The US media is anything but "liberal". The word "liberal" has been SO fucking abused and distorted in the US that no one knows what it really means, any longer, The press in the US actually serves far right wing capitalist oligarchs who hate middle class and poor people. Let's be perfectly fucking clear about that.
If I understand you correctly, the Graham suggests that VVP will talk to 'some one' in the West, NATO ish like presumably - does he suggest who how and what
This is far from certain - VVP is the one person who knows for sure that there is no point in talking to such a someone in the West
This is the typical .....er um.... what's the word.....of the westie - we'll just go back to like it was before why not only sure tidy up a little caus things gotta little outa hand but ....
Normal? is he that dumb? If there is one thing to be learned it is that the 'normal' did not work will not work
Good article and wise comment! I think ”pragmatism” is a key word. West is running around with same attitude as Jim Jones sectmembers - no thinking at all. Facts are not relevant and simple accusations are thrown out without any afterthought. It is significative for a civilisation desperate to find another scapegoat for their own existential anxiety.
These drones with the 1000 miles bring warfare back to where it was hundrets of years ago. The Tartars were used as a quick riding force, they swarmed the enemy lands, they raped, burned, pillaged and killed - very succesfully. But these forces did not alter any war, except for the one using them as a negative asset. The ones beeing threatened by these forces united and stand togehter. The same experience was made by the Allies in WWII, you can terrorize the civilians with loads of bombs, but this makes them only more willing to resist. Therefore the Russians are not using any of there superior arsenal on terror attacs! And Lloyd understands this fact.
Para two of your comment is worth quoting; ".... propaganda micro-bursts launched like low-level fireworks..." The US and vassals, enablers, and various stenographers are a circle jerk around the drain to oblivion. VV Putin's dressing down of the west's media was a sight to behold; as were words from Presidents Maduro and Ramaphosa. The real adults are getting together and resolving disputes. But the west's pattern of misrepresentation is ever present.
Many accomplishments have evolved from Russian's keeping their word in their dealings with others.
The US stealing Russian assets entrusted to Western Authorities is certainly a hard lesson for asset strapped countries worldwide already getting the short end of the stick from the eminent owners of the fact checking industry.
It already looks more like protection money than some sort of safe investment. Our faith in our country plummets a bit, every single day. The only thing reliably predictable is dey gone nuts.
Serbia is in a very precarious position being physically landlocked and surrounded by NATO and the EU. It must judge its steps very carefully. I am optimistic that Putin is well aware of Serbia's predicament.
Once Putin forces Ukraine to surrender, he hopefully will establish a land bridge of sovereign Russian territory that stretches all the way to the Hungarian and Slovakian border. This will give Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia the necessary leverage to defy the EU.
Well, I expected more from the BRICS meeting. They have a lot of work ahead and, as we see, it's a slow-going work in progress with many challenges. Will Modi and Lula finally decide what side they are on? Flashing out a fake BRICS currency didn't impress me and even less that they did not mention what would back the so-called "unit" currency. The media sure overhyped an expected announcement that the "unit" would be backed by 40% gold and 60% currencies. Nothing was said about it. BRICS looks like it's at the initial relationship-building phase and then slowly building out the necessary infrastructure and regulations to enable trade and tourism as the cultures get acquainted. In mining, I would compare it to the post-exploration to the development stage with 7 years to full production. Progress is measured over many years. So I was expecting an upper when Chong (BRICS) gave me a downer which left me feeling a little like this:https://youtu.be/mZoIjNDkPCQ?t=280
Agree why tip your hand when all it gets you is earth quakes etc. and all form of sanctions and other weaponized US foreign policy coercion, which BRICS unilaterally announced are all illegal.
Or...something as momentous and history altering as BRICS should move ploddingly so the "i" gets dotted and "t" is crossed. Plus, why not slowly, painstakingly rub salt is the wounds of da man?! That North Korea might have troops in the fight "crosses a red line" for the clueless West is a laugh. Unfair! I'm going to tell mom... No Marquess of Queensberry Rules nonsense for Putin. FAFO mates. NK possibly joining the battle made my week. My age works against my witnessing the denouement of this historic narrative. But I'm in for the early action. No Trump or President Ice Cream Cone inna skirt is going to derail this action.
Not many comments about the obvious comradery going on at BRICS.
At Western gatherings their surly smirks betray a certain nervousness. I sure hope the crowd of my constituents screaming outside in the cold never get their hands on me.
I would caution when ethics and morality are of Zero concern, dirty tricks are all you have left.
The notion of comraderie is significant and you are right to point it out.
Comraderie is largely discernible in past history by reading between the lines. But what is history evolving is happening before our eyes. And what we see does not accord with the false jollity that is present when the west gathers.
There is a tentativeness, an uncertainty here between parties with past disputes — but slow and courteous steps and smiles.
What does this remind you of? To me, it is the forming of friendship. Can national leaders become “friends”? Putin and Xi certainly are. In part through their relationship, the respective countries are “friends” or “friendly”. If Modi and Xi can become “friendly” — there is no limit to what the nations. An accomplish.
On the topic of friendship, no western thinker has excelled Aristotle. He says that there are three kinds of friendship: the first is from complaisance, simple good will between individuals without premeditation. The second is based in “utility” — the individuals become useful to each other.
The third kind — the only true friendship, Aristotle thinks — is that between individuals who share a common moral vision.
If BRICS at Kazan starts the journey of friendship between nations based on trust and a shared moral vision, it will be the most important inflection point I will have witnessed in my lifetime.
My question which of the 13 potential new guys has not been invaded by the US? I like that they don't seem to rush into over complication without thought. The US is obviously becoming unhinged all by itself. As I've said before, every day that passes they weaken. What's the rush?
"The topic of a common BRICS currency was raised during the leaders’ conversation, but these are not issues for public discussion - Putin's Aide Ushakov"
We will likely hear more of this in coming months as discussions proceed in the background.
I didn't expect much from the BRICKS, it's a slow movement of course, there's a lot of work to be done, creating a new world isn't something you can do with a hat trick. What's important is that a new world is emerging, and it will take time for it to mature. That is a very positive, and thanks Poutine the pioner of this mouvement.
You must explain to us why we should consider, and take seriously, why BRICs should be concerned with your ,obviously relevant and highly important, disappointed outcome of the Summit. Did it need your steady hand at the tiller to guide it to a more satisfactory outcome?
'They have a lot of work ahead' .....goodness gracious, do they really !
"Well, I expected more from the BRICS meeting." It sounds like you're overlooking the hugely important addition of a billion people to the BRICS community via the thirteen new BRICS Partners who are now part of the family and are committed to becoming full-fledged BRICS members.
BRICS before this summit was about 3.8 billion people. Add the 970 million people in the new BRICS partners and there are 4.8 billion, almost five billion, people in BRICS out of the seven or so billion people alive on the planet. That's a huge jump and it takes BRICS from just being over half of the planet to a decisive, huge majority over the US and its vassals.
It's not just the population expansion in the BRICS family, either, it's who those thirteen new BRICS Partners are. Turkey is the largest military force in NATO after the US. Algeria is a gas energy power on which the EU depends ever more after shooting themselves in the heads by increasing their costs of using Russian energy.
Indonesia with 275 million people is a huge powerhouse in Southeast Asia, and Malaysia punches far above its weight despite having only 33 million people. Vietnam is a roaring tiger of an economy with 100 million people. Nigeria is an absolutely critical country in Africa and is growing incredibly rapidly despite already having 225 million people. The thirteen new BRICS partners are a very, very big deal.
Yes, there were lots of optics in Kazan, but optics are essential in the world these days. What's even more important is the substance, the really solid expansion of BRICS and growing it to bring a total of nearly five billion people into the BRICS family.
