by Ghassan Kadi for the Saker blog
Inspired by the Saker’s article regarding how far can the Russians be pushed, (http://sakerlatam.blog/the-saker-files/escalation-in-syria-how-far-can-the-russians-be-pushed/), I ask, how far can the Americans be pushed, not specifically only in Syria, but in general?
In his article, the Saker articulated in his regular rational and captivating style, the issue of Russian patience, or should we say frustration, with America’s actions and inactions in Syria. And, as I was reading the article, I began to think about looking at the situation from the other side of the mirror in a tongue-in-cheek manner; looking at it from the American perspective.
I thought back to an article I had written on the very same theme some years ago, focusing and predicting on what a desperate America would do.
The sad and ironic reality is that America does not walk the talk of competitiveness and level playing fields. America’s definition of a national threat is different from that of any other country in human history; except perhaps for ancient Rome.
For this reason, America does not believe that Russia has been pushed at all, but quite the contrary. America believes that is America that has been pushed; by not only Russia, but by many other nations. As a matter of fact, I started writing this article and I wasn’t going to finish it and submit it until President Putin pushed America even further towards the state of panic in his 1st of March speech.
American politicians operate on the pretext that America has a given right to be the greatest, wealthiest, most-developed, strongest unrivaled nation on earth.
Given its history and post WWII successes of being able to lure in the best brains of the world; not only from Germany, but the rest of the world, America believed that the homeland of any eminent scientist should be America.
Furthermore, with the multitude of defections from the USSR, not only Russian scientists were welcomed into America, but also musicians, scholars, athletes and other people of exceptional talents and capabilities.
And this list goes on, because Germany and Russia were not the only nations that exported excellence to America, but the whole world did, and perhaps for good reasons, because from the 1950’s onwards, everybody wanted to live in America; and many pop culture songs have recorded this phenomenon.
In little time, the best of the best in Europe and the rest of the world ended up in America. Not too many want to be reminded that that Wernher von Braun, the “American” rocket scientist who designed the Apollo program rockets, was a former Nazi, the same von Braun who designed the rockets that hit London in 1945.The prime reasons for his exodus and that of others, were poor living conditions, political persecution among other reasons. So if America managed to lure them in and find a way to capitalize on their great talents, then America has well and truly deserved the spoils of their genius.
But Trump’s America, even Obama’s, Bush’s and Clinton’s is not exactly that global brain and talent pivot any longer. As a result, America has changed the rules of the game in order to stay on top.
But this went further, according to the American way of looking at the rest of the world. During the Cold War, members of the former Warsaw Pact were considered as enemy states together with all other states affiliated with the USSR such as Cuba, Syria, Egypt and Angola, just to name a few. After the downfall of the USSR and the virtual elimination of serious adversaries, America “had to invent” new enemies. The post “Cold War” definition of an enemy morphed into classifying nations as members of the “Axis of Evil” if they did not kowtow to Washington’s definition of the so-called “New World Order”.
But as America grows weaker, financially, technologically, and even militarily, and as the world is beginning to look to China and Russia for the latest technology instead of America, for as long as America is able to stretch the definition of what constitutes a national threat, and for as long as the rest of the West will buy this definition, it will continue to do this.
Having lost its competitive edge and not yet being able to admit it, America is still desperately trying to cling to this edge by means that contradict with its stature as the leader of the free world and the nation that it alleges to be.
To this effect, and for America to be able to hold on to its leading position, it can no longer do this from any semblance of a position of fairness and real and honest competition. This is why America is now upscaling its enemy definition and resorting to what can be best seen as bullying tactics; thereby taking unfair advantage of other nations.
According to those new rules, now that they no longer can conceal or sugarcoat its true intentions, any nation that tries to develop itself is seen by America as a potential threat. And this applies to all aspects of development, because according to America, no other nation is allowed to be better or even close to where America is.
If America cannot compete against athletes of other nations, it will ban them.
If America cannot be trade competitive, it will impose sanctions on its competitors.
If America sees that a nation does not fully kowtow to its agenda, it will classify it as a terrorist state and tries to push it to its knees by putting a ban on international trade with it.
When the economy fails and America cannot generate wealth, REAL WEALTH, to stay on the top, it will print money.
And when American citizens turn into whistle-blowers, they are branded as traitors. So much for free speech. And where did Edward Snowden seek political asylum? In Russia out of all places. Will we in the future see a reversal of the former exodus of citizens of the USSR to the USA? We cannot say this can be ruled out.
One therefore does not have to be Kim Jong Un, sitting on a nuclear arsenal with a button in his hand threatening to hit American cities with, to be seen as a threat to America. Any person or any state touted to out-perform Americans or America now or in the future, in any field of endeavour, is considered by the American policy makers as a threat. But even speaking of Kim Jong Un, the question of whether or not his stand is offensive or defensive is quite diabolical. North Korea saw what happened to Vietnam, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. Most importantly, North Korea has not forgotten what happened to Korea itself. How can any rationally-minded person blame North Korea for developing nukes; if the sole intention is to stave off another American onslaught?
Back to the main subject. To put this into perspective, when America sees that anti-Russian sanctions are not working and that in fact the global Russian influence is getting stronger, when it sees Russia is in Syria making things happen, it feels threatened.
When it sees Russian state-of-the-art weaponry and electronic jamming devices in action, when it sees China building a huge fleet with two aircraft carriers and counting, when it sees Russia and China way ahead, each developing their own hypersonic, even orbital, fighter jets, (https://sputniknews.com/military/201708271056829517-mig-31-41-russia-interceptor-aircraft-features/) which America itself does not yet have, when it realizes that it has to use Russian-made rockets to propel its satellites into space, when America knows that for all practical purposes, America is no longer the world’s strongest economy, then America feels that it has been pushed to the absolute limit that only further sanctions and war can remedy.
The 1st of March 2018 Putin speech will in the future be seen as a turning point. Even though President Putin did not mention electronic jamming devices and other Russian military technology that America is well and truly behind in, he will be seen in history as the first ever non-American leader to put American military on notice by saying to American policy makers that Russia is militarily more advanced than America in both defense and attack.
And if America brags its unrivaled huge fleet, the new technology Russia has developed has the potential to turn American naval vessels into ancient and expensive sitting, or should I say floating, ducks waiting to be sunk.
In retrospect, ancient Rome saw in rivaling Carthage an existential threat until the Romans pillaged Carthage killing every single man woman and child. We cannot expect annihilation of this magnitude in the time and age, or can we? Having said that, America’s nuclear power is a huge force to be reckoned with, and to expect America to accept second or third grade world status, without a bang, is no more than wishful thinking. But how useful and effective is this power?
In his recent interview with Sputnik, Ron Paul doubts that America will ever have a reasonable foreign policy, and argues that the fall of America will be financial, like other empires in the past, and that someday America will go broke and no longer be able to continue to run the world: (https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201802231061934663-ron-paul-sputnik-interview/).
To put it bluntly, after the petro-dollar loses its world dominance, and this doesn’t seem very far away, a time will come when it will become virtually impossible to keep propping up the American economy with quantitative easing (aka printing money). And as America loses its economic stature, its only remaining prowess and might will be in its nuclear arsenal. The question is this. If America is imposing sanctions and bans right left and centre right now, and for no good reason at all, will a much more desperate America use its nuclear power to restore its dominion? Lately, America has been considering diluting its restrictions on the use of nuclear power by developing “more usable” nukes:
After all, using conventional weapons in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan etc didn’t win wars for America, despite the technical superiority they had over the conventional weapons of the adversaries. Is America simply looking for a new edge to use in its conventional wars against non-nuclear enemies? Is this new move of developing small and “more usable” nukes a prelude for a new age of nuclear confrontations? Or is it just the beginning of a new type of cold wars with “Cold War II” already underway? Either way, it is a race that non-nuclear nations cannot compete with, and this alone makes them much softer targets for America than before.
Will America go further and use its nuclear power in order to secure trade deals? Recources? Trade routes?
Far-fetched? Perhaps, but as America becomes more desperate finding that elusive “edge”, it will run out of options, and it has indeed run out of a few already. What if the implementation of the “America First” doctrine runs out of all options except the nuclear option?
Has President Putin’s latest speech stopped any such potential American nuclear plans and nipped them in the bud?
Inadvertently, President Putin’s 1st of March 2018 speech answers the question of The Saker in as far as how far can Russia be pushed.
The answer to the question of how far can the Americans be pushed is increasingly becoming more of what can they do, rather than what they would like to do.
The USA and the whole Anglo block is rapidly weaking at a speed few could expect. The same as how many thought the fall of the Communist era would be long and convoluted, when in fact it entirely collapsed across europe in the time from 1989-1991. As they are weakening so fast, they may try a sudden irrational use of force, probably against Iran… Russia must prepare to secure the territory of Iran and DPRK against a sudden anglo attack. Ever since the return of Crimea to Russia, USA can only be considered a paper tiger. This so called all powerful superpower that won the ideological war of The End Of History, could no nothing more than sanction Russia, which ultimately was only beneficial to Russia’s internal market, and could so nothing to stop Pro Russians in Donbass.
Then in Syria the Sunni Islamist militants backed and funded by the Anglo were defeated due to Russian air power. Anglo failed completely the last five years geopoliticallly. Russia has everything it needs now- constructive alliance with China, rail and road trade links across Eurasia, northern sea route , nuclear power, rocket and aerospace technology, new submarines, unexploited Arctic oil and gas, minerals, non GMO agricultural land, and most of all, intelligent and patriotic citizens.
“Secure the territory of Iran” if US attack? Don’t. If the US venture into Iran, it’s a great opportunity to just bog them down in protracted guerrilla warfare (a Sun Tzu no no). Supply Iran and they will bog down the US. After that, their ego will make them stay to the bitter end – collapse of the US economy followed by their military.
Russians, please learn how to play the long (subtle) game! Avoid the full-frontal ‘love-in’ ala with Germany during WW2. Wars are no longer fought that way.
There is a war of attrition going on right now and Syria is only one of the many manifestations of it.
Indeed, bog the Empire down wherever possible, from east europe to south asia and africa… Now the Anglo really are declining faster than even the strongest Eurasianist could imagine. The existential problem for the Anglo- their own democratic societies are splitting apart more each day.
While Russia and China have almost total support of their leadership by ordinary citizens, remembering that the pro westerners in Russia and China are no more than 5% wheras the Trump vs Democratic and Brexit vs Pro EU and Quebec vs Anglo-Canada divisons are more or less 50-50 divisions of society, a civil war timebomb that could turn violent very quickly given the Anglo natural inclination towards senseless violence and creating media propaganda. There is a clear pattern, the English civil war, the Protestant reformation, the USA independance war, the USA civil war, the cultural war of the 60s… all these show the anglo self harming mentality and love of desecration . We will see another one of these Anglo crises very soon.
” a clear pattern”
I like this floor of political contemplation, it’s an adult one.
Even if Trump manages to survive this first term and earn another, seven years from now, the MAGA reformation of the corrupt system will have no commensurate leader to follow on after Trump’s reign.
Thus, the powerful Elites of Liberalism and Deep State Neocons will be waiting to take back the machinery fo government (so far Trump has only 10% impact any way, mostly effecting domestic economics through de-regulation and tax cuts).
Trump may make some more progress, but the NeverTrumpers are already amassed to block him in the Congress (willing to lose control to the Dems, too) and to create as many challenges in key states for 2020.
If he dares stop any of the “life-giving” wars where the “blood” of life is money for the MIC and the chaos created by the wars is “life” for the Hegemon, then the Shadow Government will move on him as we feared all along.
He fed the beast by empowering the generals, by accepting the IC version of global events and by delivering a Trillion dollar budget for armaments, resurrecting NATO, and challenging North Korea and Iran, Pakistan and China, Russia and by threatening every nation that wants Russian military systems. (Buy American or else!)
Trump has no leverage to play since he gave it all to them to survive year one.
How far can the Americans be pushed? They want the push. They intend to enter a period of utter destruction to their “enemies”. They have adopted the Israeli model. Start a war, blame the enemy and destroy everything you can, chaos is the goal. That is “winning”.
The wipe out of those hundreds of Iranians, Syrians and some PMC Russians was a taste of what they will do in Pakistan, on the seas to North Korean ships, and in Donbass.
The Hegemon is all in for limited war on its terms. They don’t need any pushing.
