Many still do not realize how close we came to Depression-like disaster, and how much the fiscal policies the Bush and Obama administrations were responsible for keeping us out of economic hell, even if the result was economic purgatory.

Barack Obama is going to have to make some tough choices this month, choices that could antagonize his base.

The dominant financial and economic fact of 2011 is that we are still living in the wake of the great 21-st century bubble. The dominant problem with being in the wake of the bubble is that we cannot escape Pollock's Law of Finance, which states: Loans that cannot be paid will not be paid.

The past two weeks of turmoil and drama in Sino-American affairs may well be the new normal, not an exception to an otherwise placid bilateral relationship. While Friday brought news of a possible deal allowing dissident Chen Guangcheng to leave China to study in America, that deal is no more certain than the earlier, failed deal, announced just days before

U.S. public securities markets are losing their competitive edge due tocurrent litigation policies.

The hype over Knut the polar bearwill not help to diminish the deteriorating natural environment of his wild cousins, let alone prevent global warming.

2012 looks to be an interesting year for the already complex political triangle among the United States, Taiwan and China, what with each country undergoing political transitions. Should we expect policy continuity from President Ma Ying-jeou and the likely new Chinese leader Xi Jinping? What about continuity in the United States?

The new Department of Homeland Security is failing its first big test, and the Bush administration is reaping the blame.