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The Man Who Exposed Switzerland's Dirty Secrets

“He knew there was something about the way Switzerland operated that made it uniquely useful to the forces of capitalism: not as a lead actor, but as an enabler working from behind the scenes.  “Some years later, Ziegler would use the term ‘secondary imperialism’ to define his country’s modus operandi. “Ziegler’s thesis, which he stands by to this day, is that Switzerland’s role in the world is that of accomplice – handmaiden, of sorts – to capitalism. “The transgressors included the banks that welcomed suitcases of cash from dictatorships in Portugal and the Dominican Republic; the real estate agencies that helped Gulf sheikhs and Guatemalan colonels buy lakeside apartments in which to hide; and subsidiaries of the American firms Dow Chemical and Honeywell, which oversaw the international sales of napalm and landmines. “To this day, is that Switzerland’s role in the world is that of accomplice – handmaiden, of sorts – to capitalism .”

The Money Laundering Capital of the World

Taken together with its partly controlled territories overseas, Britain is instrumental in the worldwide concealment of cash and assets. It is, as a member of the ruling Conservative Party  said  last week, “the money laundering capital of the world.” And the City of London, its gilded financial center, is at the system’s core. The City of London is hiding the world’s stolen money

Niqab Ban in Switzerland and Beyond

 A liberal argument. “ In Switzerland, population 8.5 million, that number is  estimated  between 21 and 37. These are fractions so small they barely register on a calculator.” In 2009, the French newspaper  Le Figaro  estimated that only 2,000 women in France–out of a total French population of 65 million–wear the burga in France. Targeting Muslims makes them even more visible, only contributing to an increase of racism and Islamophobia. The process is cyclical. Normalising anti-Muslim bigotry
Legalised crime A couple of years ago, a teacher told me "it wasn't a problem if the bankers, the wealthy, etc engabe in tax evasion and tax avoidance because they create wealth and put it in the economy." "Perhaps the biggest problem is that tax havens mostly benefit financial elites, including some politicians and many of their donors. Meanwhile, pressure from voters for action is limited by the boring and confusing nature of the problem.  Sandwich, anyone?" —    (bbc online) How much of the world's wealth is hidden offshore