Ukraine
I wonder how long Vladimir Putin can manage to deny to himself and his people that he's already been humiliated. #UkraineWar https://t.co/ocJSowDId4
— David Benfell, Ph.D. (@n4rky) May 16, 2022
For the Kremlin “it’s a really ironic moment,” said Lauren Speranza, director of Transatlantic Defense and Security at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Deterring NATO enlargement was one of Putin’s declared goals in attacking Ukraine, which had been seeking NATO membership. Finland and Sweden had not — until the Ukraine invasion, she noted.
“Not only does Putin have a huge failure on his hands in terms of his military objectives in Ukraine, but he’s also enlarged NATO, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted,” Speranza said. “It underscores what a huge strategic miscalculation this was.”[1]
Natalia Drozdiak, “NATO Expansion Could Finally Shore Up Alliance’s Weakest Flank,” Bloomberg, May 14, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-14/ukraine-war-nato-expansion-could-finally-shore-up-alliance-s-weakest-flank
Liz Sly, “Russia is furious that Finland is joining NATO but can’t do much about it,” Washington Post, May 14, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/14/finland-russia-nato-ukraine-retaliation/
Joe Barnes, “Sweden’s bid to join Nato ‘shows Vladimir Putin’s aggression doesn’t pay,’” Telegraph, May 15, 2022, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/05/15/sweden-set-follow-finland-joining-nato-despite-threats-vladimir/
Bloomberg, “Ukraine Latest: NATO Embraces Sweden, Finland; US Aid Vote Nears,” May 15, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-15/ukraine-latest-nato-has-frank-talks-with-turkey-on-accession
Deutschewelle, “Finland officially announces support for NATO membership,” May 15, 2022, https://www.dw.com/en/finland-officially-announces-support-for-nato-membership/a-61803764
Deutschewelle, “NATO: Turkey outlines demands on Finland and Sweden membership,” May 15, 2022, https://www.dw.com/en/nato-turkey-outlines-demands-on-finland-and-sweden-membership/a-61806003
Kati Pohjanpalo and Niclas Rolander, “Finland, Sweden Set to Seek NATO Entry in Historic Shift,” Bloomberg, May 15, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-15/finland-sweden-set-to-apply-for-nato-entry-in-historic-shift
Richard Spencer, “Third of Russian invaders destroyed,” Times, May 15, 2022, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/third-of-russian-invaders-destroyed-002xrvfsq
Guardian, “Russians and Ukrainians battle around Izium as Sweden joins Finland in Nato bid,” May 16, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/16/russians-and-ukrainians-battle-around-izium-as-sweden-joins-finland-in-nato-bid
John Revill, “Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia,” Reuters, May 16, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/neutral-switzerland-leans-closer-nato-response-russia-2022-05-15/
John Fetterman
Julia Terruso and Sean Collins Walsh, “John Fetterman suffered a stroke just days before Pa. Senate primary but says he’s recovering well,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 15, 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/john-fetterman-stroke-20220515.html
Recession
It’s probably a safe bet that Peter Schiff is not[2] a modern monetary theorist.[3] I tend to place a good deal of emphasis on psychological factors leading to a recession: If we think we’re going to have a recession, voilà! We shall have one. And there’s a lot of pessimism right now,[4] and certainly not just from Lloyd Blankfein.[5]
Jordan Yadoo, “US Consumer Sentiment Falls to Lowest In More Than a Decade,” Bloomberg, May 13, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-13/us-consumer-sentiment-falls-to-fresh-decade-low-on-inflation
William D. Cohan, “A Recession Projection That Might Make You Weep,” Puck News, May 15, 2022, https://puck.news/a-recession-projection-that-might-make-you-weep/
Ian Fisher, “Goldman’s Blankfein Says US at ‘Very, Very High Risk’ of Recession,” Bloomberg, May 15, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-15/goldman-s-blankfein-says-companies-should-prepare-for-recession
- [1]Liz Sly, “Russia is furious that Finland is joining NATO but can’t do much about it,” Washington Post, May 14, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/14/finland-russia-nato-ukraine-retaliation/↩
- [2]William D. Cohan, “A Recession Projection That Might Make You Weep,” Puck News, May 15, 2022, https://puck.news/a-recession-projection-that-might-make-you-weep/↩
- [3]Stephanie Kelton, Deficit Myth (New York: PublicAffairs, 2021).↩
- [4]Jordan Yadoo, “US Consumer Sentiment Falls to Lowest In More Than a Decade,” Bloomberg, May 13, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-13/us-consumer-sentiment-falls-to-fresh-decade-low-on-inflation↩
- [5]Ian Fisher, “Goldman’s Blankfein Says US at ‘Very, Very High Risk’ of Recession,” Bloomberg, May 15, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-15/goldman-s-blankfein-says-companies-should-prepare-for-recession↩