They want to rumble.
FWIW, in judo pushing your opponent is the last thing you want to do.
But when you truly know what you are doing, when the chips are truly down, there are no rules.
This is no longer sport that we are discussing.
Yep that’s the way its gonna go down.
Sadly true. However there is (however slim) way out, or rather, up: massive push into space. Whether US will go this route or not remains a ? mark, but no one cannot fight and win the reversion to average. And going into space might be analogous to the age of discovery.
But they can’t anymore.
That’s the point.
https://journal-neo.org/2018/03/06/putin-is-not-rattling-nuclear-sabers-it-s-real/
Wars resulting from the Protestant reformation including the 30 years war in Europe of 1618-1648, were not fought by the Anglos. They were still a militarily insignificant country during that period.
and a czar with common sense
halleluja
There will be no attack on Iran or North Korea.
For the Anglos/Jews to attack Iran would instantly mean the effective end of the ‘petro-dollar’. Where do you think most of the hundreds of thousands of missiles Iran has are pointed/targeted at? One misguided move on Iran and Iran will in effect target every oil, natural gas field, installation, refinery, ports, basically all the whole oil and gas infrastructure of the GCC countries. The Persian Gulf will be a no-go zone and that means that overnight, 50% of the worlds total oil production and flow would cease. Even worse when it comes to natural gas.
Plus, if Israel/U.S./NATO do decide that they can use limited nukes on Iran, their missiles are diversly spread out across the entire country. And you have got to understand that Iran can retaliate and annihilate Israel because they too have the components, or even intact, ready to use nukes too. Iran has a religious ban on nukes, but its just that. A ban. And under the right circumstances bans can be lifted and/or modified. All it takes is for a council of religious authorities in Iran to issue a fatwa(religious edict/ruling) lifting the ban. Iranians are smart to go about it like this, because they wont come under more serious measures like sanctions and gives Irans allies ammo to support it against the global Jewish agenda enforced by the Anglos.
An Iranian minister of high rank even said one little slip-up by Israel/U.S. would be entail Tel-Aviv being flattened with no chance for Netanyahu to escape. Brought a smile to my face.
NK, well, that too would be too disasterous for the entire Asia-Pacific, and would also collapse the current world monetary system scheme enforced by the Talmudic Jewish elites and their Anglo stooges. It would draw in Japan, China and of course South Korea would be destroyed. The present world economy of the said globalist Jewish Talmudists is already declining, and any one or two wars against Iran/NK would be its death certificate.
The nefarious parasitical individuals, or should I say tribe, that has infiltrated and seized control of positions of great power and influence in the west, believe ideologically and spiritually that they are destined by their God(s) to rule over mankind. But their diabolical plans are in disarray as the west can hardly take the pressure of constant wars ,subjugation, subversion and all else, anymore. When they pulled off 9-11, they had hoped that by now the whole Middle-East conquered with Iran surrounded and made to kneel by now. Remember ‘7 countries in 5 years’ Gen. Wesley Clark. Instead, they have gotten the U.S. and its Anglo allies bogged down in Afghanistan(funny, even Alexander the Great saw the Afghan people and wanted no part of them, deciding it was better to go around them, for the Afghan people are true warriors), Iraq was a mess, a rout, with the U.S. basically paying off the insurgency so it could extract itself with some kind of face. The U.S. called it a ‘surge’, except it was a surge in billions of dollars in freshly printed dollar bills.
The 21st century clearly favors China/Russia and Iran(plus allies). There is no stopping it. The Anglos are frustrated and are showing signs of fatigue, as they are ever so pressed by the Jewish Talmudic elites/tribe to carry on their agenda.
Mr. Kadi makes several good points however once again he & others leave out one significant point, the JQ. America is but a proxy army for Israel. In what other country are dual nationals allowed to hold political office, hold positions of power at the executive table all the while owning most media institutions and pushing agendas that run counter to the native population. The list is long but one dare not whisper a word or demonized as xenophobic or worse yet the laughable anti Semite. As we speak hate speech laws are gripping governments across Europe; people jailed for the words they speak. In America & Canada the four major tech giants: FB, Twitter, Google & Youtube have employed the SPLC & the ADL to police speech Goebbels would proud. Any voices not left of center are the new Nazi’s worthy of censorship, deletion, suppression & potentially jail. Central banks & the Federal Reserve print Monopoly money to be loaned to governments at interest. AIPAC rules the roost in DC. There would be no wars in the Middle East if Israel did not want them. Neocons have taken over both parties. When you speak of America in such broad strokes you miss the mark, most Americans despise war, are tired of perpetual war & would rather concentrate on our own social and economic problems. Our media presents a farcical to world of bigots, racists, Nazi’s and Russian spy’s around ever corner. It’s not the case. However Rome is indeed falling, I believe the Fabian CFR Socialists planned it this way.
Well said and so true.
The winding down of the Empire will be a negotiated affair.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t happening already, behind the scenes.
Watch the key allies-that will give the clue. UK, Israel, France, Germany,Saudi.
How Syria war will be brought to a close will show they way.
Nice article, Ghassan Kadi, but not at all far-fetched, I think. Very realistic delineation of the US powers that be.
Thank you for articulating the loss of competitive ability as the dynamic that drives the bullying tactics of the US. I had never quite seen things in this light before, but I think you nailed the absolute truth here. So it’s a great thesis.
Your closing sentence is indeed the question now – what in fact does the US still have the power to do, even out of sheer spite? I believe that Russia (and many nations, but preeminently Russia) must be gaming dozens of permutations of what could happen, and how to preempt and contain it.
We live in an age when we place our trust in Russia. And Putin. And the March 1st Great Turning Point.
I like how Pres Putin gave this speech on March 1 Purim Day so as to really pi$$ on someones parade.
It is the turn from being passive resistant to active aggressive.
And the article is right, except one fact. America is a continent, the US is a nation.
Nearly every American south of Rio Grande hates US, and earned that with bad experience.
I don´t know about Canada. I think they themselves don´t know exactly who or what they are.
We don’t hate the US in Canada but we recognize it is a destructive force in the world and needs to stop its warmongering.
Most canadiens are ignorant of what is going on in the world. As long as they have their hockey…
America is that crazy drunk at the side of the road – covered in vomit with his pants round his ankles – shouting at traffic and having a fit because the traffic isn’t doing what he’s ordering it to do.
And, not unlikely, then trying his luck obstructing the traffic violently, LOL.
Historically, what has just happened is a parallel to the Soviets’ achievement in 1949, which put an end to the West’s monopoly on nuclear weapons. But this time around, Russia has not suffered any massive, physical destruction and, most importantly, has overtaken the West which is not yet dead but rotting at an ever faster pace.
What is proper dish served to a Balkan man for dinner?
Sarma.
And what is proper dish for Americans?
Sarmat!!!
:)
The worse thing is that American people are as arrogant and the State…
mod-to note: Incomplete?
Sorry, wrong word. I mean:
The worse thing is that American people are as arrogant as the State…
Thank you, mod.
The Russians have turned the tables on the Americans. In his 1st March speech, Putin has said, in effect, in the style of Clint Eastwood, “Do you feel lucky, punk???”
The American tough guy/bully/aggressor has been “put in” an unfamiliar vulnerable position. And the rest of the world sees/appreciates/realises that the situation has changed fundamentally, and awaits the bully’s response — slink away, or be blown away!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xjr2hnOHiM
Good analog with Dirty Harry. But in this case if the punk (USA) decides to pull the trigger (nuclear war) we may all be blown away, no matter who “wins.”
Faced with Dirty Harry, the punk was NOT man enough to take the risk!!!
Faced with Putin, do you REALLY think that the punk (USA + its allies) is man enough to take the risk???
Bullies are bullies only when they are in a superior (NOT parity) position — that’s why the punk NEEDS a $1trillion (or more) annual “defence” budget, and 1000 (or more) overseas bases, !!!
But STILL loses most of its wars (with exceptions such as Granada!). Indeed, their footsoldiers are more likely to kill themselves!!!
http://www.bestcounselingschools.org/statistics-of-veteran-suicides-in-the-u-s
THAT is why it is important for Putin + the rest of the world to stand up to the punk, and give it the option to reveal its true colours/character!!!
Here is a very good question to ask…. Will America nuke itself to remain on top?
Another one is… Does America have a Russian nuke to use in the above scenario?
I can see, as others can see, the financial mess America is in is not going to be undone with time or money is it?
So what is the out? What move could the Americans pull to keep the beans out of the fire?
Offensive attack is out, nuclear attacks are out, But could the morons in Langley thinking about the final scene of Fight Club as a possible fix for the mega bills it will have to account?
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
There is a big something coming, money is the main driver of it’s secretive approach.
I think the best way out for the US is to join China in the One Belt, One Road and other initiatives. They could do it if it was not for their arrogance.
Yeah, maybe Israhell should join too.
This is not really an option. Over 50% of the US economy is part of the military industrial intelligence complex. If there is no war, or threat thereof, then the terms and conditions which are so favorable for US multinationals will be eroded, and the profit margin loss will be even more problematic. They are between a rock and a hard place. If profit margins collapse because of peace, Wall Street will be in serious difficulty. There will be few financial survivors.
The United States gets a free ride because of the status of the dollar as a reserve currency and as a medium of international trade. As long as the World as a whole wants to accumulate dollars, they will continue to trade real goods for dollars (free ride). At some point this may come to an end, but it’s hard to see that in the near future. The World continues to develop and so more and more countries want to accumulate wealth and engage in international trade. As long as the dollar serves that purpose, and this is partly a matter of perception (believing it to be so, makes it so), the US can continue to run enormous trade deficits, and waste its own resources on more and more military spending (using it for health care or infrastructure would certainly be a lot more sensible and productive of course).
Why countries like China struggle to maintain their trade surplus with the United States is somewhat of a mystery. They have all the dollars they are likely to need, so why keep trading real tangible goods for numbers in a bank account? They could use their dollars to buy assets in the US, but politically this will not be allowed to happen. I believe at least some in China, see this and there will be a slow decline in the trade surplus with the United States. China’s own standard of living will rise as the trade surplus falls.
The day that Saudis accept yuan for oil will announce the dollars terminal illness…
Perhaps there’s an answer of sorts by way of analogy. In Willie Raymond Cox’s 1953 book, Hello, test animals…Chinchillas? or you and your grandchildren (long out of print), Mr. Cox after a long and exhaustive search for the cause of the rise in mortality and decline in pelt quality, traced the problem to an environmental contaminant in the feed he was using. When Cox changed to a less contaminated feed he saw a spike of mortality, and only after a couple of generations did the chinchillas return to health.
But the whole fiat system is becoming increasingly problematic. That is why we are seeing the emergence of gold-backed currency – the Yuan in China. And that is why both China and Russia are buying gold like there is no tomorrow in anticipation of the $’s demise. The fiat system started life with the US repudiation of the Bretton Woods – 1944-1971 – arrangements since they could no longer afford the Vietnam war nor LBJs ‘Great Society’ expenditures. But hey, nothing lasts forever, and the US has abused its possession of the world’s reserve currency, which will go the same way as Sterling, and the most logical successor is the Special Drawing Rights composed of a basket of currencies. Already the end of the 1974 arrangement between the Saudis and the American mentors, the petrodollar, is facing dethronement.
Then there are the acute internal problems of structural unemployment, income and wealth inequality, racism, and health, particularly mental health. Any visitors to America will at once be aware of structural racism of the country. I remember back in 1994, driving down from Washington to Richmond and walking through the streets of the old Confederate capital. Starting my pedestrian journey from the relatively affluent suburbs suddenly I crossed the road and everybody, and I mean everybody was black, and everything was run down and down at heel. It was almost like being in South Africa the only difference was that the US apartheid was informal rather than legislated.
Moreover, whenever I went shopping in the supermarkets all of the workers were super-exploited Latinos working 12 hour shift for minimum wages.
This is a society which is faced with seemingly insoluble problems and ready to explode, is exploding with militarised police attempting to keep a lid on the situation.
Like Stokley Carmichael said: ‘Racism is domestic colonialism.’ Spot on.
George Orwell once commented when he was in North Africa witnessing a column of black Senegalese soldiers marching past.
” … there is one thought which every white man … thinks when he sees a black army marching past. ‘How much longer can we go on kidding these people? How long is it before they turn their guns in our direction?”
