There were dueling protests in Turkey, as supporters of Prime Minister Erdogan held a rally in his support while anti-Erdogan protesters called for his resignation. The roots of the anti-government protests are somewhat opaque–there is a sense that Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian, but it is difficult to separate that feeling from a larger fear of the increasingly religiosity of the regime. I would welcome comments from anyone who has a deeper insight into the causes of the protests since the mainstream media reports that the economic situation in Turkey is generally positive. Anti-government protests under good economic conditions is somewhat rare politically.
Wealth inequality keeps getting worse over time. The discrepancies between rich and poor are truly staggering in the world: “29 million individuals, or 0.6% of those with any actual assets under their name, own $87.4 trillion, or 39.3% of all global assets.” There have been, however, some changes in the geographic distribution of wealth, with Europe being the biggest loser. This graph is from Credit Suisse:
Much of the European losses stem from the sovereign debt crisis, but Germany and France’s decline are notable. The US and China continue to accumulate the largest number of ultra-high income earners.
Now for a little comic relief. One of the great conspiracy theories of our time involves what is known as the Bilderberg Group. To many, the Bilderberg Group is a secret shadow government that is, in effect, ruling the world One of the principal people propounding this theory is a journalist/radio personality by the name of Alex Jones who runs a website called Infowars.com (I recommend the site if one needs a good laugh). The BBC ran an interview with Jones which is pure gold, as only the BBC can do. Watch the video and then have a good stiff drink.
World Politics News 
Leave a comment