Geopolitics

The concerted attack on civilian Syrians constitute a crime against humanity that can only be countermanded not by moralistic protests but by a judicious use of decisive strength.

The American two-party system is broke.  The Republican Party is no longer --either in substance or form.  The Democratic Party has become the party of the status quo by default.  One way or another, with whomever comes to pass, the next administration will be short lived, and will either prolong the geopolitical impasse of pax americana, or usher it onto a more precipitous decline

This article contains a double warning. It is not for the weak hearted.  As in the movies, parental advice is suggested.  As the United States come closer to electing a fascist as President, the world in which the American hegemon operates will move closer to open warfare between states.  The loss of civility may well lead to the loss of civilization.

In the military, to shorten the agony of a man condemned to death but poorly shot, an officer was called upon to apply the merciful coup de grace.  The civilian equivalent exists in an old Sardinian custom –now largely gone—in which a specialized woman –the accabadora-- was called to the deathbed of a patient and finished him or her off.  The European Union is dying if we are to listen to the majority of prognosis.  Willingly or not, a number of politicians, driven by an angry populace, are now playing this terminal role.  Despite attempts to exonerate Europe with ever weaker arguments, struggles to replace the union with a revival of nations, the wrath of voting populations, and the rise to prominence of demagogues, it looks like a never-ending agony.  Little surprise then to witness actions seeking to call the whole thing off.  But what will follow this new and enigmatic Finnegan’s Wake?

The opaque negotiations between the European Union (EU) and United States (US) regarding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) have raised the alarms. Even though the agreement project also deals with the dismantling of some tariffs, its content preferably speaks about very important intangibles: food security, deregulation of competition, popular, legislative, and national justice systems sovereignty vis-à-vis international arbitrage tribunals; rights of internet users; or national rights to care for the general wellbeing through public policies.