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June 22, 2011 London, England In a recent interview with Newsweek magazine, outgoing US Defense Secretary Robert Gates lamented about not wanting to be part of a government that didn’t have the resources and gusto to support a trillion dollar military. “I’ve spent my entire adult life with the United States as a
Update: June 22, 2011 Well, there goes any hope for realism. Papandreou narrowly survived the vote in Parliament, suggesting that lawmakers either ignored or didn’t hear from Greek voters on whether or not to oust the key leaders. Another shining example of democracy in action, ironically in its birthplace. Would the result have
June 20, 2011 Oxford, England Late last week, Thomas James Ball reached his breaking point. Driven to desperation by a system that bankrupted him and destroyed his family, Ball walked up to the main door of the Keene County, New Hampshire courthouse, doused himself with gasoline, and lit himself ablaze. Hardly anyone seems
June 17, 2011 London Before leaving New York, I was enjoying a perfectly nice afternoon yesterday walking around the Upper West side. When I got to Lincoln center, roughly at the corner of Broadway and W 62nd Street, reality set in. No fewer than ten NYPD storm troopers were ‘patrolling’ the sidewalk outside
June 15, 2011 New York City Over the last days, I’ve endeavored to explain why the economic reversal of fortune in the west is unstoppable… and what the social implications of this decline will be. Economic decay and social upheaval are inextricably linked. This is not some doom and gloom conjecture, but rather
Reporting from: New York City For the last few days, we’ve been having an important discussion about the magnitude of the economic challenges in the west; if you didn’t read yesterday’s letter, I really encourage you to do so before proceeding because it’s important to understand why the west has truly passed the
June 10, 2011 New York City I don’t come to the United States very often, and when I do there’s usually a pretty good reason. In this case, it’s because of the annual Atlas 400 meeting which kicks off today in New York. I get a ton of value out of the group,
June 8, 2011 New York City On the rare occasion that I’m bored, I like to watch 24-hour news television for entertainment. It’s hilarious watching the talking heads spin out of control in apoplectic fits when they’re essentially arguing the same point; they might be from different parties, but they’re merely battling over
June 8, 2011 Panama City, Panama This morning I enjoyed a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the Hotel RIU with my longtime friend and Panamanian attorney, Augusto. He’s just had a new baby, and from the way he was pounding the coffee, Augusto’s not getting much sleep. He’s also swamped at the office; Augusto
June 7, 2011 Panama City, Panama Several years ago, I was briefly involved in a deal here in Panama in which the local owner of several fast food restaurants was looking to sell. If memory serves, he had the Panamanian master franchise agreement agreement for a large North American burger chain with over
June 6, 2011 Panama City, Panama One of the things that’s really great about Panama is how open the country is to foreigners. All nationalities are welcome in Panama, and if you spend any time on the ground, you’ll quickly find people from six continents and dozens of countries. Panama is an example
[Editor’s Note: Tim Staermose is filling in for Simon today from Macau] June 3, 2011 Macau When you read these reports about the “most expensive places in the world,” there are a few that routinely top the lists. Hong Kong is one. Macau, with its glitzy and glamorous lifestyle, is starting to make
June 2, 2011 Undisclosed location Here’s a great story. I left Santiago yesterday, quite happy that I had managed to lock up a major property deal at the 11th hour right before my international departure. I cut it so close, I literally had to run from my attorneys’ office back to my flat
May 31, 2011 Santiago, Chile As I told Sovereign Confidential subscribers on our monthly teleconference yesterday afternoon, I’ve been focused over the last several months on sniffing out the best deals in Chilean farmland for our planned resilient community. We’re definitely close. My base in Chile is here in beautiful Santiago, however, and
May 30, 2011 Santiago, Chile I had the opportunity to tour Chile’s national military school yesterday. As you may know, I spent some time in the military myself in places that were not especially pleasant, so the visit was quite meaningful for me. My host was a particular gung-ho Chilean Army officer; curiously,