August 2014 – Schirach Report

Federica Mogherini Gets Top EU Foreign Policy Job – Inconsequential Position To A Rookie By appointing a person with almost no real experience the EU countries indicate that foreign policy remains a national prerogative

WASHINGTON – Federica Mogherini, age 41, since February 2014 Italy’s (youngest ever) Minister of Foreign Affairs, has just been appointed High...

UK Will Lead A New NATO Rapid Reaction Force – Should Putin Take Notice? This is a small development that does not change the basic dynamic of reduced defense spending across the board

WASHINGTON – As a response to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, NATO will do…well, not much. Most of the reactions so...

Italy Is Slowly Sinking – Years Of Recession Or Zero Growth – Unemployment At 12.6% There seems to be no public policy remedy for a country in economic decline

WASHINGTON – Mario Draghi, the President of the European Central Bank (ECB) deserves praise for his ability to save...

Ukraine Should Admit Defeat – Let The Russians Take Over The East Now there is a real Russian invasion. Resisting againt naked aggression may be noble and patriotic. But it is futile. Ukraine will never win. Let the East go

WASHINGTON – The situation in Eastern Ukraine is getting worse. It is now clear that Putin’s Russia has intervened directly in the...

Germany’s Green Energy Revolution Based On Belief, Not Economics The government is mandating the use of renewable energy, even though it is more expensive than fossil fuels. Will this bet pay off?

WASHINGTON – An interesting WSJ story, (Germany’s Expensive Energy Gamble, August 27, 2014), provides a good illustration of top-down...

Ukraine Cannot Win Against Russia – Give Up The East President Poroshenko is alone. The US and the EU will not give any military support. Ending the conflict is necessary in order to refocus on the economy

WASHINGTON – Despite its (surprising) military successes against the pro-Russia rebels, there is no way that Ukraine can “win” this Moscow-funded civil...

Italy Overwhelmed By Immigrants From North Africa It is not a tidal wave, but it is a constant flow. Too many poor people keep arriving in a semi-impoverished country

WASHINGTON – Regarding the constant flow of illegal immigrants from North Africa into Italy and to a lesser degree Spain, the...

Perceptions and Misperceptions About Black Crime And White Police Brutality Too many young Blacks are engaged in crime. Hence tough law enforcement targeting them. But this leads Black communities to believe that all policemen are racist

WASHINGTON – The killing by a White police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, of a Black young man, 18-year-old Michael Brown, ...

Putin Destroyed All Notions Of A Peaceful Post-Cold War Europe Russia has its own ideas about sovereignty, when it comes to former Soviet Republics. America and Europe will not do much about any of this

WASHINGTON – In an almost casual way Russian President Vladimir Putin trashed each and every agreement that supposedly guaranteed...

Europe Does Not Like America No longer in need of US military protection, many Europeans openly express their contempt

WASHINGTON – In Italy, Alessandro Di Battista, a member of parliament who belongs to the opposition 5 Stelle, (5 Stars),...