Trade

Middle East Monitor | – – Iran’s feud with the US is set to get worse after Tehran announced yesterday that it will start reporting foreign currency amounts in euros rather than US dollars, as part of the country’s effort to reduce its reliance on the American currency due to political tension with Washington. Central […]

China

Could China oil Exchange & Green Energy pull the plug on the Dollar?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Kate Duguid at Reuters reports the alarm at UBS that China’s new oil futures exchange will hurt the standing of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. That development in turn would start the reverse snowball down the hill, with the dollar falling against other currencies, […]

Trade

George W. Bush tried steel tariffs. It didn’t work

contributors

By William Hauk | (The Conversation) | – – President Donald Trump finally followed through on his almost year-old threat to restrict imports of foreign steel. On March 8, the president slapped a 25 percent tariff on the metal, while also putting a 10 percent duty on foreign aluminum. After initially suggesting there’d be no […]

Inequality

The last time the US enacted Punitive Tariffs it enabled the Great Depression

contributors

By Charles Hankla | (The Conversation) | – – President Donald Trump finally appears poised to make good on his promised threats to slam the door on free trade and erect walls around the country’s economy. Citing the need to protect national security, he released plans to impose tariffs of 25 percent on foreign steel […]

European Union

Europe’s big Plans for Iran Trade announce Independence from Trump’s Washington

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Despite the significant economic problems Iran faces, and despite the real problems in unequal income distribution, Iran’s economy is seeing bright spots that the Western press rarely admits. In the year after international sanctions were lifted on the signing of the nuclear accord, spring 2016-spring 2017, […]

Climate Change

Goodbye to 2017, the Year Trump Coarsened our World

Juan Cole

From ignoring Rohingyas to threatening Trade Wars to deep-sixing Mideast Peace

Featured

Yes, America, there is a Class War, and you Just Lost It

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Republican Party did not just overhaul the tax code and they did not cut “your” taxes. They engineered a coup against the middle and working classes and they threw enormous amounts of public money to private billionaires and multi-millionaires. Americans do not understand this sort […]

China

Will China’s New Silk Road jump-start the World Economy?

contributors

One Belt, One Road could help a lot of less developed countries in the Global South

France

France’s Macron slams Trump ‘Bad Policy’ by Mulling Iran Visit, Seeking Trade

contributors

TeleSur Macron’s visit to Iran would be the first by a French head of state or government since 1976. Widening transatlantic divisions are coming into focus as traditional U.S. allies are recoiling at U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine the nuclear deal with Iran. The divide was underscored Sunday as French President Emmanuel Macron […]