One of the causes of the rise of income and wealth inequality in the world is the declining share of economic growth that goes to labor. Globalization has certainly rewarded those with capital as there have been extraordinary gains for those who can increase their productivity by tapping into the technological revolution. Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, has an essay in the New York Times, which outlines the size of the shift from labor to capital. This chart captures the size of the shift internationally:
If you wish to pursue this idea more technically, then check out this post from the blog, Zero Hedge. It outlines how much financial trading is being done by the purely speculative “shadow” banks–financial institutions that trade in money without having deposits to back up their trades.
The global economy seems to be slowing down. Europe is clearly in a recession and the economic situation in China looks increasingly dicey. In order to avoid a slowdown, there has to be a sharp increase in demand somewhere, but it is difficult to see any region in the world that could supply that consumption stimulus.
The Syrian Civil War continues to evolve into the world war in Syria. The great and medium powers are all now involved in some way, and the violence spills over into other countries. The most vulnerable state is Lebanon which persists only because of an acute sensitivity to the fragility of the social bonds within the state. But the Lebanese army has now begun to fight the followers of a Sunni Sheikh, Ahmad al-Assir, who has opposed Hezbollah’s support for Assad in Syria. If the political situation in Lebanon deteriorates, it is fertile crowd for an extension of the schisms in Syria.
World Politics News 
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