TIMES CHANGED – WILL TIMES CHANGE

It is today 20 march 2016, that Barack Obama visits Cuba – and

Che Guevara’s Son says Obama will visit an Independent Cuba.

It is the second time a U.S. President pays a visit. While calculating GDP-rates, their global development across different sectors and ventilating the perspectives for the development of the Cuban Economy for a new era, with this preparing my own visit (it will give me the opportunity to join the discussion on the future economic development in a way that maintains the foundations of an alternative to being absorbed in global capitalism), it is time to look again a bit more into the question of the small island nation that plays such a great role in the global context.

The previous president’s “visit” by an U.S. president was in january 1928.

 

The KOF Globalization Index 2016: Netherlands Beat Ireland and Belgium

The current KOF Globalization Index reflects the extent of economic, social and political globalization in 2013. According to the Index, the degree of globalization in 2013 increased very little compared to the preceding year. While the Index continued to stagnate in the industrialised countries, Eastern Europeand the Asian and Pacific regions recorded a rise. The Netherlands are at the top of the Index. Switzerland is occupying the fifth rank.
A number of key developments determined the trend in 2013: The gradual recovery of the global economy continued. In the USA, signs indicated an imminent normalisation of monetary policy. However, the Fed’s announcement
of reduced bond purchases led to major capital outflows and currency devaluations in the emerging markets. Although the Eurozone finally came out of recession, massive public debt continued to place a strain on the economies in the crisis countries. The Middle East was dominated by the aftermath of the Arab Spring.
Syria was wrecked by civil war and Egypt saw the military get back into power.

Small globalised countries
According to the KOF Globalization Index, the Netherlands were the most globalised country in the world in 2013, closely followed by Ireland in second and Belgium in third place. The same three countries occupied the first three places in the previous year’s globalization ranking. Austria remained in fourth place while Switzerland