The Guardian (December 2)
Though Prime Minister “Theresa May is reviled for her weakness,” no other “British prime minister has found the strength to condemn an American president as she condemned Donald Trump since the Anglo-American alliance began in the Second World War.” Nothing the previous Prime Minister’s “said matches the forcefulness of May’s out, loud and proud denunciation of Trump for sharing the ‘hateful narratives’ of British fascists.”
Tags: Anglo-American alliance, Condemn, Denunciation, Fascists, May, Strength, Trump, U.S., Weakness, WWII
CNN (October 31)
U.S. “lawmakers should be conducting a serious audit of our nation’s intelligence and cybersecurity capacities and strengthening areas of weakness to ensure our country is well-equipped to withstand future efforts from state actors, like Russia, to disrupt our democratic processes…. We’ve seen these efforts underway in Europe for years, and should learn from and even improve upon what they are already doing.”
Tags: Audit, Cybersecurity, Democratic processes, Disrupt, Europe, Intelligence, Lawmakers, Russia, U.S., Weakness
The Economist (July 15)
While it is unlikely to solely account for all of the weakness in productivity plaguing developed countries, “there is a growing belief that the persistence of zombie firms—companies that keep operating despite a poor financial performance—may explain the weak productivity performance of developed economies in recent years.”
The Economist (May 7)
“It is now clear that Republicans will be led into the presidential election by a candidate who said he would kill the families of terrorists, has encouraged violence by his supporters, has a weakness for wild conspiracy theories and subscribes to a set of protectionist and economically illiterate policies that are by turns fantastical and self-harming.” Somehow, Donald Trump now has a chance to win the presidency. “The result could be disastrous for the Republican Party and, more important, for America.”
Tags: Conspiracy, Disastrous, Donald Trump, Economically illiterate, Election, President, Protectionist, Republicans, Terrorists, U.S., Violence, Weakness
Forbes (June 16)
Putin’s oil deal with China should hardly rate a footnote. It amounts to “an annual average of $13 billion.” And rather than being a groundbreaking strategic alliance, “the deal with China underscores Russia’s core weakness. Despite its immense resources and highly educated population… Russia has a shockingly small economy that is amazingly dependent on the export of oil, gas and a few other natural resources.”
Tags: China, Deal, Dependent, Economy, Export, Gas, Natural resources, Oil, Putin, Resources, Strategic alliance, Weakness
Forbes (March 24)
“Vladimir Putin has made a strategic blunder that could rival the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Moscow, counting on Western weakness, may, in the short term, succeed in carving up the country or ending the 22-year existence of an independent Ukraine. But it has set in motion forces that will severely damage Russia, as well as Putin’s own reign.”
Tags: Afghanistan, Blunder, Damage, Moscow, Putin, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Weakness, West
Wall Street Journal (February 4, 2014)
The Nikkei’s fall puts added pressure on Shinzo Abe’s efforts to revive Japan. The correction may prove temporary, but it is surely a sign of underlying weakness in Abenomics, which should be fortified. “Policy makers shouldn’t govern by the wishes of stock markets, but in this case Mr. Abe could take a hint. If 2013 was the year when he hyped Japan’s economic prospects, 2014 will need to be the year when he starts doing something about it.”
Tags: 2014, Abe, Abenomics, Correction, Economic prospects, Hype, Japan, Nikkei, Policy makers, Stock markets, Temporary, Weakness