The 'fact' that the UN is 'useless' and was designed to be useless is not one the reasons why the RF, and China, to name only two, are committed to supporting and to following UN decisions structure and forum
I doubt you can understand what the evolving BRICS is all about having lived under the Unipolar World for about 500 years or more. Consensus is the order of the day, not Imperialism. There is no veto so everyone is considered and this process takes time. There is a vanguard group leading the BRICS. Many have applied to join but had to impose a limit as the Fiat Dollar is slowly decreasing in Value as QE continues.
As for Lula his feet are tied by Blinken so he is somewhat trapped. But, the race has begun as the Horses are on the race.
Lula wouldn't be in power if the CIA hadn't helped him do the election fraud necessary to put him there, and also helped him engineer an exact copy of the January 6th "insurrection" hoax to demonize and imprison the Bolsonaro supporters who challenged the fraud.
Surely the other RICS nations are aware of that. The US and the West will throw the whole of their dirty arsenal against any member nation, now, and as well with any future administrations.
take your cue from the west. They're terrified. Slow in the making, but powerful when done. And nothing can stop it now, it has gone too far. "No going back!" The Rest are deeply enjoying watching the West turn itself inside out with fury and envy, as their own economies fade.
In the past I have suggested a troll vote to exclude voted by consensus idiots who deliberately attempt disruption
A down vote system would work
Rather, if you can bear the comparison, like BRICS, not so much by invitation but by dis invitation - all are welcome on condition they prove of some use
FF would be at the top of the list : a bona fide CIA derived dumpkopf repeating the same stale one liners ad infinitum
All the hype was created by over enthusiastic journalists and bloggers, probably to make BRICS look like a dud. Just like NATO announces Russia's motives in Ukraine and then claims its failing
Absolutely delightful to see! Putin has done an amazing job of bringing all of these leaders together. It is the perfect antidote to the corruption, depravity, and stupidity happening in the West.
Moreover, the end of the dollar as the world's reserve currency cannot come fast enough! The day that the dollar became king was the day the last vestiges of the founder's republic died, and the empire was born. That empire has become a dark, evil, malign presence around the world. But all empires fall eventually, always. And this one has been circling the bowl for a very long time.
I wish each of the BRICS nations well, and I thank Putin for showcasing them at this event.
Maybe, someday in the future, America will become a republic again and perhaps then it will have the humility, grace, and wisdom to learn to respect the interests and needs of other nations. Perhaps then it too might become a member of BRICS. We shall see.
The tipping point will be when nations aren't holding their reserves in dollars cuz they don't need dollars. The amount of trade in dollars isn't as important.
USA juice is all about reserves equals buying US securities.
You are wrong. The amount of trade in dollars is actuallly the most important thing. Because countries are holding their reserves in dollars exactly because they can trade with other countries and buy resorces/food/goods using these dollars.
It can't retain reserve status if people don't see holding dollars as a safe haven. They always have the choice of holding Yuan, Euros, Gold, Silver, other things.
If there's a 10%+ annual depreciation in the value of the US dollar against 'hard currency', do you seriously think that vast numbers of people will hold dollars?
He who is without sin cast the first stone. Where in the world is corruption not present? The issue comes about when corruption is legitimized and legalized within a block of nations that want to moralize to the entire world.
If you weren't focused on being such a great moron you might have noticed that Russia has outlawed much of the depravity and stupidity consuming the west.
It's possible, but the current track doesn't provide for optimism regarding restoration of a republic. Corruption is endemic and its poison so effective that many people see it as normal; moral inversion and projection. Let that crowd dispute but the shrill cackles from the harpies of DC tell the truth more than their words.
America might become a republic again, but I suspect that the road downward is long and extremely perilous forcing the nation to hit bottom before any rejuvenation is possible. Hopefully, the new multipolar world coming about will by that time provide a positive environment for that rebirth of the republic to take place.
I think Westerner commentators don't understand the pain that BRICS will probably cause the US consumer, us. You think inflation is bad now, and interest rates should sky-rocket. I remember long term rates at 13.2%, and think of the value of a house if mortgage interest rates are 10% like I paid back in the 70s? And I don't think the Trump tariff tax plan will work either, and he has indicated he would punish India for dropping the US dollar. He is keen on maintaining the reserve currency status of the dollar. Trump is both protectionist and anti-BRICS. But maybe he can make some deals. Whoever wins this election is not in an enviable position.
Whoever is anointed by the PTB is marching to the MIC.
Sure I like Jewish people but, whoever can brainwash you enough to post video of smiling folks happily killing women and children, is not doing God's work! No matter which flag they furiously wave.
Flying aircraft and artillery against a people with neither, does not make you clever and strong.
When I see people stripped and hog tied, being marched to God knows what fate, I see our future! Remember the USS Liberty.
I just voted for Trump. He is the least worst choice and is always ready to ask for the mill even if he only needs the half-a-loaf.
Americans, even poor Americans, have a high standard of living because of dollar hegemony. The living standard is declining fast, not because of hegemony, but because of the abuse and lack of fiduciary responsibility. My two senators, Rubio and Scott, are either nit-wits or paid actors voting against my best interests as an American.
The more that countries dedollarise, the less that the petrodollar can spread the US' domestic inflation across the globe. It's not about BRICS punishing the US, it's about more and more countries simply fleeing the economic madness of the US State in printing money ad infinitum.
Stop printing money, stop warmongering the world over and your inflation problems can soon be brought under control. It won't be painless, but it'll be a hell of a lot less painful than if you keep putting your foot on the accelerator toward a wall that won't be demolished by the US juggernaut hurtling straight towards it.
Ironic that SK is the largest extant manufacturer of NATO-standard artillery, ammunition for said artillery and state-of-the-art tanks and IFV's in operationally significant quantities.
The stories of NK troops "assisting" Russia would make SK think hard about how much they can "give" to the cause, rather than keep to be safe....
Yes - but also, just let's pretend that there are NK troops on the frontline in Ukraine, and that the SK publicise that they have sent arms and ammo to the other side of the frontline.......
What might or will be the NK reaction to this
'We"re at war with the SK'?
Or 'why bother fighting here when we can do so much better at home?'
You might have thought that the SK might have thought of something along these lines
SK has been involved for years, supplying shells and ramping up production to replenish Polish losses in tanks and mobile artillery. They can't get more involved even if they want to, because there's still Kim next door.
I'd take Pepe's information with a bag of salt. A few years ago he was ok, but after that I feel he's prone to hyperbole and exaggerations. I still like to read/listen to it because where there is smoke, there is (likely) fire. But still...
Maybe so on certain topics that are more speculative, but in this case we must admit he's actually there on the frontline. He attended the summit in Kazan and is therefore a first hand reporter by default
Actually this particular interview with Danny is an excerpt from an old one...a month or two ago. Though we should expect Pepe to write his article post BRICS summit soon to get his final assessment.
I agree, but it's part of his irrepressible, exuberant personality. Everything is HUGE, everything is earthshaking. There's truth in what he says, but I too tend to adjust for the enthusiasm. On the other hand, when it comes to Asia, he's the Man.
I have noticed that too. He was caught red handed in Brazil plagiarizing and openly inventing news. I can empatize with almost everything he says as wishful thinking, but he is kind of an hybrid journalist, a funny mix of entertainer, adventurer, writer and reporter.
Putin makes a good point about the single currency problem in that they don't want to repeat the mistake of the Euro. National currencies are fine and the use of central banks is an elegant solution to that problem
However, I do expect the US Treasury to say "if you facilitate this, we will sanction your central banks". There will always be a transition point from BRICS to USD/SWIFT and that is where pressure will be applied.
On the other hand, if Trump wins, I can see him LIFTING sanctions on Russia, especially currency sanctions, and that would take the wind out of a lot of the BRICS efforts. A lot of Western commentators call BRICS a nothing-burger because they compare to times past of how the Euro flopped, the RMB didn't go far, and so on. But that was in a market where the USD was freely traded with barely any restrictions. What is driving everything is the sanctions.
