Author Archives: Yves Smith

The Looming War Against China: Economic Logic Has Been Replaced by National Security Overrides

Michael Hudson provides a deep dive on the US’ and now its Western allies’ obsessive campaign against China.

The Big Problem With Small Nuclear Reactors

Diminutive nculear reactors are likely to be just as prone to delays and cost overruns as their behemoth predecessors.

Colonialism or Sovereignty? How the Global Financial System Traps Countries in Debt

A deep dive on developing country debt crisis and how they reveal the workings of international finance.

Big Oil’s Radical Proposal: Curtail Consumption, Not Production

Should the public take Big Oil advocating for energy conservation as a serious climate policy, or just a new flavor of greenwashing?

The United States’ Financial Quandary: ZIRP’s Only Exit Path Is a Crash

Michael Hudson takes a long, hard look at the origins and costs of the Fed’s ZIRP policy.

Economics v. the Earth: New Book Explores the History of a Tense Relationship

Fredrik Albritton Jonsson and Carl Wennerlind discuss how belief in infinite growth came to seem reasonable in philosophy and economics.

It’s Hard for Americans to Engage in China-Bashing Without Tripping on Contradictions

There are no doubt good reasons for Americans to be concerned about China, but our official justificaitons don’t stand up to scrutiny.

Links 7/6/2023

Energy Destinies – Part 4: Renewable Economics – At Cost

newable energy costs are not easy to figue out, and fully loaded, not favorable compared to the benchmark of grid parity.

Is Wagner Group Too Big to Fail?

John Helmer gives a somewhat contraian take on the Wagner Group and what the unwind of the Prigozhin affair means for Putin’s reelection.