Tag Archives: U. S. Regionalism

May 23 2022

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.

May 23 2022

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.

May 23 2022

Sunday Talks, Harvard Kennedy School Economist Celebrates U.S. Inflation Because Consumer Spending is Higher


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

We often talk about the disconnect between Wall Street (globalists) and Main Street (nationalists), and their influence in economic policy.  Today, Jason Furman, a former Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, appears on CBS News to discuss his Harvard-Kennedy School impression of the U.S. economy.

There’s a particular point in the interview [Transcript Here] that encapsulates the moonbat perspective of the globalists.  Listen at 01:20 and you will hear this:

FURMAN:  “Look, we’ve seen a remarkable thing. Consumers, if you survey them, are very pessimistic and negative about the economy. When they vote with their wallets, we saw- we got the consumer spending data for April and it was way up. Consumer spending on just about everything has been booming. Over the next 6 to 12 months, I’m not super worried about a recession. After that is where I start to get worried because that’s where the Fed’s policy will start having more of an effect.”

Put another way: Our policies have made prices skyrocket (inflation). Consumers are forced to spend more money to sustain themselves (food, housing, fuel, energy); ergo consumer spending is booming. Brilliant, our plan to increase consumer spending by raising their prices is working.  That’s the way these people think. WATCH:

We force you to pay more, then turn around and claim economic victory because you are paying more…. “consumer spending is booming.”

By the way, he’s at the World Economic Forum where this perspective is actually cheered inside the echo-chamber.

Comrades, American consumers are overjoyed with gasoline because they are spending so much more money on it. 

Gasoline sales are booming, so everyone must be happy.

Brilliant! 

May 22 2022

Australia Election – COVID Knucklehead Scott Morrison Out, Climate Change Knucklehead Anthony Albanese In


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 21, 2022 | Sundance

After allowing the various state premiers to brutalize the citizens in each of the states with catastrophic COVID restrictions, mandates and compliance regulations, the conservative Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, has lost his feeble attempt to win reelection.

Australia has replaced Morrison with Labour party candidate Anthony Albanese.  The COVID dictator is out, and the Climate-Change dictator is now installed.  Good luck Australia.

(Via MSM)  […] “We hand over this country as a government in a stronger position than when we inherited it when we came to government (in 2013),” Morrison told a gathering of Liberal supporters in Sydney late Saturday night.  He said it had been a “privilege to lead this great party and lead this great nation” but that he, as leader, would “take responsibility for the wins and the losses”.

“As a result I will be handing over the leadership at the next party room meeting, to ensure that the party can be taken forward under new leadership,” he said.

“It’s a night of disappointment … but it’s also a time for coalition members and supporters all across the country to hold their heads high. We have been a strong government. We have been a good government. Australia is stronger as a result of our efforts over these last three terms.”  (read more)

(Via Politico) – […] Opposition leader Anthony Albanese will be sworn in as prime minister after his Labor party clenched its first electoral win since 2007.

Labor has promised more financial assistance and a robust social safety net as Australia grapples with the highest inflation since 2001 and soaring housing prices.

The party also plans to increase minimal wages, and on the foreign policy front, it proposed to establish a Pacific defense school to train neighboring armies in response to China’s potential military presence on the Solomon Islands on Australia’s doorstep.

It also wants to tackle climate change with a more ambitious 43 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. (read more)

The biggest winners…

May 21 2022

Elon Musk calls accuser ‘far left’ actress, dares her to describe unique part of his body


Posted originally on the New York Post  on May 20, 2022 

May 21 2022

Sri Lanka – First Emerging Market to Default


Armstrong Economics Blog/Emerging Markets Re-Posted May 20, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Sri Lanka has defaulted on its debts for the first time in its history. It has faced an economic and political crisis triggered by global shock waves from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Inflation has hit 40% and the shortages of food, fuel, and medicines combined with the rolling power blackouts, have led to nationwide civil unrest. Their currency has been collapsing and in the face of rising US dollars, they are unable to pay their debt.

Sri Lanka will lower the maximum amount of foreign currency that individuals can possess to $10,000 from $15,000 and penalize anyone who holds it for more than three months. The central bank announced the new rules yesterday, as police fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of students demanding the government step down for failing to solve the country’s economic crisis.

Sri Lanka is actually the oldest democracy in Asia, and now it is the first default by an Asia-Pacific nation this century. I have warned that the rise in the dollar and the rise in US interest rates would set off an economic crisis in the Emerging Markets. This is just the beginning. It is also what I have tried to point out that the CIVIL UNREST forecast is the precursor to international war and they are the greatest risk to institutions and political change.

Sri Lanka said last month that it would stop repaying its international debts to conserve dwindling foreign currency reserves, vital for importing key raw materials from overseas. It is caught between a rock and a hard place as shortages and inflation rise it is having a devasting effect upon third world countries. The first revolution was in Pakistan. We are looking at the widespread political crisis unfolding in emerging markets. The central bank governor, Nandalal Weerasinghe, said: “Our position is very clear: until there is a debt restructure, we cannot repay.”

Ironically, it was John Exter (1910–2006) who was an American economist, a member of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve System, and the founder of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, who was the first central banker to come to visit me in our office in Princeton, New Jersey which began to open my eyes that the forecasts I was putting out were important beyond simply trading. He visited me in 1983.