(Marrakesh – 1939)
While nothing can be excluded, I believe that when push really comes to shove the US will prefer a significantly finished role in the world over nuclear holocaust that would end its existence.
We are still absorbing Putin’s speech. It is too overwhelming in its implicacations for everyone, whether they view it as a nightmare from which they can’t awaken or a dream too good to be true. But as reality sets in, so will the realization that every option the US has to confront Russia will make its own situation worse. And I mean worse for the top 0.01% that run things.
Threatening to use nuclear weapons, or worse, actually using them, will be the most counterproductive thing the US could possibly do if the goal is maintaining its wealth, power and influence. Now that Russia can offer a credible nuclear umbrella, any country under a US nuclear threat will run to Moscow and offer whatever is needed for Russian protection. Russia will not and should not offer such protection cheaply. Threatening or using nukes is the best way to send the whole world running to Russia’s door with hat in hand.
Which is why the US won’t do it (probably)
I’m much more optimistic. Over the next 10 years, there will be a gradual night of long knives where the loudest advocates for war will slowly be pushed out of positions of influence. But the next 10 years will be a dangerous time for the world while that process takes place.
Wise perspective. I agree totally.
But one can’t but wonder how such an amazing culture is being gutted out of an alternative point of view. You look at what’s happening in the US with absolute amazement and disbelief. Honestly it’s like looking at the Soviet Union in the eighties. I see this through the prisms of the excesses of the market. It’s a takeover. The political markets have been completely crushed(maybe bought) by the rich. The Westminster system gives you two major parties one is the liberal party and the other is the labour{liberal} party. So much for choice!
Have you ever read in the main news outlets in the Western countries anything that goes against the government narrative when it comes to foreign policy in the security sense that is?
It doesn’t happen. Why? How can you have such a level of agreement in countries that have built their greatness on pluralism and diversity. Can’t you smell a rat in this? The stench reaches the four corners of the world but those in charge pretend that they can only smell gardenias.
When people completely stop listening to you, you know that you have no leadership change in your pocket. And if you keep talking and addressing the crowd regardless, it’s high time you consult a shrink.
I sincerely hope the Americans will one day have the moral courage to stand up to the tyranny like the Russians did around the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The “freest of nations” doesn’t have one dissenting voice in the MSM
What a badge of shame this is! To be honest it’s more of a sorrowful sight than anything else.
The decline began in the late 60’s, early 70’s. When the youth who had benefited from JFK’s push for quality education and for whom college became an alternative to military service (in Vietnam) melded into a well educated, united voice against war combined with an understanding of the political process, the die was cast.
Immediately govt funding for education vanished, class size increased, Head Start (early education) centers disappeared and state colleges heavily cut available courses/majors. Most importantly the draft ended.
In the late 60’s early 70’s there were thousands of small newspapers offering independent views, by the late 80’s most were gone.
When the internet began, again there were thousands of independent voices, today they are being eliminated, Alex Jones is the most visible example.
I believe they are planning to end all independent media before the midterm elections, they have to; for if Trump holds a majority he will be able to jail the govt criminal element. They have to either take control of the house and senate or if they see they can’t, they will start wars, good sized ones and Trump can’t stop them. My guess is full on war in Ukraine, Syria and maybe Lebanon; remember they don’t have to win, they only need to continue to control the MSM and to blame Trump for all the wars.
The people who bought and are running the US govt have no love for the US nor its people, the country is just a means to an end for them and when it is in ruins they will move on.
Could be wrong, I for one hope so.
America is in irreversible decline.
Objective academics and others who are not swayed by the noise and distraction emanating from the MSM are aware of this fact.
Nothing that Trump, the Intelligence Agencies, Congress, the Pentagon or the MSM do, can alter this fact.
Therefore, we must accept that, its not a matter of if the American Empire will cease to be, its really a matter of how soon or when, and what will be the implications and consequences of this coming event.
Russia, China, and Iran must remain steadfast and continue to focus on ditching the dollar and slowly disengage from the systems and structures dominated and controlled by the US and its allies, while setting up alternative systems and structures.
By doing this, the US will be rendered irrelevant in due course, and it will then be forced to come to terms with the new reality.
America’s actions in Syria, the Ukraine, Venezuela, the Korean Peninsula, the South China Seas etc.. smacks of confusion and panic. It screams and thrash and flail about without coherence or conviction.
All Empires experience this stage eventually. If you doubt me, go ask the Persians or the Romans or the British. Its what happens when Empires overreach themselves and find themselves in Terminal Decline.
Academics will soon write and speak of the US Empire using the past tense.
Selah
Very well put. I would only add that your prediction about academics has already come true. The historian Alfred McCoy’s newest book, In the Shadows of the American Century, comes to mind. The subtitle — “The Rise and Decline of US Global Power” — gives a pretty clear sense of its narrative arc.
Look, focusing the decline of the UsofA empire comentators of the fallout of Putin´s speech March 1st, did forget one important thing.
The Exceptionalistan now has to face a huge problem which is facing the new russian weaponry and the techno gap the Kremlin imposed on them.
But when they do try to recover -within 5 or 6 years – that´s where CHINA
by their turn will be on full boost. CHina will apply their vast resources, tech and science in the military just to KEEP PACE with Russia… of course.
With russian latest developments.
And there is precisely reside the second and most colossal of American problems… and can´t help it.
Isn ´t that ironic?
Excellent piece, Ghassan Kadi. I believe the mostly likely answer is that Washington will not risk using nukes (again). The financial oligarchs that rule the USA have an immense amount to personally lose in a nuclear war. All of those mansions, expensive cars, privately-owned infrastructure, and young mistresses could be gone in the blink of an eye. And any US nuclear attack on a non-nuclear country has a serious chance of quickly escalating into an all-out World War III scenario. Instead, I suspect that we will continue seeing a lot more proxy-wars and “color coup” attempts in the near the future (including, possibly, a new major US provocation in the Donbass).
Yeah, I think the Donbass will be the pressure point this year, even as Syria falls away. The US is supplying Ukraine with weapons, and has been running a secretive training camp in Ukraine with US and Canadian instructors (see here: https://sputniknews.com/europe/201803041062208106-ukraine-firing-range-us-instructors/ )
I think that a new battlefront in Donbass was on the cards anyway, but given President Putin’s unambiguous warning to Washington, I suspect that The Empire will strike back, both to test Russian resolve, and to force Russia to support wars on two fronts (Syria and Ukraine). Depending upon the level of atrocity / attrition, I reckon this could go south really quickly. I just hope Russia doesn’t blink!
I appreciate the fact that you refer to America as the government, and not the people. I can only speak for myself, and I am nauseated and appalled by the behavior of the US government and the MIC. I am all in favor of a multi-polar world. I believe it to be the best option for the entire world. I recognize that US is going to be facing some very hard times soon. These are deserved. We the people of the US are not the government, and those who are awake and aware have no desire to inflict this brutish behavior on countries unable to withstand the insane onslaught of military intervention,trade sanctions, government destabilization etc, ad infinitum. I wish only peace and prosperity for all. I recognize that this will result in a lowering of the standard of living in the US. we could do with a lot of that. are rate of consumption and waste is mind mind-boggling.
God bless you, my friend
We all are entitled under God to freedom, the right to life and the sovereignty of our respective countries.
Stu, I do feel a bit of relief in reading opinions like yours from a common american citizen. It ´s pretty nice to get aware and by reminded they exist.
Stu, I am with you, but you must recognize the fact the “American Way” is no more, although US deep state and its MSM are still pushing this illusion. Just look at your TV programs always glorifying war.
To answer some of the other comments: USA for the last 2-3 years tried to economically destabilize China’s economy and it failed. China has become to powerful. Just think, every time you go to any store you see things made in China. Walmart has become bigger that GM, Westinghouse, etc… only thanks to China. Do you think any president of USA is in a position to stand up to Freemason Walmart? USA does not produce anything anymore, manufacturing is dead. I am willing to venture out a statement that most of components used in the military equipment are also made in China. I would not be surprised if say M16 costs someone $100 paid to China, while US Government has to pay $3000 or so for it. There go your taxes.
You are preaching to the choir brother, but I say SING OUT!!!!!
For the last 20 or so years, every time I searched the chemical/scientific literature, the top 5 or six entries (listed chronologically) were Chinese. A great deal of the research funding @ universities in US is defense-related. No money for basic research. And a big impediment to independent research is that all the liteature is behind pay-walls, set up by the capitalist parasitic publishing houses to profit off of others’ efforts. Over the last 10 or so years, US universities have been flooded w/ Chinese undergraduate and grad students. China is completing the building of 100 new universities, and the newly-minted PhDs will be returning to churn out the next generation of Chinese scientists. The H1B program is the last effort at siphoning off the foreign talent, but this program will become less appealing as demand will be rising in China. The military is sucking the US dry. My fear is that the March 1 speech will encourage the ‘Strangeloves’ in the military to strike now, while there is still time.
I’m a former biochemistry professor at a major state university who has been retired since 2004. The problems you describe go back much further than ten years. They go back, in a quite noticeable pattern, to the era of Tiananmen Square when Chinese and Indian students first started flooding into American universities. Almost in a reciprocal relationship the number of Americans willing and able to work hard and compete with those foreigners in the sciences fell off the cliff.
Entire departments first became populated entirely, or nearly so, with foreign graduate students, mostly Chinese, Indian and Korean nationals. (And most of them presented perfect scores in the math half of the GRE.) Once trained, those individuals in the pipeline with credentials in hand came to dominate the post-doc ranks and then a very large percentage of the new faculty hires. Few Americans can or wish to compete with them in careers that are extremely demanding, competitive and low in compensation.
Truth be told, except for a very few homegrown geniuses like Linus Pauling and Richard Feynman, most of the cream of the crop in the hard sciences throughout America’s history have come from foreign lands. America would never have beaten Germany to the atomic bomb except for the huge brain drain from Europe, especially of Jews, prior to the war. Just consider the countries of origin of most of the top men in the Manhattan Project. After the war, Jim Watson had to go to Britain to team up with Francis Crick in Sir Lawrence Bragg’s institute in order to crack the structure of DNA. All the Nobel’s for that seminal discovery which created the science of molecular biology were Brits (Crick, Wilkins, Perutz and Kendrew) but for Watson. America’s manned space program was created by Werner von Braun and his Peenemünde team after being “recruited” to America in Operation Paperclip.
And, so it goes. Most of America’s talent has NEVER been home grown. The American culture has always been parasitical, sucking the rest of the world dry by offering a modicum of luxury (but never great riches which remain in the hands of a small cadre of uber-capitalists) to the most ambitious talents on the planet. Of course, it was easy to see why we had such a competitive advantage in the recruitment of talent after the war with virtually the entire rest of the world in ruins. Before the war the incentive was getting away from der Fuehrer, later the commissars, the Cultural Revolution and finally the stress of clawing to the top of a society 1.5-billion strong.
I don’t think we deserve too many pats on the head because the world was generally a wretched undeveloped but exploited place, much of which was our doing. The H1B’s continue to flood our shores, not in search of freedom, democracy or even a new house and car anymore. The pay won’t cover those niceties any longer, especially in high tech zones like Silicon Valley or Bethesda. They come to get trained and go back to China, India and Korea from which they will technologically kick the asses of their weakened and demoralised American competitors.
There was a huge brain drain from Russia into the United States just before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. If Putin’s boasts about his new inventory of weapons is to be believed, he must have somehow coaxed back a significant number of Russian expats. Or, Russians, for some reason were not enticed by the Yankee dollar like most other foreigners. In any case, there will be a reckoning that America must face in the not too distant future. It will no longer be top dog in most of the areas that define the “full spectrum dominance” it so desires. It will not disappear either (just as Russia did not after the collapse). It will remain strong enough to remain quite dangerous, if it chooses to act out its frustrations at not being numero uno in everything.
I knew one former Soviet nuclear engineer who fled to Argentina toward the end of the Yeltsin years, and I helped a computer engineer flee to Canada (he’d done the paperwork, but was having trouble getting a bank account and needed local contacts). In 2001, the former returned to Russia; the latter would probably still be in Canada, but he met an unfortunate accident (hang gliding). In some cases, it didn’t take coaxing for them to decide to give Russia one more try, but probably most who made it to America stayed there. My impression is that more than anything, sheer determination by those who stayed behind more than made up for the loss of a lot of talent; meanwhile the parasitical behavior of the MIC’s beneficiaries appears to have been a grave disadvantage to America.
