United States
United States
Fair Observer provides inclusive, insightful and non-partisan analysis of important American issues, events and trends.
-
Analysis on the unexpected relationship between the dollar’s international acceptability and the US military’s global presence. Since World War II, the US has provided two essential services to the rest of the world: an international currency and international military protection. Producing them was costly, both in terms of achieving dollar stability and undertaking military expenditures in many parts of the world. However, the benefits were far more important. Foreigners were prepared to hold more dollars than they actually needed and to forgo risk premiums even when the dollar weakened. The more the dollar was held abroad the more gains the US could collect, as the production...
-
*[This article was originally published by Knowledge@Wharton on April 25, 2012.] According to Jon Huntsman, Jr., former Utah governor and Republican presidential candidate, "partisanship has seeped into campaigning [so much] that breaking through with a message that is beyond party politics ... is a very challenging thing to do." Yet in an interview with Knowledge@Wharton, he spoke about the importance of public service, as well as the need for fundamental tax and energy reform, the outlook for China in the coming decade, the role of the media in covering elections, his respect for Ronald Reagan, and what he plans to do in the coming months. An edited transcript of the...
-
By Sarah ColomeThe six-month-old Occupy Movement in Chicago seemed to have gone into hibernation, but it is back for action with the arrival of spring. Reinvigorated by the upcoming NATO summit in May, Occupy Chicago is arranging itself to deliver serious civil participation and vocalized dissatisfaction this summer. Though not entirely dissipated, Occupy Chicago was relatively quiet over the winter. Reemerging with fervor, “Take the Spring” served as a kickoff for the next two months of action that will culminate in protests against the upcoming NATO summit. Previously condemned as an unorganized affront lacking a clear goal, Occupy Chicago has taken significant strides in reorganization,...
-
Politics / United States / Europe / 360° Context / AmericasBy Amy HenslinBackground Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is an American-based protest turned global movement that began on September 17th, 2011, in Zucotti Park in New York City’s financial district. Started by the Canadian activist group Adbusters with the goal of bringing income inequality and the powerful role of corporations in the government and global economy to the forefront of public discourse, the movement now consists of thousands of protestors in hundreds of cities worldwide. The OWS movement is not the first protest of its kind to draw wide attention and enter the public discourse. Preceded and inspired by (although not directly affiliated with) the 2010 Greek and Spanish austerity protests,...
-
*[This article was originally published by Knowledge@Wharton on April 25, 2012.] Why euro zone woes are creating headwinds for global firms. Europe is in crisis -- and that has major implications for multinational firms with significant operations in the region. In fact, while much is written about the race by corporations to penetrate emerging markets like China and Brazil, the reality is that the investment by multinationals in Europe dwarfs the assets they have in those fast-growing economies. And the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, along with weak economic growth, is sparking changes in how these firms operate -- altering everything from manufacturing strategies to marketing to...
-
The Kony 2012 video has drawn unprecendented attention to Joseph Kony, but it offers little depth. Looking at Uganda through Invisible Children‘s lense could have dangerous consequences. Who knows Joseph Kony? Over 100 million people met him recently on YouTube and Vimeo. These platforms feature a video by the American NGO Invisible Children (IC), which has set itself the goal to make Kony so famous that he will inevitably and finally be arrested by the end of 2012. Kony 2012 is currently the most shared video on social networking sites around the world. The video is produced professionally and starts with small, emotional scenes of everyday happiness shared via Facebook and blogs....
-
Analysis on the US-India relationship with regard to China and eastern Asia. Pragmatic thinking supports the government’s inclination to bring India and the US closer, though not at the cost of becoming subservient to the latter. This is the third in a series of three articles. Read part 1 here and part 2 here. The China Factor The US has been exhorting India to move from a “Look East” policy to an “Engage East” policy. Now the call is for an “Act East” policy, in consonance with the presumed wishes of the south-east- and east Asian countries. In actual fact, India does not need such exhortation as its Look East policy has always meant engaging the...
-
Analysis on the US-India relationship with regard to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India’s own nuclear ambitions. Pragmatic thinking supports the government’s inclination to bring India and the US closer, though not at the cost of becoming subservient to the latter. This is the second in a series of three articles. Read part 1 here. Recent Developments in Iran Developments relating to Iran illustrate the kind of problems India can be confronted with if certain expectations of India-US congruence in policies are raised with an expanded defence relationship. India has no reason to support either US military action against Iran or Iran’s economic strangulation. Even on the...
-
The change in Indian thinking about America has greatly transformed the India-US relationship. Being ‘pro-American’ is no longer a stigma whether in politics or business. The wider public accepts that establishing good relations with America is a desirable objective. Pragmatic thinking supports the government’s inclination to bring India and the US closer, though not at the cost of becoming subservient to the latter. This is the first in a series of three articles. In many ways, India’s most difficult relationship has been with the US, the foremost political, economic, and military power. Over decades the US has curbed India strategically by imposing sanctions in the...
