Yesterday I blogged about the warnings of George Soros that the European Union is in a three month countdown either to greater integration, or dissolution. And in the center of it all is Germany, about the only major Western economy that is reasonably healthy. It is, perhaps, a bit of ironic deja vu that the world once again hinges upon what a Chancellor, or in this case, Chancellorin, in Berlin decides.  I have reported on the fact that Germany is pressing the debt-stricken nations of Southern Europe to collateralize not only their bullion reserves but also their national treasures in return … [Read more...]