Category: Series

In the so-called world of strategic alliances, things often are not what they seem to be. It is that way with the Islamic State or ISIS, which supposedly is a deadly enemy of Israel. However, Israel has a symbiotic relationship with Jihadist groups that we cannot ignore.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/israel-and-its-relationship-islamic-state

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:

How far away is Greenland from the United States? We check a number From Our Own Correspondent.

Does converting our entire energy system to be carbon neutral come with a £7.6 trillion price tag?

Is the inevitable rise of house prices in the UK not so inevitable after all?

Can the great mathematicians of history answer the question of the hour: how to play The Traitors?

If you’ve seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors: Jay Foreman, one half of YouTube duo the Map Men Mike Thompson, chief economist of the National Energy System Operator David Turver, author of The Cost of Net Zero, a report from the Institute of Economic Affairs Neal Hudson, housing market analyst and founder housing research website BuiltPlace Dr Kat Phillips, mathematician and Innovation research associate at the University of Warwick, Traitors aficionado

Credits: Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Tom Colls Producers: Nathan Gower and Lizzy McNeill Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

Although some scholars have labeled the early Ming Dynasty as a proto-liberal state, they are mistaken. The Ming governance at that time was weak, not limited by law and ideology.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/weak-states-not-limited-states-early-ming-governance-and-illusion-proto-liberalism

In early January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening bans on defense contractors paying dividends or buying their stock back.

Today on the show, we learn about the Trump Administration’s frustrations with the weapons supply chain, find out what a defense industry investor makes of the move, and ask whether this reflects the state tightening its grip on the industry that arms the U.S. military.

Related episodes: 
Are we overpaying for military equipment?
Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war?
How to transform a war economy for peacetime

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The original 13 British colonies that made up the early United States had very different populations with decidedly different political and social outlooks.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/british-north-american-colonies-were-not-homogeneous-political-units