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[RedKing]

Nah, linking is fine. I just can't follow the link (and I check the URL of *everything* before I click on it).

[olemars]

In that case, this is my personal favourite.

[Bouchart]

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia unveils a massive bribe in order to quell opposition:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/world/middleeast/09saudi.html?_r=2&hp

[Aqizzar]

In that case, this is my personal favourite.

...In Exchange for One Million Dollars

One miiilliiion dollars! *finger*

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia unveils a massive bribe in order to quell opposition:

Well, to be fair, the biggest gripe in these other countries wasn't necessarily how their government was structured or run, it was the paramilitary police and crackdowns, but even more than that, shitty economies and no jobs or spending cash.  Maybe it's a "bribe", but it's also more or less what people were demanding anyway.

[RedKing]

Looks like my prediction of an impending massacre in Jisr al-Shughour were on target.

BBC: Syrian army moves on 'rebel town'

Apparently, based on this and some bits I was hearing on the radio on the way in this morning, the army rolled up to the village in the wee hours of the morning and tanks began opening fire on houses right before dawn to ensure maximum civilian casualties. The accompanying infantry are burning the village's crops and orchards. This is old-school "raze the city, salt the earth" kind of payback. Assad is also reportedly refusing phone calls from Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon.

It galls me that this exact sort of retributive actions by a government against their own population is what triggered NATO intervention in Libya. And yet any similar intervention in Syria is highly unlikely. 


EDIT: Meanwhile in Libya, tanks and artillery are pounding Misrata, and there are no NATO aircraft anywhere in the area. WTH, guys? NATO is starting to look like the League of Nations.

[Bouchart]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/beijing-battling-protest-fires-on-all-fronts/story-e6frg6so-1226075255343

News of major unrest in China.  There hasn't been a whole lot of media attention to these protests compared to those in the Middle East and Greece.

[PTTG??]

China, undergoing increasingly violent uprisings and fearing that internal turmoil may put it behind the world, sells its US currency en mass, triggering a global currency collapse. The BRIC experiences a brief bubble, but with no functional global economy, is extremely unstable. 65% unemployment. Mass poverty in the western world.

[Bouchart]

China, undergoing increasingly violent uprisings and fearing that internal turmoil may put it behind the world, sells its US currency en mass, triggering a global currency collapse. The BRIC experiences a brief bubble, but with no functional global economy, is extremely unstable. 65% unemployment. Mass poverty in the western world.

I really don't think China is going to sell off all of its dollar denominated bonds.  China holds something like only 12% of US Treasuries.  If they sell off their bonds the yuan appreciates and their export economy completely collapses.

The dollar and dollar denominated debt tend to be a safe haven in times of economic turmoil.  China wouldn't unload all of it.

And Russia shouldn't even be in the BRIC.  They are a basket case.

[Nikov]

I am slightly annoyed Obama isn't seeking congressional approval for his military action in Libya, clearly violating the War Powers Act.

[SalmonGod]

Me too.  I can't imagine his reasoning for not following proper procedures.

Of course, I'm also annoyed that actions are being taken against him, while certain other leaders in recent history have done far less justified things on false pretenses with dire consequences, and have gotten away with it completely.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Well, you won't have to be slightly annoyed for long, the Speaker of the House wants Obama to either let the action go before Congress or stop. If he doesn't, they apparently are promising to put him under investigation. Like the kind that gets people impeached.

[Africa]

I can't decide if it's a good or a bad thing that presidents can run for more than one term.

[RedKing]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/beijing-battling-protest-fires-on-all-fronts/story-e6frg6so-1226075255343

News of major unrest in China.  There hasn't been a whole lot of media attention to these protests compared to those in the Middle East and Greece.

Hmm...I'm cautiously skeptical. I have regular interaction with a variety of people in the PRC, and haven't heard a peep of this. Not saying that those events didn't happen, just that their importance in terms of snowballing into something larger is probably pretty low.

The two bombing events are, sadly, not unheard of. In the past it's been directed more at companies than government, but it's not the first time someone has taken out their frustrations on the local government (and often with some cause).

The one in Zengcheng is what I'd keep my eye on. There are roughly 210 million "floating people" (liudong renkou) -- internal illegal immigrants -- and I'm assuming this is what the article meant by "migrant workers". These are Chinese who have moved from the countryside or smaller cities into the major coastal cites looking for work. They're a great source of ultra-cheap labor with no legal rights, but like all migrant workers they typically get the shit end of the stick, even from their own countrymen. They're blamed for rising crime, they're accused of stealing jobs and depressing wages, and they typically kicked out of town when the local Party officials decide to make a show of doing something about it. Liudong renkou riots, if they grew widespread, could be a serious problem.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Anything that destabilizes the PRC is aces in my book. It's not like things can get much worse than the PRC when it comes to human rights. I mean, it can, but we're talking DPRK level insane there.

[Bouchart]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/beijing-battling-protest-fires-on-all-fronts/story-e6frg6so-1226075255343

News of major unrest in China.  There hasn't been a whole lot of media attention to these protests compared to those in the Middle East and Greece.

Hmm...I'm cautiously skeptical. I have regular interaction with a variety of people in the PRC, and haven't heard a peep of this. Not saying that those events didn't happen, just that their importance in terms of snowballing into something larger is probably pretty low.

The two bombing events are, sadly, not unheard of. In the past it's been directed more at companies than government, but it's not the first time someone has taken out their frustrations on the local government (and often with some cause).

The one in Zengcheng is what I'd keep my eye on. There are roughly 210 million "floating people" (liudong renkou) -- internal illegal immigrants -- and I'm assuming this is what the article meant by "migrant workers". These are Chinese who have moved from the countryside or smaller cities into the major coastal cites looking for work. They're a great source of ultra-cheap labor with no legal rights, but like all migrant workers they typically get the shit end of the stick, even from their own countrymen. They're blamed for rising crime, they're accused of stealing jobs and depressing wages, and they typically kicked out of town when the local Party officials decide to make a show of doing something about it. Liudong renkou riots, if they grew widespread, could be a serious problem.

Inflation is a huge problem in the PRC.  Given that several hundred million people over there have poverty or near poverty level wages, and spend the bulk of their income on food and fuel, it's highly destabilizing.  There have been trucker strikes because of the high cost of diesel, for example.  Their economy is also very dependent on construction projects and they have a massive real estate bubble ahead of them.  It's going to get really ugly over there.