Change the Guard

Joseph Kenny asked:


One of the major advertised benefits of applying for and having a credit card is the fact that they are accepted at millions of outlets all round the world. But, are there any major issues you need to be considering when using your credit for foreign purchases? The following are some that you may wish to consider:

Lost, stolen and fraudulent use

Certain credit card issuers have varying policies with respect to any lost, stolen or fraudulent use of you credit card for foreign purchases. It is, therefore, vital that you review your credit card agreement to see how this may affect you with respect to any purchases you make overseas.

Refund policy

Ordinarily, when using your credit card in your home country, your credit card issuer will provide you with free insurance if the item you purchase from a retailer is in any way defective or gets broken. However, when you make a foreign purchase this could change - i.e. you may no longer be entitled to this refund policy. Likewise, any lowest purchase price insurance, where you are basically guaranteed you’ll pay the lowest price in the market for a product, will almost certainly not apply in the case of using your credit card for foreign purchases.

The principal reason why these policies are normally exempt is because these have been negotiated with retailer in your home country - and each countries agreement with the card issuer is different.

Add extras on foreign purchases

If you were not already aware of it, most major credit card issuers charge retailers a fee for items purchased using their cards in the retailers’ stores. This fee can range from between 1 - 5%, depending where in the world the retailer is located. Although it may well be illegal in your home jurisdiction for retailer to pass-on this fee to you as the purchaser, this is not the case throughout the world - and it is not uncommon in some parts of the world to find that a retailer will only accept your credit card purchase if they pass on this fee.

If you are faced with this situation you will have one of two options;

(1) don’t buy the product; or

(2) purchase the product and on your return home write to your card issuer and inform them of the retailer who adopts this policy; it will then be the responsibility of your card issuer to take action against the retailer for this unauthorized action (although you’ll unlikely get a refund).

Fees

Most major credit card issuers will charge you a small fee, in percentage terms, for each of your overseas purchases using your credit card.

Exchange rate

Do not expect to find the exchange rate used in converting your foreign credit card purchases into your local currency to be the same as the bank rate. In most cases credit card companies have a spread on this.

If you are going overseas on holiday, do take your credit card with you as they are extremely useful to have - but just make sure that you check with your card issuer before you go what their policy is on your using your credit card for foreign purchases.

I1connect asked:


The two were then seen entering the elevator escorted by one of Barack Obama’s secret service guards.

A potential Obama/Imperato collaboration could be a major force to deal with combining the business savvy of Daniel Imperato with the current celebrity of Barack Obama.

Obama began his rise to celebrity when Jack Ryan dropped out the 2004 Illinois Senate Race and Obama became the winner almost by default. He then went on to deliver an inspiring keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention at John Kerry’s request.

Obama has very little to no foreign policy experience and many question his qualifications to lead the country.

Imperato has been embraced by international leaders and has traveled the world learning about US policy and global situations.

Recently, Obama stated to a group of Iowa supporters that he could not handle solving domestic problems while Iraq was still an issue, proving his inability to multitask.

So who was collaborating with whom? Was Obama seeking foreign policy advice from Imperato who is considered one of the foremost experts in foreign policy in the world?

Was Imperato approaching Obama to join the independent movement if he does not win the Democratic nomination?

Ironically, a meeting between Imperato and Obama happened after Obama met with Bill Clinton at a Central Park West fundraiser earlier in the evening before taping his appearance on the David Letterman Show.

Imperato was in New York to attend the Manhattan Libertarian’s meeting at the Ukrainian East Restaurant, as well as meet with several key supporters.

Then at approximately 10 am Tuesday morning, Daniel Imperato and Barack Obama were seen walking in unison, from separate elevators, in the lobby of the W Hotel.

Imperato was dressed in casual clothes while Obama was dressed with his suite and tie and was escorted by his Secret Service agent.

The fact that Obama and Imperato went upstairs in unison last evening, and returned to the lobby this morning begs many questions.

Did Imperato and Obama meet all night? Did Obama try to recruit Imperato’s support in case the Libertarians do not achieve ballot access in all 50 states?

Or could the Democrats be looking to bring the Libertarians into their party?

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Ivan T asked:


How do you guys think what are some examples? The ones i can think of are that the war in Iraq is up because one of the ideal is justice, as for basics. and the the WWII , also because of that and officials looking at North Korea because there might be a possibility of them having an atomic bomb…
But what about some local one, for the state and the country… i cant think of any
…Specific esamples of the influence of democratic edeals on current foreign policy…???

“Kh a a a a a n n” ! ! asked:


The Iraq conflict will likely still be going on as we enter the first term of the next President. That will be a big one. What other major foreign policy issues will Bush’s successor have to deal with?

myself asked:


I have been, for the last 1-2 years been studying current events and some of the background information on world events especially in the Middle East and Northeastern Africa. I have attempted to keep track of everything reported out of this region of the world as well as all other parts of the world.

I just graduated high school but I know an enormous amount of information.

So, what type of career, after going to college, could I get with this type of knowledge?

Would I have to write books to make a living?

trovalta_stinks_2 asked:


Cons seem to believe that government can’t do anything right.

But apparently our government’s foreign policy is always right?

I don’t think so.

Kicking fascist behind during WWII and the Marshal Plan = Good.

