It’s obvious that, behind the scenes, Europe is looking for some way to bail out from the war on Russia. You can see that from the absurd negotiating ploys that are put forward, only to be withdrawn. The “peace” feelers—insincere as they may be—all appear to be coming from the side of the collective West. Not from Russia. Russian statements are, if anything, increasingly confident—even mocking in tone. Consider the exhibition in Moscow of captured Western military vehicles, as just one example.
About 2 miles from my house in East LA County - I’m surprised they caught the perpetrators. Ex LA county sheriff tweeted it, and politics are Democratic establishment hates him.
And I’m hearing all around me of car break ins. One guy bicycles to his gym due to fear of a car break in. A Tesla broken into across from the country in Diamond bar ( h mart complex).
A lot of people have said that Western leaders won't negotiate because they are globalists and/or neocons. That's very true. However, the NATO gibberish about the supposed peace offer reveals another factor: they actually CAN'T negotiate, even if they wanted to. They simply don't have the skills set required. To negotiate and thrash out a compromise in world affairs you need critical thinking skills, humility, a sense of history and a large dose of strategic imagination. Who over here has that? Scholz? Baerbock? Party Girl? Or how about Blinken?
What a shock that is! Sarko is right: we need Russia and are going to have to do some serious grovelling to them if we want to refloat our ruined economies.
I write not to disagree with Mark or with Alastair Crooke, but more to share and wonder...out loud...about some of the nuance of what is happening in Europe.
I am an American who has just returned from a 50 days' stay in Europe...all in Scandinavia, and mostly all in one place. I had taken a similar stay in the same place last summer.
I was not there on business, I am a retired lawyer. I spent my time walking around town and out on my bike, in and out of shops, in the city square, in restaurants, in the local gym and on local tennis courts. I shared meals with locals, a few of whom are my cousins. I talked to twenty year olds, forty year olds and seventy year olds. None are high officials or policy makers.
In conversations we talked a lot about the differences between the US and Europe, but not too much about the war in Ukraine, although the subject did come up.
Here's what I saw and heard. These Nordics do not reflect any kind of sense of doom. I did not detect a looming economic, cultural and societal collapse. In general the people I spoke to reflect a continuing sense of pride in their culture and policies and the overall success they have brought to these peoples in the sense of standard of living, quality of life and high moral purpose.
We all know that Scandinavian taxes are 'high', and they certainly know it, but there is overwhelming continuing support for a tax system which redistributes income in a way which provides education, healthcare and other social benefits, and retirement security widely across the whole population. I did not get the impression that the EU superstructure was particularly annoying, nor did I detect any kind of growing Brexit-like separation sentiment (for example of the kind Alastair Crooke alludes to in Germany).
There is no sense that their government is 'printing money' to pay for government programs (let alone wars), because it does not appear that their government has any ability to 'print money'. It seems that government spending is pretty directly tied to government receipts, which reflect the widely-agreed upon tax burden shared by all citizens. One young man I spoke to told me that all workers, including entry-level workers, are entitled to six weeks' vacation plus holidays and sick pay. They are essentially required to take the vacation time which they are entitled to. One of my children, at a similar stage of life in the US, gets two weeks vacation, some of which he can't find the time to take. Don't even ask about the difference between accommodations made for women with children here and there.
This is not to say that everybody thinks the government is perfect. I heard plenty of anecdotes about clumsy bureaucratic inefficiencies and how things could be run even better. I heard that there is lengthy-queuing for some medical procedures and that some queues can be shortened in you're rich. But I heard no fundamental dissatisfaction with the system of government which has evolved over the last decades, say since the end of WWII.
As far as having lost their 'identity' or 'values' I simply didn't see it. In fact I saw a great deal of pride in the strong values and identity developed over centuries. For example, many of the overwhelming endemic problems we face in the US, such as the open border crisis, homelessness, widespread drug use, wokeism in schools, victim ideologies, urban disintegration, legacies of racism, and loss of trust in government simply appear not to exist in the Nordics. The idea that elections could be rigged or stolen is inconceivable.
The business/economic system appears to be strictly capitalist. Most enterprise visible to me seems to be conducted by 'small business' as opposed to large corporations but looks can be deceiving. I did explore the idea that some forms of entrepreneurialism may be more appealing over there because business failure is not as devastating in a system which has a more secure social safety net.
Last summer I saw a substantial amount of outward support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and I learned that a fair number of Ukrainian refugees had found their way to the region I was staying in. I discovered that the social welfare state was taking care of these refugees by providing housing, food and schooling. People in the street expressed support for the fight of the virtuous Ukrainian people against the hopelessly martial Russian Bear and its totalitarian leader, Putin.
This summer I saw much less overt support...the Ukrainian flags on residential flagpoles had all disappeared. But a friend told me that the Ukrainian refugees were still being cared for. I learned that several of the local social workers caring for refugees were in fact older Russian immigrants. I also learned that two of the Russians were in fact able to travel back to Russia this summer, I believe through Turkey and Belarus, for family vacations. That was surprising.
I did see on-going support for the war, largely on grounds that "Ukraine should be able to determine its own security posture", and that Russia "is not and never has been trustworthy". I did not detect any great dissatisfaction of ordinary citizens with NATO membership generally or the quality of NATO leadership. Given my own cynicism about the military policies of the US and NATO, I found this surprising.
When I pressed about US provocations I did not get much response. Nor did I get much response when I pressed about who is actually bearing the cost of NATO support for Ukraine. Nor did anyone seem to object to implicit NATO backing of US 'global hegemony' and its implications. I did argue to one friend that Europe (as opposed to the US) should take more responsibility for engagement with Russia over Europe and Russia's future together on the same continent and did not get much pushback.
I did not see any evidence of economic hardship or impending economic catastrophe. Nobody was complaining about energy prices although there was acknowledgement that they had increased. As a general rule the Nordics I spoke to are true believers in climate change, and they seem also to be truly committed to the green agenda and alternative energy systems, including wind, solar and hydro, and also to a greater degree of energy conservation than we have in the US. There seem to be a far greater proportion of EVs on the roads and in general the cars are smaller and more energy efficient. There are far fewer large trucks (Ford 150/250 type trucks) and large SUVs evident than where I live in the US. Gas prices are higher but when you factor in better fuel efficiency the cost per mile (or KM) doesn't seem much higher. In general, supermarket prices seemed the same or lower in Europe. Certainly not much higher. Many people do walk and ride bikes.
