The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and a decade of misery followed. Then along came Putin and he needed 2 decades to rebuild Russia from the ashes. This could not have happened without the decade of misery. It had to get bad enough and become existential before the average Russian could be motivated to accept the necessary changes. The same is now true for both the US and Europe. We have to hit a hard bottom that lasts for years before meaningful change can occur. This used to be known as the "business cycle." The dollar's status as the world's reserve currency allowed politicians to endlessly spend beyond our means thereby postponing these corrections. Those chickens are now coming home to roost, and the longer it takes to crash, the lower and longer the bottom will be. Putin knows this better than anyone having lived it in the first person. Trump will continue to bluff until called. That is what happened in Turkey on Thursday. Bluff called.
agreed and can only add - whether you like him or not - certainly he is subject to criticism - Putin is simply amazing and incredible - what he has accomplished astounding - absolutely astounding - and that is why he is so beloved in his Country and respected for the most part worldwide - US EU only disrespect him because they are afraid of his accomplishments past and future.
"In other words, Anglo-Zionist hegemony is a protection racket. Pure and simple."
Thanks Mark appreciated - I just use that quote direct and to the point - excellent explanation I had not thought about fully or fully appreciated
- Interesting perhaps in the background lingering - What Happens At the Tag Sale
Broad Strokes ---- Russia has > 1 million men military fighting ready to fight and a ton of equipment and tanks and planes and bombs and perhaps more importantly a ton of manufacturing and perhaps more importantly a good part an economy based on the above.
End Game ----- When it is over Russia will have a tremendous task of putting those men back into a non war economy , putting the manufacturing into civil goods not military - Russia will have a Ton of weapons for sale - I imagine they would - and their manufacturing and costs are about 1/10th of the US EU costs - I imagine one business that may Need to stay in business will be weapon manufacturing as the economy just can't take shutting off everything at the same time
Tag Sale ----- These foreign countries have to be seeing that at the end of the UA SMO Russia will be selling stuff - weaponry at say A. 1/6 the cost and - arguably B. weaponry that is battle field tested and C. weaponry perhaps in many cases equal and perhaps in some cases better than US -
- noting ....B. . the battle tested field tested proven performance/reliability is paramount
US converted from Republic to empire. 3/19/2003: "Our old Republic, once the enemy of kings and contemptuous of empires, is now donning the imperial purple, and soon the accolades for Caesar will fill the air, drowning out all protests in a roar of approval. Americans and Iraqis both will line the bombed out boulevards of Baghdad, shouting "Hail Caesar!"
The America we loved is lost, perhaps forever. That is the meaning of this [Iraq] war. The republic that bound its rulers with the chains of the Constitution and freed the rest of us to live in peace is no more....
Can "democracy" take root in the arid soil of the Middle East, forcibly implanted and fertilized with plenty of U.S. tax dollars?...
But [US neocon] their revolution is not directed primarily against foreign tyrants: for even as they put on a great show of "liberating" foreign peoples, they are in the process of enslaving the American people, and destroying the remnants of the Constitution."...March 19, 2003, "Shine, Perishing Republic. Kiss the good old USA good-bye, say hello to the American Empire." Justin Raimondo [1951-2019], AntiWar.com...https://original.antiwar.com/justin/2019/06/25/shine-perishing-republic/
I think Trump recognizes that the status of King Dollar (as the global reserve currency) is required to keep the U.S. solvent at this point. I think he would ultimately like to change that dependency. Sort of like KSA, which I am sure would like to inhabit a multipolar world which will bid for Arabian oil in a competitive environment with no restraints on liquidity. But for them at present the advantages of working within the current Dollar-dominated system and institutions outweigh the advantages of bucking that system. I doubt they have emotional attachments to the Dollar, though :)
How convenient to do that now. So very serious of them. Didn’t think to announce a downgrade during the last administration when the debt really accelerated higher.
Saudi and UAE oil together are only 15% of China's oil imports, less than what they get from Russia. I'd argue that the bilateral trade using currency swaps, and development of non-US-controlled clearing systems, are a much bigger threat to USD dominance (read, it removes the option of weaponising it).
interesting you bring up Zhou. Reading this all I kept thinking of was his last respect and disdain for Saudi Arabia. Plus the way the Saudi's greeted him and kept him at arms length. Lack of strategic critical thinking in that administration has really impacted the current state US faces.
