It is a bad science fiction movie written by mad political scientists.

Exactly eight years to the day that President George W. Bush took America and his “Coalition of the Willing” to war with Iraq, President Barack Obama has taken America and his “Broad Coalition” to war with Libya.

And just as the world was sold a “coalition of the willing” that was predominantly a fleeting alliance of the cajoled and the arm-twisted, the putatively “broad” Obama coalition consists primarily of America’s two cronies-in-war, the UK and France.

Only in a mad political science fiction movie could a President engaged in perpetuating two unjust, immoral, interminable and expensive wars begun by his predecessor, take his nation into yet another unjust, immoral, expensive and, in all likelihood, interminable war … and expect a happy ending!

Eight years of war in Iraq and 11 in Afghanistan has resolved nothing and served only to inflame anti-American sentiment

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The country of Malta has had many representations. Most recently, after its accession to the European Union in 2004 and to the Eurozone in 2008 while it became a major transit point and inadvertant destination for migrants, it has been imagined as a destination for migrants, perhaps peculiarly vulnerable owing to its small size and relatively tenuous economic state and national identity. Malta,

My latest post at my other group blog, History and Futility, was entitled "Why Eurabia?" Why, in the face of the abundant evidence that the prospect of a Muslim majority in any European country--indeed, of particularly large Muslim minorities anywhere--do large numbers of people (like Glenn Beck) predict an imminent caliphate in Europe?Eurabia's fundamentally an ideology of revenge ("Ha, ha, you

Investors keep hearing about the financial problems of Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Italy, and Greece. However, France is making major moves to strengthen its economy and reduce its large national debt. After all, the country doesn't want to end up like one of the PIIGS. There are plenty of investment opportunities in French stocks, and according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com's recently updated list of stocks based in France, there are ten that pay yields in excess of 1%. . For example, France Telecom (FTE) is the largest telecom company in France and the third largest in Europe. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 9.8 and a forward PE of 9.1. The Price Earnings Growth ratio is a reasonable 1.06, and the yield is an incredible ...

Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy laid out his position against the current world monetary system dominated by the “accumulation of dollar reserves.”

Further, he suggested the expanded use of the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights (SDR), and — as China and several other nations have already recommended — insisted the renminbi be included in the SDR’s basket of currencies.

According to Reuters:

“French officials have said they hope to encourage greater use of the Chinese yuan as a reserve currency during their G20 presidency, including talks on a possible timetable for its inclusion in the basket of currencies which underpin the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights.

“Other ideas include encouraging a greater role for the SDR itself as a reserve currency, in an effort to move away from dollar hegemony. China is keen for the

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The recent shelling of South Korea's Yongpyeong island by North Korean-South has obviously been quite disturbing. It likely won't come to war, notwithstanding being the most substantial confrontation between the Koreas since the armistice. If it did come to war ... Anatoly Karlin's scenario for a second Korean war does have an eventual South Korean-US victory over the North, but one coming at

This morning, I thought I'd share five population-related blog posts of interest with you. (It is still morning in Toronto.)At the Economist's Eastern Approaches blog, notice was made of a recent conference on the plight of the Romani of Romania. There's room for hope, but then, it also seems like the Romanian government and many ordinary people would like the Romani to, quietly, take advantage

The 11th of November is Remembrance Day in Canada and other Commonwealth countries, known as Veterans Day in the United States or as Armistice Day in France and elsewhere. As a commemoration of the first industrialized mass war of the 20th century and prototype for the broader second, it's a unifying symbol.War impacts demographics. Obviously. My co-blogger The Oberamtmann at History and Futility

Perhaps the ax is an exaggerated metaphor for how large UK budget cuts actually are, but, on a similar note, the US should probably have something smaller, maybe more akin to tweezers. As Bill Bonner expressed in a recent Daily Reckoning missive…

“In both England and France, the spending cuts on the table so far are too little, too late. A three percent deficit was regarded as such a serious threat to the financial integrity of the European Union that member states who surpassed that level were supposed to lose their right to vote. France runs a budget deficit of nearly 8% of GDP…

“…But at least give them credit for pretending. Over in the USA, the Obama government shows no interest in jettisoning any of the accumulated ballast of the last half a century of boondoggles, bailouts and bunkum.”

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Despite the recent end to the oil blockade in Marseille, France, the gas shortages continue. About a fourth of French gas stations are completely out of fuel. This, because the protesting citizens have gotten used to the government’s old retirement age of 60 and can’t bear the thought of working until 62. Like anyone that’s grown accustomed to having things a certain way, they’re not exactly very receptive to change.

And, it’s happening around the world… governments of historically wealthy industrialized nations have maxed out their welfare economies and are slashing expenses wherever they can. It’s just a matter of time until the austerity tidal wave crashes onto US shores.

The Eiffel Tower’s (Fiscal) Imbalance originally appeared in the Daily Reckoning. The Daily Reckoning, offers a uniquely refreshing, perspective on the global economy,

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