Year: 2013
"The Kosovisation of Greece", by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, THE TELEGRAPH
, 10/08/2013
Readers of this blog will recall that, years ago, I was predicting that the (mis)handling of the Euro Crisis by Brussels-Berlin-Frankfurt would cause parts of the Eurozone Periphery (Greece in particular) to metamorphosise into versions of Kosovo. This reference of mine has, I must add, upset friends in Kosovo. My message to them is to […]
David Laibman reviews The Global Minotaur
, 06/08/2013
David Laibman, editor of Science & Society (the oldest academic journal of Marxist scholarship), has recently authored a review of The Global Minotaur.
Klaus Kastner gives up on the Eurozone (and Greece's prospects of recovering within)
, 02/08/2013
Klaus Kastner has been in regular correspondence with me and with readers of this blog. A thoughtful commentator, he has held on to the thought that Greece can be revived within the Eurozone under the current mix of ‘fiscal consolidation’ policies. From the outset, he seems to have appreciated some aspects of our Modest Proposal […]
Athens – Birthplace of our Globalising Wall: Our second contribution to the Witte de With Review
, 01/08/2013
Athens: Birthplace of our globalising wall This is the second article that vitalspace.org and I have contributed to the Witte de With Review (an initiative of Rotterdam-based Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art). Readers of this blog will recognise a theme that is close to our hearts: the globalisation of harsh divisions (for a reminder see here, here and here). The added twist here […]
James Galbraith on Europe, Greece (and Syriza), Germany and America
, 30/07/2013
What follows is the extended, English language, version of James Galbraith’s recent interview with Roger Strassburg published in NachDenkSeiten. Enjoy:
The Germany Europe and the World Need – my article in HANDELSBLATT
, 29/07/2013
A few months ago, I wrote an article under the title ‘Europe Needs an Hegemonic Germany’. Handelsblatt, the respected German daily, has now picked it up and published it on 24th July 2013. (Many thanks are due to Stephen Richter, of The Globalist, for his copy-editing and support. And for posting a version of this […]
Pleased to announce that the Czech edition of the Global Minotaur is now out
, 29/07/2013
Click here or on the icon below
Don't mention the war? A reader's objection to Stuart Holland's piece, with a rejoinder
, 27/07/2013
A German reader objected most strongly to Stuart Holland’s reply to Mr Schuable’s Guardian piece and, in particular, to Stuart’s discussion of Gestalt Psychology plus his reference to the awful ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ slogan. Here I present the reader’s objection in full. With a reply that I scripted.
Guilt, debt and interest rates: A comment on double moral standards
, 27/07/2013
Moralising is not a good foundation for macroeconomic policy, especially at a time of Crisis. Still, moral objections to sound policy recommendations must be taken seriously as they have the potential to prevent their adoption, with terrible consequences for all. Here, I respond to a Portuguese reader’s question regarding double standards in the moral assessment […]
Six critical responses to the Modest Proposal – now with our rejoinders
, 26/07/2013
Following his article on the Modest Proposal 4.0, Jorge Nascimento Rodrigues invited six economists to comment on it. Here are their responses. With rejoinders added by myself and Stuart Holland.