The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and a decade of misery followed. Then along came Putin and he needed 2 decades to rebuild Russia from the ashes. This could not have happened without the decade of misery. It had to get bad enough and become existential before the average Russian could be motivated to accept the necessary changes. The same is now true for both the US and Europe. We have to hit a hard bottom that lasts for years before meaningful change can occur. This used to be known as the "business cycle." The dollar's status as the world's reserve currency allowed politicians to endlessly spend beyond our means thereby postponing these corrections. Those chickens are now coming home to roost, and the longer it takes to crash, the lower and longer the bottom will be. Putin knows this better than anyone having lived it in the first person. Trump will continue to bluff until called. That is what happened in Turkey on Thursday. Bluff called.
I'm afraid you're right.
agreed and can only add - whether you like him or not - certainly he is subject to criticism - Putin is simply amazing and incredible - what he has accomplished astounding - absolutely astounding - and that is why he is so beloved in his Country and respected for the most part worldwide - US EU only disrespect him because they are afraid of his accomplishments past and future.
.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared :
---->>>>>> the United States "must and will leave" the region
"He and the American officials, and American administrations ..
Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/121233987.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
.
"In other words, Anglo-Zionist hegemony is a protection racket. Pure and simple."
Thanks Mark appreciated - I just use that quote direct and to the point - excellent explanation I had not thought about fully or fully appreciated
- Interesting perhaps in the background lingering - What Happens At the Tag Sale
Broad Strokes ---- Russia has > 1 million men military fighting ready to fight and a ton of equipment and tanks and planes and bombs and perhaps more importantly a ton of manufacturing and perhaps more importantly a good part an economy based on the above.
End Game ----- When it is over Russia will have a tremendous task of putting those men back into a non war economy , putting the manufacturing into civil goods not military - Russia will have a Ton of weapons for sale - I imagine they would - and their manufacturing and costs are about 1/10th of the US EU costs - I imagine one business that may Need to stay in business will be weapon manufacturing as the economy just can't take shutting off everything at the same time
Tag Sale ----- These foreign countries have to be seeing that at the end of the UA SMO Russia will be selling stuff - weaponry at say A. 1/6 the cost and - arguably B. weaponry that is battle field tested and C. weaponry perhaps in many cases equal and perhaps in some cases better than US -
- noting ....B. . the battle tested field tested proven performance/reliability is paramount
.
US converted from Republic to empire. 3/19/2003: "Our old Republic, once the enemy of kings and contemptuous of empires, is now donning the imperial purple, and soon the accolades for Caesar will fill the air, drowning out all protests in a roar of approval. Americans and Iraqis both will line the bombed out boulevards of Baghdad, shouting "Hail Caesar!"
The America we loved is lost, perhaps forever. That is the meaning of this [Iraq] war. The republic that bound its rulers with the chains of the Constitution and freed the rest of us to live in peace is no more....
Can "democracy" take root in the arid soil of the Middle East, forcibly implanted and fertilized with plenty of U.S. tax dollars?...
But [US neocon] their revolution is not directed primarily against foreign tyrants: for even as they put on a great show of "liberating" foreign peoples, they are in the process of enslaving the American people, and destroying the remnants of the Constitution."...March 19, 2003, "Shine, Perishing Republic. Kiss the good old USA good-bye, say hello to the American Empire." Justin Raimondo [1951-2019], AntiWar.com...https://original.antiwar.com/justin/2019/06/25/shine-perishing-republic/
I think Trump recognizes that the status of King Dollar (as the global reserve currency) is required to keep the U.S. solvent at this point. I think he would ultimately like to change that dependency. Sort of like KSA, which I am sure would like to inhabit a multipolar world which will bid for Arabian oil in a competitive environment with no restraints on liquidity. But for them at present the advantages of working within the current Dollar-dominated system and institutions outweigh the advantages of bucking that system. I doubt they have emotional attachments to the Dollar, though :)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/16/moodys-downgrades-united-states-credit-rating-on-increase-in-government-debt.html
Moody's joins S&P and Fitch in cutting the US credit rating from Aaa.
"Too late Powell"? How about "Too late Moody's"?
How convenient to do that now. So very serious of them. Didn’t think to announce a downgrade during the last administration when the debt really accelerated higher.
DF: Tapper Defense, “Just didn’t see it!”
Saudi and UAE oil together are only 15% of China's oil imports, less than what they get from Russia. I'd argue that the bilateral trade using currency swaps, and development of non-US-controlled clearing systems, are a much bigger threat to USD dominance (read, it removes the option of weaponising it).
And Biden for whatever reason was an enemy of Saudi Arabia. Biden showed a new administration can negate previous agreements
interesting you bring up Zhou. Reading this all I kept thinking of was his last respect and disdain for Saudi Arabia. Plus the way the Saudi's greeted him and kept him at arms length. Lack of strategic critical thinking in that administration has really impacted the current state US faces.