I fully appreciate that this travelogue is largely anecdotal and it certainly doesn't purport to be comprehensive. Nor does it address the deeper structural issues in Europe (such as the overall impact of sanctions and energy costs on European economies) which may be more consequential in Germany, France and Italy than in the Nordics. But I hope it will be thought-provoking as I simply did not see in the ordinary Europeans I met and spoke to the same worldview as I have or as I see emerging among those of us who read and write here on MIH.
Really interesting and valuable contribution, thank you. What you describe sounds very like what used to be called the 'post-war consensus' in Britain. The political parties all agreed that social welfare was worth having: the NHS, a safety net for the most vulnerable, robust services of social work, reforming rather than crushing prisoners, etc. Full employment was a policy goal. Naturally this costs money and the elite class were coughing up too, albeit using all the clever dodges at their disposal.
The advent of monetarism and Thatcherite politics, plus European Community providing a whole new layer of bullshit, helped to trigger the collapse of that consensus. Industry was off-shored, import substitution put paid to coal mining, with the added benefit of crushing trade unions, and so on and so on. The momentum grew and has kept growing and we now have a monolithic uniparty system all of our very own in the UK. There is no point pretending that a change of givernment logo will fundamentally alter the neoliberal hegemony.
The capacity to conjure up funny money via mouse clicks is - as you hinted - lubricant for the asset-stripping theft machinery.
Thanks for sharing an interesting perspective. It can be a mistake to think of Europe as a monolithic entity - the same is true of Africa or Asia. There are significant differences between countries and I’m not surprised to hear that a Scandinavian country might be experiencing less angst and disruption than some others like Germany and France.
Your powers of observation do you credit, Cassander. As a Euro, you're assessment makes complete sense. Most of us here aren't too worried about things. Covid came and went and most people aren't very aware of some of the growing issues with the jab. There are distant and disquietening rumblings on the economic front, but things are still ticking over nicely. There is indeed plenty of national identity left - no-one is ever going to confuse a German with a Frenchman or an Italian! However, things are not good beneath the surface. The impressive welfare systems you heard about are predicated on a fertility rate, tax base and dependency ratio from the 1960s at the latest, and European economies are heading into very stormy waters. People here are living off past glories and are steeped in continuity bias. Remember, everything was just dandy on the Titanic 5 seconds before it stopped to take on a little ice!
Thanks Cass. Good read. Scandinavia feels little to no pain. Socialist govt coupled with capitalism similar to Canada and others. It’s worked for decades and beyond. No impetus to change if not broken or painful. Situation normal… carry on.
Scandinavia was allowed to go its own way during Covid in part because its people did not need to be broken to comply with current and future globalist goals.
And, the Baltic Sea and the latitude create a fire break on invasions, including even the recent migration from "Syria", which allows the people to continue enjoying the high-trust benefits of racial cohesion, similar to Korea or Japan.
"Scandinavia was allowed to go its own way during Covid in part because its people did not need to be broken to comply with current and future globalist goals."
I agree that the Nordic populations are generally in sympathy with many European (and WEF and globalist) goals. Green environmental policy comes immediately to mind. But that is not to say that there isn't a thread of stubborn nationalism running through the countries. I would mention that Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all retained their own currencies. Norway and Iceland remain outside the EU. Far from open borders, a foreigner cannot possibly work, or reside or own a property in Denmark without compliance with a myriad of prohibitive government regulations.
I would tend to agree that the Nordics enjoy the 'high trust' benefits of racial cohesion. Although a Swede or a Dane or a Norwegian might not agree when describing the comparative short-comings of his Nordic cousin. Just ask a Swede what its like trying to do business with a Dane!
I am sure latitude and geographic location contribute to a Nordic approach to politics, including on the question of invasions, but the recent actions of Finland and Sweden on NATO membership indicates a very real concern (imagined or real) about the intentions of the Bear.
Good point, Cassander - very perceptive! The "Scandinavians" are not a homogenous group. The Danes are far more ornery than the Swedes - I know from doing business with them.
Denial is altogether too likely a possibility. But perhaps its not too different from the 'denial' we see all around us in the US? How is it possible that Biden is (apparently) tied with Trump in many polls, when most of us here on MIH see the Biden presidency as an unmitigated disaster?
I won't attempt a critique of Nordic or Finnish society, beyond noting that they are known for high degrees of social conformity and intolerance of divergence from groupthink. Your account suggests high degrees of groupthink and group satisfaction. Many scholarly articles attribute the relative success of Nordic style socialism to this type of conformity--everyone follows the rules and doesn't cheat because they can't conceive of diverging from the mean.
the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encourage group behavior, and attempts to credit it with fueling Nordic countries' high happiness scores.[8] It has also been suggested that contentedness with a humdrum lifestyle is a part of happiness in the Scandinavian countries.[10]
However, in Scandinavia, there have also been journalistic articles which link the Law of Jante to high suicide rates.
I'd never heard of the Law of Jante, thanks for that. The prevalence of suicide in Scandinavia is fairly deep-seated I think: Durkheim identified this in the 1890s. I can't recall how he explained it although finding onself suddenly oustide of a strongly cohesive set of norms (unemployed, disgraced for some reason, for example) is a very strong driver that he identified.
"Today, Scandinavian countries – Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland – have very high happiness rates and relatively low suicide rates. However, the dark winters – 20 hours of darkness or more in each day in some areas – causes seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression, which has been known to correlate with higher rates of suicide."
I would also observe that some commentators have ascribed the high 'happiness' ratings of the Nordics not to more 'happiness', but to less 'unhappiness'. It may be that in some way the kind of passive equality of Jante equates with less unhappiness than in some other more dog-eat-dog places. I've also heard Nordic happiness described as a more healthy acceptance of the realities of life. I might be inclined to call this 'intelligence'. :-)
Great point. The Scandinavian countries sound like Switzerland here, and also Japan. A love of conformity and not rocking the boat - and a high rate of suicide and drug abuse.
I would say (by observation only) that the Law of Jante is widely believed in in the Nordics. I would say that there is a great deal of social cohesion in the Nordics (kind of like we once had here in the Good Ol' Days). One guy told me that he thinks about 80% of the population broadly agrees with the general concept of the Nordic welfare state. Including agreement from hardcore capitalist businessmen. He made a related observation: that money plays a very small role in Nordic elections. The candidates do not have mega-rich backers and when elected are not 'owned by' their donors. Also because there are multiple political parties in each country, voters can vote their political beliefs and not just the Red/Blue binary. And no politician gets rich serving in a Nordic legislature. There are no centimillionaire career-politician Pelosis or McConnells.
