The Ukrainian Solution: Money, Weapons, and Embargo


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized Re-Posted May 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Kremlin has made it known that they will not evacuate troops from Ukraine until their victory is declared. “We are sure that everything will be fine, and we are sure that we will win, we will achieve all the goals,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Russia has already downgraded “unfriendly states” to “hostile states” as Western countries are now directly involved. “Sometimes it seems that the very existence of Russia is a significant irritant for the collective West, and they are ready to do anything to prevent us from developing and living the way we want,” Peskov stated.

Kissinger suggested that Ukraine surrender some of its territories to Russia, as it is land that is composed of mostly Russian-speaking individuals who have not been allowed to vote on whether they’d like to remain under Ukrainian rule. “Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome. Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante,” Kissinger said, ““pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine … but a new war against Russia itself.” Furthermore, Kissinger is concerned that the West’s hostility will cause Russia to form a closer alliance with China.

Kissinger’s suggestion could end the war. Russia would feel as if they achieved the objective, and Ukraine would remain an independent country. Western nations would not need to spend billions of taxpayer funds on war while teetering on their own recessions. The food shortages due to the lack of wheat coming from Russia and Ukraine would end. Most importantly, the threat of the next world war would dissipate.

Zelensky’s advisor adamantly rejected the peace offer. “The shortest way to end the war – weapons, money, embargo,” Mykhailo Podolyak declared on Twitter. That may be the easiest solution for those in power, but it comes at the expense of the people. Ukraine and its Western allies will continue throwing money and fuel on the problem until the global economy crumbles so that they can reset it to their liking.

Who’s to Blame for Rising Gas Prices?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted May 24, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Back in 2007, Nancy Pelosi was quick to blame the Bush Administration for rising gas prices. In 2018, Pelosi tweeted, “The price of regular unleaded gas has climbed 20% over the last year (thanks to Republican policies), eating away at working families’ paychecks – but according to @GOPLeader, you’re #BetterOffNow.” The national average for gas was under $3 at the time.

Now that gas prices have reached all-time highs, Pelosi and the Democrats no longer believe that the White House is responsible. “Gas prices will roughly cancel out the 2018 consumption boost from the tax cuts,” Schumer said at an Exxon gas station on Capitol Hill. “That’s right, whatever meager benefit working families may have seen from Trump’s tax scam for the rich has been wiped out by the gas prices that President Trump is responsible for.”

No one ever blamed Obama for rising energy prices after he did everything to end domestic production. Biden canceled the Keystone XL project as soon as he took office and reversed all the Trump-era policies to make America energy independent. However, the other side refuses to blame Biden or their current policies as gas continues to rise. Instead, they are blaming the president of a different country and have made no meaningful progress in curbing energy inflation. If they cannot admit the cause of the problem, they cannot concoct a viable solution.

Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer Team Up to Expedite Finland and Sweden Entry into NATO


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 23, 2022 | sundance 

The preparations and proactive moves to establish the global cleaving are being carried out by Wall Street globalists, the World Economic Forum and the various western politicians who align with the objective.  The opinion of the citizens within each nation are irrelevant to the decisions of the leaders.

Fundamentally, the big picture dynamic is to create a global network of allied nations based on one overarching principle, energy and human control through the carbon trading platform.  There are multiple moving puzzle pieces, but one big dynamic. Western government leaders are cleaving the world into two economic systems.

One economic system will be based on traditional energy as the underpinning of the economy.  One system will be based on renewable energy, with climate change agenda as the overarching basis for all of their economic shifts.  Pressure from within traditional alliances like the G7, G20, NATO etc, will create the wedge.  Terms like Build Back Better, Green New Deal, Paris Treaty Accords, and other reference points are part of this cleaving agenda.

Each nation will eventually have to make a decision about which team they will join.  The entry of Finland and Sweden into the NATO alliance is only one part of this dynamic.

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plan to present a resolution that will press the Biden administration to rush the paperwork for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

In the resolution text, first obtained by Politico, both Senate leaders note the roles played by the Nordic countries in organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union, and their neutral stance on matters pertaining to Europe as reasons why they should join the alliance.

The resolution calls on President Biden to move swiftly to complete all necessary documents involving both countries’ NATO membership so the Senate can advance the measure, also calling on fellow NATO members to swiftly complete their own ratification processes. (read more)

As we evaluate the geopolitical ramifications of everything from military alliances to food distribution and trade, this overarching global cleaving should be the prism to determine the motive of each move.  Unfortunately, as mentioned, the opinion of the average citizen within each system is irrelevant to the decisionmakers.

It is very easy to see how this global split is being created. It is much more challenging to figure out how, or even if, it can be stopped.

In the United States we have a federation of states, a constitutional republic, so we can try and combat the agenda by demanding state government draw hard boundaries from federal intervention.  However, this battle is going to get increasingly difficult.  Freedom is not expanding in this era, it is contracting.

