Europe

The United States has announced plans to double its military presence in Europe as part of a move to support NATO against increasing “Russian aggression”. The plans are part of the European Reassurance Initiative outlined in the 2017 defense budget, which has been sent to congress for approval. Theepochtimes.com reports: “We’re going to move to a so-called heel to toe basis, where we’re over there consistently on the ground exercising,” said Under Secretary of Defense Mike McCord in a Feb. 9 briefing, according to a transcript.

Earlier today, we reported that European officials are considering a two year Schengen suspension to help stem the inexorable flow of Mid-East migrants into Western Europe.

Last year’s optimism regarding the bloc’s ability to take on asylum seekers quickly faded as eurocrats suddenly realized just how daunting a task they’re facing. Even if the integration effort were going smoothly, the task would be well nigh impossible. Germany, for instance, took in some 1.1 million refugees in 2015 - the country only has 82 million people.

A European MP has announced that they have obtained documents that proves that Turkey aid and support terrorists groups such as ISIS in Syria.  In an interview with the Lobe Log news agency, European Parliament member Kati Piri says that she has evidence that Turkey purchases oil from ISIS, and that Turkish intelligence agencies have conspired to cause the “immigration tsunami” currently happening throughout Europe. Awdnews.com reports: Piri says that she hoped that the European Parliament will force Turkey to be held accountable for this.

"Putin Uses The Refugee Crisis To Weaken Merkel", by Judy Dempsey as originally published at Carnegie Europe,

Back in December 2015, when it became clear that refugees from the Middle East would continue to head toward Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel reassured her conservative Christian Democratic Union party that everything was under control. All she needed, she told party members, was more time. Germany could manage the influx of over 1 million refugees and asylum seekers.

Earlier this month, Kyle Bass asked a funny question in a discussion with CNBC’s David Faber. To wit: “If some fund manager in Texas is saying that your currency is dramatically overvalued, you shouldn’t care on a $10 trillion economy with $34 trillion in your banks. I have, call it a billion -  it’s so small it should be irrelevant and yet somehow it’s really relevant.”