Economy & Business

Why Great Institutions Fail

By Harlan Ullman

Why have a surprisingly large number of great institutions, supposedly impervious to failure, from super banks and mammoth insurance companies to giant automakers recently failed?  Are these spectacular failures cyclical and thus inevitable whether due to God or man?   Or are there more universal explanations? Do governments, irrespective of political basis or party affiliation, […]

China steps up role in Europe

By Antoaneta Becker, the Asia Times

From Antoaneta Becker, the Asia Times:  China’s increasing financial involvement in debt-ridden European nations has divided observers, inviting comparisons on one side to a Chinese Marshall Plan for Europe, and to a Chinese communist takeover of the continent on the other.

While Europe Scrimps, European Union Spends

By Stephen Castle, the New York Times

From Stephen Castle, the New York Times:  In Brussels, meanwhile, the bureaucracy that runs the European Union is haggling over how much to increase next year’s budget. In 2011, the European Union will pour billions more euros into the Continent’s regions for infrastructure and other projects. Spending on justice and security is set to rise […]

German Economy Surges by Defying Stimulus Strategy: View from Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

Many of the world’s largest economies, the U.S. included, have trumpeted the necessity of increasing spending to jumpstart growth. Meanwhile Europe’s largest economy, Germany, defiantly stuck to its plan of spending cuts, limited unemployment benefits, and a focus on exports. Though widely questioned for its economically conservative policies, Germany is now having the last laugh: […]

Canada, EU on track for free trade deal in 2011: minister

By AFP

German Business Moves Beyond Russia to China

By Judy Dempsey, the New York Times

Former Foreign Minister: ‘Germany has found its place as Europe’s number one’

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist:  Insults are being lobbed back and forth across the Rhine. The French cannot stop themselves from provoking the Germans.

Turning East, Turkey Asserts Economic Power

By Landon Thomas Jr., the New York Times

From Landon Thomas Jr., the New York Times:  For many in aging and debt-weary Europe, which will be lucky to eke out a little more than 1 percent growth this year, Turkey’s economic renaissance — last week it reported a stunning 11.4 percent expansion for the first quarter, second only to China — poses a […]