UN Proposes Easing SWIFT Sanctions in Exchange for Russian Black Sea Grain Export


Posted originally on the CTH on July 12, 2023 | Sundance 

The sanctions levied against Russia by the collective West have essentially failed.  There is inconvenience within Russia amid ordinary citizens for global and economic transactions, but most of the govt transactions have continued.

On the opposite side of the consequence coin, absent the ability to purchase consumer goods on the global market, Russian domestic consumer independence has grown dramatically.  There is more stuff being made and created inside Russia, for Russians to purchase, than ever before.

I cannot see how the Russian GDP doesn’t benefit from this in the long-term.

Then again, I don’t buy the official Western narrative about the “horrible” life inside Russia, because I talk to ordinary middle class Russians who seem to have found a way to organize life without too much disturbance.

Russia is actually a case study in the elimination of imports and the economic outcomes therein.

It doesn’t suck to be a consumer; average Russians are doing fine, and it seems to get better over time.  Ironically, give them a few more years of Western sanctions, and Russia could be a manufacturing powerhouse.  Russia is a big country with a lot of raw material resources.

UNITED NATIONS, July 12 (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he extend a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine in return for connecting a subsidiary of Russia’s agricultural bank to the SWIFT international payment system, sources told Reuters.

Russia has threatened to ditch the grain deal, which expires on Monday, because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertilizer abroad have not been met. The last two ships traveling under the Black Sea agreement are currently loading cargoes at the Ukrainian port of Odesa ahead of the deadline.

A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of the Russian agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payment network. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. An EU spokesperson said in May the EU was not considering reinstating Russian banks.

However, the EU is considering connecting to SWIFT a subsidiary of Rosselkhozbank to allow specifically for grain and fertilizer transactions, three sources familiar with discussions told Reuters on Wednesday. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (read more)

Zelenskyy is the Bud Light of the NATO summit. 😂

BRICS & The Gold Backed Currency Idea


Armstrong Economics Blog/Gold Re-Posted Jul 12, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Marty,

Will the Brics launching a gold backed currency be the catalist for bankrupting 3rd world economies? Or is it rising interest rates on their debt?

Tks for all the light u share in a confusing economic landscape.

Cbeers
.baldy

ANSWER: It is unlikely that we are looking at a BRICS single currency like the euro, for that would require a central monetary authority, surrender of sovereignty as in Brussels, end any possibility of QE, etc. We would need to completely collapse the idea of Keynesian Economics insofar as it has evolved, allowing deficit spending.

There is no special magic to gold. It was first restricted to only kings, for it was considered to be the tears from the sun god. As more gold was discovered, it began to be used for the jewelry of wealthy aristocrats. Then it became used as money in its natural form, known as electrum, a natural alloy of gold mixed with silver.

Then they refined the gold electrum and created the first bimetallic coinage around 560 BC. This required a sufficient supply of gold to create a money supply. As the quantity increased, the value of gold declined relative to both silver as well as commodities in general – inflation.

The real argument behind gold as a backing is that its quantity is limited. However, over the centuries, the silver/gold ratio has fluctuated anywhere from 8:1 to 120:1. From this perspective, the real objective here is to prevent the government from creating money at will. Thanks to Keynesian Economics, governments have the power to create money at will, allowing them to retain power and exert it in their endless wars thanks to the Neocons.

The real objective here with the issue of BRICS is that both Russian and China object to the dollar being the reserve currency in the middle of geopolitical tension. Yet the Biden Administration has undermined everything by removing Russia from SWIFT. That set in motion the collapse of globalization, and it has shown to the world that the US now controls the SWIFT system, which renders it no longer politically neutral.

This is where the IMF is trying to desperately move in for the kill to replace the dollar with their electronic digital currency. This is really no better because the IMF will also play political games. Strauss-Kahn was appointed managing director of the IMF on September 28, 2007, with the backing of then–President of France Nicolas Sarkozy. He was set up, and in New York, they came up with a maid in a hotel who claimed he tried to rape her. They wanted to remove him became he was independent. He served in that capacity until he was forced to resign on May 18, 2011. All the charges were later dismissed for the lack of any credibility. Yet, his replacement was Obama’s friend Christine Legard, a board member of the economic terrorist organization, the World Economic Forum. She was installed in the IMF and immediately threatened all the tax havens to turn over all their secret accounts so they would be removed from SWIFT. She also threatened the Vatican.

