Inventories Give Boost To Fourth Quarter US GDP – Analysis

A sharp reversal from the third quarter’s decline in inventories added 1.94 percentage points to GDP growth in the fourth quarter, bringing the rate to 2.8 percent. Final demand grew at just a 0.8 percent rate in the quarter, a sharp drop from the 3.2 rate in the third quarter, as a 4.6 percent drop in government spending lopped almost a full percentage point off grow... Read More

Crisis In Yemeni Economy: Troubled Transition To Post-Hydrocarbon Growth – Analysis

By Charles Schmitz Yemen’s Economic Transition Yemen’s political stalemate is destroying the economy. Violence and labor strife have shut down oil production, the central bank’s foreign reserves are being drawn down, and the fighting, demonstrations, electrical outages, and fuel shortages have paralyzed local businesses to the extent that banks and money exchangers ... Read More

Kosovo: Who Does The ISG Speak For? – Analysis

With the ISG saying it plans to leave by the end of 2012, even whilst outstanding issues – including the north – remain, the UN must be prepared to play an essential buffering role between the two sides in the status dispute.By Gerard M. GallucciThe International Steering Group (ISG) met on January 24 in Vienna to consider its 2012 program for Kosovo. The foru... Read More

How National Defense Authorization Act Allows President To Release Prisoners From Guantánamo – OpEd

While I was in the US two weeks ago, for the 10th anniversary of the opening of the “war on terror” prison at Guantánamo Bay, there was great deal of understandable outrage amongst activists — both those on the left, and libertarians — because of outrageous provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (PDF), which was passed by the ... Read More