Ao contrário das aparências, em plena crise econômica, o presidente Obama decidiu mudar o foco e dedicar-se à consolidação do poder militar dos EUA em todo mundo, demonstrando plena consciência de que este poder militar é indispensável à reconstrução da economia norteamericana e da própria liderança mundial do dólar. Deste ponto de vista, o que Obama está propondo, de fato, é uma espécie de congelamento da atual hierarquia do poder militar mundial, com a manutenção do direito e da obrigação americana de aumentar continuamente os seus próprios arsenais. O artigo é de José Luis Fiori.

Focus on yuan misguided; investment and domestic consumption, not exports, are engines of economy

May Day clashes in Athens as belt-tightening policies are set to reverse rights won by workers over 30 years

European politicians are fuming over the US credit ratings agencies and their role in various financial crises. But some experts say it was governments who allowed rating firms to gain too much power in the first place.

Will the Greek malaise spread to Portugal? Fears of a national bankruptcy are now also growing in Lisbon, even though the country is capable of getting its debt under control by itself. The problem is that markets no longer have faith in the Portuguese to fix their own affairs.

La actual crisis del capitalismo global no es sólo económica. También lo es moral y jurídica. Por eso, las señales aparentes de recuperación económica son irrelevantes. No sólo por ser manipuladas y engañosas. Sino porque lo fundamental queda fuera. Y es que la crisis ha demostrado nuevamente que el ordenamiento jurídico de los estados no protege ni a los ciudadanos ni a los propios estados frente a la masiva destrucción de riqueza y bienestar que estos mercados pueden provocar y de hecho provocan.

Spreading problems in Europe's sovereign debt markets pose potential challenges for China, which has been stepping up its investments in European government bonds and relies on Europe as its biggest export market.

With new European Union leaders practically invisible and some national leaders acting largely for domestic political reasons, the burden of shaping a rapid and credible restructuring program for Greece has fallen primarily to the International Monetary Fund - exactly where proud European Union leaders had insisted it should not be.

Cuando una crisis financiera se combina con una crisis económica, los Estados se ven obligados a inyectar dinero a paladas en la economía para salvar a los bancos, para pagar los subsidios de desempleo y en última instancia, si es necesario, para cavar zanjas y después volver a echar tierra sobre los agujeros para evitar una depresión, que en economía es una suerte de agujero negro. Después de eso suelen venir crisis fiscales: algunos países son incapaces de pagar la factura y van a la quiebra.

Knowing a bailout for Athens would be unpopular, Chancellor Angela Merkel wanted to postpone taking action on the Greek crisis until a key state election on May 9. But financial markets don't care about domestic German politics. Her delay could end up costing the country billions.

The current Greek crisis has shown all too starkly the limits of the euro zone's sanction and support mechanisms. If the monetary union is to have a future, it needs new rules to keep members in line and bail them out if necessary.

Many observers assign a large part of the blame for the 2008 financial crisis to the "big three" credit rating agencies, which gave their AAA seal of approval to worthless investments. Now those same agencies are helping to bring the euro zone to its knees -- and no one is trying to stop them.

Germany balked for weeks over a possible bailout for Athens. Now its delays are coming back to haunt it in the form of intense international criticism of Angela Merkel's crisis management.

When Chancellor Angela Merkel's current government came into power, Germany was just emerging from the economic crisis. But despite pledges to curb deficit spending, Merkel's administration has been running up debt at a record pace -- and bailing out Greece will only exacerbate the situation.

As the financial crisis in the euro zone worsens and the heads of the IMF and the ECB come to Berlin to persuade Germany to help Greece now, local commentators are calling for speed and decisiveness. As they see it, political jockeying before the May 9 election in North Rhine-Westphalia is no reason for German politicians to endanger the whole euro zone.

The Greeks are mainly responsible for their current predicament. But the German government has made the country's situation worse with its lectures and reluctance to provide assistance. Chancellor Angela Merkel is mainly to blame for the fact that German taxpayers now have to suffer.

S&P dice que la banca, "además de a las débiles perspectivas de la economía, se enfrenta a la excesiva concentración de riesgos en construcción y al sobredimensionamiento" del sector inmobiliario.

Crecimiento del PIB en 2010 y 2011.

La clasificación según S&P, Moody's y Fitch.