Doug Casey on the Coming War with Iran

It could just be saber rattling during an election year, but Western powers have been provoking Iran for years now – two decades, really. I just saw another report proclaiming that Iran is likely to attack the US, which is about as absurd as the allegations Bush made about Iraq bombing the US, when he fomented that invasion. It’s starting to look rather serious at this point, so I do think the odds favor actual fighting in the not-too-distant future

Byron Wien’s Ten Surprises for 2012

As always, I present you Byron Wien’s Ten Surprises for 2011. He is bullish yet again – on both the US and emerging markets

Video: Mockumentary Presents: Politics in America

An in-depth (and cynical) look at the current political environment in America, from the Occupy Wall Street protesters to the President’s reaction to the Republican Primary via Omid Malekan, creator of the Quantitative Easing Explained and European Crisis Explained videos

Don’t change the change!

Foreign News: The missing 20,000 Greek pensioners

Foreign-language news for 27 November

Foreign news: Is Amazon employing unemployed in Germany without compensation?

Foreign news links for 27 November 2011. We have a variety of links here today with most focused on the European sovereign debt crisis. Protest and terrorism are two other topics of great interest

Israel: “The possibility of a military attack against Iran is closer than the diplomatic option”

Now, this could just be bluster and rhetoric. But then again it may be something else. I think it bears watching. Just following up on the post by Global Macro Monitor this morning, I note from French daily L’Express the following passage

Is Iran About to Get Hot?

Here is something brewing off radar. We’re wondering if this is a factor as to why crude is bid and gold is coming back

Workers of the world, good night!

Rick Bookstaber argues that the rise of the super-elite is not a product of educational differences, but rather a result of the new capitalism which creates bigger winners, and does so much more quickly than in the capital-intensive capitalist era. Less capital is needed, it is applied for a shorter period before the results are realized, and because less capital is required, the entrepreneur captures more of the value of the enterprise. The result is an accentuation in the very wealthy

Soldiering on: Why Our Military Adventures Matter to Investors

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Good Soldiers today. As I can’t know where you stand on these wars, I can’t say whether or not reading the book will change your mind. But I can guarantee you that its on-the-ground perspective will enlighten you as to the true and disturbing nature of what’s really going on, and the futility of it all. It is anything but entertaining, but is very well written and very illuminating. Meanwhile, use the military budget as a proxy for the seriousness (or lack thereof) of the government’s intent to reduce its spending by any significant amount

Some Thoughts On The Oil Market And OPEC

By Win Thin Oil prices are lower today despite Saudi comments that it is cutting output because the market is oversupplied. Saudi Oil Minister al-Naimi said that his nation cut output to 8.29 bbl/day in March from 9.13 mln bbl/day in February, and that April output might be “a little higher” than March. Kuwaiti Oil

What Happened to the American Declaration of War?

World War II was the last war the United States fought with a formal declaration of war. The wars fought since have had congressional approval, both in the sense that resolutions were passed and that Congress appropriated funds, but the Constitution is explicit in requiring a formal declaration. It does so for two reasons, I think. The first is to prevent the president from taking the country to war without the consent of the governed, as represented by Congress. Second, by providing for a specific path to war, it provides the president power and legitimacy he would not have without that declaration; it both restrains the president and empowers him. Not only does it make his position as commander in chief unassailable by authorizing military action, it creates shared responsibility for war. A declaration of war informs the public of the burdens they will have to bear by leaving no doubt that Congress has decided on a new order — war — with how each member of Congress voted made known to the public

On Food Riots, Peak Oil and Military Force

Here’s a fabulous look into the political economy of oil by Andy Lees. His view is that the era of cheap oil is over. But, more than that, natural resources as a whole are increasingly dear. And a world of dwindling natural resources has geopolitical implications when supply and demand are finely balanced. Andy writes