At this point in time I consider everything what they do is seen through a lens of Russiaphobia. So lifting the sanctions? Too early. I'm invested (blocked) in Russian stocks, and I don't expect them to be returned to me by at least the next 10 years.
I'd be surprised if you are right, but I noticed a pattern: whatever makes people wake up, whatever is the worst result: that's the one they'll choose to enact.
So: lifting sanctions would be the best like you said to take the main driver away. But that's the last thing they'll do.
I wouldn't count on Trump being any different from Biden/Harris for a few reasons
1. the Deep State will not let Trump get much of anything done as last time.
2. Trump himself said he is sympathetic to Ukraine, and if Russia will not comply to his demands to win the war he will send more weapons to Ukraine and likely approve deep strikes.
3. Trump was the one who approved the delivery of the last large aide package to Ukraine - that is how Speaker Johnson got it through.
In short I wouldn't expect much of a different policy from Trump vis-a-vis Ukraine/Russia. What Trump might do is leave NATO, which would be a big boon and would be at odds with the Europeans. In addition, he might engage in more adventurism against Iran/China or do a shakeup of the political structure at home. If he does any of these things it will be a boon for "the resistance". If not, he will not be much different from Harris in this regard.
And I agree, if BRICS grows big enough to be a threat to the USD, the US may start to make countries choose - and that is the last thing they want to do.
I think rhetoric is an excellent way to measure intent.
Trump 1.0 = "drain the swamp". His intent was to fight the institution and he was rather open and vocal about it.
Trump 2.0 = he is part of the establishment now. There is no intent to fight the instution that I can observer beyond whisperings of changes that he may or may not push through.
"a scenario where Ukraine is abandoned but Russia remains sanctioned,"
When all of Ukraine is Russia they'll sanction the Ukrainians, too. The US actually did that with Crimea.
They spent all that windpower barking about Russia "invading" Crimea despite, of course, the noble Crimean intent to be ruled by an unelected nazi puppet junta in Kiev, and then when Crimea became part of Russia the first thing the US did was... sanction Crimea and Crimeans!
Seriously, they put special sanctions on spending money or buying stuff from Crimea that they didn't have on the rest of Russia. So while they claim the Crimeans are victims of a Russian invasion they also do their best to hurt those alleged victims.
Back in 2015, you can say I had “TDS”, I honestly thought he was the worst possible thing that could happen to the US and the world
And, to say I’ve made a 180 degree change of heart is an understatement. He has won me over, and if he wins I think he will have the hardest job to right the ship, but he is the only one
Trump's main problem is that he is too stupid to be a politician and does not have the necessary skills and thinking to effectively govern the country and build normal relations with other countries. He is a salesman, not a politician. He knows how to bluff, deceive, sell. But he does not understand how geopolitics actually works and how to be a real politician who should really do his job, and not just create propaganda narratives. This is probably not only Trump's problem, but the entire United States, because the country currently lacks the necessary structure and institutions needed to form and teach a real political class. The best thing Trump can do is finally get away from the rest of the world, stop interfering in the affairs of other countries, and focus only on domestic politics in order to restore order within the United States and make it a normal, adequate country with a functioning system of governance and social institutions. In the process, he will learn the necessary skills and mature as a politician. And if he will succed in resolving internal problems in the USA, then the USA, as a social-state entity, will also mature and will be able to adequately interact with other countries. Only after that, it will be possible to start building international relations.
My understanding is that they would use existing nations central banks. If they do what you say where an air gapped structure is created then I agree with you, but that's not what I understood. They intend to use current central banks. Which means banks that hold USD.
It's a fact, but balance what is going to be lost via asset confiscation vs the false promises that the US always offers and withdraws as a whim. Russia is now dealing with the sunk cost of asset confiscation and moving on. Other countries will need to do the same, otherwise you become the rat on a treadmill.
It's not just the sanctions. It's the sizing of dollars that foreign countries have in Western banks. That is a big no, no. How can anyone or nation trust having their money controlled by western banks when it can be subject to seizure.
There was never an idea to implement a single BRICS currency. It is well understood how detrimental it is - that is why Putin mentions the euro specifically, as it is the greatest warning from history.
What seems to be the plan, is to create an interbank currency - a sort of like gold, but more flexible.
While the details are sketchy at best, it's not a new idea. John Keynes' International Clearing Union and its bancor were practically the same thing in principle, but for the world 80 years in the past now. That is now known as "the second Bretton Woods idea" which never got implemented and we got what we have now instead.
Using a single nation's currency as a reserve currency is a very bad idea for that nation. However, a universal type of reserve, such as gold or a blockchain asset, is not necessarily a bad idea. The world functioned very well for thousands of years with gold as a universal reserve.
"On the other hand, if Trump wins, I can see him LIFTING sanctions on Russia, especially currency sanctions, and that would take the wind out of a lot of the BRICS efforts. "
If Trump wins, he will do no such thing. Call him "Putin puppet!" and he will fold, just as he twice failed to pull out of Syria, to give one example.
It is too late to lift the sanctions, it will not change anything. The process has already started and is gaining momentum. Russia is already completely independent of the dollar, and the US simply has nothing more to offer Russia. And even if the US lifts sanctions from all countries, it will not help much either, because no one trusts them anymore, and it will take a very long time to create a new reputation.
Thank you for the update. I've been eager to hear how that was going, and Pepe is always well informed even when optimistic! Quite the contrast, as you point out.
The west was happy to hype up the NK story in the hope of spooking certain Russian allies during BRICS, but none of the core NATO countries want to use this as springboard for putting in their own troops.
At the moment, this war is being fought by the west with the back up of mercenaries, a huge sink hole for funds that then find their way into all sorts of undesirable (for the west) outcomes everywhere including funding the people-smuggling trade and reaching the back pockets of Ukrainians paying NOT to be conscripted, not to mention funding shiny new armaments across the ME.
NATO- a supposed MILITARY alliance- is desperate to pay anyone else to do its fighting for it. No wonder it is now looking at turning itself into a bank! This is the story of the western hegemon- its rise and fall.
Who knows what role the NKs will play in all this, but whatever it is the west has no grounds for crying foul. And we can say this: at least Russia puts its own boots where its mouth is, but it will now play tit for tat.
No, it will not be, because they are not offering anything that solves the world's problems and they are not offering a viable alternative that benefits regular people either.
As a reminder, the world's problems are:
1) Drastic overpopulation
2) A socioeconomic system that depends on infinite growth, an impossibility
3) Resource depletion
4) Climate change and general environmental degradation
5) The socioeconomic system also generates deep inequality. Which is in many ways linked to its dependence on growth (through the debt mechanism)
Did you hear even a mention of these issues at the BRICS forum?
No.
The Chinese are a bit better on #5, but only internally. They have no interest in exporting their system
What BRICS is proposing is plowing full steam ahead into general civilizational collapse while doing absolutely nothing to prevent it, what they are not OK with is Uncle Sam taxing them unfairly.
But otherwise it will be the same oligarchical system in which a tiny minority exploits everyone else.
The USSR, on the other hand, did propose a real alternative, and did go out and try to spread it. And its system was actually not growth-dependent, although in practice they self-imposed it on themselves.
Also, the West is actually much more realistic in their approach to the world. They know that military dominance comes first, economic power second, and are acting accordingly.
Meanwhile Putin is very clearly prioritizing "the economy", while his military-strategical position gets weaker and weaker...
The world population peaked, birth rates are declining, food production is soaring, climate change is a hoax, and verified reserves of resources including oil, gas and uranium are growing.
Just because it peaked, that does not mean we are not overpopulated.
We have been globally in deep overshoot since the 17th century or so.
At current consumption levels, it has to go down to low hundreds of millions at most.
We are one to two orders of magnitude higher than that.