Having said all that, I would like to think that I was talking to reasonably intelligent people (especially my relatives!) and many have been quite successful in life. Scandinavians can also be quite forthright and in your face when they disagree with you. My takeaway is that most of the Nordics I spoke to believe that their social, political and economic systems are working pretty well, that Ukrainians are entitled to their own self-determination in terms of their national security, and that the Russians are not to be trusted. In terms of the latter sentiment, one person reminded me that they have one thousand years' experience with the Russians as neighbors.
This doesn't mean that my interlocutors are right! It simply is another data point if we are to understand why Finland and Sweden want to join NATO, and why the EU and NATO, and the likes of Jens Stoltenberg, and Stian Jenssen and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, are still (publicly) supporting Ukraine.
I don't think the rape point you refer to is particularly relevant to the points I am making. There is definitely a sexual assault issue which has come up in connection with muslim immigration to Sweden but I don't think it bears any particular relevance to the issues I have raised. Nobody I spoke to raised the question of sexual assault as material to a discussion of a looming economic, cultural and societal collapse in Europe or the politics of the war in Ukraine.
I also readily accept that the Nordics, although with the addition of Finland and Sweden they add up to almost 30 million total population of the NATO countries, are not determinative of the politics of the other European countries in NATO. I would suggest, however, that the nuance I have discovered in Scandinavia is likely indicative of the presence of nuance in the rest of Europe. Including nuance which is not readily understood by most Americans or even touched on by the American MSM.
"one person reminded me that they have one thousand years' experience with the Russians as neighbors."
I've gone through that history in previous posts. During most of that period Sweden was the aggressor, ravaging Poland ('The Deluge'), the Baltics, Ukraine, and parts of Russia. No doubt Russians have their own views on trusting Nordics, given the history of continual Nordic aggression toward the East and that the Nordics have been providing quite a bit of war making material to the Ukro-Nazis. So the concept that other countries--even those run by Neo-Nazis!--deserve self determination is a relatively new concept among the Nordics--perhaps honored in the breach. The Nordic approach to life!
Lest I seem too down on Nordics, I would point out that a reading of Finnish history could lead to a revision of the usual narrative regarding their wars with Russia. Much like the Poles, when the Finns--for the first time in history--became independent, their first thought was to expand into historically Russian areas to create a "Greater Finland". When the USSR reacted badly to the initiative the Finns allied with Nazi Germany. No doubt the Finns have their own point of view.
Re rape in Scandinavia, major cities like Malmo in Sweden actually have become in significant part no-go zones for police, which does suggest cultural and societal problems. This link describes "endless conflict" between Somalis and Swedish culture:
With all due respect, Mark, I just returned from a 50 day visit to Scandinavia. While there is no question your wikipedia references to stress resulting from muslim immigration in (mostly a handful of cities in) Scandinavia are accurate, I just have to say that I did not witness a single instance of muslim-related stress. I saw plenty of non-white residents on the sidewalks and in the stores and I saw nothing compared to the racial stress we see in nearly every American city. One fair-haired, peach complexioned woman we have known for two years is in a relationship with an Iranian man. They are both previously divorced. I am not aware that this relationship raises any issues.
I acknowledge my reporting is all anecdotal. I will just say, again, that after 50 days in Scandinavia I did not see the kind of social and cultural fragmentation Crooke writes about. I saw communities which appear to be far more cohesive (and I dare say integrated) than many of the American communities I am familiar with. I still just can't quite understand why so many of their residents are buying into a war so deadly and tragic and phony as the one in Ukraine.
One more observation about the Law of Jante. Wikipedia says, "the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encourage group behavior..."
I think a reasonable debate could be had over whether 'Janteloven' is taught to encourage group behavior or whether the social contract developed over millennia in Scandinavia didn't simply result in Janteloven. In other words, which came first? I was bowled over by walking across burial grounds in my grandfather's home town which date back to the Stone Age and which has been continuously inhabited since then. The Nordic approach to life did not begin with the Declaration of Independence!
The UK monarchy remains a problem for US taxpayers because it's effectively part of the Pentagon. King Charles is probably on speed dial with much of the US political class including at the state level.
“Russia added $600 billion of total wealth, the Swiss bank found in its annual Global Wealth Report, published Tuesday.
The number of Russian millionaires also rose by about 56,000 to 408,000 in 2022, while the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals — people worth over $50 million — jumped by nearly 4,500.
But the US lost more wealth than any other country last year, shedding $5.9 trillion, while North America and Europe combined got $10.9 trillion poorer, UBS reported.“
Funny you mention Switzerland, Ray. There are a lot of Ukr "refugees" here. I see most of them as they whizz past my clunker on the motorway in their spotless BMWs and Rangerovers.
He has an interesting treatment of "de-dollarization" and the character of Russian debt. Funny how in both Russia and the U.S. the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. But all in all, Russia seems to be doing better than the U.S. even given all the sanctions.
The European people are being conquered into submission because they have complaisantly come to believe themselves only as material beings. Their concern is only of comfort and security and have lost their pride of place in history. Their apathetic state is reflective of a fear that they sense a stir of change but lack the will and courage to the pursuit of its understanding and implications. The same can be said of the well-educated coastal elites in the US and others in developed countries.
Very good point as it concerns the demise of education. In the French “éducation nationale” in which I have taught, the “historic past tense” - the “passé simple” is seen as racist - it is a tense often used by historians to describe events that occurred in the past and are over and done with. Well, of course this very notion of time is called into question! No historian or writer/researcher should have the authority to decree such finality as all actions can now be seen as continuing into the present…and wrecking all manner of chaos and victimization!! This is the country of Voltaire! The center of the Enlightenment. Unfortunately as Mark’s post makes clear and as Crooke underscores, deconstruction (born in Germany, Frankfurt School) in its many guises has run rampant in the culture and people are lost, dazed and confused.
"Many Europeans have lost their identity--the identities that they carefully have kept over the centuries--to this new identity which is one of diversity or transgenderism, and also a sense of the need to redress for past actions that Europe has taken--it's Colonial past, in in a nutshell."
I could not agree with this or assert it based on my personal experience. I spent a lot of time in Europe years ago but not much recently and so do not claim to know the prevailing current mood. However, I do know an American who is taking a position in Europe as an instructor in a seminary and has related that his training prior to being assigned has indicated that Paganism has had a resurgence in Europe and is the primary threat to the future of the church there. That I can believe and can relate to as an American.
I am interested in hearing the views of commenters from across the pond as to character of this societal malaise and how it might implicate European politics.
I can only speak for the UK w.r.t. Paganism. A few random thoughts:
Aspects of pre-Christian culture were never fully killed-off here. Christian churches often respected existing sacred sites, which is how you can have a six hundred year old church with two thousand year old yew trees only a few yards away in the graveyard, for instance. Or a standing stone incorporated into the wall of the churchyard, or even within its precinct.