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Securing the Border


Armstrong Economics Blog/Migration Re-Posted May 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Former President Trump requested $5 billion to build the US-Mexico border wall. The amount shocked many who claimed it would be damaging to the economy and a waste of resources. However, a few short years later, the US agreed, with bipartisan support, to send 8X that amount to secure the Ukrainian border and protect them from Russian invasion.

Former President Trump and his advisors believed that illegal immigration cost the US over $200 billion per year. Many disagreed, yet some of the lowest estimates, such as one put forward by the Heritage Foundation, claimed that the US loses $54 billion annually due to the unsecured border. The exact cost is hard to estimate as it is unknown how many people enter the country each day.

The Pew Research center acknowledged that migrant encounters, not arrests, are at their highest level on record. The United States Border Patrol recorded 1,659,206 encounters with migrants at the US-Mexico border last fiscal year, surpassing last year’s high of 1,643,679. Moreover, a quarter of all migrant encounters in 2021 and 2020 (27% and 26%, respectfully) were repeat offenders, compared to only 7% the year prior before the pandemic restrictions further hurt struggling countries. Biden’s policies have enticed people facing economic hardship to come to America as

The claim that the US-Mexico border wall would pay for itself seemed outlandish during Trump’s presidency to many, likely due to his delivery, but the numbers indicate he was telling the truth. No one, aside from Rand Paul, seems to be publicly questioning why the US is willing to pay to secure a foreign border but not its own.

Canada Waives Vaccine Requirement for Ukrainian Refugees


Armstrong Economics Blog/Canada Re-Posted May 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Canadians have been brutalized by vaccine mandates, unable to leave their own country unless they comply. Prime Minister Young Global Leader Trudeau just waived all restrictions for Ukrainian refugees. Under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET), Ukrainians “are exempt from Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination entry requirements.” Refugees may be subject to tests and quarantines, but they are not required to receive the COVID vaccine to travel about the country freely.

If the mandates were about health, Trudeau would ensure that all incoming refugees received vaccines, as his government has stockpiled more than they can distribute. This is also a strategic way for those who were forcibly vaccinated or unvaccinated and battling with restrictions to hold resentment toward the incoming residents. Resentment and anger will build when taxpayers have fewer human rights than the refugees they are paying to save.

Trudeau refuses to accept refugees from other war-torn countries. He will not allow his own people to leave unless they are vaccinated or willing to take numerous steps to flee their homes. This elected man is a hypocritical liar, and hopefully, more people can see through this transparent man who is nothing more than a puppet for Schwab’s Great Reset.

When Comedy Writes Itself


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted May 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

George W. Bush attempted to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine but had a Freudian slip and revealed his own war crimes. “The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq — I mean of Ukraine,” Bush said. You cannot make this stuff up. Everyone laughs at his slip of the tongue reference about a decision his administration made that caused one of the longest US wars in modern history and claimed thousands of lives.

America invaded Iraq in 2003 under the false pretense of “weapons of mass destruction.” As we now know, no weapons were found, and the excuse was a plain lie. The assassination of Saddam Hussein crippled Iraq’s government and economy. On the other hand, Putin cited what he claimed to be a valid reason to enter Ukraine. The West only condemns wars that they cannot profit from waging.

Is America Committing the Sin of Athens?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Geopolitical Re-Posted May 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

This is the growing view of the United States thanks to the Neocons who are always scheming and want nothing but endless wars because they cannot sleep at night without hating someone as an enemy. Robert McNamara (1916 – 2009) who was a Neocon, at least repented for how he was wrong and let the country into a Vietnam War.  This Indian politician is explaining a view of America from the outside that I hear all the time, but you will never see it in the American press. It is deeply concerning for just as the propaganda has been turned up against Putin leading to unprecedented hatred of the Russian people, there is a major risk that the Neocons are turning the world to hate the American people as well. That is the requirement for World War III.

The Pelopesdian War that ended in the defeat of Athens in 404BC has eery parallels to our current situation. Athens had defeated the Persian invasion. They then established a league of nations where various Greek city-states paid tribute to Athens to protect them from another possible invasion that never came. The arrogance of Athens was crowned when they took the treasury of Delos and moved it to Athens. They then funded the construction of their acropolis.

The Peloponnesian War (430–404 BC) was fought between the Delian League led by Athens and the Peloponnesian League, which Sparta led. The cost of the 26-year war led to the first major debasement in monetary history. The Athenian Owl, which was the reserve currency of the known world which many countries issued imitations for commerce, was reduced from silver to bronze silver plated.

Here we are already starting to see unprecedented inflation running at 40% in many places.  The arrogance that brought down Athens has infected Washington, DC and our politicians think they can sanction the world and they will all tremble.

Athens also followed the Economic Confidence Model perfectly. We are now following that same cyclical model into our day of destiny – 2032. The West will lose its power just as Athens. There will be a new world order, but it will not be Schwab’s Great Reset. The power will shift to China just as it shifted from Athens to Sparta.