“Language in itself is a vector for pre-discursive ideology-transmission.”
Haven’t finished reading this yet; it’s promising:
Soft Power: Rising Chinese Dominance In The Sciences
Analysis by: The Irish Crimean – Padraig Joseph McGrath
In 2016, for the first time, the People’s Republic of China surpassed the United States in published scientific output. A total of 429,000 scientific papers were published in China. In the United States, the total figure for 2016 was 406,000 published scientific papers.This is an important index of social and economic development, and an index of the shifting balance in geo-political strength. Knowledge-production is not only a key index of geo-political influence – it is also a key contributory factor to it.
That is to say: knowledge-production is a key component of what is commonly referred to as “soft power.”
The present debate on the role of language within ideology-transmission as an element of soft-power, is better informed with a view on this process in another civilizational sphere. In this case, we will topically examine that of the Chinese as it emerges onto terrain which until recently was hegemonically dominated by the Anglosphere.
https://www.fort-russ.com/2018/03/soft-power-rising-chinese-dominance-sciences/
Good points, but see my comments below about the realities of academic publishing, which is the most important factor in the global ranking of higher education, ergo one of the big reasons why so many Chinese students are flooding US universities.
I am going to sidestep and add to your comment. Having been involved with the computing world since the 1970’s I have also been following the computing muscle of the World. Some twenty years ago the world of supercomputers was owned by the USofA. The Crays, the IBMs, DECs, HPs, etc etc.
Also you would not find one Soviet, Russian Supercomputer on the list (maybe they did not participate).
Today this world is owned by China.
https://www.top500.org/lists/2017/11/
Without a doubt historians will look back at this speech as the demarcation line between two eras, the old unipolar and the new multipolar ones.
This speech is truly earth shattering. It’s the first salvo in the coming confrontations between Russia and the West, although it doesn’t have to be read this way. But hard Habits die hard, and I don’t think that the USA will give up the loot without a fight( surely the USA is in Syria to bring democracy to the Syrians via the head choppers who decapitated a12 year old boy- an incident described by John Kerry as”an isolated incident”. The stakes are critically high.
Given Putin’s impeccable and superhuman timing, you realise that major and colossal things were coming the world’s way but, reason would suggest, he managed to give the plotters a serious pause.
Back to the drawing board to try to tie this bear down!
Putin shines and shines and they pale in ignominy. A serious question to ponder for the decision makers in the upper echelons of the leading countries in the West: why should the Arabs accept head choppers as rulers while no political activity contrary to an egalitarian and secular constitution is allowed anywhere in the Western world? Anyone with a living conscience can easily arrive at the right conclusions as to why you are so so shamelessly and audaciously duplicitous.
Just in case I’m so delusional and have fallen victim to the Russian “disinformation news media”, may the side working for the betterment of humanity win.
If the US elite were brighter, at this moment, they would change their way. They lost the opportunity when the USSR was dismatled, and they are losing it now, again. They will never learn…
Before discussing ‘push’, one must ask a more basic question — “What is America?” . Real America wants to kick-out the dangerous, anti-Christian, Globalist movement represented by people like Soros, Clinton, Bush, and Obama.
Some examples where things are moving in the right direction.
— Christian America is strengthening. The Supreme Court is about to rule against Colorado for discriminating against Christians (1).
— Citizen America is strengthening. Programs designed to hurt U.S. Citizens, such as DACA, are being dismantled.
—- Worker America is strengthening. Foreign nations and multi-national corporations will no longer be able to undercut American Workers via exploitation masquerading as “trade”. The abusive TPP agreement is dead, and the failure that is NAFTA is on Death’s Door (2). Wages and employment are up due to de-regulation (3) and reduced taxes.
— U.S. Foreign Policy is becoming more serious and credible as cash subsidies are now directly linked to behavior. Appeasement payments to North Korea have been stopped due to China & NK intentionally violating sanctions (4).
___________
On Syria & Iraq, the change of administration has allowed significant improvements in policy. The U.S. is no longer backing Syria Regime Change or Kurdish independence.
Anything that leads to long term peace is on the table. The only non-starters are things guaranteed to create future violence, such as allowing Iran to have offensive troops and bases in Syria (5). Assad and Putin do not want Syria to be the front lines in an Israeli-Iranian conflict, so all rational parties have similar interests in de-escalating the situation in Southern Syria.
___________________
1 — http://www.scotusblog.com/2017/12/argument-analysis-conservative-majority-leaning-toward-ruling-colorado-baker/
2 — https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/02/05/understanding-why-nafta-exit-is-a-forgone-conclusion/
3 — https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/trumps-deregulation-binge/
4 — http://stevenmcollins.com/WordPress/china-caught-supplying-north-korea-with-forbidden-oil/
5 — http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/02/27/new-satellite-photos-show-iran-establishing-another-base-in-syria.html
“On Syria & Iraq, the change of administration has allowed significant improvements in policy. The U.S. is no longer backing Syria Regime Change or Kurdish independence.”
This assertion in particular (among all the other points you made) gives away your post as Trump-troll disinformation.
America is backing Kurdish separatism in Syria, as it has designs to carve out an American neo-colony in the region, which it will control with Israel. That is why Turkey has had a major following out with its
“NATO ally” of the USA, as it fears that USA-backed Kurdish separatism will spread into Turkey itself.
Turkey, Russia: Anger over US backing of Kurdish forces
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/turkey-russia-anger-backing-kurdish-forces-180115180241407.html
In fact, did you even read Kadi’s article? You precisely exemplify the falsehoods that America peddles about North Korea, the Middle East, economics, and indeed, its Orwellian view of the world.
in a non exceptional world, what right does the usa have to act as a virgin hussy, and claim iran’s forces in siria are not allowed?
at least iranian troops are there invited! what are usa troops doing there?
or in the 1000 bases all over the world?
“… things guaranteed to create future violence, such as allowing Iran to have offensive troops and bases in Syria”.
On the contrary, having a big buddy at your side is guaranteed to create a sudden conversion to future non-violence from the bully on the block.
Doc,
The world at large considers Iran and its proxies to be the “Bully” of the Middle East. Therefore to prevent being bullied, smaller groups are keeping “Big Buddies” on the ground to protect them from Iranian violence. Most notably:
— Northern Kurdish-Syrians / U.S.
— Northern Sunni-Syrians / Turkey
— Southern Syrians / Israel
As long as violent Iranian bullies have free reign in Syria, the need for “Big Buddies” makes it effectively impossible to bring Syria back together as a coherent whole.
On the other hand, Putin and Assad could run negotiations that would gradually ease the violent bully Iran and its proxies out of Syria. As the threat of Iranian violence diminishes, the “Big Buddies” of the various Syria factions can also be negotiated out of the country. The end result would be a coherent, potentially prosperous, Syrian nation.
_____________
As a side note:
Much is being made of the recent engagement between mercenaries employed by ChVK Wagner and Syrian Kurdish forces with U.S. support. While ChVK Wagner does have its primary site in Russia, they recruit troops of any nationality skilled in Soviet/Russian combat doctrine and take contracts from parties unrelated to the Russian government. The funding and orders that precipitated the ChVK Wagner engagement are still murky, but at this point appear to lead back to Iran.
I really think you need to read up on the US role in Syria, it is not what you think, or appear to think, it is.
Frances,
I fully appreciate the problems created by Obama. I suspect you are overlooking the potential for sharp breaks built into the U.S. political system. In this case, specifically between:
— The prior Globalist Obama regime
— The current pro-America Trump administration
Unfortunately, there is a great deal of inertia built into the State Department so the prior regime’s errors cannot be eliminated overnight. The door is open for either:
(A) Assad, Putin, and Trump peacefully negotiating, with the intent on all sides to get rid of issues created by the prior Globalist Obama regime.
(B) Iranian violence backing the current administration into a corner resulting in reinstatement of policies from the prior regime.
To me (A) seems the obvious best choice.
However, extremists of all kinds ends will select option (B) such as; Soros and his Globalist cadre; Those wanting to partition Syria, and; Those advocating an Iranian offensive against Israel. All of the extremist positions see potential gains by expanding armed conflict in the region.
I vote that the Iranian bullies give the United States of Sunshine, Sweetness and Lollipops a humiliating kick in the crotch of Indian Muscular
Diplomacy.
Rob,
Really? Are you sure? Are you willing to stick with that bit of Canada/Iran bully tactics if the response is the Nuclear incineration of Vancouver or Toronto?
This illustrates the most significant danger of Iranian violence launched from Southern Syria, Lebanon, or Gaza. It is easy for the Iranian Ayatollah to promote violence by proxy when the consequences fall elsewhere.
If the obliteration of Qom is on the line, would the Ayatollah have the same stance?
Yes A123, I’m really really really sure.
I’m also 100% sure that psychopaths blow an abnormal amount of smoke out there ass and that you’re a really handsome man.
Of the twenty-two civilizations that have appeared in history, nineteen of them collapsed when they reached the moral state the United States is in now. Arnold J. Toynbee
It’s this moral decadence which is more debilitating than any military, industrial, financial or hegemonistic decline.
John Glubb, defined the stages thoroughly in 26 pages.
Human nature doesn’t change,so we endlessly repeat the same mistakes.
We are in perilous times and the US “crazies” realize that there is a rapidly closing window for their Operation Strangelove. Russia must keep control of the skies over Syria—that much is clear. “And our allies” was the little phrase that Putin added about his determination to use nuclear weapons if threatened directly. It was not there before in the nuclear use doctrine of the RF.
There was an announcement of an attempt to meld the Special Forces of the CIA/State Department with the military intelligence units in the field (Army,Navy) but that information soon disappeared from sight about 3 months ago. Gen Votel ( Centcom) is an expert supposedly in counter intelligence field tactics and was pushing for that in light of the big snafu at Kandar with the MSF hospital destruction. I suspect turf wars are still going on.
Also, Rest assured that those 14 US military bases in Kurdish held Syria are not going to be disbanded any time soon. Operation Soft Underbelly is still in long range plan of the neocons regardless of the fact the Russians have their own Operation Rock-Hard Abs as a countermeasure. Centcom was responsible for African operations but recently ( before the embarrassing “incident” in which a patrol of US Special Forces was lured into a trap and demolished) was put under a separate Africom division. By the way, Gen Votel takes that sort of “bad PR” much more personally than the hospital “incident”.
How passive aggressive the American people will act when pressured to pay for all this increased military spending as inflation ( from money printing) makes all that hoopla over tax rebates seem like a cruel joke remains to be seen. But…
At this moment the ruling elite is attempting a cultural revolution in which the untermensch feed off of one another. Sponsoring an articulate group of journalism/drama club high school students to demonize the NRA is their latest ploy. Also, some force ,hidden or not, is sending the march of the zombies towards Trump—there have been at least 4 attempts within the last two weeks on his life disguised in various forms and very much hushed up.
Venus and Mercury troop into Aries this week so I do not expect the fireworks to stop any time soon. And soon for 5 months when Mars. stalks back and forth in Aquarius (containing the US Moon-its people) I expect events to become a bit inflammatory. Perhaps the building of wall along the Mexican border will become a focal point of action and protest.
great briefing Terra.
My question is: isn’t Venus and Mercury just cleaned off their demons?
Mars in Aquarius: great coincidence Uranus in Taurus 5.15., Mars in Aquarius
5.16.
I’m not done with your 4 lines, having to reread
last Uranus in Taurus was from 1934 to 1942. It’s the toppler
in the realm of territories. His demons suffer of inflation.
“In a letter that is required under the National Emergencies Act, US President Donald Trump notified the Congress that the White House will continue treating the situation in Ukraine as ‘an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States’ as it was defined by an executive order given by previous US President Barack Obama in 2014.
The chutzpah is breathtaking. Ukraine is declared a US territory! It is a proof that insanity is the ‘foreign policy’ of US.
Another possible option. They could deliberately hyperinflate the dollar, pay off all their debt with the hyperinflated dollar and then issue a new currency.