Counterweighted though by people having weaker ties to places, getting on their bikes to look for work in the next town for example, only old families remember these traditions (and are open to being patronised or ridiculed).
There's a relatively short hop and a skip involved in making the transition from loving the planet to tying clouties to trees* to gluing your hand to a zebra crossing, and it's remarkable how many of the prominent campaigners come from very well-to-do if not aristrocratic backgrounds. So too the 'druid' scene.
Earth-Mommy types often gravitate to nature-worship/animism and styling themselves as witches.
Perhaps of most relevance: follow the money. There's healthy profits to be made from selling shoddy candles at 200% mark-up if there's a bit of patchouli and black dye included in the mix. Flogging off lumps of quartz does no real harm in the wider scheme of things and I stress, in conclusion, that if there is a growth of interest in alternative systems of belief that is very likely symptomatic of rudderless societies. People take comfort from whatever they can find and may make valuable and meaningful connections through shared tastes and pursuits.
"...growth of interest in alternative systems of belief that is very likely symptomatic of rudderless societies. People take comfort from whatever they can find and may make valuable and meaningful connections through shared tastes and pursuits." A very perceptive and universal comment, I think.
At the risk of stating the obvious, I think "rudderless societies" these days are a result more of secularism than Paganism. Paganism, as you mention, is just one of the things that might then fill the gap. I have read, though, that Paganism per se is coming back quite strong in the Baltics and Finland. I can understand there being remnants of it in the U.K., too, and appreciate your views on that very much.
Diss, I think Cassander above gives an excellent and accurate overview of many aspects of the current European psyche. Living here, I would say that our mentality at present is a mix of blissful ignorance concerning the harsh incoming realities about to hit us, and living off past capital and glories. Sure, we get annoyed about the same Woke rubbish as Americans, and chunter on about Ukraine, etc. However, these unfortunate issues don't seem to impinge too much upon our cocooned "here and now" lifestyles. Despite some fraying around the edges of the European continent - things are bleaker in Spain and Greece, for example - life seems pretty much as it has done for a long time. As for religious belief, I don't think there is a strong and active drive for atheism (outside of the EU and WEF); it's more that Europeans no longer have the mental energy for such higher things as religion, critical thinking or philosophy. We're essentially a very tired and dissipated people. We're H G Wells's Eloi. We've heard those nasty rumours about the Morlochs, but have never actually seen any.
Thanks very much for your thoughts, Steg. Cassander's comments are very interesting and informative, as well.
From what you say I believe there is similarity between the general public in Europe and the U.S. It seems that most of us in both places (intentionally or not) devote most of our time to the rigors of work and family and do not have either the energy or the time to spend learning about or participating in politics (either local, national, or geopolitical) unless it impinges in some way on our normal daily existence.
I am surprised that you see the same lack of critical thought in Europe as we have here in the U.S. The shame of it is, at least in the U.S., is that our government was set up to work only if there is an educated, informed, engaged, politically active populace. I believe that on one level our politicians know this and know they can manipulate us through the media by brainwashing us, keeping us in the dark as to the truth, and bombarding us with new problems to deal with. So they present us with continual diversions from their own perfidy.
I hope we don't wake up one morning in the West and find that everything is crashing to the ground around us in our "blissful ignorance," with most people having no idea why or what to do next.
People in the "West", whether in Europe, the US or Australia, all share the modernist mindset. However, I'd argue that the rot is deeper here in Europe than in the US (Australia is gone, baby, gone). Across the pond, there are still large islands of resistance and a lot of ornery folks who won't get with the programme. I don't particularly like that song, "Rich Man North of Richmond" as music, but a phenomenon like that would almost never happen over here. People are too complacent and tired. As for governmental systems only working if the population is educated and informed, that is just as true here as anywhere else. Here in Switzerland, we have the unique privilege of being able to vote on EVERY serious issue facing the country. Yet what happens? We vote to keep draconian and useless Covid laws on the books until 2032, for something called "gay marriage" and stupidities like making cyclists' rights part of our 800 year old constitution. And Switz is one of the saner places in Europe!
"People in the "West", whether in Europe, the US or Australia, all share the modernist mindset. However, I'd argue that the rot is deeper here in Europe than in the US"
Winter is coming. The pressure that will be brought to bear on the Western European 'democracies' may well be impossible to hold them together without Russian oil and gas. Time is on Putin's/Russia's side, and everyone knows it. The collapse will come quickly but not unexpectedly.
Heating costs, transportation costs, and food costs will all be rising in Western Europe. And just the other day I read that the Russian military was targeting Ukrainian wheat shipments. Then, just a few days ago the reporting was that Holland was now in a recession which may become a trend.
Are the conditions listed by @med146 official or backed by any substance? I would really like to see the corresponding statement from the Russian government if so.
No--not a recent statement. What they are backed by--in several of the listed items--is the draft treaties that Putin presented to the West in December, 2021. That includes the pullback of NATO to their 1990 positions.
Actually, the only condition that wasn't in the draft treaties was the part about the Nordstream sabotage--and that hadn't happened at the time the treaties were presented.
And some worries gop support for Ukraine is fragmenting, so Bill Kristol to the rescue!
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/warmongering-neocons-spend-2-million-ads-ukraine-war
Yeah, I was just reading that.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/britain-warns-possible-attacks-denmark-2023-08-18/
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/08/swedish-rape-crisis-insane-court-ruling/
Yep - and the elites wonder why the elites gain votes.
The challenge is a lot of negative stuff happens, but it’s not covered by the approved media channels.
The LA mayor is blaming worries on crime about news coverage.
https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2023/08/18/la-mayor-karen-bass-claims-conservative-press-is-creating-a-culture-of-fear-in-the-city-of-angels-n2162793
About 2 miles from my house in East LA County - I’m surprised they caught the perpetrators. Ex LA county sheriff tweeted it, and politics are Democratic establishment hates him.
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/2-arrests-made-in-connection-with-viral-hacienda-heights-purse-snatching/3209031/
And I’m hearing all around me of car break ins. One guy bicycles to his gym due to fear of a car break in. A Tesla broken into across from the country in Diamond bar ( h mart complex).
A lot of people have said that Western leaders won't negotiate because they are globalists and/or neocons. That's very true. However, the NATO gibberish about the supposed peace offer reveals another factor: they actually CAN'T negotiate, even if they wanted to. They simply don't have the skills set required. To negotiate and thrash out a compromise in world affairs you need critical thinking skills, humility, a sense of history and a large dose of strategic imagination. Who over here has that? Scholz? Baerbock? Party Girl? Or how about Blinken?
