MIDDLE EAST - Northern Syria: "Jaw dropping" Foreign Relations performance by the US

Donald Trump: 
US Commander in Chief

The US Trump Administration, after a telephone conversation between Trump and Turkish President Erdogan this past Sunday, announced it was pulling out of Northern Syria.

This means the US are abandoning their Kurdish allies there, who helped them, and previous US Administrations, over many years, defeat ISIS, and other enemies of the US in the area. 

This also leaves the door open for Turkish Troops to enter Northern Syria.

 It showed once again a total lack of loyalty by the US Trump Administration towards their allies.

The Kurds and the EU apparently also were not previously informed about this US decision. 

This can only be classified as another  "Jaw Dropping" performanc by the USA in the area of foreign relations.

EU-Digest

EU Wellfare states: How Do European Welfare States Perform? "are there any left ?" - by M.A. Antonelli and V.De Bonis

The European Union is characterized by different national social polices (although they are less clearly demarcated than in the past).

The Nordic countries present high levels of social expenditure (around 30% of GDP in Denmark, Finland and Sweden), while the continental ones (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg) have an intermediate level of expenditure (on average 27% of GDP in 2016) and the

Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal), allocate – on average- a quarter of GDP to social policies (2016). Finally, Anglo-Saxon (Ireland and the United Kingdom) and Eastern countries devote, on average, just 20% of GDP (2016) to welfare.

Based on these indicators, we construct a Performance Index (See here for details) which varies between zero and one where zero indicates the worst-performing and one the best.

For the complete detailed report click here: How Do European Welfare States Perform?

US economic growth hits its lowest level in 3 years

The U.S. economy turned in the weakest performance in three years in the January-March quarter as consumers sharply slowed their spending. The result repeats a pattern that has characterized the recovery: lackluster beginnings to the year.

The gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, grew by just 0.7 percent in the first quarter following a gain of 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday
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The slowdown primarily reflected slower consumer spending, which grew by just 0.3 percent after a 3.5 percent gain in the fourth quarter. It was the poorest showing in more than seven years. Analysts blame in part the unusually warm winter, which meant less spending on utility bills.

Economists believe the slowdown will be temporary. They forecast GDP growth will rebound to 3 percent or better in the current quarter.

Averaging the two quarters, they forecast growth of around 2 pecent.

Read more: US economic growth hits its lowest level in 3 years

U.S. economy shrinks for the first time in three years

The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter for the first time in three years as it buckled under the weight of a severe winter, but there are signs activity has since rebounded.

The Commerce Department on Thursday slashed its estimate of gross domestic product to show the economy shrank at a 1.0 percent annual rate.

The worst performance since the first quarter of 2011 reflected a far slower pace of inventory accumulation and a bigger than previously estimated trade deficit. Both are temporary factors which should fade and unleash a surge in growth this quarter.

“The race isn't over yet for the economy. We are still expecting a strong finish to the year. Inventory levels will rebuild, pushing GDP to nearly 4 percent in the second quarter,” said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York.

GDP was initially estimated to have grown at a 0.1 percent rate. It is not unusual for the government to make sharp revisions to GDP numbers as it does not have complete data when it makes its initial estimates.

The decline also reflected a plunge in business spending on nonresidential structures. The economy grew at a 2.6 percent pace in the fourth quarter.

Read more: U.S. economy shrinks in first quarter amid severe weather - chicagotribune.com

Rasmussen Presidential Tracking Poll shows President Obama rating on the increase

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Obama's job performance. Forty-nine percent (49%) disapprove (see trends).

The latest figures include 24% who Strongly Approve of the way Obama is performing as president and 38% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -14.

Read more: Daily Presidential Tracking Poll - Rasmussen Reports™