The Japanese government has always imitated the US
government and its Keynesianism is no exception, except that the Keynesian
stimulus is bigger by far. The US has a debt of over 100% of GDP but Japan has
over 200% thanks to Prime Minister Abe's grandiose experiment to 'stimulate' the
economy. Well, after all, if a little stimulus can boost the economy a little,
then a LOT of stimulus can stimulate it a LOT, right?
Japan's economists are now saying 'worng.' It didn't work.
Their GDP dropped 6.8% in the second quarter because of a consumption tax hike,
thanks to a monstrous borrowing spree a while back. Maybe something good will
come of this, namely, some healthy mistrust of Western
Keynesian ideology.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ timworstall/2014/08/13/japans- gdp-falls-by-6-8-in-the- second-quarter-on-sales-tax- rise/
Elsewhere, Netanyahu is complaining that we are soft on Iran
because Iran sponsors Hezbollah, as reported here http://www.examiner.com/ article/netanyahu-warns-obama- both-islamic-state-and-iran- must-be-defeated
Funny after all these years of terror sponsorship by Saudi
Arabia, no one claims that country is an enemy, even though one of its main
clients is ISIS!
Meanwhile, Germany has a new embassy in Berlin, an
Iranian one, as reported in this German language journal
http://www.german-foreign- policy.com/de/fulltext/58997.
German spokespeople are saying Iran is a gigantic new
market.
This could signal something of a rift between Berlin and
Washington. Remember that German relies on Russia for a third of its energy and
Russia is a supporter of Iran. One of my wife's history profs used to say 'man
is himself and his circumstances.' Why didn't we thing of that?
In view of this situation, wouldn't it perhaps make sense
for Obama to sit down with Netanyahu, Putin and Hassan Rouhani and hammer out a
deal: Rouhani needs to be persuaded to stop supporting Hezbollah in exchange for
our pressuing the Saudis and the Turks to stop supporting ISIS, and for
Washington ending its support for ISIS via the non existent
'moderates.'
There's a little something in this deal for everyone and it
could curb the nasty Middle Eastern habit of slicing Westerners' heads
off (it just happened again).
No comments:
Post a Comment