Dutch enter recession, or perhaps their numbers are more truthful than others…
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/dutch-economy-enters-recession-inflation-bites-2023-08-16/
What a shock that is! Sarko is right: we need Russia and are going to have to do some serious grovelling to them if we want to refloat our ruined economies.
I write not to disagree with Mark or with Alastair Crooke, but more to share and wonder...out loud...about some of the nuance of what is happening in Europe.
I am an American who has just returned from a 50 days' stay in Europe...all in Scandinavia, and mostly all in one place. I had taken a similar stay in the same place last summer.
I was not there on business, I am a retired lawyer. I spent my time walking around town and out on my bike, in and out of shops, in the city square, in restaurants, in the local gym and on local tennis courts. I shared meals with locals, a few of whom are my cousins. I talked to twenty year olds, forty year olds and seventy year olds. None are high officials or policy makers.
In conversations we talked a lot about the differences between the US and Europe, but not too much about the war in Ukraine, although the subject did come up.
Here's what I saw and heard. These Nordics do not reflect any kind of sense of doom. I did not detect a looming economic, cultural and societal collapse. In general the people I spoke to reflect a continuing sense of pride in their culture and policies and the overall success they have brought to these peoples in the sense of standard of living, quality of life and high moral purpose.
We all know that Scandinavian taxes are 'high', and they certainly know it, but there is overwhelming continuing support for a tax system which redistributes income in a way which provides education, healthcare and other social benefits, and retirement security widely across the whole population. I did not get the impression that the EU superstructure was particularly annoying, nor did I detect any kind of growing Brexit-like separation sentiment (for example of the kind Alastair Crooke alludes to in Germany).
There is no sense that their government is 'printing money' to pay for government programs (let alone wars), because it does not appear that their government has any ability to 'print money'. It seems that government spending is pretty directly tied to government receipts, which reflect the widely-agreed upon tax burden shared by all citizens. One young man I spoke to told me that all workers, including entry-level workers, are entitled to six weeks' vacation plus holidays and sick pay. They are essentially required to take the vacation time which they are entitled to. One of my children, at a similar stage of life in the US, gets two weeks vacation, some of which he can't find the time to take. Don't even ask about the difference between accommodations made for women with children here and there.
This is not to say that everybody thinks the government is perfect. I heard plenty of anecdotes about clumsy bureaucratic inefficiencies and how things could be run even better. I heard that there is lengthy-queuing for some medical procedures and that some queues can be shortened in you're rich. But I heard no fundamental dissatisfaction with the system of government which has evolved over the last decades, say since the end of WWII.
As far as having lost their 'identity' or 'values' I simply didn't see it. In fact I saw a great deal of pride in the strong values and identity developed over centuries. For example, many of the overwhelming endemic problems we face in the US, such as the open border crisis, homelessness, widespread drug use, wokeism in schools, victim ideologies, urban disintegration, legacies of racism, and loss of trust in government simply appear not to exist in the Nordics. The idea that elections could be rigged or stolen is inconceivable.
The business/economic system appears to be strictly capitalist. Most enterprise visible to me seems to be conducted by 'small business' as opposed to large corporations but looks can be deceiving. I did explore the idea that some forms of entrepreneurialism may be more appealing over there because business failure is not as devastating in a system which has a more secure social safety net.
Last summer I saw a substantial amount of outward support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and I learned that a fair number of Ukrainian refugees had found their way to the region I was staying in. I discovered that the social welfare state was taking care of these refugees by providing housing, food and schooling. People in the street expressed support for the fight of the virtuous Ukrainian people against the hopelessly martial Russian Bear and its totalitarian leader, Putin.
This summer I saw much less overt support...the Ukrainian flags on residential flagpoles had all disappeared. But a friend told me that the Ukrainian refugees were still being cared for. I learned that several of the local social workers caring for refugees were in fact older Russian immigrants. I also learned that two of the Russians were in fact able to travel back to Russia this summer, I believe through Turkey and Belarus, for family vacations. That was surprising.
I did see on-going support for the war, largely on grounds that "Ukraine should be able to determine its own security posture", and that Russia "is not and never has been trustworthy". I did not detect any great dissatisfaction of ordinary citizens with NATO membership generally or the quality of NATO leadership. Given my own cynicism about the military policies of the US and NATO, I found this surprising.
When I pressed about US provocations I did not get much response. Nor did I get much response when I pressed about who is actually bearing the cost of NATO support for Ukraine. Nor did anyone seem to object to implicit NATO backing of US 'global hegemony' and its implications. I did argue to one friend that Europe (as opposed to the US) should take more responsibility for engagement with Russia over Europe and Russia's future together on the same continent and did not get much pushback.
I did not see any evidence of economic hardship or impending economic catastrophe. Nobody was complaining about energy prices although there was acknowledgement that they had increased. As a general rule the Nordics I spoke to are true believers in climate change, and they seem also to be truly committed to the green agenda and alternative energy systems, including wind, solar and hydro, and also to a greater degree of energy conservation than we have in the US. There seem to be a far greater proportion of EVs on the roads and in general the cars are smaller and more energy efficient. There are far fewer large trucks (Ford 150/250 type trucks) and large SUVs evident than where I live in the US. Gas prices are higher but when you factor in better fuel efficiency the cost per mile (or KM) doesn't seem much higher. In general, supermarket prices seemed the same or lower in Europe. Certainly not much higher. Many people do walk and ride bikes.
I fully appreciate that this travelogue is largely anecdotal and it certainly doesn't purport to be comprehensive. Nor does it address the deeper structural issues in Europe (such as the overall impact of sanctions and energy costs on European economies) which may be more consequential in Germany, France and Italy than in the Nordics. But I hope it will be thought-provoking as I simply did not see in the ordinary Europeans I met and spoke to the same worldview as I have or as I see emerging among those of us who read and write here on MIH.
Really interesting and valuable contribution, thank you. What you describe sounds very like what used to be called the 'post-war consensus' in Britain. The political parties all agreed that social welfare was worth having: the NHS, a safety net for the most vulnerable, robust services of social work, reforming rather than crushing prisoners, etc. Full employment was a policy goal. Naturally this costs money and the elite class were coughing up too, albeit using all the clever dodges at their disposal.
The advent of monetarism and Thatcherite politics, plus European Community providing a whole new layer of bullshit, helped to trigger the collapse of that consensus. Industry was off-shored, import substitution put paid to coal mining, with the added benefit of crushing trade unions, and so on and so on. The momentum grew and has kept growing and we now have a monolithic uniparty system all of our very own in the UK. There is no point pretending that a change of givernment logo will fundamentally alter the neoliberal hegemony.