Debt, Guilt and German History: A Reply to Wolfgang Schäuble, by Stuart Holland
, 26/07/2013
On 19th July Mr Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister, published an article in The Guardian entitled We Germans don’t want a German Europe. Two days later I responded by annotating his article while colleague, co-author and friend Stuart Holland wrote the following reply (published in Il Foglio in Italian – click here). As it is a poignant article, I […]
More on the debt conversion policy in Modest Proposal 4.0
, 26/07/2013
Portuguese readers have returned (see this and this, for the original Q&As) with two more questions on the Modest Proposal‘s limited debt conversion policy (with which we believe the Eurozone’s debt crisis could be dealt a decisive blow). I do not understand quite well the “moral “ difference between mutualizing the debt above Maastricht rule […]
Can Greece get out of the Eurozone now? Should it? Comments on Munchau and Sinn
, 24/07/2013
Portuguese journalist Jorge N. Rodrigues noticed a revival in talk about a velvet divorce between Greece and the Eurozone. So, he asked me to comment on two articles in the Financial Times, one by Wolfgang Munchau the other by Hans-Werner Sinn. Here are my responses:
On the legality, mechanics and effectiveness of the Modest Proposal’s policy regarding the Eurozone’s debt crisis
, 22/07/2013
Our Q&As on aspects on the Modest Proposal 4.0 continue here with a barrage of pertinent questions posed by a Slovak reader. They concern our recommended Limited Debt Conversion Programme (Policy 2 here) with which we believe the Eurozone’s debt crisis can be resolved. (Tomorrow’s post continues the conversation turning to the issue of moral harazed, […]
THE ANNOTATED WOLFGANG SCHÄUBLE – Commentary on his Guardian article, 19th July 2013
, 21/07/2013
On 19th July Mr Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister, published an article in The Guardian entitled We Germans don’t want a German Europe. The article was written hours after Mr Schäuble left Athens, following a controversial visit during which he told Greeks to expect no relief and to stick to the script written three and a […]
Debt Redemption, PSI&OSI versus our Modest Proposal: Q&A with Portuguese readers
, 20/07/2013
The debate on the Modest Proposal 4.0 is hotting up. Here are comprehensive answers to queries from Portuguese readers of Exrpesso magazine concerning debt haircuts, the European Stability Mechanism, the differences between a Debt Redemption Fund and our Modest Proposal etc. My answers were later incorporated into this comprehensive story by Jorge Nascimento Rodrigues.
Q&A on the Modest Proposal's policies involving the ECB and the EIB
, 20/07/2013
A reader has sent us a set of questions regarding Modest Proposal 4.0 and, in particular, (a) the role of the ECB in converting the Maastricht compliant part of member-state public debt, and (b) the EIB’s involvement in our Investment-led Recovery Program. His questions allow us to clarify the proposed policies.
Interested in a new perspective on our troubled world? Witte de With presents WdW Review
, 18/07/2013
Allow me proudly to announce a new collaboration with Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art. Your truly and www.vitalspace.org are, as of now, the ‘Athens Desk’ of the Centre’s new WdW Review. For more…
NEW: A Modest Proposal for Resolving the Euro Crisis, Version 4.0 – by Yanis Varoufakis, Stuart Holland and James K. Galbraith
, 15/07/2013
For a year now, Europe has been lying to itself, pretending that the Euro Crisis has been, more or less, resolved. It is now clear that the Euro Crisis is alive and well and threatening Europe with disintegration, permanent damage, widespread poverty, a loss of democratic legitimacy and a swing toward misanthropy. Our Modest Proposal […]
Taking stock of the Euro Crisis on the Keiser Report (video)
, 12/07/2013
I always enjoy being interviewed by Max Keiser, despite our differences on a number of issues (the merits of the Gold Standard, Bitcoin – gold’s e’reincarnation), I beg to differ from him on his hypothesis that Greece fell to a well thought out conspiracy. There was no such thing. Just a badly designed common currency […]
Taking stock of the Euro Crisis – a prelude to (the forthcoming) Version 4.0 of the Modest Proposal
, 11/07/2013
This blog was initially established to discuss the global crisis of 2008 and, in particular, to promote our Modest Proposal for Resolving the Euro Crisis. As Version 4.0 of the Modest Proposal is being prepared (and will be published early next week), it is perhaps time to take stock of almost four years of Euro […]
On Portugal's latest political crisis, and its ramifications: Interview for Expresso
, 04/07/2013
Click here for the interview in Portuguese – as published. Or read on for the original English text
Of Public Phones and Besieged Humans – Our first contribution to Witte de With's Review
, 01/07/2013
Witte de With Contemporary Art Centre, of Rotterdam, has just launched its Review, both electronically and in print. As part of this effort, WdW have established desks in Athens, Cairo, Istanbul, Jerusalem and Ramallah – five ‘ancient’ cities. vitalspace.org, founded by Danae Stratou and yours truly, was selected as WdW’s Athens desk. Our first contribution […]