'It's the economy, stupid!' As Russia kicked off its 'SMO', initially meant to force 'Kiev' to accept the Minsk-Accord, which it signed in 2015, by creating a federalised structure which was set to include all of the Donbas, but not Crimea, NATO unleashed its 'Sanctions from Hell' in order to cripple Russia's economy, and force regime change on the country. To say it didn't work is the understatement of the first twenty-three years of this century so far.
Instead Ukraine quickly plunged into the abyss when Zelensky rejected the settlement reached in Istanbul on promises that the NATO countries would save Ukraine's sorry ass, if only he delivered the men to die for their 'Fatherland'. No such luck for Zelensky and his team, as Europe and the US are having all sorts of difficulty to prevent a blow-out, printing and 'borrowing' money from future generations as if there is no tomorrow. And with a bit of bad luck, there won't be, economically speaking, although the 'experts' employed by the governments will keep printing rosy estimates and lies, focussing on 'jobs', and not on lost wealth. 'Full employment' is only favourable if you are being paid a decent salary, with money that will retain its spending power if you leave it in a savings account for some time, and which wasn't stolen through taxes from someone else first. Those days are gone.
The price of energy is going to rise in a spectacular fashion because of these sanctions against Russia, and the severe problems NATO is facing in the Middle-East, with re-awakening awareness amongst the Arab nations that NATO is not their friend. Back in the days of the 'Cold War' things were different, with 'atheist communists' scaring the Muslims, but today the Russians and the Chinese are no threat, and the productive sectors of the economy requiring fuel all shifted to China and countries associated with BRICS. No way they are going to save NATO as it drives off a steep cliff of its own design. No way they are going to invest in our 'Lifestyle-Options' as something of value, in exchange for their oil and gas, and our 'superior' weapon systems are proving to be inferior even in this limited conflict with Russia on Ukrainian soil, and generally not available in any quantity soon, since NATO is struggling to find enough stuff to keep Ukraine afloat as it is. Money they can print, but stuff they can't print, and it is showing.
And now, with Israel burning 6% of its GDP per week on this ongoing war with rogue, lightly armed, often bare foot militants moving on urban territory they know well, with the IDF reluctant to leave their armed vehicles out of fear of being shot by snipers, that economy is going downhill fast as well. Debate among 'experts' is raging about the chances of the IDF to silence Hamas forever, as the Israeli government promised its people, or that this war is going to create a recruiting bonanza for the organisation, and affiliates, creating an unwinnable quagmire as the situation on the border with Lebanon is heating up. Note that Israel was planning to clear the entire Gaza-strip, and add the territory to 'Greater Israel', if you were paying attention to what Netanyahu and his ministers and generals were saying. But the US and Europe can't handle such an outcome. It will sack them. If not through violence stemming from angry Muslims residing in their countries, and their 'support act' among left-wing politicians and voters, mainly, then through economic ruin as they run out of fossil fuels before they are ready to do the 'everything electric' thing. Which is going to be an impossible quest anyway, given the lack of available, reliable infrastructure and stuff they need, not to mention skilled workers now that everybody and their dog are making money being an 'influencer', or by 'working for the government'.
Despite feverish attempts by the US to protect the oil wells they took from 'Damascus', they are unable to deter the anonymous groups attacking them, and any day now they will be back-peddling in Iraq and elsewhere too, even as they are still preparing for war with China. How? Tell me. Xi is going to see Biden on his home turf in San Francisco on Wednesday. The city, an open sewer crawling with junkies and homeless people, has been cleaned for the occasion, Zerohedge reported. What are the chances that Xi will be able to make Biden understand that the US is no longer calling the shots? And we really shouldn't be surprised that it came to this, since numerous singers and bloggers added their voice many years ago to the chorus that said we were on the wrong track. It is actually surprising that we lasted this long, with the leaders we were supplied with. Those 'Hand-Me-Downs' from the heap of glib talking and corrupt class of would-be 'business-men', in a world where you are successful if you are buried in debt, while you have no idea whatsoever what the companies in which you invested are producing, or how. Those stocks are merely chips in a Wallstreet slotmachine.
What is amazing, in the eyes of many people in the West, is that stealing billions from Russia's tycoons, and the Russian state, did not result in a massive uprising against Putin. In every NATO-country the government would have folded to the wishes of 'stock owners', who would be managing public opinion so as to threaten the figure heads put in place through careful media-grooming, while offering selected 'experts' to explain that such an act could not be tolerated. Which would have meant nuclear war to teach the thieves a lesson, or to wave a white flag, and succumb to their wishes, if only they would return the stolen money to the share holders. No such thing in Russia, where the people learned a thing or two about tycoons in the early days after the Soviet-Union fell. They will tolerate them, and their ugly lifestyle, if they keep their distance. The people are with Putin, and the oppressed kinfolk in Ukraine. Come hell or high water.
That kind of solidarity is no longer available in most NATO countries, since the people woke up only recently to the fact that both tycoons and politicians only serve themselves, through the 'Warparty', and acting in line with instructions emerging from the WEF and associated non-elected bodies with opaque structures hinting at some sort of 'blackmail-cult', as described in Whitney Webb's book 'One Nation under Blackmail'. No violent uprising is going to save us. Instead we should look for ways to pull the plug on this doomsday-machine, and reset the clock to some safe amount of time before 'midnight', and take it from there.