This is precisely the reason why you have some getting so desperate that they are launching a direct war against the largest nuclear power in the world -- there isn't enough for everybody to go around anymore, and we are about to enter the collapse phase of the overshoot cycle soon, so they are willing to take even that risk.
Which brings us back to the question of BRICS not providing an alternative. That on its own suggests that some at the highest levels in the Kremlin are not really fully understanding what is happening. That explains a lot about how the war has been and has not been fought too.
I differ GM. Earth can give food to 8 Billions. No problem. But we cant over-eat and over-use the resources as we do know. Seeing the food waste in West is depressing. Seeing it in Asia or South America is madness. All those markets owerflowing with fish, meat and vegetables. Most of it not sold or eaten up. And we can not have a sustained living where people have the ”standards” in West with resort villas in Spain, a Yacht, 3 cars. We cant travel for pleasure 4-8 times a year. AND the economy cant grow for ever.
But the Climate Hoax is a hoax. If Earth is bound to another climate we have to live with it. No ”green” economy can change that.
Only with fossil fuels and by exterminating most other species in the process. But the latter is completely unsustaianble because fossil fuels are finite, plus they wreck the climate, and the ecosystems will collapse if we keep going with the latter.
Take a look at the abundance of megafauna of human size or larger in pre-human ecosystems. That is what can be sustainably supported. And it always numbered of the low hundreds of millions worldwide for all such species **combined**.
>But the Climate Hoax is a hoax
It is not a hoax at all. Just because the usual suspects are trying to grift off it it does not it in any way follow that it is a hoax. It is a grave threat -- the planet spent hundreds of millions of years burying that carbon in the crust, and it is why it has not been cooked yet as the Sun has been getting brighter over time. We are putting it back in the atmosphere as fast as we can....
Fossil fuels are not fossiles. Read about Abioenic origin of Petroleum from Thomas Gold. But we should not waste it as we are doing now. Fuel efficent motors and a ban on SUV in urban areas.
And CO2 is good for the Earth. Good read is Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom from former Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore. Cant explain it all here but it is a must read.
Overpopulation is a concept peddled by Malthusian and other zealots of the concept of superfluos people, where superflous were of course the poor, and the colonized peoples. It was always popular with genociders, not only, but particularly the Nazis. All ideologies of "indispensible" or "exceptional" peoples versus the rabble support that paradigm.
Reasonable use of resources is one thing, and certainly necessary.
And the planet can sustain 8 or 9 billion people, albeit not at the standards of middle or upper middle class North Americans or Europeans.
Over population is a myth. It's trotted out to justify the globalists aim to reduce the population. The Eugenics bunch love to scare us in to thinking we are to blame.
So... in order to avoid some hypothetical "overshoot-and-collapse event," your solution is to jump straight to the collapse, wipe out 90% of the human population on earth and have everyone who survives your massive depopulation program return to life as hunter gatherers in order to avoid the horror of actually using resources to make their lives better. Hmmm. smart stuff there... Mr. Gates.
So design the system to ensure that the vast majority of the population is so poor that they start dying off via a "natural process?" I assume that you do not include yourself in this forced impoverishment of the masses. That is for all the "little people." How noble you are.
Here's your chance to help fix that. You can order one of those kits online so you can volunteer yourself to reduce the world's overpopulation by 1. I'm not suggesting you actually do that, I'm offering a thought experiment to show that people who complain about overpopulation never volunteer themselves to solve the problem. Never suggest eliminating the lives of other people when you're not willing to eliminate your own life. Doing so marks you as a jerk, and you don't want the fine minds attracted by S's Lyceum to think badly of you, right?
"Did you hear even a mention of these issues at the BRICS forum?"
No, because the people attending the BRICS meeting weren't delusional.
"The USSR, on the other hand, did propose a real alternative"
Ah, no, they proposed fakery (Marxist Leninism) which Lenin himself abandoned during the New Economic Policy when he needed to feed his people to avoid being dethroned.
"They know that military dominance comes first, economic power second"
Ah, no, actually there's no military dominance without economic power.
BRICS wants a return to 19th century but without the british empire, they are living in the past; including china who kept from marxism just the technical 'part'.
but i think the death of ussr jut liberated the proverbial specter and maybe it will manifest again when the time is right; methinks in russia again but we shall hopefully see.
It's not meant to "solve the world's problems", the purpose is to create a diplomatic and economic framework for international relations outside the Western Hegemonic system. The nations can solve their own problems, many of which are exacerbated by the warmongers seeking global domination.
I know, their hypocrisy is breathtaking and nauseating. What a bunch of lying frauds, after they've had NATO troops in Ukraine in disguise since the beginning of the war.
We should expect this though from the Empire of Lies.
"Kagan accused the WaPo of "lacking balls" in its failure to endorse." - Classy
The US media is anything but "liberal". The word "liberal" has been SO fucking abused and distorted in the US that no one knows what it really means, any longer, The press in the US actually serves far right wing capitalist oligarchs who hate middle class and poor people. Let's be perfectly fucking clear about that.
Thank you --Once again very useful reporting from inside the citadel
Good. Too bad that fat little shit Kagan didn't drop dead.
Anyone else getting PMs from this cowardly retard Fuchs?
"vatnik loser
sad pathetic little basement nazi incel lol
go suck putlers microdick harder, fag"
LOL butthurt Ukranian NAZI trolls from his bombed basement while his mother and sisters are in a Berlin FKK club.
Thanks CS - you provide key insights to life on the far side of the moon
To the normal humans your reports from the strange desert are like those hair raising tales of the mythical lands beyond
If I understand you correctly, the Graham suggests that VVP will talk to 'some one' in the West, NATO ish like presumably - does he suggest who how and what
This is far from certain - VVP is the one person who knows for sure that there is no point in talking to such a someone in the West
This is the typical .....er um.... what's the word.....of the westie - we'll just go back to like it was before why not only sure tidy up a little caus things gotta little outa hand but ....
Normal? is he that dumb? If there is one thing to be learned it is that the 'normal' did not work will not work
Amen
The depth of the delusion is apparent
Good article and wise comment! I think ”pragmatism” is a key word. West is running around with same attitude as Jim Jones sectmembers - no thinking at all. Facts are not relevant and simple accusations are thrown out without any afterthought. It is significative for a civilisation desperate to find another scapegoat for their own existential anxiety.
Until he mentioned… climate change… I was interested. I don't take anyone who pays lip service to the charlatans seriously.
These drones with the 1000 miles bring warfare back to where it was hundrets of years ago. The Tartars were used as a quick riding force, they swarmed the enemy lands, they raped, burned, pillaged and killed - very succesfully. But these forces did not alter any war, except for the one using them as a negative asset. The ones beeing threatened by these forces united and stand togehter. The same experience was made by the Allies in WWII, you can terrorize the civilians with loads of bombs, but this makes them only more willing to resist. Therefore the Russians are not using any of there superior arsenal on terror attacs! And Lloyd understands this fact.
What will happen is that western missiles will be supplied, but the west and Ukraine will pretend that they are of indigenous Ukrainian manufacture.
Russia will scream, but do nothing concrete.
Para two of your comment is worth quoting; ".... propaganda micro-bursts launched like low-level fireworks..." The US and vassals, enablers, and various stenographers are a circle jerk around the drain to oblivion. VV Putin's dressing down of the west's media was a sight to behold; as were words from Presidents Maduro and Ramaphosa. The real adults are getting together and resolving disputes. But the west's pattern of misrepresentation is ever present.
Not yet certain about the 'reality' part, but most certainly satisfying to see and hear.
Many accomplishments have evolved from Russian's keeping their word in their dealings with others.
The US stealing Russian assets entrusted to Western Authorities is certainly a hard lesson for asset strapped countries worldwide already getting the short end of the stick from the eminent owners of the fact checking industry.
It already looks more like protection money than some sort of safe investment. Our faith in our country plummets a bit, every single day. The only thing reliably predictable is dey gone nuts.