With $40 Billion Secured, Zelenskyy Says Ukraine War Must be Solved Through Diplomacy and Negotiations


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 22, 2022

Heh, it’s almost as if Team Zelenskyy read the tea leaves inside the New York Times editorial opinion recently [SEE HERE] that warned Joe Biden he better get to a negotiated peace deal quickly or the administration will look even worse than it already does.

Two days after the New York Times editorial board says, “it is still not in America’s best interest to plunge into an all-out war with Russia, even if a negotiated peace may require Ukraine to make some hard decisions; and the U.S. aims and strategy in this war have become harder to discern, as the parameters of the mission appear to have changed,” now Zelenskyy is saying he needs to enter diplomatic talks with Russia.

(BBC News) – The war in Ukraine can only be resolved through “diplomacy”, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Speaking on national TV, he suggested his country could be victorious against Russia on the battlefield. However, he added that the war could only come to a conclusive halt “at the negotiating table”.

Meanwhile, heavy fighting is taking place in and around Severodonetsk, as Russian forces step up efforts to seize the whole of the Luhansk region.

The end of fighting in the southern port city of Mariupol has freed up Russian troops for redeployment elsewhere and allowed them to intensify their onslaught in the east. Local governor Serhiy Haidai said the Russians were “destroying” Severodonetsk as they gradually surrounded it. (read more)

Don’t forget there was a critical point made two weeks ago by Defense Intel Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, that not a single media outlet or politician discussed.  During his briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Berrier was asked “can Ukraine win” the conflict against Russia?

Lt. General Berrier replied: “That is a difficult predication to make. I think where the assessment is at, is a prolonged stalemate should no factor change on either side. In other words, the Russians continue to do what they’re doing, and we continue to do what we are doing for the Ukranians.” [link]

The facts on the ground show that Russia has gained almost all of the territory they were trying to achieve.  The Ukrainians are getting crushed, and they’ve lost the ports and cities they were fighting hardest to defend.  “BBC correspondent James Waterhouse said Russia had increased its artillery and air strikes as well as missile attacks – gaining ground mile by mile in Luhansk while the Ukrainians are forced to retreat.”

Comrade Zelenskyy is like the idiot knight in the Monty Python skit who gets his arms and legs chopped off and shouts, “merely a flesh wound.”

In another development, Russia has switched off its gas supply to Finland after it refused Moscow’s demand to pay for fuel in Russian roubles.

Buttigieg Blames Private Sector for Formula Shortage


Armstrong Economics Blog/USA Current Events Re-Posted May 17, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the man who suggested everyone immediately switch to electric vehicles to combat the “Putin gas hike,” has a new message for American parents struggling to feed their babies – deal with it.

Buttigieg appeared on CBS and could not contain his utter ignorance and lack of empathy. “This is a capitalist country. The government does not make baby formula, nor should it. Companies make formula. And one of those companies, a company which, by the way, seems to have 40% market share, messed up and is unable to confirm that a plant, a major plant, is safe and free of contamination,” he stated, absolving government of any guilt. The baby formula shortage began BEFORE Abbott had a formula recall.

Luckily reporter Margaret Brennan was able to explain the situation to the confused politician. Buttigieg said the shutdown has nothing to do with a shortage of ingredients. “No, it is a factor that has led to price. Inflation is one of the factors among many that has been blamed for months of problems with baby formula even before the recall in February,” Brennan reminded him. He maintained that the private sector has the ability to make more formula, and Brennan reminded him that right now America is importing baby formula from Europe as its strategy.

The Biden Administration happily sends $40 billion off to Ukraine without hesitation but refuses to fund the problems we are facing at home. This nationwide formula shortage is an extremely serious issue that US politicians simply disregard. A fraction of the money spent on Ukraine could have fixed the Michigan plant that closed after the recall, and it could have been used to create new manufacturing plants and import more formula in the meantime.

Biden Redeploys U.S. Combat Troops to Somalia, Reversing Trump Draw Down


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 16, 2022 | Sundance

Democrats love war, even when they have to go looking for one.  The New York Times is reporting that Joe Biden has signed a Defense Dept order authorizing 700 combat troops to redeploy to Somalia, reversing the Trump-era troop withdrawal.

WASHINGTON — President Biden has signed an order authorizing the military to once again deploy hundreds of Special Operations forces inside Somalia — largely reversing the decision by President Donald J. Trump to withdraw nearly all 700 ground troops who had been stationed there, according to four officials familiar with the matter.

In addition, Mr. Biden has approved a Pentagon request for standing authority to target about a dozen suspected leaders of Al Shabab, the Somali terrorist group that is affiliated with Al Qaeda, three of the officials said. Since Mr. Biden took office, airstrikes have largely been limited to those meant to defend partner forces facing an immediate threat.

Together, the decisions by Mr. Biden, described by the officials on the condition of anonymity, will revive an open-ended American counterterrorism operation that has amounted to a slow-burn war through three administrations. (read more)