After 42 years of ruling Libya, why is Moammar Gadhafi still only a Colonel? I think if he had gotten a promotion or two along the way things might be going better for everyone.
NATO is considering possible military intervention. The debate is the actual number of civilian deaths required to insight action on NATO's part. Apparently, until it gets to about 100,000, nobody is mobilizing anything. It is not clear who is doing the counting either.
According to reports, Libya's military is ruthlessly attacking its citizens. This apparently has not caused Libya to lose its seat on the UN's Council for Human Rights. Long live the UN.
Some Libya trivia from the 20th Century:
Gadhafi drew a line in the sand (actually it was a line in the water) claiming certain international waters as Libya's property. The US, whose job it is to draw lines, got upset and decided that no one else should be allowed to draw lines on the planet. This resulted in two Libyan fighter jets getting shot down by Iceman and Maverick when the Libyan pilots accidentally pointed their nose cones at the 2 US F-14 Tomcats.
The Colonel then drew a line in the sand (real sand this time) a little farther south but tricked the US by later launching six SA-5 missiles against the U.S. Sixth Fleet and missed (not a good idea).
Gadhafi, realizing he was in trouble, then moved his tent complex farther south and drew another "line in the sand". By this time, the US had enough of his line drawing and launched Operation El Dorado Canyon, involving Air Force F-111s from airbases in the United Kingdom. The refusal of the French government to grant authority for an American overflight of their country greatly complicated matters and necessitated the accidental bombing of the French embassy in Libya. Ooops, sorry.
At that point Colonel Gadhafi moved farther south and drew another line in the sand but by this time he was standing in the country of Chad.
No wonder he never got promoted.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Rocks and Hard Places
"CAIRO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Egypt has approved the passage of two Iranian navy ships through the Suez Canal, an army source said, a move that could annoy Israel, whose foreign minister has called Iran's actions a provocation. "Egypt has agreed to the passage of two Iranian ships through the Suez Canal," the army source told Reuters."
The Red Sea is pretty tight quarters and military officials of all countries are always concerned about unintended incidents with war ships in such close proximity.
A quick check of the US Carrier battle groups shows something interesting:
The USS Enterprise and USS Kearsarge are straddling the entrance and exits to the Red Sea. The USS Carl Vinson is parked directly off the beaches of Iran. Probably in plain site of any sun bathers. That's a lot of warships packed into a small area of the planet. Remember these ships never travel alone.
What is also curious is that on the east coast of the US we have the USS Bataan, USS Harry Truman and the USS GWH Bush. On the west coast of the US we have the USS Makin Island, USS John Stennis, and USS Ronald Regan. It's almost like a "picket line" has been formed on each coastline.
I wonder if the US is expecting visitors.
PS: For those of you worried about the above disclosures, don't be. This information is a matter of public record. Besides, it is never about where the ships are. It is always about what they are doing and where they are going.
The Red Sea is pretty tight quarters and military officials of all countries are always concerned about unintended incidents with war ships in such close proximity.
A quick check of the US Carrier battle groups shows something interesting:
The USS Enterprise and USS Kearsarge are straddling the entrance and exits to the Red Sea. The USS Carl Vinson is parked directly off the beaches of Iran. Probably in plain site of any sun bathers. That's a lot of warships packed into a small area of the planet. Remember these ships never travel alone.
What is also curious is that on the east coast of the US we have the USS Bataan, USS Harry Truman and the USS GWH Bush. On the west coast of the US we have the USS Makin Island, USS John Stennis, and USS Ronald Regan. It's almost like a "picket line" has been formed on each coastline.
I wonder if the US is expecting visitors.
PS: For those of you worried about the above disclosures, don't be. This information is a matter of public record. Besides, it is never about where the ships are. It is always about what they are doing and where they are going.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Eqypt Data and EU Warnings
HEY! I just got my first reader from Eqypt!!!!! Welcome.... In celebration I thought I would post something about Eqypt.
The incidents in Eqypt are indeed unfortunate. And setting aside all the political rhetoric going on about Mubarak the US et. al. Let's look at some data.
Back to politics: A warning for the EU: Keep an eye on the Balkans. The path is clear. First the overthrow of the Pakistani government. Then Eqypt. Then Jordan. And then it is on to the EU. Movements no longer require joining land masses, they jump from country to country by means of Twitter, Blogs, and an old style media that still believes, "If it bleeds; it leads" -- hence signs in English -- a more international language.
Back to Finance & Economics: When the US Federal Reserve floods the world with cheap dollars through Quantitative Easing it makes everything look expensive and devalues the currency. However, political unrest drives a "flight to safety" for investors which is still considered the US dollar and US Treasury Bonds. This increases the demand in the dollar making it stronger. You now know the Ben Bernanke equilibrium strategy... devalue the currency while stumulating demand for the currency.
Back to the Human tragedy: Everything said above gives a strong feeling that Eqypt and therefore the Eqyptian people are not important. Nothing could be further from the truth but the mechanics of finance and monetary policy surely send that message that, "While we agree human beings are important; we must also agree they are irrelevant". My hope is that the people of Eqypt could establish some form of government that allows for periodic orderly transitions of leadership to help keep moving the country forward for the benefit of the people the government is supposed to represent.
The incidents in Eqypt are indeed unfortunate. And setting aside all the political rhetoric going on about Mubarak the US et. al. Let's look at some data.
- Protests in Egypt are being carried out by a very, very tiny percentage of the population.
- Curiously, most signs being carried are written in English.
- 70% of Egyptians work for some level of the Egyptian Government.
- The Egyptian Government just gave 70% of the population a 15% raise.
- According to The US Government Foreign Aid Website the US Government has $1.2B in annual investment in Egypt meaning most Eqyptians work for the US Government apparently.
- If an orderly transition in Eqyptian Government is not realized the most important employer of the Eqyptian people will be lost and rising food prices will be replaced by unemployment on a Biblical scale.
- And, US aid will be halted or reduced thus lowering US Government deficit spending. After all it makes no sense to for the US government to borrow money from the Chinese only to then give it to Eqypt.
Back to politics: A warning for the EU: Keep an eye on the Balkans. The path is clear. First the overthrow of the Pakistani government. Then Eqypt. Then Jordan. And then it is on to the EU. Movements no longer require joining land masses, they jump from country to country by means of Twitter, Blogs, and an old style media that still believes, "If it bleeds; it leads" -- hence signs in English -- a more international language.
Back to Finance & Economics: When the US Federal Reserve floods the world with cheap dollars through Quantitative Easing it makes everything look expensive and devalues the currency. However, political unrest drives a "flight to safety" for investors which is still considered the US dollar and US Treasury Bonds. This increases the demand in the dollar making it stronger. You now know the Ben Bernanke equilibrium strategy... devalue the currency while stumulating demand for the currency.
Back to the Human tragedy: Everything said above gives a strong feeling that Eqypt and therefore the Eqyptian people are not important. Nothing could be further from the truth but the mechanics of finance and monetary policy surely send that message that, "While we agree human beings are important; we must also agree they are irrelevant". My hope is that the people of Eqypt could establish some form of government that allows for periodic orderly transitions of leadership to help keep moving the country forward for the benefit of the people the government is supposed to represent.
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