We are clearly staring into the eyes of a major global sovereign debt default. This is also why they are pushing for war. They plan on holding another Bretton Woods II, and the IMF will make its pitch to rule the world. This is all part of the scheme for this one-world government.

Bankruptcy on the Rise


Armstrong Economics Blog/USA Current Events Re-Posted Jul 12, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Chapter 11 bankruptcies in the US rose by 68% during the first six months of 2023, according to Equip Bankruptcy. You may have survived the pandemic, but surviving Bidenomics is proving too much for many businesses. There were 1,766 filings during the first six months of 2022, compared to the 2,973 businesses that went under this year. Chapter 13 personal bankruptcy also rose by 23% during this period.

Around 12,107 commercial filings were recorded during the first half of this year, marking an 18% increase year-on-year. Small businesses experienced a 55% increase in Chapter 11 filings during the same time period. Commercial bankruptcies increased 12% year-on-year in June alone, and small businesses saw a 111% spike. “The growth in filings is reflective of more families and businesses facing surging debt loads due to rising interest rates, inflation, and increased borrowing costs,” said ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss.

Everyone is in trouble here. This is becoming a trend as inflation is here to stay. Credit card debt has reached historical highs as people struggle to pay the basics. Businesses were already decimated by COVID policies, and some never regained the momentum. People have lost all confidence in the future and are less likely to spend. Many businesses attempted to recover from lockdowns and the supply chain disaster, but the increased regulations make it difficult for many to profit. It will only become more expensive to borrow money as Powell all but guaranteed additional hikes this year, and now many have no other option than to liquidate it all.

Nigel Farage – War on Cash


Armstrong Economics Blog/Cryptocurrency Re-Posted Jul 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

President Trump Denounces Biden Decision to Send Cluster Bomb Munitions to Ukraine


Posted originally on the CTH on July 11, 2023 | Sundance 

President Trump does not mince words when it comes to the senseless bloodshed and chaos in Ukraine.

As Joe Biden meets with NATO members to consider their latest strategies to expand the proxy war in Ukraine, President Trump denounces the decision to provide cluster bombs.

It should be noted, this recent decision by Biden follows an earlier decision by NATO to send depleted uranium munitions into the battlefield.  Ukraine is quickly turning into a toxic killing field as World War Reddit continues.

DONALD J TRUMP – “Joe Biden should not be dragging us further toward World War III by sending cluster munitions to Ukraine—he should be trying to END the war and stop the horrific death and destruction being caused by an incompetent administration. These unexploded cluster munitions will be killing and maiming innocent Ukrainian men, women, and children for decades to come, long after the war—we pray—has ended.

If, as Biden inadvertently admitted, the reason for sending cluster bombs now is that the United States is “running out of ammunition” (a great breach of classified information), that only further emphasizes the urgency of immediately deescalating this bloody, dangerous, and out of control conflict. It certainly means we should not be sending Ukraine our last stockpiles at a time when our own arsenals, according to Crooked Joe Biden, are so perilously diminished.

There could be no more vivid proof that Joe Biden’s policy of endless war in Ukraine has tremendously weakened the United States than the humiliating admission that the USA is now out of ammo, something our enemies are undoubtedly salivating over. This “admitted” weakness is an invitation to enemies all over the world. Joe Biden is needlessly and dangerously leading us into World War III, which would be a nightmare beyond imagination—obliteration!

We must stop this insanity, immediately end the bloodshed in Ukraine, and return to a focus on America’s vital interests. Most importantly, we must completely rebuild our depleted military so it is once again so strong—like it was just 3 years ago when I rebuilt it—that no nation would even think of threatening our people. We must have “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH” and in a short time, the Presidential election of 2024 will produce that result.” (read more)

[…] NBC News asked most of the 2024 GOP presidential campaigns Monday for comment to gauge where other candidates stand on the munitions issue.