You aren't suggesting that Putin will hold a grudge over that. He might be interested to know what is up.
Serbia is in a very precarious position being physically landlocked and surrounded by NATO and the EU. It must judge its steps very carefully. I am optimistic that Putin is well aware of Serbia's predicament.
Yup
Once Putin forces Ukraine to surrender, he hopefully will establish a land bridge of sovereign Russian territory that stretches all the way to the Hungarian and Slovakian border. This will give Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia the necessary leverage to defy the EU.
"micro-bursts launched like low-level fireworks"
A little nugget of gold.
Well, I expected more from the BRICS meeting. They have a lot of work ahead and, as we see, it's a slow-going work in progress with many challenges. Will Modi and Lula finally decide what side they are on? Flashing out a fake BRICS currency didn't impress me and even less that they did not mention what would back the so-called "unit" currency. The media sure overhyped an expected announcement that the "unit" would be backed by 40% gold and 60% currencies. Nothing was said about it. BRICS looks like it's at the initial relationship-building phase and then slowly building out the necessary infrastructure and regulations to enable trade and tourism as the cultures get acquainted. In mining, I would compare it to the post-exploration to the development stage with 7 years to full production. Progress is measured over many years. So I was expecting an upper when Chong (BRICS) gave me a downer which left me feeling a little like this:https://youtu.be/mZoIjNDkPCQ?t=280
Deciding which side they are on ....
This is the trouble thinking like a westie - this is the kind of empty road you travel to reach forlorn pieties
Agree why tip your hand when all it gets you is earth quakes etc. and all form of sanctions and other weaponized US foreign policy coercion, which BRICS unilaterally announced are all illegal.
Or...something as momentous and history altering as BRICS should move ploddingly so the "i" gets dotted and "t" is crossed. Plus, why not slowly, painstakingly rub salt is the wounds of da man?! That North Korea might have troops in the fight "crosses a red line" for the clueless West is a laugh. Unfair! I'm going to tell mom... No Marquess of Queensberry Rules nonsense for Putin. FAFO mates. NK possibly joining the battle made my week. My age works against my witnessing the denouement of this historic narrative. But I'm in for the early action. No Trump or President Ice Cream Cone inna skirt is going to derail this action.
Not many comments about the obvious comradery going on at BRICS.
At Western gatherings their surly smirks betray a certain nervousness. I sure hope the crowd of my constituents screaming outside in the cold never get their hands on me.
I would caution when ethics and morality are of Zero concern, dirty tricks are all you have left.
Not to mention Biden flatulating constantly.
The notion of comraderie is significant and you are right to point it out.
Comraderie is largely discernible in past history by reading between the lines. But what is history evolving is happening before our eyes. And what we see does not accord with the false jollity that is present when the west gathers.
There is a tentativeness, an uncertainty here between parties with past disputes — but slow and courteous steps and smiles.
What does this remind you of? To me, it is the forming of friendship. Can national leaders become “friends”? Putin and Xi certainly are. In part through their relationship, the respective countries are “friends” or “friendly”. If Modi and Xi can become “friendly” — there is no limit to what the nations. An accomplish.
On the topic of friendship, no western thinker has excelled Aristotle. He says that there are three kinds of friendship: the first is from complaisance, simple good will between individuals without premeditation. The second is based in “utility” — the individuals become useful to each other.
The third kind — the only true friendship, Aristotle thinks — is that between individuals who share a common moral vision.
If BRICS at Kazan starts the journey of friendship between nations based on trust and a shared moral vision, it will be the most important inflection point I will have witnessed in my lifetime.
My question which of the 13 potential new guys has not been invaded by the US? I like that they don't seem to rush into over complication without thought. The US is obviously becoming unhinged all by itself. As I've said before, every day that passes they weaken. What's the rush?
exactly
Hint:
"The topic of a common BRICS currency was raised during the leaders’ conversation, but these are not issues for public discussion - Putin's Aide Ushakov"
We will likely hear more of this in coming months as discussions proceed in the background.
Call it the BRICS Universal Commerce Credit.
It stops here.
😍
BUCC's I like it
I didn't expect much from the BRICKS, it's a slow movement of course, there's a lot of work to be done, creating a new world isn't something you can do with a hat trick. What's important is that a new world is emerging, and it will take time for it to mature. That is a very positive, and thanks Poutine the pioner of this mouvement.
"Well, I expected more from the BRICS meeting. "
Yeah, me too... free ponies and unicorns for everyone... and cotton candy!
You must explain to us why we should consider, and take seriously, why BRICs should be concerned with your ,obviously relevant and highly important, disappointed outcome of the Summit. Did it need your steady hand at the tiller to guide it to a more satisfactory outcome?
'They have a lot of work ahead' .....goodness gracious, do they really !
Thanks, Einstein. lol
"Well, I expected more from the BRICS meeting." It sounds like you're overlooking the hugely important addition of a billion people to the BRICS community via the thirteen new BRICS Partners who are now part of the family and are committed to becoming full-fledged BRICS members.
BRICS before this summit was about 3.8 billion people. Add the 970 million people in the new BRICS partners and there are 4.8 billion, almost five billion, people in BRICS out of the seven or so billion people alive on the planet. That's a huge jump and it takes BRICS from just being over half of the planet to a decisive, huge majority over the US and its vassals.
It's not just the population expansion in the BRICS family, either, it's who those thirteen new BRICS Partners are. Turkey is the largest military force in NATO after the US. Algeria is a gas energy power on which the EU depends ever more after shooting themselves in the heads by increasing their costs of using Russian energy.
Indonesia with 275 million people is a huge powerhouse in Southeast Asia, and Malaysia punches far above its weight despite having only 33 million people. Vietnam is a roaring tiger of an economy with 100 million people. Nigeria is an absolutely critical country in Africa and is growing incredibly rapidly despite already having 225 million people. The thirteen new BRICS partners are a very, very big deal.
Yes, there were lots of optics in Kazan, but optics are essential in the world these days. What's even more important is the substance, the really solid expansion of BRICS and growing it to bring a total of nearly five billion people into the BRICS family.
The UN was designed to be useless, or Stalin wouldn't have joined.
Could you translate that statement into something less retarded?
He's actually spot on, and that's a memorable way of saying it. Thanks, HBI!
The 'fact' that the UN is 'useless' and was designed to be useless is not one the reasons why the RF, and China, to name only two, are committed to supporting and to following UN decisions structure and forum
Henry was adequately replying to Fuchs.
I doubt you can understand what the evolving BRICS is all about having lived under the Unipolar World for about 500 years or more. Consensus is the order of the day, not Imperialism. There is no veto so everyone is considered and this process takes time. There is a vanguard group leading the BRICS. Many have applied to join but had to impose a limit as the Fiat Dollar is slowly decreasing in Value as QE continues.
As for Lula his feet are tied by Blinken so he is somewhat trapped. But, the race has begun as the Horses are on the race.
Could you please explain the 'Blinken/Lula' connection, I'm somewhat ignorant of the facts. Thanks.
Lula wouldn't be in power if the CIA hadn't helped him do the election fraud necessary to put him there, and also helped him engineer an exact copy of the January 6th "insurrection" hoax to demonize and imprison the Bolsonaro supporters who challenged the fraud.
Surely the other RICS nations are aware of that. The US and the West will throw the whole of their dirty arsenal against any member nation, now, and as well with any future administrations.
take your cue from the west. They're terrified. Slow in the making, but powerful when done. And nothing can stop it now, it has gone too far. "No going back!" The Rest are deeply enjoying watching the West turn itself inside out with fury and envy, as their own economies fade.
I didn't expect much.
Nor do we, go home gringo
Ignore the simpleton below, Feral. Here is the real BRICS analysis which those who suffer from cognitive dissonance here will certainly reject. Take care, man. https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/would-you-like-know-what-brics-just
Lol, no worries.