The capacity to conjure up funny money via mouse clicks is - as you hinted - lubricant for the asset-stripping theft machinery.
Thanks for sharing an interesting perspective. It can be a mistake to think of Europe as a monolithic entity - the same is true of Africa or Asia. There are significant differences between countries and I’m not surprised to hear that a Scandinavian country might be experiencing less angst and disruption than some others like Germany and France.
Your powers of observation do you credit, Cassander. As a Euro, you're assessment makes complete sense. Most of us here aren't too worried about things. Covid came and went and most people aren't very aware of some of the growing issues with the jab. There are distant and disquietening rumblings on the economic front, but things are still ticking over nicely. There is indeed plenty of national identity left - no-one is ever going to confuse a German with a Frenchman or an Italian! However, things are not good beneath the surface. The impressive welfare systems you heard about are predicated on a fertility rate, tax base and dependency ratio from the 1960s at the latest, and European economies are heading into very stormy waters. People here are living off past glories and are steeped in continuity bias. Remember, everything was just dandy on the Titanic 5 seconds before it stopped to take on a little ice!
Thanks Cass. Good read. Scandinavia feels little to no pain. Socialist govt coupled with capitalism similar to Canada and others. It’s worked for decades and beyond. No impetus to change if not broken or painful. Situation normal… carry on.
There's a lot of ruin in a nation.
A couple of thoughts.
Scandinavia was allowed to go its own way during Covid in part because its people did not need to be broken to comply with current and future globalist goals.
And, the Baltic Sea and the latitude create a fire break on invasions, including even the recent migration from "Syria", which allows the people to continue enjoying the high-trust benefits of racial cohesion, similar to Korea or Japan.
"Scandinavia was allowed to go its own way during Covid in part because its people did not need to be broken to comply with current and future globalist goals."
I agree that the Nordic populations are generally in sympathy with many European (and WEF and globalist) goals. Green environmental policy comes immediately to mind. But that is not to say that there isn't a thread of stubborn nationalism running through the countries. I would mention that Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all retained their own currencies. Norway and Iceland remain outside the EU. Far from open borders, a foreigner cannot possibly work, or reside or own a property in Denmark without compliance with a myriad of prohibitive government regulations.
I would tend to agree that the Nordics enjoy the 'high trust' benefits of racial cohesion. Although a Swede or a Dane or a Norwegian might not agree when describing the comparative short-comings of his Nordic cousin. Just ask a Swede what its like trying to do business with a Dane!
I am sure latitude and geographic location contribute to a Nordic approach to politics, including on the question of invasions, but the recent actions of Finland and Sweden on NATO membership indicates a very real concern (imagined or real) about the intentions of the Bear.
Good point, Cassander - very perceptive! The "Scandinavians" are not a homogenous group. The Danes are far more ornery than the Swedes - I know from doing business with them.
Thank you so much Cassander. It is very good to get your on-the-ground perspective.
Denial is altogether too likely a possibility. But perhaps its not too different from the 'denial' we see all around us in the US? How is it possible that Biden is (apparently) tied with Trump in many polls, when most of us here on MIH see the Biden presidency as an unmitigated disaster?
I won't attempt a critique of Nordic or Finnish society, beyond noting that they are known for high degrees of social conformity and intolerance of divergence from groupthink. Your account suggests high degrees of groupthink and group satisfaction. Many scholarly articles attribute the relative success of Nordic style socialism to this type of conformity--everyone follows the rules and doesn't cheat because they can't conceive of diverging from the mean.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante
the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encourage group behavior, and attempts to credit it with fueling Nordic countries' high happiness scores.[8] It has also been suggested that contentedness with a humdrum lifestyle is a part of happiness in the Scandinavian countries.[10]
However, in Scandinavia, there have also been journalistic articles which link the Law of Jante to high suicide rates.
https://nordicperspective.com/life/swedish-life-pros-cons
Have you ever done searches like this: "rape epidemic scandinavia"? Many of the results suggest a less idyllic social environment.
I'd never heard of the Law of Jante, thanks for that. The prevalence of suicide in Scandinavia is fairly deep-seated I think: Durkheim identified this in the 1890s. I can't recall how he explained it although finding onself suddenly oustide of a strongly cohesive set of norms (unemployed, disgraced for some reason, for example) is a very strong driver that he identified.
@Karen
I'm sure you know that the Nordics also invariably rank high on so-called 'happiness' indices: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world.
So...its hard to reconcile the high happiness scores the Nordics regularly receive with their high rates of suicide.
I did some very cursory research and it appears that the Nordics are currently more in the middle of the pack in terms of suicide rates. See: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/suicide-rate-by-country.
The article states:
"Today, Scandinavian countries – Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland – have very high happiness rates and relatively low suicide rates. However, the dark winters – 20 hours of darkness or more in each day in some areas – causes seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression, which has been known to correlate with higher rates of suicide."
I would also observe that some commentators have ascribed the high 'happiness' ratings of the Nordics not to more 'happiness', but to less 'unhappiness'. It may be that in some way the kind of passive equality of Jante equates with less unhappiness than in some other more dog-eat-dog places. I've also heard Nordic happiness described as a more healthy acceptance of the realities of life. I might be inclined to call this 'intelligence'. :-)
And in spite of mandated 6 wk vacations. Go figure.
Great point. The Scandinavian countries sound like Switzerland here, and also Japan. A love of conformity and not rocking the boat - and a high rate of suicide and drug abuse.
I would say (by observation only) that the Law of Jante is widely believed in in the Nordics. I would say that there is a great deal of social cohesion in the Nordics (kind of like we once had here in the Good Ol' Days). One guy told me that he thinks about 80% of the population broadly agrees with the general concept of the Nordic welfare state. Including agreement from hardcore capitalist businessmen. He made a related observation: that money plays a very small role in Nordic elections. The candidates do not have mega-rich backers and when elected are not 'owned by' their donors. Also because there are multiple political parties in each country, voters can vote their political beliefs and not just the Red/Blue binary. And no politician gets rich serving in a Nordic legislature. There are no centimillionaire career-politician Pelosis or McConnells.
Having said all that, I would like to think that I was talking to reasonably intelligent people (especially my relatives!) and many have been quite successful in life. Scandinavians can also be quite forthright and in your face when they disagree with you. My takeaway is that most of the Nordics I spoke to believe that their social, political and economic systems are working pretty well, that Ukrainians are entitled to their own self-determination in terms of their national security, and that the Russians are not to be trusted. In terms of the latter sentiment, one person reminded me that they have one thousand years' experience with the Russians as neighbors.