Only former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley responded, she said she supports the decision. (link)

US Sending Most Deadly of All Weapons to Ukraine That Kills More Civilian Than Soldiers


Armstrong Economics Blog/Neocons Re-Posted Jul 10, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Cluster Bombs kill more civilians than soldiers and are one of the most lethal weapons that destroy any territory. More than 120 countries have signed on to an international treaty banning the weapons, which typically scatter a large number of smaller so-called bomblets over a large area that can kill or maim unwary civilians months or years later. The United States refuses to sign the treaty. Our Neocons block anything to reduce their blood-thirsty hatred of Russians and Chinese. The United States is kept divided, using abortion and LGBTQ and pushing transgender on minor children all to divert our attention from the cold hard reality that the United States has undergone a coup where the Neocons are now in full control of the government and intend to wage world war III. There is no way they will allow Trump to win, nor will they allow RFK Jr. Biden will win and the CIA, etc, will ensure the vote is rigged in 2024. There is no way they will allow anyone to come to Washington to stop this war they have dreamed about their entire lives.

The US has maintained that Cluster Bombs are a war crime in themselves. Yet, the United States intends to now send Cluster Bombs to Ukraine. The Neocons care nothing about international law or even the opinion others have of the United States. The Neocons have pushed torture in Guantanamo Bay and don’t forget about what they did in the Middle East. The Neocons directed the United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency to commit a series of human rights violations and war crimes against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq,

What they did in  Abu Grab was a war crime but nobody in Washington will dare accuse a Neocon. The US pays professionals on how to torture. There would be nobody in Guantanamo Bay prison if they were guilty. They would put them on trial publically and pump up the press and the prosecutors would become famous and then run for political office. Their best case was put on trial and the jury found him innocent of over 200 charges and guilty of only one count of conspiracy.  Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was the best case they had. Obama reiterated his first campaign promise to close Guantanamo Bay and end torture back in 2008. – it’s still open.

Neocons always do whatever they want. They will NEVER comply with international law and could care nothing about tarnishing the image of Americans worldwide.

Le Pen – What Have You Done to France?


Armstrong Economics Blog/France Re-Posted Jul 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Zelensky Cancels All Elections Becomes Dictator for Life


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Jul 8, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Is it true that Zelensky is canceling elections?

HZ

ANSWER: On June 22, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator installed by the West to create World War III against Russia. Zelensky told the BBC that Ukraine’s scheduled 2023 parliamentary and 2024 presidential elections would occur only if martial law had ended by that time, as reported by the New Voice of Ukraine. Hence, he has a personal reason not to seek any peace whatsoever.

There is NO WAY Zelensky is fighting for democracy – this is all propaganda. He hates Russians and refuses to allow them to separate as per the Mink Agreement and, at the same time, refuses them to vote in any Ukrainian election, no less for their independence. Zelensky is an outright war criminal, and over 8 million Ukrainians have now fled their own country because he refuses to end the war and is destroying his own country all for Blackrock’s investment scheme. His own people would remove him from office, so he cannot allow any election, and there is no way NATO or the USA will allow free elections in Ukraine.

There is no way this war will end without the Donbas’ destruction and Russia’s fall. It is a proxy war that the United States started. CIA chief John Brennan traveled to Kiev in 2014 and instructed them to begin the civil war. Kiev called the Russians of the Donbas “terrorist” because they sought independence from Kiev just as Kiev sought independence from Moscow.

Biden & Harris are clearly a no-brainer for the Neocons. There is way too much at stake. If the Neocons could, they would suspend elections in the USA as well. These people have wanted to destroy Russia for decades. They have waged endless wars, one after the other, and never won a single one. The Taliban are now major arms dealers selling billions of dollars of the weapons we left behind. They intend to escalate Ukraine and need to get the US directly involved because they cling to the idea that no president has ever lost an election during a time of war. They need to escalate this war and soon. The rumor is that Ukraine will detonate a dirty nuclear bomb and blame Russia, and then NATO and the USA invade.