US now officially an oligarchy

$1.2 trillion bank bailout. $75 billion mortgage bailout. $787 billion stimulus spending plan. This is classic big government tactics on an unprecedented scale, but those who are putting this plan to bed are experimenting. That's all it is, a grand experiment by a few amateurs. President Obama himself has told us "We've never seen anything like this since the Great Depression." Therefore, nobody in the workforce at the moment has any personal experience of such matters.

If you believe, as most experts do, that the crisis we are experiencing has its roots in irresponsible spending and the unwise creation of debt, then do you really believe that more spending on this scale, with the resultant record level of national debt, can possibly be the answer?

More important than that however, is that these policies are being designed and executed by the very oligarchs that created this problem in the first place. Yes, that's right...I said oligarchs. Oligarchy is that form of government wherein power is exercised not by the people, but a very few powerful individuals who have the wherewithal to control the purse-strings of government and influence the shape of government policy. These spending bills have created a new form of government for the United States of America - an Oligarchy. It may come as a surprise to many however, to know that our powerful new oligarchs aren't politicians; they are the CEO's of the big banks. This is no emotional rhetoric either - it is a fact recognized by Simon Johnson, former Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund.

Now lets explore a little deeper. How has it come to pass that these banks have so quickly convinced taxpayers to part with a whopping $1.2 trillion dollars to fix their mistakes and solve their problems? Its not hard to work out when you realize that Geithner's chief of staff was a principal lobbyist of Goldman Sachs, the new deputy secretary of state was a CEO of Citigroup, the new assistant to the President and deputy national security advisor for International Economic Affairs is a former Citigroup CFO, and even one his deputies also came from Citigroup and yet another new member of the president's Economic Recovery Advisory Board comes from UBS, which is being investigated for shady tax evasion deals on behalf of its wealthier clients. Is it unreasonable to assume that these guys don't have any conflicts of interest??. In fact I'm certain they have only one interest, and it isn't yours or mine. It's the interests of the financial industry.

Oh, and don't expect too much from the overseers at the House Financial Services Committee either. Two weeks ago, eight top bank CEOs were brought in to testify before that committee of Congress, and guess what...it has now been revealed publicly that almost every member of that Committee had received contributions from those banks during the previous year. Now it is clear how those CEO's felt invincible enough and arrogant enough to proceed with massive bonus payments we saw at the end of last year. What a rotten mess...and its got nowhere to go but down.

Solution to global economic crisis: Dance like nobody's watching

Our life is a perfect reflection of the choices we make. We can choose to be happy or we can choose to be sad. We can choose to be angry or we can choose not to be so. We choose to accept or reject. We choose to do, or not to do....in every respect our lives are a mirror image of the choices we make. The challenge we face is to control our emotions so that the choices we make contribute to a fulfilling and happy life - and not to a life of resentment, regrets and misery.

In achieving this, there is so much we can learn from children. The uninhibited ease with which children embrace friendships, renounce embarrassment in favor of enjoyment and enjoy living "in the moment" is an art that should never be lost. But sadly, lost it often is, and increasingly it appears to be lost way too soon as a consequence of the demands of modern living. Life is short and there are too many demands on our lives that do not contribute to our happiness, but which we accept without rancor. In this new era of change, let's commit to enjoying our daily endeavors more, whatever they may be, but also to find a way to contribute more of ourselves for the advantage of others. We must take more time to smell the roses and enjoy the short time we have on earth. If we all do so, I guarantee that the benefits in the short term may only be personal - which is no bad thing, but the full impact in the long term will be truly global.

Lets all take the advice of Mark Twain...when he told us to "Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth."

Economics, Protectionism and Conflict

There is no doubting that the economic crisis is having a very negative impact on political stability in many countries across the Globe. This relationship between the economy and conflict is nothing new of course, but it needs to be recognized. The colossal disorder and economic instability that accompanied the end of the First World War – and the ascension of protectionism in the 1920s and 1930s (along with the enduring anger over the Versailles treaty), all combined to bring about World War II. In fact those same issues also set in motion many of the national and ethnic conflicts that continue to this very day around the world. I can see clear evidence that the current economic crisis, on top of the already destabilizing impact of rapid globalization, is creating more disruptions to the traditional social and geographic boundaries in many countries – and setting the scene for geopolitical rivalries of the type that have led to multiple wars in the past.

