Divorce for NATO? Why western alliance may be coming apart
An editorial examines mounting strains in the Western Alliance between the United States and Europe. It argues economic tensions, defense funding disputes, diverging Middle East policies, and shifts in leadership threaten unity and hint at a possible realignment in global power.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
NATO
United States
Western Alliance
U.S
PNL
Franz Schurmann
Soviet Union
China
Western Europe
Federal Reserve Board
Helmut Schmidt
West Germany
Japan
Francois Mitterrand
Reagan
Europe
Middle East
Pakistan
Argentina
Brazil
South Africa
Africa
IMF rebirth topic looms for Ottawa summit
The Gabon IMF meeting showed a Third World rebirth challenging Western dominance as Ottawa prepares to debate reform of the monetary system. The piece traces IMF origins, the 1971 shift away from gold, oil shocks, and calls from developing nations for a new global monetary order amid rising interest rates.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ottawa
IMF
Ismail Sabri Abdalla
Third World Forum
Abdalla
Southam News
How the IMF Works in a World of Quotas and Votes
The IMF functions as an exclusive bank with 141 member nations each assigned a quota in Special Drawing Rights. The United States holds about 20 percent of total quotas, Britain around 7 percent, with Japan and others following, shaping voting power and borrowing limits. Major decisions hinge on industrialized-country blocs, while 107 non-oil Third World nations share under 30 percent of votes. Saudi Arabia’s rise alters OPEC influence to roughly 12 percent, yet consensus often rows toward the major paymasters. The fund’s lending relies on subscriptions and occasional external borrowing, with a 50 percent dues increase recently. The reserve tranche allows easy withdrawal, but other lending faces stringent conditions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
U.S
Europe
Washington
United States
Britain
Germany
France
de Gaulle
Western Europe
Reagan
Middle East
America
Western Alliance
IMF
World Bank
Bretton Woods
New Hampshire
Treasuries
Julius Nyerere
Brandt Commission On World Development
Organization of Petroleum
Jamaica
Manley
Fund
Nairobi
International Monetary Fund
Comoros Islands
Cuba
Switzerland
Japan
Canada
Italy
Ottawa
Rambouillet
Puerto Rico
Saudi Arabia
OPEC
Also Mentioned on This Page
Margaret Thatcher
Great Britain
Palestine Liberation Organization
Israel
Vietnam
Hitler
Allan MacEachen
MacEachen
Gabon
Canadians
Geoffrey Howe
THE
Trudeaus
Lougheed
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