In recent months some advocates of Europe’s austerity policies have been touting Latvia as a success story that shows how “internal devaluation” can work. This was the theme of a book published earlier this year by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, one of Washington’s most influential think tanks. The book was co-authored by the [...]
Tag: strategy
December 16, 2011
December 2, 2011
Bill Clinton joins Obama to champion Washington energy saving strategy
Bill Clinton came out with an assist for Barack Obama on his economic strategy on Friday, as the two men teamed up to launch an energy saving retrofit of government buildings and commercial properties. The unusual joint appearance marked the second time in a month that Clinton, who presided over the boom times of the [...]
November 26, 2011
November 22, 2011
November 12, 2011
This Veterans Day, we must remember the Iraqi interpreters | Michael Breen
Americans have special cause for reflection, celebration and gratitude this Veterans Day. After almost a decade of bloody struggle in Iraq, the troops are finally coming home. I experienced the early days of our misadventure in Iraq as a young Army lieutenant, walking the streets of Baghdad with my infantry company. In the years since, [...]
November 5, 2011
The US must ratchet up pressure on Syria | Matthew Brodsky
In August, President Obama finally called for Syria‘s leader, Bashar al-Assad, to “step aside”. Yet, the White House has yet to adopt a strategy that would hasten the fall of the despotic regime in Damascus. The goal of US policy should be an end to the violence that has claimed more than 3,000 Syrian lives, [...]
October 29, 2011
Americans increasingly comparing Afghan war to Vietnam
The latest deaths of 13 Americans in Afghanistan in an apparent suicide bomb attack in Kabul comes at a moment when the US public’s attitude to the long war is at an all-time low. A poll late last week, by CNN and ORC International, revealed that only 34% of Americans now support the war, one [...]
October 1, 2011
Kodak reported to be considering filing for bankruptcy
Eastman Kodak, whose company name has been associated with film photography for more than 100 years, is said to be considering filing for bankruptcy after suffering heavy losses in recent years. Google was reported to be one of a number of suitors who were examining the photographic pioneer’s assets ahead of a sale, although some [...]
September 30, 2011
Where Is Your Target-Date Fund Taking You?
Scott Holsopple The popularity of the target-date fund has increased over the years as more plan sponsors make the decision to use these options as Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIA). [In Pictures: 6 Numbers Every Investor Should Follow.] Proponents of the investment options point to statistics stating that 401(k) participants who use target-date funds tend [...]
September 27, 2011
September 24, 2011
Team Obama Issues Urgent Second Plea For Donations
For the second time this week, the Obama-Biden campaign has dispatched an urgent plea to small donors for fast cash, raising the specter that either their vaunted fundraising bid for $1 billion is falling flat or they want to scare the competition with better than predicted quarterly takes. Earlier this week, an E-mail from Jen [...]
September 23, 2011
Meg Whitman named new Hewlett-Packard chief executive
Léo Apotheker has been fired as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard and replaced with Meg Whitman, the technology firm has announced. Following a board meeting, Whitman, the former chief executive of eBay and candidate for California governor, was confirmed as the replacement for Apotheker, who has been at the helm at Hewlett-Packard for only 11 months. [...]
September 16, 2011
The Lesson Not to Learn From Solyndra
David Frum is certainly right that the bankruptcy of Washington-backed solar energy firm Solyndra makes the federal government’s support for an individual firm look laughably inept. “If the U.S. government wants to discourage the use of oil, there is one powerful mechanism at hand: tax the stuff,” Frum concludes. “Private actors will respond to the [...]