Last nights speech from President Obama, despite having been received very favorably by most members of the American public according to reports the morning after, contained elements which will be viewed as fanning the fires of the very geopolitical rivalries I warn about above. If the US denies tax breaks to American companies that outsource work to low-cost destinations they have be prepared to defend against accusations from countries such as India and China that the US is now leading the way in protectionism. Has the US thought through what the possible repercussions will be??

Pakistan frees nuclear terrorist.

You've thrown the worst fear that can ever be hurled, A fear to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby unborn and unnamed You ain't worth the blood that runs in your veins
Bob Dylan

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The struggle of the superpowers that dominated the first nuclear age was contained by such hideous concepts as "mutually assured destruction" (MAD). The second nuclear age, however, will not be controlled by such nuclear abstinence, but by the twisted whims of suicidal terrorists and the abhorrent impulses of rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran.

For this reason I was particulary upset to see so many people in Pakistan celebrating the release, after only 5 years of home-detention, of Abdul Qadeer Khan - the father of this second nuclear age.

As the self confessed provider of illicit nuclear weapons technology to Iran, Libya, North Korea and other countries, for which he is alleged to have received millions of dollars, Mr. Khan has undoubtedly also ensured the proliferation of nuclear technology to terrorists. He is also a source of extreme national pride throughout Pakistan. Dr Khan welcomed the ruling that set him free and said he was not bothered what the international community thought of his release. Obviously Pakistan also isn't bothered by what the U.S. thinks of his release either; in spite of the enormous U.S. financial assistance provided to the country.

The host of shady deals done by Khan, for the sake of money, involved brokers and networks from Malaysia, Germany, Turkey, United Kingdom, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Japan and the Netherlands. Hardly difficult to believe that somewhere within all these exchanges he managed to advance the plans of terrorist organizations to obtain nuclear weapons. All this at a time when the US has provided approximately $12,000,000,000 in assistance to the Government of Pakistan over the past 7 years. To add insult to injury, Mr. Khan's release comes at a time when U.S. legislators are being asked to consider a bill that would triple the U.S.'s current annual non-military aid to Pakistan.

A CIA spokesman, George Little, has called Mr. Khan "one of the most dangerous proliferators in history". Surely Mr. Khan's hand in the proliferation of nuclear weapons to terrorists and rogue states, and the national celebrations that accompanied his release a few days ago must jeopardize Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Richard Holbrooke, the new U.S. envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan certainly has his work cut out for him.

In the meantime, how much more should U.S. taxpayers be prepared to pay for the obviously shaky commitment to world security offered by Pakistan.

Madoff may as well have pulled the trigger...

A very decent family man and a respected former British military Officer (Major Bill Foxton) took his own life on Tuesday, because he had lost his life savings in the alleged fraud orchestrated by Mr. Berny Madoff. As I watched the report, I couldn't help but ask whether this con-man, in addition to other criminal charges, would also be charged with involuntary manslaughter. This is the second death that I know of, that has been blamed on him and his ponzi scheme. The first being back in December 2008 when investment advisor Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet was found sitting at this desk in New York, with both wrists slashed and a bottle of pills by his side. There may not have been any intention to kill or cause injury by Madoff while Madoff was stealing the life savings of so many people, but his recklessness and criminal negligence certainly has resulted in their death.

In the meantime, Madoff has to endure the hardships of being under hourse arrrest in his multi million dollar home, and now we also hear prosecutors have revealed that his wife, Ruth, managed to sequester more than $15m from their accounts before he was arrested. Where is it, and what is being done to get it back?

How do you feel about this?

Deadly Fires

Messages of condolences are pouring into Australia from around the world. As an Australian living in Washington DC I feel quite helpless while I watch and hear the reports of the fires that have ravaged parts of my country. Almost 200 people dead so far, and my Grandmothers hometown of Healesville in Victoria, which holds so many fond memories for me, looks like it could be in trouble now too.

