Europe

Albert Edwards is in love, but what makes it somewhat awkward is that the object of his affection is not living flesh and blood but a major asset, one which he calls "probably the most fantastic investment of the last decade", and one which so many others have called the "widowmaker" for the simple reason that they have shorted it, shorted it again, and shorted it some more, only to always lose money because as their adversary that have the most irrational, most childish and most desperate central bank in the world: the Bank of Japan.

Norwegian PM Erna Solberg doesn’t want to have to skirt her country’s responsibilities under the Geneva Convention and she doesn’t want to trample over human rights either, but she will if she has to.

"It is a force majeure proposals which we will have in the event that it all breaks down,” Solberg said, in an interview with Berlingske, describing new measures she believes Norway may have to take if Sweden buckles under the weight of the refugee influx which saw some 163,000 asylum seekers inundate the country last year.

The issue of arms sales to Saudi Arabia by Western countries has always been a contentious topic in some circles.

Joe Lieberman wrote a predictably tedious op-ed calling for American “leadership.” One interesting thing about it is that he repeated a claim that Sens. Sasse and Ernst made in their own appeal for hawkish “leadership” last week:

In a conversation with the leader of a European ally, some of us asked what the United States could do to be most helpful to him and his country. His answer was direct: “Elect a president who understands the importance of American leadership in the world.”

Submitted by Joao Peixe via OilPrice.com,

The Islamic State (ISIS) is taking on recruits faster than anyone can keep up with, and it’s heading towards Libya’s oil crescent, eyeing billions of barrels that a country at war with itself cannot protect - even with U.S. air strikes.