Author Archives: Yves Smith

Links 8/12/2025

What Is Happening to the Dollar as a Safe Haven?

Why the speed of the dollar’s demise seems to be a tad over-anticipated.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams in Cahoots With ICE? Sudden Surge in Courthouse Arrests With Failure to Act on Illegal Detentions

Hyper agressive ICE shifts tactics in New York City by arresting targets at court appearances. A sop to Mayor Adams? To NYC oligarchs?

Beyond Carbon: The Overlooked Health Benefits of Fuel Taxation

Eco-taxes to reduce fuel emissions not only lower CO2 levels, but also reduce pollution, helping poor neighborhoods the most.

Links 8/9/2025

Michael Hudson: Europe’s Surrender

Michael Hudson returns to current events in an interview with Nima, focusing on what the Trump tariffs deals mean for Europe, the US and BRICS

Alfred McCoy: Controlling the ‘World Island’

More on Alfred McCoy re how how H.J. Mckinder’s “world island” has shaped Western strategic thinking, here with respect to the Pacific

As the Colorado River Slowly Dries Up, States Angle for Influence Over Future Water Rights

The wrangling over who gets what out of the Colorado Rivers is one of many escalating fights over ever more scarce water.

‘Disaster in the Making’: Trump to Open 401(k)s to Crypto, Private Equity Vultures

“Stuffing private equity, crypto…. into 401(k)s is about propping up scams and bailing out an industry that’s run out of buyers”

The China Shock Hits Germany

How China was hollowing out Germany’s manufacturers before the loss of cheap Russian energy made matters worse.

Questioning the Corporation

A review of the development and current undue power of corporations provides insightful history but goes off the rails on some current issues.

Federal Reserve, Using Non-Compliant Accounting, Hides Over $100 Billion a Year of Losses and Resulting Negative Equity, Due to Illegal Bank Subsidies

A former Fed economist explains in detail how the central bank has been using dodgy accounting to hide losses from impermissible subsidies

Satyajit Das: Book Essay – Understanding Iran

A look at modern Iran’s grand strategy and the danger of continued Western underestimation.