May 20 2022

Putin v Russian Neocons


Armstrong Economics Blog/Russia Re-Posted May 20, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: It appears your Putin is backing down as reported by Fortune. That must mean that Ukraine is winning!

DL

REPLY: I have warned that Putin is a reasonable man. The hatred the Neocons keep painting him with is not just unfair, it is a strategic ploy to DEMONIZE your opponent to justify your own position. They used that same tactic against Trump.

I have tried to explain that Putin is the ONLY rational world leader today. I have warned that if you remove Putin, you will be shocked at what stands behind him. Putin has been called “weak” behind the scenes in Russia because he has been too soft on Ukraine. All the comments about attacking Finland and Sweden are from the second tier — not Putin. Even in Ukraine, Putin made NO effort to conquer the country. The first thing you do is take out the power grid, the communications, and then the water supply. The US did that by invading Iraq. That is STANDARD operating warfare tactics. The fact Putin did not do that showed he was only interested in liberating the Donbas, which is predominantly Russia.

Ukraine has been putting out nothing but propaganda. Even the so-called Bucha massacre has come with allegations. There is NOT one photo showing all these slaughtered dead bodies. I have friends in Donbas as well as Kyiv. If you dared to bring a bottle of Russian vodka for dinner with a Western Ukrainian, it is a serious insult. The sheer hatred there is unimaginable. It is on par with the hatred that had existed in Ireland between North and South.

I am warning you, take Putin out, and you will peel back the onion and find the Russian Neocons who hate the American Neocons on an equal footing. I fear that you will see that Putin will not be there for the 2024 election. Who takes charge after 2024 may very well use nuclear weapons and irradicate Kyiv. Putin is nostalgic about Kiev (Russian Spelling) and regards it as the first capital of the Russ – origin of Russians. Putin will not flatten Ukraine. The second tier would not think twice.

May 20 2022

Col Douglas Macgregor Delivers an Update on Ukraine from a Perspective Western Media Cannot Dare Advance


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 19, 2022 | Sundance 

Over time, retired Col Douglas Macgregor has been shown to be quite accurate in his overall perspective of the war in Ukraine.  Appearing on OANN with Dan Ball, Macgregor gives another update on the current status that aligns with what little non-propaganda information is visible.

As Macgregor notes, Russia was always going to strategically win a war in eastern Ukraine for the same reason the United States would win a war in Mexico.  The scale of a determined military capability eventually wins, even with a strong resistance, specifically because: (a) Ukraine is connected to a common border with Russia, and (b) the citizens in the eastern part of the country are aligned with Russia.

Macgregor also identifies the financial motive for the government of Sweden to join NATO, even though the Swedish citizens would likely not support the effort if put to a referendum.  As the retired colonel also notes the lack of recent U.S. media talking positively about the status of Ukraine, is an indicator that Russia is solidifying the eastern part of the country with lessened resistance.  The segment with Macgregor starts at 04:00 (Direct Rumble Link) WATCH:

May 19 2022

Biden’s Disinformation Governance Board Suspended


Armstrong Economics Blog/Censorship Re-Posted May 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Freedom of speech won this Wednesday after the Biden Administration suspended its controversial Disinformation Board. Former disinformation tzar Nina Jankowicz announced her departure today, citing an uncertain future, and, of course, disinformation. “It is deeply disappointing that mischaracterizations of the Board became a distraction from the Department’s vital work, and indeed, along with recent events globally and nationally, embodies why it is necessary. “I maintain my commitment to building awareness of disinformation’s threats and trust the Department will do the same,“ Jankowicz said.

Jankowicz has a long history of spreading false news and gaslighting the public to believe that the Bidens are not a completely corrupt family. She firmly denied the existence of Hunter’s laptop, and perhaps it is no coincidence that the contents of that laptop are slowly being leaked to the public.

Although this Orwellian plan has been temporarily suspended, censorship will continue discreetly.

May 19 2022

Twitter Bots Exposed


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted May 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Elon Musk’s potential Twitter takeover has brought to light the alarming amount of fake internet accounts on the platform that has been used to push the liberal political agenda. Musk has threatened to abandon the deal if the company cannot account for fake accounts or bots. Twitter later admitted when filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that around 5% of its 300 million users are in fact fake accounts. Twitter initially did not want to explain how they determined the 5% figure until it was revealed that their sample size was just 100 accounts out of 300 million. Musk exposed their slanted study, and Twitter reported him for violating their NDA.

Twitter quietly began to crack down on bots last month, and some of the most followed accounts saw a significant drop in followers. Former President Obama once held the record for being the most followed man on Twitter with 131.7 million followers. After the algorithm changed, Obama lost 300,000 followers instantly. Pop singer Katy Perry, the third-most-followed account and an outspoken Democrat, lost 200,000 of her 108.8 million followers.

A recent audit found that half of President Joe Biden’s 22.2 million followers are fake accounts. Based on the 2020 US Presidential Election, Biden should be the most popular president in history after securing more votes than any other president. “My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization. I don’t care about the economics at all,” Musk said in April.

Some believe Musk is using the bot excuse to lower the purchase cost. However, there is clearly something awry at Twitter. The massive platform was known to be a left-leaning tool for propaganda, but no one realized how deep the corruption was until recently. I expect more will be exposed shortly.