14 | maio | 2012 | Frumentarius

Brazil’s Influence Is Nominal, at Best

Carlos Pio is a professor of international political economy at the Universidade de Brasilia and at the Australian National University in Canberra.

NY Times – May 11, 2012

Even if we take into account today’s highly interdependent economic structure, in order to have a profound impact on global levels of growth, a country must be a top importer and/or exporter of goods, services, capital or labor. There is no doubt that the United States, China, Germany and Japan are global players in such terms. Russia and a handful of oil exporters can also be included in this club if one accepts the key role of energy. India, for the potential size of its internal consumption market is relevant. But Brazil, the B in BRIC, is not. Continuar lendo →

Rapaz, a Spiegel pegou muito pesado com a matéria que segue (a capa da revista já diz muito)! De toda maneira, apesar de o país representar apenas cerca de 3% do PIB do bloco, a situação na Grécia não pode ser desprezada. Seria o prelúdio para o que pode acontecer com países de maior peso como a Espanha e a Itália? Além disso, preocupa o crescimento de grupos extremistas (como os nazistas e outros segmentos de extrema-direita) e a incapacidade dos partidos que saíram vitoriosos na eleição de formarem o governo.

O comentário de que “está na hora de admitir que o plano de resgate da União Européia/FMI para Grécia falhou” merece atenção, pois reflete a maneira como pensam muitos alemães – insatisfeitos com a idéia de que estariam “carregando a Europa (e os PIGS em particular) nas costas”. Afinal, a exortação para que a Grécia saia da zona do Euro é feita pelo maior hebdomandário alemão sobre a Grécia! Vale a pena conferir.

Spiegel – 05/14/2012 11:55 AM

Time to Admit Defeat – Greece Can No Longer Delay Euro Zone Exit

After Greek voters rejected austerity in last week’s election, plunging the country into a political crisis, Europe has been searching for a Plan B for Greece. It’s time to admit that the EU/IMF rescue plan has failed. Greece’s best hopes now lie in a return to the drachma. By SPIEGEL Staff

There are many things Alexis Tsipras likes about Germany. The leader of Greece’s Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) party drives his BMW motorcycle to work at the Greek parliament in the morning, Germany’s über-leftist Oskar Lafontaine is one of his political allies, and when it comes to his daily work, his colleagues have noticed a certain tendency toward Prussian-style perfection. Continuar lendo →