This doesn't mean that my interlocutors are right! It simply is another data point if we are to understand why Finland and Sweden want to join NATO, and why the EU and NATO, and the likes of Jens Stoltenberg, and Stian Jenssen and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, are still (publicly) supporting Ukraine.
I don't think the rape point you refer to is particularly relevant to the points I am making. There is definitely a sexual assault issue which has come up in connection with muslim immigration to Sweden but I don't think it bears any particular relevance to the issues I have raised. Nobody I spoke to raised the question of sexual assault as material to a discussion of a looming economic, cultural and societal collapse in Europe or the politics of the war in Ukraine.
I also readily accept that the Nordics, although with the addition of Finland and Sweden they add up to almost 30 million total population of the NATO countries, are not determinative of the politics of the other European countries in NATO. I would suggest, however, that the nuance I have discovered in Scandinavia is likely indicative of the presence of nuance in the rest of Europe. Including nuance which is not readily understood by most Americans or even touched on by the American MSM.
"one person reminded me that they have one thousand years' experience with the Russians as neighbors."
I've gone through that history in previous posts. During most of that period Sweden was the aggressor, ravaging Poland ('The Deluge'), the Baltics, Ukraine, and parts of Russia. No doubt Russians have their own views on trusting Nordics, given the history of continual Nordic aggression toward the East and that the Nordics have been providing quite a bit of war making material to the Ukro-Nazis. So the concept that other countries--even those run by Neo-Nazis!--deserve self determination is a relatively new concept among the Nordics--perhaps honored in the breach. The Nordic approach to life!
Lest I seem too down on Nordics, I would point out that a reading of Finnish history could lead to a revision of the usual narrative regarding their wars with Russia. Much like the Poles, when the Finns--for the first time in history--became independent, their first thought was to expand into historically Russian areas to create a "Greater Finland". When the USSR reacted badly to the initiative the Finns allied with Nazi Germany. No doubt the Finns have their own point of view.
Re rape in Scandinavia, major cities like Malmo in Sweden actually have become in significant part no-go zones for police, which does suggest cultural and societal problems. This link describes "endless conflict" between Somalis and Swedish culture:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalis_in_Sweden#Community
Similar developments have taken place in Denmark:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Denmark#Controversy
All of which is directly relevant to Crooke's opinions.
With all due respect, Mark, I just returned from a 50 day visit to Scandinavia. While there is no question your wikipedia references to stress resulting from muslim immigration in (mostly a handful of cities in) Scandinavia are accurate, I just have to say that I did not witness a single instance of muslim-related stress. I saw plenty of non-white residents on the sidewalks and in the stores and I saw nothing compared to the racial stress we see in nearly every American city. One fair-haired, peach complexioned woman we have known for two years is in a relationship with an Iranian man. They are both previously divorced. I am not aware that this relationship raises any issues.
I acknowledge my reporting is all anecdotal. I will just say, again, that after 50 days in Scandinavia I did not see the kind of social and cultural fragmentation Crooke writes about. I saw communities which appear to be far more cohesive (and I dare say integrated) than many of the American communities I am familiar with. I still just can't quite understand why so many of their residents are buying into a war so deadly and tragic and phony as the one in Ukraine.
One more observation about the Law of Jante. Wikipedia says, "the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encourage group behavior..."
I think a reasonable debate could be had over whether 'Janteloven' is taught to encourage group behavior or whether the social contract developed over millennia in Scandinavia didn't simply result in Janteloven. In other words, which came first? I was bowled over by walking across burial grounds in my grandfather's home town which date back to the Stone Age and which has been continuously inhabited since then. The Nordic approach to life did not begin with the Declaration of Independence!
Sarkozy is many things, but he does speak his mind. He sums it up perfectly. BTW, this article confirms the utter vacuity and lack of awareness of the current European "leadership" pool: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12412923/Sanna-Marin-festivals-bralettes-mini-skirts-divorcing-husband.html. We've gone from heroism to Neroism.
The UK monarchy remains a problem for US taxpayers because it's effectively part of the Pentagon. King Charles is probably on speed dial with much of the US political class including at the state level.
I doubt that the connection is so explicit, Susan. However, Charles is definitely part of the globalist gang.
His mother had a pair of testicles. He doesn't.
He is kind to animals though, especially dogs, just ask Camilla.
Ha! Mind you, so was Hitler.
Simplicius noted:
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/ukraine-commits-last-remaining-elite
“Russia added $600 billion of total wealth, the Swiss bank found in its annual Global Wealth Report, published Tuesday.
The number of Russian millionaires also rose by about 56,000 to 408,000 in 2022, while the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals — people worth over $50 million — jumped by nearly 4,500.
But the US lost more wealth than any other country last year, shedding $5.9 trillion, while North America and Europe combined got $10.9 trillion poorer, UBS reported.“
Funny you mention Switzerland, Ray. There are a lot of Ukr "refugees" here. I see most of them as they whizz past my clunker on the motorway in their spotless BMWs and Rangerovers.
He has an interesting treatment of "de-dollarization" and the character of Russian debt. Funny how in both Russia and the U.S. the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. But all in all, Russia seems to be doing better than the U.S. even given all the sanctions.
Every day the war continues it helps Russia, and hurts the West.
What has to happen in order for the West to agree to the Russian terms?
Simple: every current Western leader has to be ousted.
The European people are being conquered into submission because they have complaisantly come to believe themselves only as material beings. Their concern is only of comfort and security and have lost their pride of place in history. Their apathetic state is reflective of a fear that they sense a stir of change but lack the will and courage to the pursuit of its understanding and implications. The same can be said of the well-educated coastal elites in the US and others in developed countries.
Very good point as it concerns the demise of education. In the French “éducation nationale” in which I have taught, the “historic past tense” - the “passé simple” is seen as racist - it is a tense often used by historians to describe events that occurred in the past and are over and done with. Well, of course this very notion of time is called into question! No historian or writer/researcher should have the authority to decree such finality as all actions can now be seen as continuing into the present…and wrecking all manner of chaos and victimization!! This is the country of Voltaire! The center of the Enlightenment. Unfortunately as Mark’s post makes clear and as Crooke underscores, deconstruction (born in Germany, Frankfurt School) in its many guises has run rampant in the culture and people are lost, dazed and confused.
"Many Europeans have lost their identity--the identities that they carefully have kept over the centuries--to this new identity which is one of diversity or transgenderism, and also a sense of the need to redress for past actions that Europe has taken--it's Colonial past, in in a nutshell."
I could not agree with this or assert it based on my personal experience. I spent a lot of time in Europe years ago but not much recently and so do not claim to know the prevailing current mood. However, I do know an American who is taking a position in Europe as an instructor in a seminary and has related that his training prior to being assigned has indicated that Paganism has had a resurgence in Europe and is the primary threat to the future of the church there. That I can believe and can relate to as an American.
