Imperial Hubris

Will Canada’s hard line on Eritrea’s ‘diaspora’ tax apply to the U.S.?

"There are only two countries in the world that levy income tax based on citizenship rather than residence; one is Eritrea and the other is the United States. But while Canada fulminates and threatens mayhem against Eritrea, it says nothing about the U.S. Even worse, it is actively negotiating with the U.S. to implement an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that would have Canada Revenue Agency help the U.S. IRS track down its citizens in Canada and bring them into the U.S. tax fold. Could it be the power gap?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Canada’s hard line on Eritrea’s ‘diaspora’ tax apply to the U.S.?

Swiss government agrees to settle tax evasion dispute with US

"The Swiss federal government has accepted a United States demand to settle a dispute over the alleged complicity of Swiss banks in tax evasion by Americans that will reportedly cost the banks billions of francs. Swiss media have reported that the overall figure could hit 10 billion francs ($10.3 billion). 'If a bank has done a lot of business involving undeclared American funds, it will be a big problem for it,' Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said. She indicated that the Swiss government had been presented with a take it or leave it offer by Washington. 'It was a unilateral offer, one that we couldn't negotiate,' she said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss government agrees to settle tax evasion dispute with US

Bill Bonner: How Government ‘Works’

"A theory should explain something without reference to something else. That is, a metaphor doesn't work. It's just a description. If you say that government is a kind of 'social contract,' you are merely describing how it seems to you...or what you think it might be comparable to. Let's try a simpler insight: government is a natural phenomenon, an expression of power relationships, in which some people seek to dominate others by force. These dominators gather 'insiders' together so that they can take money, power and status away from other people, the 'outsiders.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: How Government ‘Works’

Julius Bär bank clients now targeted in US tax probe

"American clients of private bank Julius Bär were told recently that they are the focus of a US tax evasion probe, a Zurich-based daily reported on Tuesday. US tax authorities had requested administrative assistance from their Swiss counterparts to investigate a number of US citizens suspected of having undeclared funds at the Zurich-based bank. The United States has launched investigations into the dealings of around a dozen Swiss banks, including Julius Bär, prompting Switzerland to try to reach an overarching settlement with Washington to provide legal closure for its financial sector." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJulius Bär bank clients now targeted in US tax probe

Sen. John McCain makes unannounced visit to Syria to meet with rebel forces

"The senator did not comment on his trip. Rebel sources told the news they were thankful for McCain’s decision to visit Syria, calling it 'very important and very useful.' 'What we want from the U.S. government is to take the decision to support the Syrian revolution with weapons and ammunition, anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft weapons,' Syrian Free Army Gen. Salem Idris told reporter John Rogin. 'Of course we want a no-fly zone and we ask for strategic strikes against Hezbollah both inside Lebanon and inside Syria.' McCain entered Syria through Turkey with the help of an American nonprofit called the Syrian Emergency Task Force, which works to support the rebels." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSen. John McCain makes unannounced visit to Syria to meet with rebel forces

Ron Paul: The Real Meaning of President Obama’s National Security Speeches

"This past Thursday and Friday, President Obama delivered two speeches designed to outline his new thinking on national security and counter-terrorism. While much was made in the media of the president’s statements at the National Defense University and the US Naval Academy suggesting that the most active phase of US military action overseas was coming to an end, this 'new' approach is but the same old policy wrapped in new packaging. In these addresses, the president panders to the progressives, while continually expanding and solidifying the 'enabling act' principle." Continue reading →

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The deeper agenda behind Japan’s “Abenomics”

"The policy known as 'Abenomics' is a mix of monetary easing, stimulative spending and growth-inducing steps including deregulation in sectors such as energy. Some Abe allies worry that a hasty push for constitutional changes could upset voters who want the focus to stay firmly on the economy - repeating a mistake seen as a key factor in Abe's first failed attempt to govern. 'He wants to achieve what he left undone - to break free of the ‘post-war regime',' said Koichi Hagiuda, a lawmaker and special aide to Abe. 'What is most symbolic of that is the constitution that was drafted in one short week under (U.S. General Douglas) MacArthur's Occupation.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe deeper agenda behind Japan’s “Abenomics”

Glenn Greenwald: Andrew Sullivan, terrorism, and the art of distortion

"I used to wonder how people who continuously justify any manner of violence and militarism by their own side could possibly spend so much time pointing to others and depicting them - those people over there - as the embodiment of violence and savage aggression. But at some point I realized that it's precisely because they continuously justify so much violence and aggression from their side that they have such a boundless compulsion to depict others as the Uniquely Primitive and Violent Evil. That's how they absolve themselves. It's how they distract themselves from the reality of what they support and what their governments do in the world." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Andrew Sullivan, terrorism, and the art of distortion

Political Savvy of Osama Bin Laden vs. US Foreign Policy Establishment

"In his 1963 book The Pure Theory of Politics, Bertrand de Jouvenal writes of terrorist strategy (p. 179) '... if the terrorist blows are dealt at random, it will almost inevitably happen that reactions [of authorities] will fly wide of the mark and affect the innocent. Goading the authorities into hurting innocent bystanders is essential to terrorist strategy. Its efficiency lies mainly in evoking blind anger and blundering retorts...' Who was more politically savvy on this matter, Osama bin Laden or George W. Bush? Or the neocons who influenced him? Or the U.S. Congress? Or Barack Hussein Obama for that matter?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolitical Savvy of Osama Bin Laden vs. US Foreign Policy Establishment

Court orders UK to hold inquiries into illegal civilian deaths during Iraq War

"A series of public inquests should be held into the deaths of civilians who are alleged to have been killed unlawfully by the British military following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the high court has ruled. In a ground-breaking judgment that could have an impact on how the British military is able to conduct operations among civilians in the future, the court ruled on Friday that up to 161 deaths should be the subject of hearings modelled upon coroners’ inquests. In practice, a series of hearings – possibly amounting to more than 100 – are likely to be held as a result of the judgment, which follows a three-year legal battle on behalf of the Iraqis’ families." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt orders UK to hold inquiries into illegal civilian deaths during Iraq War