Friday, January 8, 2016

2016 … So What’s Ahead?

 With 2015 behind us, let’s look ahead to the New Year just beginning.
We’ll have some fun doing it since I have sworn off Canada and its inferior governments; just international issues of import for us now.
In no particular order, following are my predictions on a number of international fronts:
1.  Oil will begin to recover over the course of the year’s second half (i.e. up to $50 per bar);  it cannot go much lower and because low oil costs will eventually spur international markets which in turn will increase demand for the black gold;
2.  Speaking of Gold, it too will recover since the Western World continues to spend far too much – going further and further into debt while at the same time quite enamoured with monetary easing – that is to say – the printing of money without a corresponding rise in GDP to support it;
3.  Obama will continue his descent in the polls as more and more Americans come to the realization that he is a Charlatan;
4.  Trump will finally fade out and Marco Rubio will win the Republican nod;
5.  Hillary will take the Democratic crown assuming that she is not charged criminally for her cavalier treatment of top secret Government Emails.  (It is unlikely she will be charged but that is not to say – she should not be.  If it was you or me – you can bet charges would be laid);
6.  So who will win the US November Presidential Election? … you will have to await the end of this;
7.  Russians head for the polls in September to elect their DUMA – (Parliament) at which time Putin’s party will make substantive gains given his high personal popularity.  Shows you what military aggression can do for one’s popularity;
8.  Angela Merkel will see her popularity continue to decline due to the way she has handled the refugee situation – that is to say, Germans believe too many refugees are being admitted to their country.  Her re-election in 2017 is very much in jeopardy;
9.  NATO will keep Putin / the Russians in check along the Eastern European Border;
10.  He will continue to be active in the Middle East in support of Bashar al Assad thereby helping to ensure continued turmoil in that part of the world;
11.  ISIS will finally be pushed off the lands they now hold in Syria and Iraq.  The combination of air strikes and ground troop action is beginning to take a heavy toll on them which they will not be able to withstand much longer;
12.  ISIS will though be replaced by numerous other Islamic Extremist Groups throughout the Middle East and Many Parts of Africa. True peace will have to await the time of moderate Muslims taking control and that dear reader will not happen over the course of this New Year.  It means that Islamic Terrorist Attacks will continue unabated throughout the World;
13.  Even more problematic for the Muslim Countries is the fact that relations between their two major factions - the Sunnis and the Shiites, is breaking down.  This deterioration will continue over 2016 and if not brought under control over the next few years will have very grave consequences for that part of the world;
14.  An important aspect of this risk is the fact that Iran has been given clearance by the United States to complete the building of its atomic bomb.  It is hard to imagine that Israel and now Saudi Arabia will sit back and let that happen but I do not see any action on their part against Iran in 2016.  Saudi Arabia will though focus on arming itself as it now realizes it cannot depend upon Uncle Sam or should I say Uncle Barack; 
15.  In many respects, 2016 will appear like 2015 and 2014 before it;
16.  And the winner is …. Marco Rubio

As I see it ...

'K.D. Galagher'