there are calls on the G20 countries to convene an emergency summit to […]

The defected Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab announced this morning that the Assad regime is near collapse, claiming they now only control 30% of the country. The New York Times, however, rightly cautions against premature celebration. It might be rebel PR: Mr. Hijab’s claims about the weakness of the Assad government could not be independently verified, and […]

EU consumers will soon have a harder time bringing home the bacon, literally. Bacon prices in Europe are forecast to rise significantly due to new EU legislation aimed at improving animal welfare.As The Guardian reports, a partial ban on sow stalls beginning in January 2013, along with with rising pig feed costs due to the […]

It was the best of times, but it may soon be the worst of times for the Chinese economy, says Tyler Cowen.Subscribers to the Keynesian school of economics think China’s government can solve its economic problems: Keynesians would argue that Beijing has the tools to stoke aggregate demand. It could, for example, adjust interest rates […]

In an interview following the recent attack by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Hakkari, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened that if the PKK continues to use Syrian territory as a staging ground his government would conduct cross-border operations (CNNTurk). The next day, the Turkish press heralded the flight of Syrian Prime Minister […]

In Nigeria, security forces killed 20 people yesterday. Who were those killed? Terrorists, says the government; civilians, says Boko Haram. Reuters reports: The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram denied on Monday that 20 of its fighters had been killed in a raid by security forces in the northeastern city of Maiduguri the day before, saying all […]

China’s economy continues to show signs of a dramatic slowdown. According to Trade data for July, exports hit a six-month low and dropped significantly from last month. Meanwhile, imports were up just 4.7 percent, suggesting China’s demand for commodities is shrinking.These data, together with earlier reports that Chinese growth has slowed to its lowest level since […]

In efforts to save money and streamline state government, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder recently set up a plan to consolidate municipalities into larger entities. This effort hasn’t met with universal approval, highlighting a debate between the virtues of hyperlocal government and those of a leaner administrative state. The WSJ‘s coverage opens with an account of Onekama […]

It’s been scarcely three months since Francois Hollande was inaugurated as President of France, but his honeymoon already ended a long time ago. The policies of his Socialist government have been unable to stave off a nascent recession or a mass exodus from the country, and his approval ratings are beginning to suffer as a result, according to a […]

by John EllisFor the past year or so, I have been working on a political manifesto entitled: “Recall Them All.” The plan is to hone it down over the next few months and release it as an e-book in early 2013. The idea is to put forward a platform of fiscal reform, government re-invention, and […]