Category Archives: Commentary

All written commentary.

There’s a zone for us, somewhere a green zone for us

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You know the old expression: When one country’s green zone closes…

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Friday ordered security forces to grant civilians access to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone in an apparent bid to stem mounting discontent over poor services and abuse of power.

Protected by countless checkpoints and concrete barriers, the 10-square-kilometre (4-square-mile) area on the bank of the Tigris River has become a symbol of the disconnect between Iraq’s leadership and its people – as well as wreaking havoc on traffic in the city of 7 million.

It once housed the headquarters of the US occupation and before that one of Saddam Hussein’s republican palaces, and is now the seat of government and of several Western embassies.

“The Green Zone is seen by the rest of the population as a protected area for VIPs,” said Middle East expert David Rigoulet-Roze in an interview with FRANCE 24. “The airport being nearby, officials can also get from their office to their plane without having to go through sensitive neighbourhoods.”
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[The policy changes by PM Abadi] are also likely to raise alarm bells among Western diplomats concerned about security threats to embassies located in the Green Zone.

 
…Western diplomats try to find a new one to open.

Western nations, like the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are banking that a new government of unity would ask them for help to stabilise Libya.

A European diplomat told me they envisioned establishing a “safety zone” in the capital that would protect foreign diplomatic missions using a foreign force.

 
Pretty sure that’s how that saying goes.

Tunisia debates ex-regime corruption amnesty bill

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Claiming it is a recessionary necessity for bringing back domestic investment by Tunisian businessmen and government bureaucrats affiliated with the former regime, Tunisia’s leading party (which is itself relatively aligned with the old regime) is proposing a controversial law to accelerate and streamline the process for forgiving corruption-related crimes committed before the 2010 revolution:

The economic reconciliation bill proposed by the presidency, however, calls for “an amnesty … in favour of civil servants, public officials and the like, regarding acts related to financial corruption and embezzlement of public funds, as long as such acts did not seek to achieve personal gain”, according to an English translation of the bill provided to Al Jazeera by the ICTJ.

 
Oh, well, if the embezzlement of public funds was not meant “to achieve personal gain” then I guess it must be ok.

That’s about as plausible as a former deputy governor in China’s Shandong province recently claiming that “nearly all of the money he accepted [5.6 million yuan] had simply been set aside – and that he was in principle saving money for the country.”

Key win for workers in the subcontract/franchise economy

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Arsenal Bolt: Quick updates on the news stories we’re following.

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Vitally important National Labor Relations Board ruling last week — “NLRB ruling could be boost for contract and franchise employees” (Minneapolis Star Tribune):

The National Labor Relations Board on Thursday expanded its joint-employer standard, potentially making it easier for unions to organize employees of franchisees and subcontractors by dragging large corporations to the bargaining table.

The new standard is also significant because corporations could now be held legally liable for workers if franchisees or subcontractors violate labor law.

In a 3-2 decision, the five-member board said that the old standard no longer kept pace with the current workforce where the diversity of workplace arrangements has significantly expanded. For example, in 2014, 2.87 million workers were employed through temporary agencies, more than double from the 1.1 million in 1990.

 
Much more analysis on this is coming in tomorrow’s episode of the Arsenal For Democracy radio show.

The tax policy of Trumponomics

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A recent New York Times headline blared “Republicans Wary of Donald Trump’s Populist Tone on Taxes.”

On the one hand, this development is hilarious because he’s slamming a huge wedge into the Republican Party. On the other hand, oddly enough some (though not all!) of these tax proposals are pretty legit, at least in theory.

He has threatened to increase taxes on the compensation of hedge fund managers. And he has vowed to change laws that allow American companies to benefit from cheaper tax rates by using mergers to base their operations outside the United States.
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“The one problem I have with the flat tax is that rich people are paying the same as people that are making very little money,” Mr. Trump said. “And I think there should be a graduation of some kind.”

 
Implementing his “ideas” is of course another matter, and he would undoubtedly do that wrong if he were actually to become president.

Previously on AFD on this topic:

– Op-Ed (for The Globalist) | Pfizer: Tax havens or bust!
– Treasury Dept acts to discourage tax avoidance mergers
– Are Trump’s bankruptcies worse than other business law manipulations?

AFD Micron #22

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Beliefs on the origin of jobs break down along the same political lines as beliefs on the origin of life. Most people think jobs emerge from a complex, organic process, involving demand, supply, and capital, but some on the far right ascribe their creation to an intelligent designer: an all-mighty, mostly mythical “job creator” who must receive regular tribute.

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AFD Micron #21

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Arguably as important as the need for more strong female characters: we need more weak female characters! Successful TV shows and movies star needy, cruel, insecure, egotistic, and/or violent men all the time, and adding more flawless female superheroes is only part of a solution. (and yes, this is just a roundabout way of saying we need more female characters.)arsenal-micron-logo