I am interested in hearing the views of commenters from across the pond as to character of this societal malaise and how it might implicate European politics.
I can only speak for the UK w.r.t. Paganism. A few random thoughts:
Aspects of pre-Christian culture were never fully killed-off here. Christian churches often respected existing sacred sites, which is how you can have a six hundred year old church with two thousand year old yew trees only a few yards away in the graveyard, for instance. Or a standing stone incorporated into the wall of the churchyard, or even within its precinct.
Counterweighted though by people having weaker ties to places, getting on their bikes to look for work in the next town for example, only old families remember these traditions (and are open to being patronised or ridiculed).
There's a relatively short hop and a skip involved in making the transition from loving the planet to tying clouties to trees* to gluing your hand to a zebra crossing, and it's remarkable how many of the prominent campaigners come from very well-to-do if not aristrocratic backgrounds. So too the 'druid' scene.
*
https://wildhunt.org/2019/08/clouties-and-cloutie-pollution.html
Earth-Mommy types often gravitate to nature-worship/animism and styling themselves as witches.
Perhaps of most relevance: follow the money. There's healthy profits to be made from selling shoddy candles at 200% mark-up if there's a bit of patchouli and black dye included in the mix. Flogging off lumps of quartz does no real harm in the wider scheme of things and I stress, in conclusion, that if there is a growth of interest in alternative systems of belief that is very likely symptomatic of rudderless societies. People take comfort from whatever they can find and may make valuable and meaningful connections through shared tastes and pursuits.
Thanks, Karen!
"...growth of interest in alternative systems of belief that is very likely symptomatic of rudderless societies. People take comfort from whatever they can find and may make valuable and meaningful connections through shared tastes and pursuits." A very perceptive and universal comment, I think.
At the risk of stating the obvious, I think "rudderless societies" these days are a result more of secularism than Paganism. Paganism, as you mention, is just one of the things that might then fill the gap. I have read, though, that Paganism per se is coming back quite strong in the Baltics and Finland. I can understand there being remnants of it in the U.K., too, and appreciate your views on that very much.
Diss, I think Cassander above gives an excellent and accurate overview of many aspects of the current European psyche. Living here, I would say that our mentality at present is a mix of blissful ignorance concerning the harsh incoming realities about to hit us, and living off past capital and glories. Sure, we get annoyed about the same Woke rubbish as Americans, and chunter on about Ukraine, etc. However, these unfortunate issues don't seem to impinge too much upon our cocooned "here and now" lifestyles. Despite some fraying around the edges of the European continent - things are bleaker in Spain and Greece, for example - life seems pretty much as it has done for a long time. As for religious belief, I don't think there is a strong and active drive for atheism (outside of the EU and WEF); it's more that Europeans no longer have the mental energy for such higher things as religion, critical thinking or philosophy. We're essentially a very tired and dissipated people. We're H G Wells's Eloi. We've heard those nasty rumours about the Morlochs, but have never actually seen any.
Thanks very much for your thoughts, Steg. Cassander's comments are very interesting and informative, as well.
From what you say I believe there is similarity between the general public in Europe and the U.S. It seems that most of us in both places (intentionally or not) devote most of our time to the rigors of work and family and do not have either the energy or the time to spend learning about or participating in politics (either local, national, or geopolitical) unless it impinges in some way on our normal daily existence.
I am surprised that you see the same lack of critical thought in Europe as we have here in the U.S. The shame of it is, at least in the U.S., is that our government was set up to work only if there is an educated, informed, engaged, politically active populace. I believe that on one level our politicians know this and know they can manipulate us through the media by brainwashing us, keeping us in the dark as to the truth, and bombarding us with new problems to deal with. So they present us with continual diversions from their own perfidy.
I hope we don't wake up one morning in the West and find that everything is crashing to the ground around us in our "blissful ignorance," with most people having no idea why or what to do next.
Thanks again.
People in the "West", whether in Europe, the US or Australia, all share the modernist mindset. However, I'd argue that the rot is deeper here in Europe than in the US (Australia is gone, baby, gone). Across the pond, there are still large islands of resistance and a lot of ornery folks who won't get with the programme. I don't particularly like that song, "Rich Man North of Richmond" as music, but a phenomenon like that would almost never happen over here. People are too complacent and tired. As for governmental systems only working if the population is educated and informed, that is just as true here as anywhere else. Here in Switzerland, we have the unique privilege of being able to vote on EVERY serious issue facing the country. Yet what happens? We vote to keep draconian and useless Covid laws on the books until 2032, for something called "gay marriage" and stupidities like making cyclists' rights part of our 800 year old constitution. And Switz is one of the saner places in Europe!
"People in the "West", whether in Europe, the US or Australia, all share the modernist mindset. However, I'd argue that the rot is deeper here in Europe than in the US"
Crooke's point.
Yep.
Winter is coming. The pressure that will be brought to bear on the Western European 'democracies' may well be impossible to hold them together without Russian oil and gas. Time is on Putin's/Russia's side, and everyone knows it. The collapse will come quickly but not unexpectedly.
I fear you're right. They predicted the same thing for last winter, but it didn't come off. However, that only means that the time was off.
Heating costs, transportation costs, and food costs will all be rising in Western Europe. And just the other day I read that the Russian military was targeting Ukrainian wheat shipments. Then, just a few days ago the reporting was that Holland was now in a recession which may become a trend.
Cheese prices are stable. That's my main concern dealt with!
It will be interesting to hear if Europe stockpiled any imported LG from the US over the summer.
I've got an axe and some wooden furniture, so no worries here.
People don’t want to freeze to death to please the WEF elites. The jig is up on that scam.
Yep. As has been said before, Russia always has escalatory dominance. On all fronts.
Are the conditions listed by @med146 official or backed by any substance? I would really like to see the corresponding statement from the Russian government if so.
No--not a recent statement. What they are backed by--in several of the listed items--is the draft treaties that Putin presented to the West in December, 2021. That includes the pullback of NATO to their 1990 positions.
OK, thanks for the clarification, Mark. I will take these conditions as "floating" then.
Actually, the only condition that wasn't in the draft treaties was the part about the Nordstream sabotage--and that hadn't happened at the time the treaties were presented.
I'm looking forward to seeing Nuland and Milley in their diving suits for that one.
Talk about making waves!…
Tsunamis!
Excellent summary, Pat. If I wanted to destroy the US, I wouldn't have done anything differently from the neocons since 1991.
Yep. We never showed any intent in causing WW3, so let bygones be bygones. :)