| Blowback |
A term used in foreign policy/intelligence
circles referring to the unintended consequences of foreign policy/military
actions.
|
| BMD |
The concept of BMD – Ballistic Missile Defence –
is to arm both ground and space-based weapons against the threat of incoming
ballistic missiles.
|
| BND |
The BND, short for Bundesnachrichtendienst, is the German intelligence branch known as the Federal Intelligence Service.
The BND has a global area of operations.
|
| BNL |
Operating since 1913, the BNL – Banca Nazionale
del Lavoro (also known as the National Labor Bank) – is one of Italy’s largest
banking groups and a major global lending institution. While the bank’s history
is long, it’s a history soiled by major scandals, including the Vatican-Masonic
P2 affair and the Iran-Contra debacle.
|
| BNOC |
The British National Oil Corporation was England’s
state-owned oil agency. Established under the Labour government, BNOC became a
primary controlling factor in North Sea oil development and a leading player in
global oil price controls. 1n 1985 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher abolished
the agency after a series of major BNOC market losses.
|
| BOE |
The Bank of England is the United Kingdom’s central bank.
Arguably, the BOE is one of the most important central banks in the world,
acting both as the monetary policy platform for England and as one of the
world’s most pivotal institutions guiding the international monetary system.
Founded in 1694, the Bank of England is the starting point for today’s system
of money as we know it. The Bank of England is a member of the European System
of Central Banks and a shareholding member of the Bank for International
Settlements.
|
| BOJ |
The Bank of Japan is Japan’s central bank. During the 1980’s, the greater Japanese banking community became the largest
creditor group in the world, hosting four of the globe’s leading banks. Through
all this – and the Asian currency crisis of the 1990s – the BOJ has played, and
continues to play, a key role in developing Japan’s monetary policy and
supporting its international economic reach. The Bank of Japan is a shareholding
member of the Bank for International Settlements.
|
| BOK |
Established in 1950, the Bank of Korea is South
Korea’s central bank, and is charged with price stability and monetary policy
duties. It’s a shareholding member of the Bank for International
Settlements.
|
| Border 2012 |
Border 2012 is the extension and expansion of the initial US-Mexican Border XXI Program. The land area impacted by Border
2012 is the same as the Border XXI Program – a 62.5 mile strip on both the US
and Mexican side, running the entire length of the international boundary.
|
| Border XXI Program |
The Border XXI (21) Program was a joint federal US and Mexican environmental/sustainable development operation designed to
cooperatively manage the entire US-Mexico border region as a supranational
entity. The Border XXI Program, which received intense criticism, was concluded
in 2000. It has since been upgraded and re-packaged as Border 2012.
|
| BOT |
The BOT – the Bank of Thailand – is the central bank for the
nation of Thailand. It sets monetary and exchange policies, prints bank notes,
and manages foreign reserves. The BOT is a shareholding member of the Bank for
International Settlements.
|
| BP |
Originally formed in 1909 as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and changing its name to British Petroleum in 1954, BP today is one of the world’s largest oil and petrochemical companies. Over the years BP has acquired a number of significant holdings, including John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil.
|
| Brandt Commission |
Named after West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, the Brandt Commission – officially known
as the Independent Commission on International Development Issues – was the
brainchild of Robert McNamara. Made up of high-level experts, with Chancellor
Brandt at its helm, the Brandt Commission proposed new international directions
for managing the global economy.
|
| BRC |
The Boston Research Center for the 21st Century is a leading Buddhist-based organization working to build a framework for
global citizenship, with a major focus on the Earth Charter. Steven
Rockefeller, Chairman of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Coordinator of the
Drafting Process of the Earth Charter, has been part of the BRC’s Earth Charter
review.
|
| Bretton Woods |
The Bretton Woods Conference and the Bretton Woods Agreement set the stage for a new international economic and monetary order for the
post-World War II era. Meeting at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in 1944, delegates committed to the Bretton Woods Agreement, thereby instituting the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (better known as the World Bank) and the International Monetary Fund.
|