The US has no “debt.” It is the monoply issuer of its currency. It has no debt denominated in a foreign currency. The idea that the deficit or deficit spending represents a debt is a fundamental if common misunderstanding. All dollars that have ever existed have been spent into the economy by the government. The so-called “national debt” represents all the dollars ever “created” or spent into the economy since 1789 minus all taxes paid. The dollars spent (debit side) are balanced to the penny on the asset side of the ledger–they represent all the dollars held by individuals, firms, and foreign governments–mostly in Treasuries (which btw cannot be bought except with dollars!).
More simply put: the US dollar is being defined by division by zero.
How do you answer the objection that the money supply of US dollars (actually Federal Reserve notes) is in fact controlled by the commercial and central banking systems. These entities are all privately owned for-profit institutions. They are not part of the Federal Government. If the US government were an actual issuer of Sovereign Currency then there would be no need for tax revenue collection or bond issuance. The denomination of Sovereign debt does matter but is not relevant to the question of the US government as an issuer of Sovereign currency.
By the way, since the money supply is controlled by the banking system the dollar can never be hyperinflated to pay off debt. The scenario that poster Tom Gregg suggests (often posed by Libertarian and Austrian types) can’t happen. This would amount to the bankers ruining themselves. Nevertheless, the dollar is being inflated at a stunning rate but to direct inflation to asset classes held by the wealthy. The Weimar scenario will never happen though.
Again, the idea that the US has a debt is fundamentally flawed. You say, “If the US government were an actual issuer of Sovereign Currency then there would be no need for tax revenue collection or bond issuance.” Not so. the law of taxation is pretty essential to get the currency accepted. It must be legal tender for all debts, private and public. Taxes in a fiat regime do not serve to purchase anything–since the taxpayer must use dollars issued in the first place by the monopoly issuer of the currency–namely the gov’t. See Mosler’s booklet below for details. Bond issues are another matter.
Not sure what you have in mind here: “The denomination of Sovereign debt does matter but is not relevant to the question of the US government as an issuer of Sovereign currency.”
Here’s the link to Mosler’s small free booklet: http://moslereconomics.com/wp-content/powerpoints/7DIF.pdf
There’s a lot of material at NewEconomicPerspectives.com [http://neweconomicperspectives.org/modern-monetary-theory-primer.html]
Also, Bill lMitchell’s blog at http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/ is a great source.
We both seem to be wasting our time in this conversation. However, let me ask you a question. That is, what changes in the current financial/monetary system is MMT seeking to promote? All I’ve seen is the promotion of Universal Basic Income. Is that it? What other changes in policies and laws are they seeking?
mod-to note: Further, as this thread is certainly wandering off topic, I suggest it be taken to the “Moveable Feast Cafe”
And the puchasing power of that newly issued currency would be . . .? And the cost of imports would change . . . how ?
What is missing in these types of analysis is a discussion on the use of Biological warfare by the US. US has been collecting DNA globally and they do have biological research centers positioned near Russian border, Russia is the target. US must defeat Russia to emerge as the global power. US must know that they are falling behind Russia and China in many areas and that biological warfare could be their answer to restore there hegemonic loss.
See nations of the world queueing up to become Russian allies. Everyone waves goodbye to the Anglo-Zionist Empire, good riddance!
”North Korea saw what happened to Vietnam, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. Most importantly, North Korea has not forgotten what happened to Korea itself.”
Precisely. And by Putin’s speech the boldness and bluntness of the rest of the non-Western world has indeed taken a quantum leap. Sure enough, to the average Exceptional and Indispensable Pindo this does not make any appreciable difference at this stage. Hatred, disgust, contempt, and/or absolute indifference towards the outside world — bar Israel — constitute the firm backbone of the Pindos’ Weltanschau. But it will begin to ’sink home’ when Western imperial loot starts to dry up with militant parasites incensed to scream for nuclear Armageddon. Only this time, Russia has what it takes to confront Western psychopathy.
This analysis of America is damning in its unvarnished truth. The quotes below expose the American mentality in all its imperial delusion and megalomania, and thus deserve to be highlighted:
“American politicians operate on the pretext that America has a given right to be the greatest, wealthiest, most-developed, strongest unrivaled nation on earth.”
“To this effect, and for America to be able to hold on to its leading position, it can no longer do this from any semblance of a position of fairness and real and honest competition. This is why America is now upscaling its enemy definition and resorting to what can be best seen as bullying tactics; thereby taking unfair advantage of other nations.”
“According to those new rules, now that they no longer can conceal or sugarcoat its true intentions, any nation that tries to develop itself is seen by America as a potential threat. And this applies to all aspects of development, because according to America, no other nation is allowed to be better or even close to where America is.”
“The sad and ironic reality is that America does not walk the talk of competitiveness and level playing fields. America’s definition of a national threat is different from that of any other country in human history; except perhaps for ancient Rome.”
At base, the Americans believe they have a God-given right to rule the world–and any nation that challenges this status will instinctively be demonized as a “threat.”
Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba–all must be subordinated to the American Way. The only
“debate” among the Americans is *tactical* in nature in terms of who should be targeted first and by what means.
The supreme hypocrisy of course is that America is the ultimate threat, an existential-civilizational threat–one that is unprecedented in history and surpassing that of the Nazi Third Reich, particularly given the USA’s omnicidal nuclear weapons arsenal coupled with its messianic national religion called American Exceptionalism.
A quote from Arnold J. Toynbee from the “Islam and the West” article on this website comes to mind in describing the American in particular, though it was originally used to describe Western Civilization (sic) in general: “the Western civilization is aiming at nothing less than the incorporation of all mankind in a single great society, and the control of everything in the earth, air and sea which mankind can turn to account by means of modern Western technique. ”
It is not unfair to say that Nazism was merely Westernism (and Americanism) without the mask of democracy and freedom.
Indeed, Stephen Gowans writes that: “Hitler’s regime, it should be noted, represented European colonial ideology and practice in its highest form. Its methods were based on those pioneered by Britain, France and the United States to build vast empires, and Belgium and Portugal, to build smaller ones. What made Hitler reprehensible to the Western mind, was not the brutality of his methods and his racist ideology—for these came directly from the European colonial tradition—but his seeking to build a German empire to the East, thus bringing home to Europe the methods and racism the British had used in India, the French in Africa and Indo-China, and the young United States had used to build a continental empire.”
“How far can the Americans be pushed?”
The US organized crime corporation needs no pushing, sit back, and watch it collapsing under its own weight.
The U.S.A is still ahead. What Russia and all them other countries lack is the moral perversion which allows the U.S.A. to actually go out an use the weapons of evil in their possession.
“Any person or any state touted to out-perform Americans or America now or in the future, in any field of endeavour, is considered by the American policy makers as a threat”.
And obviously there will be more and more people and states who fall into those categories, as the USA falls further and further behind.
It is like some badly-trained runner falling ever further behind the leaders in a race – but instead of admitting its own weakness, blaming the leaders for cheating somehow.
If you can accept even for a moment that Trump is feted as a new Cyrus and as such “the anointed’ or if you like “messiah” by no less than the Sanhedrin in that they have just struck half shekel coins double busted combining Cyrus with an overlay of Trumps visage and that this fetings purpose is to bolster and enlarge his own self worth such that he can be lured unwittingly into playing out the role of king of the south from Daniel 8, then dear reader you will find the answer to the question of just how far can the US be pushed. Trump is the watchman elected by the renegade nation, he came to power on the strength of a message of warning for his people regarding imperial wars and confrontatoon with Russia BUT upon elevation has turned 180 degrees. He and the nation he leads consider themselves superior (exceptional), and late last year he placed his accommodation facilities (tents) for the first time ever in Israel, and so is marked thereby now as the king of the south. The commemorative half shekel binds him in hubristic madness to the outplay of eschatology as the king of the south. He has been trapped in a cage of his own vanity. His name Donald means world ruler. Hubris. Born on an eclipse. And came to power as the Revelation 12 Sign completed. He will go all the way. Astounding devastation is what Daniel 8 says.
Yes and combine that with Russia making its appearance in the same tract of text as the descendant of “the Greek shaggy goat” and you start to see the implications. The Greek shaggy goat has a first horn being Rome and a second horn which grows out after the first is Constantinople. From Constantinople comes Orthodox horn which is the crushed by the Soviet which then is replaced just by RF horn which then although less powerful than it was in the Soviet era makes a comeback and forms an alliance of 4 horns (nations) to take on the king of the south.
Very interesting what you wrote, during time I read Daniel’s Revelations many many times. It is the most discussed part of Revelations from the Old Testament.
Yes it is quite interesting the meticulous lining up of the integers of Daniel 8. Whether you are a believer or not I suggest taking a look at the Revelation 12 sign completion which took place last year. If you are interested you could Google “Revelation 12 compendium unsealed.org”. I can say I am at best a parallel traveler to with much of what is called Christianity. I am not so much fence sitting as deeply perplexed. The Daniel 8 interpretation has organically grown within me. I feel very much alone in my postulations. But I am a well read man of a certain age with life threatening illness and as I hover and spin closer to the exit I have time it seems to think and dream and remember many things. If I am right on Daniel 8 then we are in train to doomsday. I would add I see alignment also with Revelations of St John in today’s world. Barack Husien Obama, as a name is quite interesting to explore. Did you know Barack is the anglicisation of Al-buraq, and that Al-buraq is a white horse in Moslem eschatology.? That Husien is an adulatory name referencing the 12th Madhi.? And that Obama is a central and west African phrase meaning “garden servant of the king of the morning”.? So Obama was the white horse. But look at thesevinteresting matters…Trump means “the din of war”, and Trump rides a fortune established along the “Dead Horse Trail”, so in effect it can be rightfully said he rides a horse called death. So we have a white horse followed by a horse called death…that is quite spooky in that that is perfectly aligned so far with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Good luck Ioan.
Since you are interested ioan I would give you these thoughts also.
There is a Pythagorean link between the Gosel of John and the Revelations of St John. The gospel includes a passage regarding the capture by the disciples of 153 fish. Did you know that Pythagoras proved his theorem of displacement by calculating that a vessel carried a catch if 153 fish.? No Christian I ever spoke with knows that Pythagoras lived 450 years before Christ and that 153 is a number of special significance because it is sum of the minor Pythagorean triangle. It is the sum of all numbers 1 through to 17. And ioan did you know that 666 is the sum if all numbers 1 through to 36, and that 666 is the sum of the major Pythagorean triangle.?
In other words ioan we have a set if clues left to us pointing us to “a mans name being 666”.
What name could fit such words.?
Gore.
A gore is a triangle, the blood and viscera of murder, and a horn.
And this 666 fellow happens to require that all men shall neither buy nor sell except he who has the mark (signifier) of the beast (non specified lifeform…in other words – all lifeforms). So no man shall buy or sell except he who has the signifier of all lifeforms…ie…carbon. That is where we may be going. We may approach the carbon dollar. But can Gore continue long enough to take the reins of the US presidency given his age.? Maybe there is time. It would be short. I don’t know. And one last thought. Barack means a white horse. It is pan linguistic. A burro is a donkey in romance languages. But it is also pan arabosemetic too. Eg…Ehud Barach. A barack is a bolt of lightning. And that is how in fact al-burag moves. Each step at the speed of light. You nay be aware for example of the statue if Moses in the Vatican.? Moses has two horns extending from his vriws. Those hours of power are called “baracks”. So barack apart from meaning a white horse also means a horn of power. Gore and Barack are horns. That is amazing. Will gore return to politics.? Is it possible we will get an AI version of him.? I don’t know but if ever Trump is removed from office I would think of betting the house Gore would be he that is selected as the bipartisan statesman chosen by the senate as his non elected replacement…not pence.
Very thoughtful article — thank you!
Two observations:
First, you mention Werner von Braun and describe the German brain drain in the immediate postwar as if it were a matter of choice on their part, as if the United States were some beacon of goodness and moral superiority that attracted them to its shores, driven by their own free will. Here, I would recommend reading up on “Operation Paperclip” of the American Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency, which arranged to absolve Nazi scientists of their collaboration with the Third Reich, and bring them to the US, to work for the US govt (e.g., on the militarization of space), and private industry (for the “transfer” of intellectual property to US corporations).
