The International Money Game

Part 1 The International money system - politics and economics: the name of the game is money; a system is how the pieces fit; "the greatest monetary agreement in history"; "The Gnomes of Zurich" - a London euphemism for speculation against Sterling; gold - how much is a barbarous relic worth?; they invented money so they could have inflation; disinflation, deflation and depression; oil and the OPEC roller coaster; the dollar and Coca-Cola are both brand names; Radio Luxembourg and the Eurodollar market are both offshore stations; central bankers read election returns, not balance sheets; monetary reform - where do the problems go when they are assumed away. Part 2 Living with the system: bargains and the money game; the underground economies and the bureaucratic imperative; international tax avoidance - a game for the rich; banking on the wire; the rise of the house of cornfeld - and the fall; why are multinational firms mostly American; Japan - the first Superstate; optimal bankrupts - deadbeats on an international treadmill; zlotys, rubles and leks; fitting the pieces once again.