The BRICS are being sold as the dawn of a multipolar world, but that's really just wishful thinking by idealists.
This kind of comment is exactly why we need a downvote option... Chip
In the past I have suggested a troll vote to exclude voted by consensus idiots who deliberately attempt disruption
A down vote system would work
Rather, if you can bear the comparison, like BRICS, not so much by invitation but by dis invitation - all are welcome on condition they prove of some use
FF would be at the top of the list : a bona fide CIA derived dumpkopf repeating the same stale one liners ad infinitum
You suffer from cognitive dissonance much? lol
https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/would-you-like-know-what-brics-just
All the hype was created by over enthusiastic journalists and bloggers, probably to make BRICS look like a dud. Just like NATO announces Russia's motives in Ukraine and then claims its failing
Absolutely delightful to see! Putin has done an amazing job of bringing all of these leaders together. It is the perfect antidote to the corruption, depravity, and stupidity happening in the West.
Moreover, the end of the dollar as the world's reserve currency cannot come fast enough! The day that the dollar became king was the day the last vestiges of the founder's republic died, and the empire was born. That empire has become a dark, evil, malign presence around the world. But all empires fall eventually, always. And this one has been circling the bowl for a very long time.
I wish each of the BRICS nations well, and I thank Putin for showcasing them at this event.
Maybe, someday in the future, America will become a republic again and perhaps then it will have the humility, grace, and wisdom to learn to respect the interests and needs of other nations. Perhaps then it too might become a member of BRICS. We shall see.
The tipping point will be when nations aren't holding their reserves in dollars cuz they don't need dollars. The amount of trade in dollars isn't as important.
USA juice is all about reserves equals buying US securities.
You are wrong. The amount of trade in dollars is actuallly the most important thing. Because countries are holding their reserves in dollars exactly because they can trade with other countries and buy resorces/food/goods using these dollars.
It can't retain reserve status if people don't see holding dollars as a safe haven. They always have the choice of holding Yuan, Euros, Gold, Silver, other things.
If there's a 10%+ annual depreciation in the value of the US dollar against 'hard currency', do you seriously think that vast numbers of people will hold dollars?
>It is the perfect antidote to the corruption, depravity, and stupidity happening in the West.
Because there is none of that in Russia...
Whatever there is in Russia pales in comparison to what exists in the empire.
Troll alert.
He who is without sin cast the first stone. Where in the world is corruption not present? The issue comes about when corruption is legitimized and legalized within a block of nations that want to moralize to the entire world.
Well stated.
Oh there are psychos everywhere, still a few civilizations defang them rather than shower them with money and pretend they are Gods.
…or in South America and Africa…
One is localized and easily avoided, but another has global reach and there is no hiding from it
If you weren't focused on being such a great moron you might have noticed that Russia has outlawed much of the depravity and stupidity consuming the west.
It's possible, but the current track doesn't provide for optimism regarding restoration of a republic. Corruption is endemic and its poison so effective that many people see it as normal; moral inversion and projection. Let that crowd dispute but the shrill cackles from the harpies of DC tell the truth more than their words.
👍🏻
America might become a republic again, but I suspect that the road downward is long and extremely perilous forcing the nation to hit bottom before any rejuvenation is possible. Hopefully, the new multipolar world coming about will by that time provide a positive environment for that rebirth of the republic to take place.
I think Westerner commentators don't understand the pain that BRICS will probably cause the US consumer, us. You think inflation is bad now, and interest rates should sky-rocket. I remember long term rates at 13.2%, and think of the value of a house if mortgage interest rates are 10% like I paid back in the 70s? And I don't think the Trump tariff tax plan will work either, and he has indicated he would punish India for dropping the US dollar. He is keen on maintaining the reserve currency status of the dollar. Trump is both protectionist and anti-BRICS. But maybe he can make some deals. Whoever wins this election is not in an enviable position.
Whoever is anointed by the PTB is marching to the MIC.
Sure I like Jewish people but, whoever can brainwash you enough to post video of smiling folks happily killing women and children, is not doing God's work! No matter which flag they furiously wave.
Flying aircraft and artillery against a people with neither, does not make you clever and strong.
When I see people stripped and hog tied, being marched to God knows what fate, I see our future! Remember the USS Liberty.
I just voted for Trump. He is the least worst choice and is always ready to ask for the mill even if he only needs the half-a-loaf.
Americans, even poor Americans, have a high standard of living because of dollar hegemony. The living standard is declining fast, not because of hegemony, but because of the abuse and lack of fiduciary responsibility. My two senators, Rubio and Scott, are either nit-wits or paid actors voting against my best interests as an American.
The more that countries dedollarise, the less that the petrodollar can spread the US' domestic inflation across the globe. It's not about BRICS punishing the US, it's about more and more countries simply fleeing the economic madness of the US State in printing money ad infinitum.
Stop printing money, stop warmongering the world over and your inflation problems can soon be brought under control. It won't be painless, but it'll be a hell of a lot less painful than if you keep putting your foot on the accelerator toward a wall that won't be demolished by the US juggernaut hurtling straight towards it.
Say my name.
another option for your survey - SK is being set up to get involved in ukraine..
This is the reason the NK troops thingy has been publicised - the US trying to force the SK to pony up troops ammo etc when the uS can not
leading a nother proxy to battle
Contrary to SK interests of course - if the NK are a threat to anyone they are a threat to the SK at home not on the other side of the world
Ironic that SK is the largest extant manufacturer of NATO-standard artillery, ammunition for said artillery and state-of-the-art tanks and IFV's in operationally significant quantities.
The stories of NK troops "assisting" Russia would make SK think hard about how much they can "give" to the cause, rather than keep to be safe....
Yes - but also, just let's pretend that there are NK troops on the frontline in Ukraine, and that the SK publicise that they have sent arms and ammo to the other side of the frontline.......
What might or will be the NK reaction to this
'We"re at war with the SK'?
Or 'why bother fighting here when we can do so much better at home?'
You might have thought that the SK might have thought of something along these lines
And that all this is just US nonsense
Hmmm, yes, ... especially good for NK if SK armaments can be drained away in Uke-land.
Not certain but I don't think SK is being asked to furnish troops. Ammo and equipment, yes, most certainly.
Oh yes no 'troops' for that would be against NATO++ doctrine
But they would send 'consultants' or whatever is the current name that NATO troops go by
And let's be realistic - SK is not being asked to do anything - there's a PR campaign to suggest that there is some question of some such going on
Which has the intention of applying some pressure on the SK Gvmt
But is more directed to the native oppressed unwashed so as to say we can do this if we want they got NK we got SK, as if that has any meaning
SK has been involved for years, supplying shells and ramping up production to replenish Polish losses in tanks and mobile artillery. They can't get more involved even if they want to, because there's still Kim next door.
And the F-16s to fly, as you foretold
Keep it up, President Putin! It infuriates the neocons, and hopefully will cause ulcers and heart attacks....
That's what the vaccines are for, not Putin ;-)
I'd take Pepe's information with a bag of salt. A few years ago he was ok, but after that I feel he's prone to hyperbole and exaggerations. I still like to read/listen to it because where there is smoke, there is (likely) fire. But still...
Maybe so on certain topics that are more speculative, but in this case we must admit he's actually there on the frontline. He attended the summit in Kazan and is therefore a first hand reporter by default
Actually this particular interview with Danny is an excerpt from an old one...a month or two ago. Though we should expect Pepe to write his article post BRICS summit soon to get his final assessment.
I agree, but it's part of his irrepressible, exuberant personality. Everything is HUGE, everything is earthshaking. There's truth in what he says, but I too tend to adjust for the enthusiasm. On the other hand, when it comes to Asia, he's the Man.
