Ivana Kottasova and Alanna Petroff – Putin prepares Russia for massive privatization drive

Russia’s economic crisis is so bad that President Vladimir Putin is now hoping to sell stakes in some of the nation’s most prized businesses to raise money. Putin discussed the privatization plans with officials on Monday, saying the sales should be made quickly but not at “bargain basement prices,” according to a government statement. Strategically important companies should not be up for …

Timothy Alexander Guzman – De-Dollarization Accelerates: Iran-Russia “New Trade Agreements” to Drop US Dollar

– The threat of war against Iran is not just about its natural resources, strategic control and supposedly to protect Israel, it is also about the US dollar being used for its oil trades. Iran is moving forward to replace US dollars for its foreign trade with Russia in rials and Russian rubles. This past January, Iran made a significant …

Alternative Visions – Analyzing the TPP Agreement Terms & Conditions, Part 1 – 11.13.15

Jack Rasmus undertakes the first of a two part deep examination of the terms and conditions of the actual TPP agreement recently concluded. The origins and true functions of free trade agreements is explained, beginning with the 1944 Bretton Woods international monetary system, the IMF, and World Bank established by the US, the role of trade in US global dominance to the 1970s, the restructuring of trade and money flows in the 1970s, and the advent of Neoliberalism in the 1980s under Reagan and Thatcher. How free trade became the international lynchpin of US neoliberal policies, beginning in the 1980s and expanding ever since under both Democrat and Republican administrations. Obama as the biggest advocate of Free Trade thus far is explained. Jack then begins a section by section analysis of the 30 chapters of the TPP, with an overview of provisions associated with ‘goods’ trade, investment, financial services, intellectual property and Pharmaceuticals, and the Disputes Settlement/Corporate Global Courts system section that will undermine domestic democracy and sovereignty and lead to a new drive for global corporate supra-political institutions. In Part 2 next week, further details of the 30 chapters, and reactions by labor, environmental advocates, food safety groups, and others will be reviewed—as well as reports by organizers of the Nov. 18 national US protests against the TPP.

Failures of Central Banks, Interest Rates, Derivatives and Crisis in the Credit Market By Bill Holter

Global markets are changing drastically and showing volatilities like we saw back in late 2008.  I am not talking about stock markets, it is the debt and currency markets that are schizophrenic.  Oddly, even after all of the various Western “QE’s”, liquidity suddenly looks like it is drying up.  A great article as to why even the depth in the …

BRICS and the Fiction of “De-Dollarization”

The financial media as well as segments of the alternative media are pointing to a possible weakening of the US dollar as a global trading currency resulting from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) initiative.   One of the central arguments in this debate on competing World currencies hinges on the BRICS initiative to create a development bank …

Russia’s Central Bank Governor Is Way Smarter Than Ours

It wouldn’t be a first, but it would certainly be a – bigger – shock. That is to say, the Bank of England hijacked the head of Canada’s central bank some time ago, but, while unexpected enough, that would pale in comparison to the US hiring the present Governor of the Russian central bank, Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina. It would still …