It tears at my heart to see the devastating effect these fires have had on so many families. It is certainly times like this that will test their strength. I wish them all the best, and send them my sincere condolences. Be strong. I want to express my appreciation for all those who are sacrificing their time and energy to fight these terrible fires as well. For many their work is thankless, but their efforts are not unappreciated. I’ve read horrifying accounts of 911 operators (000 in Australia) who had to listen on the phone while people died in house-fires, helpless to do anything. Its incomprehensible to me.

Spare a thought too for the countless thousands of beautiful australian animals and livestock that will have perished. Little Sam, the beautiful Koala pictured here, is one of the few lucky ones to survive.

Bushfires in Australia are often severe, and frequently kill, but I can’t recall anything to equal this. 2009 will certainly be a year which will live in infamy for many Australians.

The Realpolitik of Foreign Policy

So much hinged on Vice Prez Biden's role at the Munich Security Conference last week - in fact his speech was eagerly anticipated as a catalyst for a new trans-Atlantic partnership and the means to mend the frayed ties between Europe and the USA. So did the Vice Prez's first major international appearance live up to expectations? The jury is clearly out. It certainly wasn't all negative - as evidenced by Europe's shared view that a nuclear armed Iran is unacceptable. However a scan of the German tabloids reveals justifiable disappointment that there were not clearer signals of real change in foreign policies in the wind. In fact most were asking "what has really changed" especially after Biden made it pretty clear that the basic premise of US foreign policy hasn't changed at all.

The Russians were probably the least impressed. Having earlier heard about US interest in "resetting" the US-Russian relationship, it was arguably what they didn't hear that concerned them the most. They didn't hear of any diminished interest in expanding NATO to include Georgia and Uzbekistan (which would essentially surround Russia with NATO troops). They didn't hear of any intent to forego building US missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic (a program less likely to be foregone now that Iran has tested its own "rocket") and therefore, they really didn't hear much at all that distinguished between the policies of Bush and those of Obama.

The same can be said for the major European allies of Germany and France. When Biden called for more NATO troops in Afghanistan, in support US foreign policy initiatives there, Germany used typically evasive and politically vague terminology to essentially say "no way". When Biden called for the expansion of NATO - both Germany and France, kowtowing to Russian interests, shuffled diplomatic phrases about that amounted to the same thing,- a resounding "no way". These responses wouldn't have been difficult for either Germany or France however, as both were used to responding the same way when these same policy proposals were wheeled out by the Bush administration. So what has changed? The answer is "not much".

Realpolitik has shown its true colors at Munich. Obama can be forgiven for not having changed the world in the few weeks since he took office; but substantial change was promised and it has clearly failed to materialize at the first major opportunity to outline the new administration's foreign policy program. This is less a failing of the new administration, or Obama/Biden specifically, than it is recognition that nation states don't alter their strategic interests easily - and that it is going to take a lot more than stump speech rhetoric to improve the trans-Atlantic partnership. There are limits to what even the Big O can achieve in matters of foreign policy - and through the Munich conference, this lesson appears to be driven home sooner rather later.

Help free Harry Nicolaides

Harry Nicolaides is by all accounts a normal, fun loving, respectable individual who has never been in trouble with the law. Late last year however Harry was arrested in Thailand after writing a book, Verisimilitude, in which a few sentences were seen as criticizing the Thai crown prince. The book was a fictional account of life in Thailand that included a reference to the love life of an unnamed prince. For this, Nicolaides was sentenced to 3 years in a Thai prison, where he remains to this day.

Nicolaides’ imprisonment draws attention to Thailand’s chilling lese-majeste law which imposes self –censorship, in matters dealing with the royal family, on anybody in Thailand who wishes to stay out of prison. In fact a December issue of the highly respected Economist magazine was reported to have been voluntarily kept off the shelves in Thailand by the distributors because it reported the Nicolaides’ story and drew attention to the role of the monarchy in Thai politics.

While this law might have a role in Thailand’s history, there are many in Thailand (and around the world) who would argue that history is exactly where this law belongs.

If you are interested in helping to free Harry, check out the following website and sign the petition: http://www.bringharryhome.com/