Second, I think you are overly sanguine about the prospects for Russian and Chinese technology in the world market. You are correct to draw attention to the various means — many underhanded —by which the US maintains “technological superiority”, but you neglected to point out the most important one: the global market for R&D is now conducted in English. By virtue of its imperial past (and present), the English language and native English speakers enjoy an immediate advantage. The international language of high technology research is now English. You mention research being conducted at Chinese universities but neglected to mention that they are all ranked by how much they publish in English. This is an important, often unspoken, part of the reason why so many Chinese students come to the US for university study. Is it a level playing field? No, absolutely not. Will Chinese or Russian displace English as the dominant language of research? I don’t see it happening anytime soon. If you doubt this, try to imagine Chinese or Russian becoming the dominant language of the Internet. We are pretty far from that, needless to say. Of course, if WW IV breaks out tomorrow and the US is destroyed in a nuclear conflagration, that would rather dramatically impact the fortunes of the English language, but the rest of the world would probably be reduced to a fight for bare life in the face of nuclear winter, so any discussion of the global market for technology would be pretty academic.
This is not to disagree with the larger questions you raise — and I agree they are pressing! — but just that we may need to approach them with tempered expectations about how soon the American Empire will, realistically, collapse.
I’m not sure I agree with your supposition here, English as a language of business and science has now survived the collapse of 2 empires albeit both English speaking ones. But that does not really affect the research conducted in native languages, I have held Russian designed gearboxes in one hand that were capable of 100 hp power transmission – a very novel sun gear arrangement was the key. Likewise, under Soviet rule a Ukrainian lab developed a boron hardening technique for steel that had been abandoned in western labs as ‘impossible’. The benefits of this technique are a very hard outer wear surface but very high toughness for shock resistance at the hard surface. Neither of these technologies were known to the west.
If you do a search for ‘Abiotic oil’ you will find a Russian theory on how oil is formed – this theory has never been debunked by western science and is in fact supported by some of the deep rock drilling into oil formations that are below the Cambrian zone. There have been German/Russian components to the development of this theory over the ages, but the definitive modern theory was Soviet developed.
What I suspect will happen over time is that English will remain the main language of business and science for an indefinite period – rather like Latin survived for so long in the west – but the Russian and Chinese cultures will put their own cultural philosophic viewpoints on top of western scientific theory (that was developed from Asian and Middle Eastern science) and surpass where western science is today. China developed quantum communications – new item – Russian developed EW systems that far surpass the west – there are rumours that China has a radiation shield (but the link seems to have now disappeared) – Russia now has hypersonic weapons as does China.
The marketing hype from the USA has been exposed as false and empty and so – what will the USA do? The answer is in their history and cultural adaptation:
https://www.veteranstodayarchives.com/2011/09/12/manifest-destiny-to-pnac/
They will fight until they win, if they cannot win they will destroy anything they can out of spite – but they have no stomach for a long war. We are in the dangerous time right now, China and Russia are managing the decline of the USA, China from an economic sense and Russia from a military. The US doesn’t quite understand that its’ time as an empire is coming to an end – it will lash out in non-strategic military ventures until it bleeds out financially. Russia and China’s task are to make sure it doesn’t spill over into a Nuclear WWIII.
Thanks for your thoughts on this.
As you point out, there has been game-changing research done in many different languages, and of course this will continue to be the case. My point is simply that I don’t see Russian, Chinese, or any other language becoming the lingua franca of research anytime soon, at least not in the way that English is today. Again, this is not to say that important research *won’t* be done in other languages — you give good examples of this — but simply that none will be in a position to compete with English in the near future. Chinese, needless to say, is not widely spoken outside of China (even the Chinese diaspora in S. E. Asia is fractured around different incompatible dialects), and also has a very long and steep learning curve because of its writing system. In the near term, though, it strikes me that the main reasons impeding change have little to do with the qualities of any particular language or the smartness of any particular group of researchers.
A great deal of research is conducted at universities and corporations that are funded with private capital. They are ranked largely by how well they play the “publish or perish” game, and that is heavily biased towards English-language publication. This means, the institutions that publish primarily in English will rank higher, and they will be able to draw on a larger pool of researchers, and they will enjoy a larger pool of investment capital, and the native speakers at these institutions will have an automatic advantage. In principle, the production of knowledge *should* be meritocratic but the reality is that it’s not. (Harvard is Harvard because… it’s Harvard.) It’s unfair, but it’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
All of that said, I agree with your final points. The analogy with Latin and Rome makes sense. Cicero, for example, traveled to Greece — Athens and Rhodes, former capitals in the Greek Empire — for his studies of philosophy and rhetoric, and worked to coin Latin equivalents for many technical terms in ancient Greek. As a site of learning and knowledge production, Athens remained relevant for centuries after its geopolitical decline.
Your final observation is something that I also agree with, unfortunately. Let’s hope the Empire collapses with a whimper, not a bang.
Sorry, but I must disagree about Western technology being so key that other folks just cannot rift off creatively upon it, even master it and make it better. This is a humble example:
My rather devious business partner at the time got his hands on Russian icons printed on paper which a man was selling which were made by monks in Russia and sold to him ( a believer) in order to support their monasteries. He was selling them to the burgeoning Orthodox community in the LA area about 15 years. ago.
My partner tried to find a printer to copy them but could not. Finally one printer threw up his hands and said–” Look, these are US mint quality reproductions with special gold leaf infused paper—if those monks are reproducing these on 1920’s printing presses then they are master craftsmen. I am not–no one is these days.”
He came back with a strange look on his face and the matter was dropped. Lesson learned. The Russian merchant saw that I really liked a small icon and so he gave it to me unframed. I was wise enough to get it matted/framed when the dust settled after the failure of our business and finally to put it in a place of honor in my home after rather carelessly carrying it around in my wallet during 5 years of really hard times for me. Every time I try to give it away to someone whom I feel would treat it right ( even to one Orthodox lady I know) —something happens and the golden Virgin holding the child at her heart center stays right here in my home. Lesson learned.
Well, if I can remember it correctly: The only way USofA got a head start in nuclear research, jet airplanes and missile technology was the secret invasion of and the capture of all the German scientists working at the Island of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peenemünde.
Some sources claim that von Broun was Polish, but from last name I would guess that he was German perhaps Barron?
Given the state of translation software, it is relatively easy to translate Chinese into English and vice versa, because they are grammatically similar. All that is needed is a professional rewriter to polish it. I’ve seen all kinds of mangled English from Japanese researchers (grammatically worlds apart) make its way into English-language publications anyway if it was deemed of value. Also, it is easy to read technical papers in your own field in another language, with nothing but high-school level knowledge of that language and perhaps a pocket-sized dictionary. As far as research goes, they are in no way disadvantaged.
When it comes to the average citizen, the language barrier is real and has serious implications. It limits their ability to ascertain what is happening internationally outside of a few delayed sources that it is easy for a government to control.
Very good article by Mr. Kadi…
The demise of the West is in essence caused by the corruption of especially the ruling and business class.
Social, moral, political and financial corruption on every level….the basis of all these levels of corruption is the fundamentally evil economic monetary system.
The lower classes in the West are being hit the hardest by this demise…..with the middle and upper classes riding out the waves. But this corruption is unsustainable, it will also eat away at the upper and middle classes.
If the other non-Western powers and countries do not follow another economic monetary system, eventually they will go through the same story.
It’s a good thing to speak about Carthage. Rome first beaten Carthage but staid afraid by the possibility of rebirth of its military power.(apology for my bad english language, I’m French). Every time that the great Caton spoke at roman senate, he finished his spitches by those words: “Delanda Carthago”, Catharge must be totaly destroyed. And then Romans pushed up terribles provocations against the poor city wich, each time, laid and give up. Each time Romans dubbled down till the complete destruction of Carthage.
It seems that Uncle Vlad and the Gang :) have learned their History lessons.
Russians leaders and more important, a very big majority of Russians citizen have understood that behind West exigence of surrenders, there is nothing more than slavery, misery, death. And it seems that Russians said “enough!!!”.
There will be a war. A great war.
If USA and colonies let Russian resist, let Russian and China EXIST, it’s the end of the Atlantic rulling of the world.
Like we sailors say when weather become bad “It we’ll be much harder before being better”.
Frightening.
What Americans need most, the upper echelon aka ruling class doesn’t want. A good relationship with its citizens. They see their citizens as vermin to be squeezed out of existence. American society is so sick on many levels now how can one expect to win wars with a population many so poor and sick and bereft of basic utilities?
How decent is the Russian elite? Only time will tell but at least a portion of them understood a form of symbiosis is necessary so both can exist. What is today’s American mercantilism? Siphoning all the wealth until nothing left like locust does. I see it done in my own country that is part of that dreadful EU.
See how motivated people can get if they see some positive effort done by their governments. I’ll bet Russian soldiers are very motivated to defend their country and psychologically and fysically in much better shape then the US counterparts.
Hmm, I can sum up the behaviour of the emperor as gangster, who uses it’s money control located in NYC and thus creating gang environment which includes all of Europe under NATO not to mention other gang affiliations in Asia, etc, etc. While Russia is always standing alone. I know people talk about China, etc, etc, but it my mind China needs Russia and this is where it ends, its a one ways street. Russia stands alone. Even in the days of USSR, I know for fact that Warsaw Defense Agreement was never trusted, as the militaries in those countries were not privy to USSR’s strategic structure. Simply because they did not join this Agreement voluntarily. Let me explain, why it was and I call so because contrary to western narrative, aggressive posturing was not behind its creation motives. NATO has always been a pact or gang if will. Warsaw Agreement was created after NATO’s aggressive nature became obvious. So, to end this tirade, if USA was truly a “Man” it would not need all the hoodlums to cheer it on and serve it, while USA was fattening up.
“The answer to the question of how far can the Americans be pushed is increasingly becoming more of what can they do, rather than what they would like to do”
Looking only at military hardware…They still can do lot.
But is that actually case?
Do they really have clear strategy?
Are they really ready for radical sacrifice by getting in major conflict to impose self and remove doubts about their “leadership”?
Do they have capable leaders that can do that?
It is more question whather they have guts for major conflict, than anythig else!
And I claim they don’t have guts.
There are plenty of examples….more recent…South China sea, North Korea etc.
But they do lot’s of huffing und puffing, lots of posturing of big bad wolf though…
They only have weapons left to dominate
and no courage to use it against stronger opponent.
I guess as “world leader” they are “finished” already.
End of the game.
The most difficult challenge I think facing Mir is bringing the psychopathic zionazi/nazi oligarchy down gently so their won’t be a dust up.
Hi Mods,
Was there something amiss with my two comments here? They don’t appear.
yes … they came off as spam … we are a discussion site and not a pointer to youtube videos… express your views in your own words,limit the number of video links. … mod
Ok, fair enough.
QE is not “printing money.” To say so is to not understand the central bank operation in question. What QE does is add new reserves to the banking system. Such reserves are not part of the money supply. QE is essentially an asset swap. As Bill Mitchell explains, “Quantitative easing merely involves the central bank buying bonds (or other bank assets) in exchange for deposits made by the central bank in the commercial banking system – that is, crediting their reserve accounts…So quantitative easing is really just an accounting adjustment in the various accounts to reflect the asset exchange. The commercial banks get a new deposit (central bank funds) and they reduce their holdings of the asset they sell.”
(http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=661)
It works well until no one wants or accept the dollar for international exchange.
Seems to be occuring now with Yuan/Ruble.
BTW, I think Russia should be doing QE for internal development. Gold to be used for balance of payment internationally.
Well, my aim was simply a (very cursory) description of a particular central bank operation within our fiat monetary system. QE doesn’t really work very well at all. The link I gave goes into detail.
I don’t think a gold standard is a recipe for prosperity; historically, depressions occurred under gold standard and specie convertability regimes. I think these are good articles on gold:
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=2562
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=20754
Sam
No depressions with a gold standard of 100% backing for currency and no fractional reserve banking allowed. You may get a recession in a particular contained region or in a sub-sector of the economy but no more than that. Also, such recessions are short lived. They do not become nation wide across the entire economy or go international.
Once you go to any form of government fiat money monopoly, central banks and fractional reserve banking, then depression is merely a matter of time.
Si
I agree. Pegging a currency to gold or any other finite resource cannot work in an economic system based on the principal goal of exponential growth. Triffin showed that this cannot work for a currency held as reserve. More generally though, the circulation of currency must be sufficient to support the level of economic activity. If the growth of gold reserves cannot keep pace with economic expansion the economy stalls or enters depression. On the other hand, the issuance of currency should be limited to maintain financial stability and confidence, but there are many ways to do this. For example, linking the money supply to the population. Gold is not a good solution.
