Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Stratfor on US punishing Europe through dollar fall. Posted here Wednesday, September 10, 2003 at 8:38:28 PM     and also ( I didn't know this went on). The primary reason was that the dollar's plunge versus the euro was a quietly orchestrated affair designed to punish Paris and Berlin for their intransigence on the issue of Iraq. It proved damaging enough to hurl the eurozone into recession and sabotage broader European growth prospects for the remainder of 2003. Japan, however, did not suffer nearly as much as Europe. Washington's lack of criticism of Tokyo's currency-printing orgy suggests that Japan received at least tacit permission to counteract the dollar's fall. ********

russia and power Posted here Wednesday, September 10, 2003 at 8:35:49 PM     also from stratfor   At stake is nothing less than the primacy of the Kremlin in Russia's political affairs. Stratfor sources within both Yukos and the Russian presidential administration say Russian President Vladimir Putin fears that Yukos chairman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the country's richest man and arguably most powerful oligarch, is maneuvering to lead the country in a de jure, if not de facto, sense. Putin is working vicariously through federal prosecutors to convince Khodorkovsky to stick to business, and -- should he prove less than receptive -- to cut him down to size. ********

News: Columbia and Argentina Posted here Wednesday, September 10, 2003 at 8:16:33 PM     from the CSM, excerpts Furious human-rights advocates in Colombia accused President Alvaro Uribe of endangering their lives in comments suggesting they acted "in the service of terrorism" by attacking his government's record. On Monday, Uribe publicly criticized a joint report by more than 80 such organizations entitled "The Authoritarian Curse." It accuses the military of using excessive force and putting civilian lives at risk in its campaign to defeat a 39-year communist insurgency. Last year, 17 human-rights workers in Colombia were murdered or disappeared, allegedly at the hands of outlawed right-wing militias. Risking further isolation of its fragile economy, Argentina failed to meet Tuesday's deadline for a $3 billion payment on its debt to the International Monetary Fund. The default is the largest in IMF history. The decision was made not to "compromise" one-quarter of the nation's foreign currency reserves, a government statement said. Argentina has been trying to persuade the IMF to roll over $12.5 billion it's owed between now and 2006. ********