Stephen R. Ganns

Note: This post is included on the website due to the bolded concept below.

 Charles Gibson of ABC News, in his interview with Sarah Palin during the 2008 political season, inquired if she agreed with what had been colloquially referenced as the Bush Doctrine.  Some believe that this question played a pivotal role in the election.

 Mr. Gibson in that interview defined the doctrine as simply “Preemption”; however, this was a somewhat limited view.  Due to events in the Middle East over the last two weeks or so, some clarification might be appropriate: in that not much in terms of Foreign Policy or international strategy has really changed–from one administration to the other.

 The National Security Strategy (September 2002), the actual document which became known as the Bush doctrine was promulgated by the U.S. National Security Council.   

 Some of the precepts of the “Bush Doctrine”  include: “champion aspirations for human dignity, strengthen alliances to defeat global terrorism and work to prevent attacks against the US and its friends, work with others to defuse regional conflicts, prevent the enemies of the US from threatening it, its allies and friends with weapons of mass destruction, ignite a new era of global economic growth through free markets and free trade, expand the circle of development by opening societies and building the infrastructure of democracy, and develop agendas for cooperative action with the other main centers of global power.”

 Have things really changed through the millennia: or is peace through trade and commerce still the order of the day?

The reason the distinction between Free Enterprise and Finance is so important today, lies in the fact that free enterprise or free markets have always generally been able to achieve a natural equilibrium based on supply and demand. However, speculative “financial” practices tend to force real production economies to become unbalanced.  This generally creates the “boom and bust” phenomenon. Unfortunately, the two concepts still remain fused today and synthesized in the public’s mind within the definition of capitalism–just as Karl Marx intended it in the mid 1800’s when he coined the term as a pejorative or strictly negative term.

(more…)

The activities of the valuation and appraisal function have become increasingly vital to the exercise of best practices, as regards the fiduciary quality control function. One goal of the appraisal process and administration function should be to ensure that possible inherent conflicts throughout the valuation process do not occur. It is our view that differentiated functions in the valuation process need to be clearly assigned, uninfluenced and separated to achieve an accurate accounting of the portfolio, as well as each of its individual component investments.

(more…)

While global trade has declined over the past year due to financial turmoil confronting the world’s economies, significant efforts are being undertaken by major sovereign governments and their central banks to rapidly remedy these situations with stimuli programs of lasting benefit.  As has been the trend of the last several years, international trade will continue to be at the core of global financial expansion for both developed and emerging economies. Infrastructure projects take considerable planning and time to effect development. Consequently, areas with well established, high quality and efficient infrastructures which are ready for receipt, forwarding and distribution of international or domestic products will be positioned to prosper in the global economy of the 21^st century.

We believe in the inherent value of being students of history while applying heuristic and analytic methods to research of core phenomena in pursuit of solutions which have the highest probability of success. Our work is done without regard to passion, prejudice or partisanship but only toward the application of logic in achieving true understanding.

(more…)

The current financial turmoil or upheaval that is with us today and will continue for an indeterminate amount of time – needs to truly be understood.  Re-tracing specific events leading up to a complex series of problems is especially important in fully grasping the situation before embarking on devising a strategy and tactical plan toward a comprehensive vanishment or resolution.

(more…)

If a system’s goal is to accommodate expansion and prosperity throughout regions, then we need to consider the broad effect all the way to a participant from a disadvantaged or emerging market.    How long will they or for that matter the global society, be set back?

(more…)