David
The absolute quantity of a currency in circulation is not important. That it is unavailable to be inflated is important. The reason it is vital to back currency directly with specie (gold if just about perfect for the task) and make it 100% convertible on demand is that it makes that currency impervious to inflation. It means government and central bank cannot debase the currency by calling forth new quantities of it (that is, creating more of it out of thin air).
Your concern appears to be that a fixed quantity of currency somehow limits economic growth. Somehow it is necessary for economic growth that new currency is continuously called into existence. The fact is that this is not required at all. If the currency remains tied to specie, then economic growth results in the purchasing power of each unit of currency increasing. This is a powerful incentive to save and to invest in the future. It is also a powerful incentive to undertake productive work. It results in a major improvement in living conditions for ordinary people on a fixed income such as workers on wages or retirees relying on their nest-egg of a lifetime of savings. That is, it benefits ordinary people first and foremost.
As soon as government and their partners in crime are allowed the power to issue and control a currency, then the trouble inevitably starts. The issuance of new currency directly penalises those living on fixed incomes and who attempt to save and invest in the future. The purchasing power of the currency they hold is relentlessly debased. Those who benefit are the ones running the printing press as they get first use of new currency at no or extremely low cost. They are merely legal counterfeiters and cronies, in on the scam. They make out like bandits, you pay. The currency inflation they unleash and rely upon for their ongoing power and privilege enables major wealth transfer away from ordinary people and towards themselves. The idea that such critters are interested in limiting the issuance of new currency is delusional. It has never occurred in the past and nothing about the nature of these folk is has changed. What history demonstrates again and again is that fiat currency un-backed by specie always fails. Pretty pieces of coloured paper with pictures of honest politicians end up attaining exactly the value of pieces of paper and ink. In the process millions of people are injured, impoverished, violated, robbed, ruined. Much suffering is caused.
Final point. An example. Since the creation of the US Federal Reserve (in direct violation of the US Constitution it would appear) the value of the US dollar has fallen by 97%. Worth considering is that the bulk of the decline has occurred since the early ’70s. Now consider what happens when it falls just a little more (as it is about to). A mere 1% fall at this point will be experienced as a 33% drop in purchasing power today, 1.5% as a 50% fall. There is the trigger for a stalled and subsequently crashed economy. There is the cause of depression, right there. Reckon that isn’t going to hurt anyone?
Currency is far too important to allow politicians, bureaucrats and their crony mates control of it. They are not trustworthy.
Si
The question is not how far America can be pushed, as nobody is pushing America. The question is how far the US can push the rest of the world without it responding on a massive scale.
What we have here is a phenomena of a former colony, which ostensibly fought against colonialism, demanding the right to create an empire of it’s own, a world wide empire no less. The “Pax Romana” has been transformed into the “Pax Americana”, with the US elite stating that Washington DC has become the new Rome. I think not.
What is Washington offering ? Ostensibly democracy and human human rights, backed by liberal economics, regime change and war.
When it comes to domestic policies, the country is supposed to be a democracy. Is it ? It has two political parties, whose policies are identical. As one analyst has stated, these two political parties are two hands controlled by the same head, the head being the US elite, which controls the Government, the media and the military. By the 1980’s the US was a police state, and now it is a military police state, the Homelands Security Act placing the police under the control of the military. Domestically the US is indeed “Pax Romana”, a dictatorship, where the role of Caesar has been assumed by the US elite. The police and the military have been reduced to the level of a Praetorian Guard, keeping the situation under control
When it comes to foreign policy, Americans have turned out to be good students, applying the methods of their former colonial masters. Their interpretation of “democracy” is either buying or blackmailing foreign leaders and then placing them under their control. These leaders then open up their country to plundering by US corporations, as existed in Russia under Yeltsin, and as it now exists in Ukraine under Poroshenko. These methods are backed by regime change, the creation of social, political and ethnic tensions and open military intervention, like in northern Syria, which the US invaded contrary to international law.
When it comes to war, the most drastic example is World War Two. There is no question that Hitler was a combined Wall Street/London asset, financed by both, being placed into power for the chief task of invading and breaking up Russia. Henry Ford, for example, had factories in Germany, which were never bombed. At the end of the war, the US Army looted 1.400 German patents, leading one analyst to conclude that the war cost the US absolutely nothing, as it made huge profits from the looted patents. On top of that, more than one million foreign technicians and engineers came to work in the US after the war ended. The most famous example is Verner von Braun, who created the V-1 and V-2 rockets, and who worked to death 10.000 foreign workers during the actual production. His transfer to the US was part of Operation Paperclip, when thousands of German engineers, Gestapo and intelligence officers were also transferred, including SS General Heinrich Muller, the Gestapo chief, who became Trumans personal intelligence officer, keeping an eye on the CIA. In effect the US continued in 1945 where Germany stopped.
Empires have two very unfortunate side effects for their masters. They demand a huge sum of money to maintain, and they create a huge number of enemies, as the US is now experiencing. Even Europe is now turning against the US, whose empire is breaking up, and which will go down in history as one of the shortest lived. The price for empire fall will be payed by ordinary Americans. The elite will just depart to foreign countries, where they have been buying real estate for years, like George Bush Jr., who bought himself an estate in Paraguay. We shall have a reincarnation of history. Before Imperial Rome fell in 476, the Roman elite was the first to flee, running away to Venice.
I find your Komentar the most proof correct (zutrefend) observation.
Thanks
Old German
Thank you. Pity the Kaiser removed Bismarck from Office. Had Bismarck stayed, then Germany, probably, would not have fought two unnecessary world wars, from which she gained nothing, but lost plenty.
I feel like Ghassan
Satan never won the wars
otherwise since long
we wouldn’t exist any longer
“..because according to America, no other nation is allowed to be better or even close to where America is.”
I remember reading Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine – I think she said the reason they installed Pinochet and other mafia in Latin America was because Chile before Pinochet (and other countries there) were quite successful and socialist.
Uncle Satan does not want to allow any better and more humane system to emerge – they like to destroy it ASAP.
There is a whole chapter on what USA did to Russia during Yeltsin – the first time I heard what really happened there as opposed to Western BS
Americans used to hallucinate more about their ‘greatness’ decades ago – but in 2008 that changed. Most people I know there realized they were lied to, ruled by incompetent mafia etc. I’ve seen quite a few people there cry after the economy took a hit. More and more feel lost and disoriented.
Psychopaths in charge probably would not mind starting a nuclear war – due to their delusions of grandeur – but most normal Americans don’t think very highly about their country – they know it’s a shithole based on fraud.
Things can look perfect one day and then the next day there is nothing left – a metaphor from 3 days ago:
A 40 year old American friend in LA who seemed to have a life you only find in movies – successful, loved by many people, friendly , happy (looking) and very fit – killed himself (nobody knows why). And I used to think he was probably my most promising and successful friend (and mentally strong).
What seems promising, advantageous and worth of envy may in reality be very different.
My condolences to you! What a shock! Similarly, a friend of mine in Siberia shot himself on his 40th birthday. That was around the year 2000, but the grief goes on and on.
To begin with, President VV Putins statements were rather clever in more ways than one. The USA is moving toward war with Russia; and that, a war involving nuclear weapons at a fast pace, matching the EU’s “Military integration” as closely as possible. Treason abounds as our (UK) Military is disbanded in readiness to integrate with France and Germany, with even the UK’s Trident going to France (then, under the treaty of Elysee likely to Germany). The Royal navy running ships without planes or missiles. The point is the US is desperate that its war against Russia be confined to Europe: And, with Frau Merkel getting her coalition the US has a fair chance to realise its wish. UNTIL President VV Putins speech. The President of the Russian Federation V Putin implied strongly that Americans would taste the bitter fruit of any war they started. Not Hollywood; but for real. I would suppose that such an outcome will promote a rethink, and, perhaps the “Mad Dogs” put down for the good of the world. Time will tell.
Anglo Pervert media alert- the film ‘Red Sparrow’ has come out, one of the most propagandist films of any era, written by Jason Matthews, a former Central Intelligence Agency official and it displays all the Anglo narrative preocuppations with Russia- Russia as a sinister force, wanting to manipulate and take over the world, a land covered in snow and brutalist buildings, Russian women are extremely beautiful, look like Poklonskaya types in uniforms, but they are taken advantage of by the cruel asiatic Russian State against their will (doesnt matter if Russia is tsarist, soviet or nationalist, they just hate Russia of any kind).. these poor weak abused russian women need to be saved by the Anglo etc. One of the things the Anglo really wanted most of all from Russia in the 1990s, equally to the oil, was the Russian women. Ironicallly, in those times many women thrown into poverty were forced into prostitution by gangs working for anglo and german perverts, how many were raped and murdered will never be known, basically the oppostite of this film.
The close links between the Anglo Intelligence Agencies and Hollywood are clearer than ever. And people still pay money to watch these films, all around the world. The sick pro western self haters in Russia will no doubt love the Red Sparrow, and Navalny will say its based on truth etc.
I would not watch Hollywood crap movies if you paid me. And I lived there and know Oscar winning actors and producers. Last time I flew to Buenos Aires a few months ago I watched a movie with Goldie Hawn and another fat blonde chick playing her daughter – it was so crap and boring – you get a brain damage from watching it.
I’ve seen brilliant Latin American moves that changed my life they were so inspiring – done on a very small budget. They have something to say – unlike Hollywood and it’s hookers who get roles via screwing Weinstein and other criminals and who have no interesting and relevant life experience to convey – nothing to say. The same goes for writers, directors etc…Just a bunch of anorexic hookers desperate for roles.
Disappointing rehash/update of the “empire in decline” meme.
When the author raised the question “How Far Can America Be Pushed?”, I was expecting some discussion on the strategy and tactics that other nations might use in order to slay the aging giant.
A overview of possible scenarios, and the counter actions that America might take, would have been interesting.
A conjecture about what the consequences might be, should the PNAC -Project for a New American Century- blow up in the face of the neocons, would have been a special bonus.
I have to offer my humble opinion. The root of America’s problem is its belief in deception. Deception of self, deception of others. Without this anomaly things become much better for everyone (even Americans), in a big hurry. It’s really that simple to my mind, in essence.
P.S. How far can America be pushed?… I am tryin to find out… 😉
God bless.
I’ve been haunting several mostly American collapse-related forums (Kunstler’s blog and John Michael Greer’s Ecosophia included) for the past few days, and out of dozens, maybe a hundred or more, of participants, only one brought up the new weapons (at Ecosophia). Greer’s initial response was, well, yeah, the Russians have long had decent weapons systems; but after a little more explanation, he realized that this was different. I’m sure he is now looking into it.
But no one else on his blog is paying this any attention. When I brought it up among my relatives, they initially waved it off with quotes from New York Times et al. Then they turned to outright denial, except to criticize Trump for not paying it any attention (at least in his tweets).
My overall impression of Americans in the past month or two in particular is that, living in Japan, I am just not on the same page with them. What I say never seems to jive with them anymore, though on one forum where I still feel left out, one lady lamented that Americans don’t even look at you when they are talking, that her friends have mostly withdrawn from her, and that everyone seems to be in their own universe, hiding behind their smartphones.
I wonder if the same sort of thing occurred among Russians prior to the Soviet Union’s collapse. It strikes me as a generalized clinical depression settling on practically everyone, withdrawing behind a screen of trivialities. It sounds more like the French elite prior to the revolution. You’d expect better from preppers! An Australian participant on Greer’s blog expressed astonishment that no one on the forum was talking about Trump’s new tariffs either, another thing that figures very strongly into the future faced by the average American–and the rest of us worldwide, too.
As an illustration of what US government can/will do, is their “show of force” in the Black Sea and US citizens have no say in the matter (even Putin opponents who oppose this approach, have to bite in the dust: https://youtu.be/wWOFOltW2gM )
One uses the tools that one has as by definition, one can not use the tools that one does not have.
MORE THAN HALF of the discretionary budget of USG’s is spent on de-/offense. There is no end in sight and no plans for reconversion of the military industry. They will have to destroy their adversaries to survive, at least the ones that are (atomically) defenseless.
This will not mean that they will use “The Bomb”. The policies pursued in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Philippines, Central- & Western Africa will be continued. Nucs will be covering USG’s back and allow it to fight on the cheap, salami slicing it’s opponents.