I have noticed that too. He was caught red handed in Brazil plagiarizing and openly inventing news. I can empatize with almost everything he says as wishful thinking, but he is kind of an hybrid journalist, a funny mix of entertainer, adventurer, writer and reporter.
Escobar is a serial fantasist. The Alt-Media version of Luke Harding.
he's literally the definition of a booming Boomer. I cannot fathom what he says why he says it
Putin makes a good point about the single currency problem in that they don't want to repeat the mistake of the Euro. National currencies are fine and the use of central banks is an elegant solution to that problem
However, I do expect the US Treasury to say "if you facilitate this, we will sanction your central banks". There will always be a transition point from BRICS to USD/SWIFT and that is where pressure will be applied.
On the other hand, if Trump wins, I can see him LIFTING sanctions on Russia, especially currency sanctions, and that would take the wind out of a lot of the BRICS efforts. A lot of Western commentators call BRICS a nothing-burger because they compare to times past of how the Euro flopped, the RMB didn't go far, and so on. But that was in a market where the USD was freely traded with barely any restrictions. What is driving everything is the sanctions.
At this point in time I consider everything what they do is seen through a lens of Russiaphobia. So lifting the sanctions? Too early. I'm invested (blocked) in Russian stocks, and I don't expect them to be returned to me by at least the next 10 years.
I'd be surprised if you are right, but I noticed a pattern: whatever makes people wake up, whatever is the worst result: that's the one they'll choose to enact.
So: lifting sanctions would be the best like you said to take the main driver away. But that's the last thing they'll do.
"I don't expect them to be returned to me by at least the next 10 years." Easy to fix: move here and become a resident, or even better, a citizen.
I know, but family ... Otherwise I would have, trust me!
I wouldn't count on Trump being any different from Biden/Harris for a few reasons
1. the Deep State will not let Trump get much of anything done as last time.
2. Trump himself said he is sympathetic to Ukraine, and if Russia will not comply to his demands to win the war he will send more weapons to Ukraine and likely approve deep strikes.
3. Trump was the one who approved the delivery of the last large aide package to Ukraine - that is how Speaker Johnson got it through.
In short I wouldn't expect much of a different policy from Trump vis-a-vis Ukraine/Russia. What Trump might do is leave NATO, which would be a big boon and would be at odds with the Europeans. In addition, he might engage in more adventurism against Iran/China or do a shakeup of the political structure at home. If he does any of these things it will be a boon for "the resistance". If not, he will not be much different from Harris in this regard.
And I agree, if BRICS grows big enough to be a threat to the USD, the US may start to make countries choose - and that is the last thing they want to do.
Trump 1.0 was Bolton, Pompeo, Pence, and other neocons
Trump 2.0 will be Vance, Vivek, Tulsi, Musk, Kennedy.. frankly an entirely different policy group in terms of people
Will it be enough? I happen to agree with you - the institutional weight arrayed against them is enormous. But I can see the intent there.
I think rhetoric is an excellent way to measure intent.
Trump 1.0 = "drain the swamp". His intent was to fight the institution and he was rather open and vocal about it.
Trump 2.0 = he is part of the establishment now. There is no intent to fight the instution that I can observer beyond whisperings of changes that he may or may not push through.
Hard to say. I could be wrong entirely.
Trump 1.0 - "I'm here to take away your power and jobs" So they fought him in every way possible, including illegal ones.
Trump 2.0 - "Say Hello to my (little) Friends" As at Twitter, they can't obstruct him if they've been fired...
Well, in any case, fun to watch from afar.
I can see a scenario where Ukraine is abandoned but Russia remains sanctioned, along with many others, and increasingly so.
is that not already the case
"a scenario where Ukraine is abandoned but Russia remains sanctioned,"
When all of Ukraine is Russia they'll sanction the Ukrainians, too. The US actually did that with Crimea.
They spent all that windpower barking about Russia "invading" Crimea despite, of course, the noble Crimean intent to be ruled by an unelected nazi puppet junta in Kiev, and then when Crimea became part of Russia the first thing the US did was... sanction Crimea and Crimeans!
Seriously, they put special sanctions on spending money or buying stuff from Crimea that they didn't have on the rest of Russia. So while they claim the Crimeans are victims of a Russian invasion they also do their best to hurt those alleged victims.
When Trump was first in office, he appointed some more reasonable people.
They were quickly sidelined by Trump's newfound neocon friends.
Trump was and is weak, stpud and easily manipulated.
Back in 2015, you can say I had “TDS”, I honestly thought he was the worst possible thing that could happen to the US and the world
And, to say I’ve made a 180 degree change of heart is an understatement. He has won me over, and if he wins I think he will have the hardest job to right the ship, but he is the only one
I don't have TDS. I don't like or dislike the man. I simply recognize that the man is what he is.
I didn't mean to imply that you did or do. Was talking of myself
Trump's main problem is that he is too stupid to be a politician and does not have the necessary skills and thinking to effectively govern the country and build normal relations with other countries. He is a salesman, not a politician. He knows how to bluff, deceive, sell. But he does not understand how geopolitics actually works and how to be a real politician who should really do his job, and not just create propaganda narratives. This is probably not only Trump's problem, but the entire United States, because the country currently lacks the necessary structure and institutions needed to form and teach a real political class. The best thing Trump can do is finally get away from the rest of the world, stop interfering in the affairs of other countries, and focus only on domestic politics in order to restore order within the United States and make it a normal, adequate country with a functioning system of governance and social institutions. In the process, he will learn the necessary skills and mature as a politician. And if he will succed in resolving internal problems in the USA, then the USA, as a social-state entity, will also mature and will be able to adequately interact with other countries. Only after that, it will be possible to start building international relations.
What do you mean about transition point between USD/swift. The whole primary point of a BRICS central bank is to eliminate this.
My understanding is that they would use existing nations central banks. If they do what you say where an air gapped structure is created then I agree with you, but that's not what I understood. They intend to use current central banks. Which means banks that hold USD.
It's a fact, but balance what is going to be lost via asset confiscation vs the false promises that the US always offers and withdraws as a whim. Russia is now dealing with the sunk cost of asset confiscation and moving on. Other countries will need to do the same, otherwise you become the rat on a treadmill.
It's not just the sanctions. It's the sizing of dollars that foreign countries have in Western banks. That is a big no, no. How can anyone or nation trust having their money controlled by western banks when it can be subject to seizure.
There was never an idea to implement a single BRICS currency. It is well understood how detrimental it is - that is why Putin mentions the euro specifically, as it is the greatest warning from history.
What seems to be the plan, is to create an interbank currency - a sort of like gold, but more flexible.
While the details are sketchy at best, it's not a new idea. John Keynes' International Clearing Union and its bancor were practically the same thing in principle, but for the world 80 years in the past now. That is now known as "the second Bretton Woods idea" which never got implemented and we got what we have now instead.
Read about it to see where this might be heading.
Using a single nation's currency as a reserve currency is a very bad idea for that nation. However, a universal type of reserve, such as gold or a blockchain asset, is not necessarily a bad idea. The world functioned very well for thousands of years with gold as a universal reserve.
"On the other hand, if Trump wins, I can see him LIFTING sanctions on Russia, especially currency sanctions, and that would take the wind out of a lot of the BRICS efforts. "
If Trump wins, he will do no such thing. Call him "Putin puppet!" and he will fold, just as he twice failed to pull out of Syria, to give one example.
It is too late to lift the sanctions, it will not change anything. The process has already started and is gaining momentum. Russia is already completely independent of the dollar, and the US simply has nothing more to offer Russia. And even if the US lifts sanctions from all countries, it will not help much either, because no one trusts them anymore, and it will take a very long time to create a new reputation.
Thank you for the update. I've been eager to hear how that was going, and Pepe is always well informed even when optimistic! Quite the contrast, as you point out.
The west was happy to hype up the NK story in the hope of spooking certain Russian allies during BRICS, but none of the core NATO countries want to use this as springboard for putting in their own troops.