Helping to overthrow elected leaders in Iran and latin america and replacing them with right-wing dictators = Bad.

hunnieb11 asked:


When I say “American foreign policy” I mean in the media. You never hear about America and Latin America unless we are bashing Hugo Chavez or Fidel Castro yet we play such a MASSIVE role in everything from their economic to military policies. You never hear about America and Africa unless it involves Angelina Jolie or celebrities and their “concern” for Sudan. Why do you think this is?

Heidi Grumm asked:


FDI stands for Foreign Direct Investment, a component of a country’s national financial accounts. Foreign direct investment is investment of foreign assets into domestic structures, equipment, and organizations. Foreign direct investment is thought to be more useful to a country than investments in the equity of its companies because equity investments are potentially “hot money” which can leave at the first sign of trouble, whereas FDI is durable and generally useful whether things go well or badly

The resilience of foreign direct investment during financial crises may lead many developing countries to regard it as the private capital inflow of choice. Although there is substantial evidence that such investment benefits host countries, they should assess its potential impact carefully and realistically

Economists tend to favor the free flow of capital across national borders because it allows capital to seek out the highest rate of return. Unrestricted capital flows may also offer several other advantages. First, international flows of capital reduce the risk faced by owners of capital by allowing them to diversify their lending and investment. Second, the global integration of capital markets can contribute to the spread of best practices in corporate governance, accounting rules, and legal traditions. Third, the global mobility of capital limits the ability of governments to pursue bad policies.

In addition to these advantages, which in principle apply to all kinds of private capital inflows,the gains to host countries from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can take several other forms:

• FDI allows the transfer of technology—particularly in the form of new varieties of capital inputs—that cannot be achieved through financial investments or trade in goods and services. FDI can also promote competition in the domestic input market.

• Recipients of FDI often gain employee training in the course of operating the new businesses, which contributes to human capital development in the host country.

• Profits generated by FDI contribute to corporate tax revenues in the host country.

Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) versus other flows

Despite the strong theoretical case for the advantages of free capital flows, the conventional wisdom now seems to be that many private capital flows pose countervailing risks. many host countries, even when they are in favor of capital inflows, view international debt flows, especially of the short-term variety, as “bad cholestero.

In contrast, FDI is viewed as “good cholesterol” because it can confer the benefits enumerated earlier. An additional benefit is that FDI is thought to be “bolted down and cannot leave so easily at the first sign of trouble.” Unlike short-term debt, direct investments in a country are immediately repriced in the event of a crisis.

Recent evidence

To what extent is there empirical support for such claims of the beneficial impact of Foreign Direct Investment?

A comprehensive study by Bosworth and Collins (1999) provides evidence on the effect of capital inflows on domestic investment for 58 developing countries during 1978-95. The sample covers nearly all of Latin America and Asia, as well as many countries in Africa. The authors distinguish among three types of inflows: Foreign Direct Investment, portfolio investment, and other financial flows (primarily bank loans).

Countries should concentrate on improving the environment for investment and the functioning of markets. They are likely to be rewarded with increasingly efficient overall investment as well as with more capital inflows.” Although it is very likely that FDI is higher, as a share of capital inflows, where domestic policies and institutions are weak, this cannot be regarded as a criticism of Foreign Direct Investment per se. Indeed, without it, the host countries could well be much poorer.

Fire sales, adverse selection, and leverage. Foreign Direct Investment http://korea.ixs.net/foreign-direct-investment.aspx is not only a transfer of ownership from domestic to foreign residents but also a mechanism that makes it possible for foreign investors to exercise management and control over host country firms—that is, it is a corporate governance mechanism. The transfer of control may not always benefit the host country because of the circumstances under which it occurs, problems of adverse selection, or excessive leverage.

Both economic theory and recent empirical evidence suggest that Foreign Direct Investment has a beneficial impact on developing host countries. But recent work also points to some potential risks: it can be reversed through financial transactions; it can be excessive owing to adverse selection and fire sales; its benefits can be limited by leverage; and a high share of Foreign Direct Investment in a country’s total capital inflows may reflect its institutions’ weakness rather than their strength. Though the empirical relevance of some of these sources of risk remains to be demonstrated, the potential risks do appear to make a case for taking a nuanced view of the likely effects of Foreign Direct Investment. Policy recommendations for developing countries should focus on improving the investment climate for all kinds of capital, domestic as well as foreign.

For More Information about Foreign Direct Investment visit : http://eng.ifez.go.kr/guide/org/foreign-direct-investment.asp

billy d asked:


When she’s so ignorant to foreign policy that she doesn’t even know what the Bush doctrine is, and her running mate supported our current disastrous foreign policy.

Joe Biden is chairman of the senate foreign relations committee!!!

I studied foreign policy and leading up to the war in Iraq, the professor pointed out everything Obama did as reason not to go to war, and everything has come true!

Ronald Reagan true hero. asked:


What does Brazil think of George W Bush? I think he is a great man. He is not a terrorist so please dont call him one. Bush has made lives much better for the Iraqis. Iraq basically started the war. Cause of 9/11. Most US hispanics voted for Bush over 75% of them. But some places like venezulea dont like him at all. Im just wondering how Brazil sees it. Another reason Brazil should like Bush is that he is a soccer fan.