Free Capitalist Network - Community Archive
Mises Community Archive
An online community for fans of Austrian economics and libertarianism, featuring forums, user blogs, and more.

Bretton Woods III?

rated by 0 users
This post has 7 Replies | 2 Followers

Top 150 Contributor
Male
Posts 783
Points 14,645
ryanpatgray Posted: Mon, Oct 20 2008 3:51 PM

Hi, I heard on the news some chatter that some of our “Dear Leaders” are discussing the possibility of a Bretton Woods III. Has anyone else heard this? Do you have more information about this? Should we bellyfeel this new Bretton Woods conference?

I am an eklektarchist not an anarchist.

Educational Pamphlet Mises Group

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 50 Contributor
Male
Posts 2,221
Points 34,050
Moderator

ryanpatgray:

 

Hi, I heard on the news some chatter that some of our “Dear Leaders” are discussing the possibility of a Bretton Woods III. Has anyone else heard this? Do you have more information about this? Should we bellyfeel this new Bretton Woods conference?

They are discussing (as the 10th Oct. 2008) of closing the world markets to re-write the rules of global finance:

[from: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20989.htm ]



Italian Prime Minister  Silvio Berlusconi said political leaders are discussing the idea of closing the world's financial markets while they ``rewrite the rules of international finance.''

``The idea of suspending the markets for the time it takes to rewrite the rules is being discussed,'' Berlusconi said today after a Cabinet meeting in Naples, Italy. A solution to the financial crisis ``can't just be for one country, or even just for Europe, but global.''

...

Berlusconi didn't give any details about what kind of rules leaders were looking to change, except to say that leaders are ``talking about a new Bretton Woods.''

The Bretton Woods Agreements were adopted to rebuild the international economic system after World War II in a hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The aim of the agreements was to establish a monetary management system, initially by pegging currencies to gold. The IMF was set up later to help manage the international financial system.


Sigh, the answer is a definite yes.

"Look at me, I'm quoting another user to show how wrong I think they are, out of arrogance of my own position. Wait, this is my own quote, oh shi-" ~ Nitroadict

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 150 Contributor
Male
Posts 783
Points 14,645

Thanks for the link. This is even worse than I thought. They must be "suspending the markets" for a reason. Perhaps if they did not the markets would tank and the smart CEOs would move their companies to some small third world nation that does not participate in this system. Who knows, maybe Tonga or something will be the next Hong Kong with companies worldwide moving their headquarters there.

I am an eklektarchist not an anarchist.

Educational Pamphlet Mises Group

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 50 Contributor
Male
Posts 2,221
Points 34,050
Moderator

ryanpatgray:

Thanks for the link. This is even worse than I thought. They must be "suspending the markets" for a reason. Perhaps if they did not the markets would tank and the smart CEOs would move their companies to some small third world nation that does not participate in this system. Who knows, maybe Tonga or something will be the next Hong Kong with companies worldwide moving their headquarters there.


When I was an ardent RP supporter, I believed the Amero was an inevitability. 

I eventually ceased my reactionary alarmism with regard to such an idea, but recently I'm beginning to suspect it wasn't far off at all, and that maybe as soon as Feb 2009 (or whenever Paulson de-monetizes the dollar, which looks like a good possibility as well), we could start seeing some legitmate materializations of such a replacement currency.

I would like to hope I'm wrong though; I would really appreciate if the statists didn't make me instantly poor before I get to NH in the next 6 months - 2 or 3 years.  I suppose worse comes to worse I could take a Greyhound...hopefully it doesn't come to that Indifferent

I just wish I knew for sure so i could give a heads up everyone I know on what pre-cautionary measures to take, like possibly converting a good amount of their dollars into a foreign currency, etc.

"Look at me, I'm quoting another user to show how wrong I think they are, out of arrogance of my own position. Wait, this is my own quote, oh shi-" ~ Nitroadict

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 150 Contributor
Male
Posts 783
Points 14,645

I am not emotionally attached to the U.S. Dollar. To me it is just a bunch of small, green pieces of paper (on the whole, it wasn’t the small, green pieces of paper which were unhappy.) But I would very much appreciate it if whatever currency we happen to use is backed by some precious metal whether it be gold, silver or platinum. I would even prefer to that a free market in the field of currencies but I honestly do not see that happening any time soon. I do understand the concern with the Amero however, the devil we do not know may be even worse. And the recent historical trend has been toward less freedom.

I am an eklektarchist not an anarchist.

Educational Pamphlet Mises Group

  • | Post Points: 5
Top 150 Contributor
Male
Posts 783
Points 14,645

"The aim of the agreements was to establish a monetary management system, initially by pegging currencies to gold. The IMF was set up later to help manage the international financial system. "

Just wondering, are there any currencies that are still pegged to gold?

I am an eklektarchist not an anarchist.

Educational Pamphlet Mises Group

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 500 Contributor
Male
Posts 239
Points 4,590
Andrew replied on Wed, Oct 22 2008 7:42 PM

S. African Krugarrand, I think.

Democracy is nothing more than replacing bullets with ballots

 

If Pro is the opposite of Con. What is the opposite of Progress?

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 200 Contributor
Male
Posts 451
Points 9,765
Rubén replied on Wed, Oct 22 2008 8:38 PM

These summits, call them Bretton Woods III, Group of 8, European Community + Mercosur, APEC, etc., are increasingly viewed by the world's people as just photo opportunities for presidents and foreign ministers, where they travel in their nice government planes, read a few sentences written by the advisers of their advisers, do some sightseeing and tourism, and then go home.

No wonder few presidents ever get anything done in their own countries anymore. They hiphop across the world signing treaties that sometimes are enforced in a minimum percentage.

These summits are short of irrelevant.

Art transcends ideology.

http://mises.org/Community/blogs/ruben

  • | Post Points: 5
Page 1 of 1 (8 items) | RSS