At the moment, this war is being fought by the west with the back up of mercenaries, a huge sink hole for funds that then find their way into all sorts of undesirable (for the west) outcomes everywhere including funding the people-smuggling trade and reaching the back pockets of Ukrainians paying NOT to be conscripted, not to mention funding shiny new armaments across the ME.
NATO- a supposed MILITARY alliance- is desperate to pay anyone else to do its fighting for it. No wonder it is now looking at turning itself into a bank! This is the story of the western hegemon- its rise and fall.
Who knows what role the NKs will play in all this, but whatever it is the west has no grounds for crying foul. And we can say this: at least Russia puts its own boots where its mouth is, but it will now play tit for tat.
A new dawn rises. May it be better than before.
No, it will not be, because they are not offering anything that solves the world's problems and they are not offering a viable alternative that benefits regular people either.
As a reminder, the world's problems are:
1) Drastic overpopulation
2) A socioeconomic system that depends on infinite growth, an impossibility
3) Resource depletion
4) Climate change and general environmental degradation
5) The socioeconomic system also generates deep inequality. Which is in many ways linked to its dependence on growth (through the debt mechanism)
Did you hear even a mention of these issues at the BRICS forum?
No.
The Chinese are a bit better on #5, but only internally. They have no interest in exporting their system
What BRICS is proposing is plowing full steam ahead into general civilizational collapse while doing absolutely nothing to prevent it, what they are not OK with is Uncle Sam taxing them unfairly.
But otherwise it will be the same oligarchical system in which a tiny minority exploits everyone else.
The USSR, on the other hand, did propose a real alternative, and did go out and try to spread it. And its system was actually not growth-dependent, although in practice they self-imposed it on themselves.
Also, the West is actually much more realistic in their approach to the world. They know that military dominance comes first, economic power second, and are acting accordingly.
Meanwhile Putin is very clearly prioritizing "the economy", while his military-strategical position gets weaker and weaker...
Please do not attack other members.
The world population peaked, birth rates are declining, food production is soaring, climate change is a hoax, and verified reserves of resources including oil, gas and uranium are growing.
Just because it peaked, that does not mean we are not overpopulated.
We have been globally in deep overshoot since the 17th century or so.
At current consumption levels, it has to go down to low hundreds of millions at most.
We are one to two orders of magnitude higher than that.
This is precisely the reason why you have some getting so desperate that they are launching a direct war against the largest nuclear power in the world -- there isn't enough for everybody to go around anymore, and we are about to enter the collapse phase of the overshoot cycle soon, so they are willing to take even that risk.
Which brings us back to the question of BRICS not providing an alternative. That on its own suggests that some at the highest levels in the Kremlin are not really fully understanding what is happening. That explains a lot about how the war has been and has not been fought too.
I differ GM. Earth can give food to 8 Billions. No problem. But we cant over-eat and over-use the resources as we do know. Seeing the food waste in West is depressing. Seeing it in Asia or South America is madness. All those markets owerflowing with fish, meat and vegetables. Most of it not sold or eaten up. And we can not have a sustained living where people have the ”standards” in West with resort villas in Spain, a Yacht, 3 cars. We cant travel for pleasure 4-8 times a year. AND the economy cant grow for ever.
But the Climate Hoax is a hoax. If Earth is bound to another climate we have to live with it. No ”green” economy can change that.
>Earth can give food to 8 Billions. No problem
No, it cannot.
Only with fossil fuels and by exterminating most other species in the process. But the latter is completely unsustaianble because fossil fuels are finite, plus they wreck the climate, and the ecosystems will collapse if we keep going with the latter.
Take a look at the abundance of megafauna of human size or larger in pre-human ecosystems. That is what can be sustainably supported. And it always numbered of the low hundreds of millions worldwide for all such species **combined**.
>But the Climate Hoax is a hoax
It is not a hoax at all. Just because the usual suspects are trying to grift off it it does not it in any way follow that it is a hoax. It is a grave threat -- the planet spent hundreds of millions of years burying that carbon in the crust, and it is why it has not been cooked yet as the Sun has been getting brighter over time. We are putting it back in the atmosphere as fast as we can....
Fossil fuels are not fossiles. Read about Abioenic origin of Petroleum from Thomas Gold. But we should not waste it as we are doing now. Fuel efficent motors and a ban on SUV in urban areas.
And CO2 is good for the Earth. Good read is Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom from former Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore. Cant explain it all here but it is a must read.
Drivel-mongering fool
Overpopulation is a concept peddled by Malthusian and other zealots of the concept of superfluos people, where superflous were of course the poor, and the colonized peoples. It was always popular with genociders, not only, but particularly the Nazis. All ideologies of "indispensible" or "exceptional" peoples versus the rabble support that paradigm.
Reasonable use of resources is one thing, and certainly necessary.
And the planet can sustain 8 or 9 billion people, albeit not at the standards of middle or upper middle class North Americans or Europeans.
This is one way trolls work (GM), they introduce a contentious off topic subject and derail the thread.
Please don't feed the trolls.
Hilarious.
Over population is a myth. It's trotted out to justify the globalists aim to reduce the population. The Eugenics bunch love to scare us in to thinking we are to blame.
The laws of physics (which make infinite growth impossible) and human history (which has seen plenty of overshoot-and-collapse events) say otherwise.
So... in order to avoid some hypothetical "overshoot-and-collapse event," your solution is to jump straight to the collapse, wipe out 90% of the human population on earth and have everyone who survives your massive depopulation program return to life as hunter gatherers in order to avoid the horror of actually using resources to make their lives better. Hmmm. smart stuff there... Mr. Gates.
No, the solution is to consume a lot less per capita while natural process reduce population over time.
The alternative is genocide on an unprecedent scale as we fight over ever scarcer resources with ever increasing brutality.
What has been happening in the world recently, (not) coincidentally?
So design the system to ensure that the vast majority of the population is so poor that they start dying off via a "natural process?" I assume that you do not include yourself in this forced impoverishment of the masses. That is for all the "little people." How noble you are.
You didn’t hear them because they are western propaganda
"As a reminder, the world's problems are:
1) Drastic overpopulation"
Here's your chance to help fix that. You can order one of those kits online so you can volunteer yourself to reduce the world's overpopulation by 1. I'm not suggesting you actually do that, I'm offering a thought experiment to show that people who complain about overpopulation never volunteer themselves to solve the problem. Never suggest eliminating the lives of other people when you're not willing to eliminate your own life. Doing so marks you as a jerk, and you don't want the fine minds attracted by S's Lyceum to think badly of you, right?
"Did you hear even a mention of these issues at the BRICS forum?"
No, because the people attending the BRICS meeting weren't delusional.
"The USSR, on the other hand, did propose a real alternative"
Ah, no, they proposed fakery (Marxist Leninism) which Lenin himself abandoned during the New Economic Policy when he needed to feed his people to avoid being dethroned.
"They know that military dominance comes first, economic power second"
Ah, no, actually there's no military dominance without economic power.
spot on.
BRICS wants a return to 19th century but without the british empire, they are living in the past; including china who kept from marxism just the technical 'part'.
but i think the death of ussr jut liberated the proverbial specter and maybe it will manifest again when the time is right; methinks in russia again but we shall hopefully see.
It's not meant to "solve the world's problems", the purpose is to create a diplomatic and economic framework for international relations outside the Western Hegemonic system. The nations can solve their own problems, many of which are exacerbated by the warmongers seeking global domination.
It’s hilarious seeing the West get a taste of their own medicine, especially the pearl-clutching about the NKs. They don’t know what to do about that!
I know, their hypocrisy is breathtaking and nauseating. What a bunch of lying frauds, after they've had NATO troops in Ukraine in disguise since the beginning of the war.
We should expect this though from the Empire of Lies.
Hypocrisy does not bother sociopaths in the slightest.