USG basically fought a world war (#III) without anyone noticing it by “Angriff in Einzelphasen” tactic, deploying only a moderately sized armed forces as opposed to a massive mobilization that would have been otherwise necessary to subdue the Horn Of Africa, the Middle-East, Hindukosh, Eastern part of Eastern-Europe, Central- & West Africa.
Yes, I absolutely agree with the argument. I am of the opinion that Western superiority depends on the retardation & degradation of their contemporaries in the field of science & development. Whereas China & Russia are in a different league, it is the third world countries like Pakistan that are always on their watch list & are constantly subjected to sabotage & destabilisation not only to relegate them but in order to maintain a superiority edge!
The problem with resisting the Americans is this: they have created a spider’s web of allies, crime partners, vassals, and proxies (both state and non-state), which America can deploy against any nation that opposes it.
The spine of this American Axis is comprised of the Anglo Imperialist nations (United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). In essence, these nations are all the benighted spawn of the British Empire.
If you look further afield, America has many other strategic satraps, stooges, or allies under its control.
In the Western section of Eurasia known as “Europe,” America’s allies include Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Ukraine–not mention those pissant Nordic and Baltic nations that America has been ensnaring into its web.
In the Eastern section of Eurasia known as “Asia,” America’s allies include Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, sundry Pacific Island colonies (Samoa etc.), and even the nominal BRICS/SCO member, India.
In the Middle East and Southwest Asia, America’s allies include Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt (to an extent), and of course the gorilla in the living room, Israel.
And we have not even addressed Africa and Latin America, where the United States has many repressive “democracies” (see Uganda, Congo), narco-client states (Mexico, Columbia), banana republics (Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala) or recently regime changed “multipolar” nations like Brazil, Argentina, or South Africa within the American Axis.
And then there are the various non-state actors that are backed and financed by America including “moderate” terrorist groups like ISIS, Al-Nusra Front, and Al-Queda, as well as a swarm of George Soros-style NGOs, human rights front groups (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, White Helmets), ethnic secessionist groups, religious institutions and misleaders (from the Pope to the Dalai Lama)–all of whom America can use to project power as proxies.
There is no continent on this planet where the tentacles of the American octopus have not penetrated.
America is the Borg.
All of humanity must be assimilated into the American Way.
Good evening Ghassan
Thank you for this thoughtful article. It is provocative and well worth re-reading a couple of times. I don’t think anyone else has thought of this approach (at least, no-one I have read recently). As usual, much food for thought in what you have provided.
Si
I read these articles and wonder if the author is aware of this sort of stuff: “Latvia Bank Killing – Washington Financial Warfare on Russia” (http://williamengdahl.com/englishNEO3Mar2018.php).
It seems some are caught up in this weird leftist thing that makes them believe the country with the most che guevaras wins. There is more than one type of warfare. Noam Chomsky won’t tell you what a controlled demolition looks like. Ask yourself why.
Washington’s goal is to destabilize Russia, while making its citizens want to be American so they can, like all Americans, win American Music Awards and Oscars and slam dunk and write the next great, or first great, american novel. They’ll also speak English and go to the Walmart. Not long ago, I heard a Russian student over here telling her friends, “Let’s go to KFC.” It was like she was proud just to say it, to have a big american brand in her mouth, and to make herself its mouthpiece. Do you see how pathetic this is? A war is won by making the opponent pathetic. No?
Ron Paul may say the American economy is collapsing. It’s certainly transforming. What else? Do you bother to ask yourself what interests Paul represents?
Why would America collapse before Latvia, for example? How many Latvias are there? Greeces, Libyas? You who have a one track mind on America’s collapse better start counting how many things it has to sustain itself. Orlov talks about the stages of collapse and projects them onto America. But, America is ruled by pirates and monsters, not sticky fingered bureaucrats and dutiful hitmen. Russia invents precision missiles so that it will only kill terrorists. American steals Russian scientists and high technology, then explodes a rusty old barrel of ammonium in a preschool. The day before, Nancy Haley held up a picture of an apparently dead child and screamed Assad, or perhaps, she screamed Putin. A monster has no boundaries.
It’s not defeatist to accurately assess the threat.
There is another meaning to “How far can the Americans be pushed?” which the esteemed author did not cover, ie “How far can the American people be pushed” – by the American elite. While they pursue world domination, our society collapses. It’s not just foreign nations who are fed up with these psychpaths.
So, Johnny, what is YOUR view of “How far can the American people be pushed???”
Taking note that, in previous major conflicts (WW1, WW2) and “not-so-major” conflicts (Korean, Vietnam, Afghan, Yugoslavian, Iraqi, Libyan, Syrian, etc.) the US continental “homeland” has been spared from massive destruction. Post-1st March 2018, in any future major conflict it is likely that this CAN NOT be assured (Putin: “Listen to me!!!”). In this context, all US citizens (and residents) better WAKE UP to the full ramifications of the decisions and actions taken by THEIR government, THEIR military, THEIR mainstream media, THEIR elites, THEIR Neocons, THEIR Isreali/Zionist lobby, and THEIR responsibility for decisions and actions taken in THEIR name!!!
American public most of it is still blind ,deaf on most part…It is now up to PDJT to deal with criminals/warmongers..he got tools include two EO from 12/21/17 and very recently 03/01/18…so GITMO is ready….
Why is this article so down on Bolivia? Or is it Mexico? America is such a large place I have no idea which country is being referenced.
Good analysis Ghassan.
While America’s edge may have been “lost”, it was largely “sold off” by the nwo globalists running DC and the EU, after all transference of industries is as profitable as the creation of them. Certainly cultural subversion from the anti-capitalists played a part early on yet in the later Bush-Clinton decades we see that crony capitalism is as rampant as ever keeping the players of the State tap dancing to their favorite music.
Naval warfare is already obsolete as the proof that air warfare conducted at sea is the real force that matters. The only real deterrence to a full scale third world war is and always has been the mutual destruction factor. As we watch the EU crumble into a dusk of malaise it is all but assured that nationalism like that of Putin and yes that of Trump if he is serious about it, are the only obstacles left for the global fascists running the world bank.
Thought provoking article by Ghassan Kadi, my compliments!
It took a while to finish reading all comments, and I persisted in reading ALL the comments because ever since the first few I read, the brilliance, insightfulness, emotions, technical excellence, are all so enthralling as to prompt me to read on. No patience required; I enjoyed them all.
I’d like to offer an observation of my own: I started occasional visits to Saker’s blog some 3, 4 years ago and, though impressed with the commenters’ intellect and knowledge even then, I did not notice the degree with which they had diagnosed the extent and depth of America’s ill. In a matter of just a few years the verdicts are now sounding like obituaries; and justifiably so, I might add. I also agree with much of the prognosis.
It goes to show how fast and far has America truly declined!
America has never fought a clean war. Ever. The Natives know all about it (how many treaties breached? Contaminated blankets, anyone?) The Germans know how they were treated after the war and the millions who died in American hands. The Koreans know all about it too (how about the bio-warfare with virus-and-bacteria laden mosquitoes and mice dumped over N. Korea? But for China’s underground labs and training of Koreans on how to eliminate them, No. Korea might no longer exist as a nation). The Vietnamese know all about it as well: geo-engineering, Agent Orange and much, much more.
Wilfred Burchett wrote all about it. He saw it all, first hand.
It will come as a breath of fresh air when America is no longer capable to fight a war. It’s army of flat-footed, obese and very marginally intelligent soldiers cannot fight Hezbollah or Syrians on the ground, let alone Russians, Chinese or Iranians. Its Air Force is… well… running into technical and costly difficulties, and its Navy has had kinda, sorta snafus with its aircraft carrier, as of late?
And America is broke. Not just broke but indebted to other countries to such an extent that it can never repay its debts, no matter how much paper money it prints, in the absence of any tangible wealth (its lack of gold being a large part of it).
Yep, maybe desperation will cause it to play its last card, even if it means annihilating every living thing on Earth. Which would mean that America is much, much more desperate than even Rome ever was…
Then again, Rome never had nukes. Had it had them, how far would Rome have gone…?
Citing only Rome (vs. Carthage) as an example is not correct.
The British empire about 140-110 years ago was acting about the same as the US, and could see the same writing on teh wall.
Specifically, the up and comign threat they saw was Germnay post unification.
By 1900, if not earlier, Germany had surpassed Britain in most metrics, and this was clearly noted in Britain.
Their observation led to the historic pivot toward the old enemy France in the Entente Cordiale, and the alliance encirclement policy very closely mimics the US’ encirclement policy of Russia.
The Brits got the war they wanted, even though it, and its CONTINUATION in WWII, utterly destroyed the Empire.
In the years up to this period, much of Britain’s industrial development actually coma from scientists educated in Germany, just as the author mentiones for the US post WWII.
Britains upper education system in the middle of the 19the cnetury was hopelessly anitquated.
It took Albeert’s changes as chancellor of Cambridge to bring them up to the post Humbold model (look at the curriculum as practice in Cambridge circa 1840 to see this).
A great examle of how the British Empire acted JUST like the US now, is the mislabeled Boer War. It was a British war of agression to take from teh Dutch settlers land bearing the most valuable commodities.
Sound familiar?
Even more to the point, one of the people behind it is CB Rhodes.
When you look how his FINANCIERS were, the circle and analgoy to Amercia of today is complete.
“… it is a race that non-nuclear nations cannot compete with, and this alone makes them much softer targets for America than before”.
Actually wouldn’t they just need to get an S400 to be sort of automatically connected to Russia’s “umbrella”. It seems to me that with the new weapons Putin talked about, distance is getting much less relevant. And didn’t he mention being willing to extend his protection to all of Russia’s allies? I’m no military expert, but if these ideas make sense then think about it : with every S400 sold and operated abroad, Russia gets the equivalent of a miltary base free of rent an maintenance cost and even gets paid for it! If so this is a beautiful illustration of putin Genius.
At Least We Know Bigfoot Is Real …
PENN MAGAZINE
March 2018
… Because we have lived in The United States of America for years and years and decades we realize that when something like the Parkland school shooting occurs we must inherently question the account given of the event by our government and our media because they have demonstrated time and time again they are totally untrustworthy … …
But TODAY we are talking about Bigfoot (and aliens), and at least we know they are real
Welcome to the March Edition
of Penn Magazine
pennmagazine.us
Mike Palecek, editor
Chuck Gregory, publisher
pennmagazine.us
Also here in flip-page format: https://archive.org/stream/March2018IssueOfPennMagazine/Bigfoot_edition_of_Penn#page/n0/mode/2up
Good piece and it’s apparent the last section resonates the most with America as they have not been able to accomplish what they wanted in Syria nor will they ever. Except they continue to chip away at it thinking it will fall, after 7 years they should know the determination of the Syrian people will not wane. America is trespassing, if Syria had invaded USA, or Israel or Turkey, et al would they not have responded with vigor and military action? Sure they would, except America doesn’t have much of a military for their 119 worldwide bases, they continue to use proxy or gladio armies to accomplish their their goals and long after they have retreated (eventually they will) they will have the leave behind gladios. Currently there is a “NATO soldier” living in Damascus brought in by a group of non-Syrians. He isn’t just an ordinary “NATO Solider” (which he readily admits) but one from Kosovo where their head base is. As they continue to destroy and rip up the Balkans. America go home.
“America” is not a nation. It is a continent. Apart from the obvious ziotwist (and the ill will with the language and the doublespeak), the term is formally incorrect because it uses the same term to describe two different territories.
How far can the US be pushed?
As far as lobby groups like the NRA and AIPAC want to push it.
The US is now widely acknowledged as being an oligarchy, no longer a democracy.
The zionist interests that control the US media and fund the political system almost always win.
They will keep the US bogged down in futile wars until such time as the US goes literally broke.
Why shouldn’t they?
It is not their country, so why should they be expected to care about it?
Sounds about right to me, I also think the US may implode, north vs south or maybe east vs west, the divide and dissolution of power my happen sooner than the delivery of nuclear weapons.
Very interesting reading, almost the way I’ve been thinking for a long time. I think Putin is not portrayed as he should be, and the Chinese for that matter, well it’s to be expected living in the UK under the shadow of the US and brainwashed with biased BBC news. Great article thankyou best article I’ve read for a long time.