Author Archives: stephenkmacksd

Here is just a portion of what the reader needs to know about Mr. Bremmer. This week, I am in Berlin to join David Lipton, IMF first deputy managing director, and other key stakeholders in a conversation on the shifting … Continue reading →

  One marvels at this excerpt from Mr. Rachman’s latest essay, yet how should the reader interpret Mr. Foa and Mr. Mounk’s statement about the last three decades, in which trust in political institutions has precipitously declined? The thought that … Continue reading →

I will continue my comment on Paul Collier’s TLS Book review. I will quote from his essay and those quotations will be underlined and colored to indicate quotation, and my comments will be in bold italics. I try to address … Continue reading →

Sir Paul Collier ‘reviews’ ten books on Capitalism in the Times Literary Supplement of January 25 2017, under the title of ‘How to save capitalism from itself’: 1.Marc Levinson AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME The end of the postwar boom and the … Continue reading →

The ever evolving Greek Melodrama continues in the pages of The Financial Times.   Mr. Münchau’s essay is framed in a dire warning: ‘A failure to tell the truth imperils Greece and Europe’ and its sub-headline ‘If the IMF pulls … Continue reading →

In a polemical style reminiscent of Ayn Rand ranting about ‘Altruism’, as the poison that ales humanity, Mr. Covel mimics the literary style adapted from Robert Evans, in ‘The Kid Stays in the Picture’: full of bravado, but punctuated here … Continue reading →

Mr. Gallo, in his essay, advocates a ‘rethink’ for the E.U., led by The Germans, who defaulted four times in the 20th Century. Read Ms. Tett’s 2015 essay for the particulars: https://www.ft.com/content/927efd1e-9c32-11e4-b9f8-00144feabdc0 The stark choice for the German led E.U. … Continue reading →

Mr. Ganesh is a talented feuilletonist, a form of journalism that was popular in continental Europe, pioneered by the exiled German poet Heine, that became the target of the ire, contempt of the most famous journalist in historical memory, Karl … Continue reading →

As usual Mr. Douthat points in many directions to ‘explain’ Trump and Trumpism. But the starring role in this melange of pop culture references, and a foreshortened potted American history, in its most usable shorthand version, is the naming of … Continue reading →

But the proximate cause of the renewed conflict is surely the sudden vacuum of US leadership on Ukraine. Washington’s muted response to the violence, which did not even mention Russia, will alarm not just Kiev but capitals across Europe. Equally … Continue reading →