EST — LARRY ROMANOFF: Ameerika Kodusõda: Finantsilise sõnakuulmatuse sõda

 

Ameerika Kodusõda: Finantsilise sõnakuulmatuse sõda

Autor: Larry Romanoff 

Kõik pole kuld, mis hiilgab

Kuni 1968. aastani oli Ameerika Ühendriikide sõdurite deserteerumise määr Vietnamis madalam kui varasemates sõdades. Aastaks 1969 oli deserteerumise määr aga neljakordistunud. See ei piirdunud Kagu-Aasiaga; deserteerumise määr Ameerika sõdurite seas kasvas kogu maailmas. Lahinguväljal olevate sõdurite jaoks sai allumatusest oluline osa, et vältida kohutavaid vigastusi või surma. Juba 1969. aasta keskel istus kogu 196. kergejalaväebrigaadi kompanii lahinguväljal maha. Samal aastal hiljem keeldus kuulus 1. Air Cavalry Division CBS televisioonis otsesõnu ohtlikul teel edasi liikumast. Järgmise 12 kuu jooksul registreeriti 1. Air Cavalry Division’is 35 lahingust keeldumist. Allikas

 

 

 

 

 

CHRIS HEDGES: The Machinery of Terror

  

The Machinery of Terror

The Trump administration is consolidating the familiar machinery of terror of all authoritarian states. We must resist now. If we wait, it will be too late.

Chris Hedges

Jan 11, 2026

The Missing Link - by Mr. Fish

I have seen the masked goons who terrorize our streets before. I saw them during the “Dirty War” in Argentina, where 30,000 men, women and children were “disappeared” by the military junta. Victims were held in secret prisons, savagely tortured and murdered. To this day, many families do not know the fate of their loved ones.

Full Transcript – The Geopolitics of Peace - Jeffrey Sachs in the European Parliament

EN — LARRY ROMANOFF: If America dissolves . . . (Revisited)

 

 January 31, 2021

 If America dissolves...

By Larry Romanoff  

 

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Russia Showed Its Doom’s Day Weapon In Action

 Russia Showed Its Doom’s Day Weapon In Action

 https://southfront.press/russia-showed-its-dooms-day-weapon-in-action/

 

Illustrative Image

On November 21, the modern warfare entered its new stage. The war between Russia and the West has changed forever. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched their advanced medium-range ballistic missile.

The missile struck the State Factory “Production Union Pivdennyi Machine-Building Plant named after O.M. Makarov”, officially abbreviated as Pivdenmash or Yuzhmash in the city of Dnipro (Dnepropetrovsk). According to local reports, the large industrial facility suffered strategic destruction. All communications and traffic were blocked in the area, a lot of ambulances arrived on the spot. Officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) came to the area. The scale of destruction is likely to be shown by the satellite imagery soon.

The Ukrainian military claimed that Kinzhal missiles were also used in the attack. Another Patriot system was reportedly destroyed on the outskirts of the city before the main blow.

https://s5.cdnstatic.space/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/strike-1.mp4?_=1

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Moscow showed its Doom’s Day weapon in action. The RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile was reportedly launched from the Kapustin Yar test site in Astrakhan Oblast. The flight time to the target located about 800 kilometers away is estimated to be less than 5 minutes. The speed of the combat units at the final stage of the flight was about 5-7 kilometers per second.

The RS-26 Rubezh is a ballistic missile of medium range, which is normally designed to carry nuclear warhead. It was developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering as part of the Avangard program. It was created on the basis of the RS-24 Yars. Information about this mobile missile system, like its rocket, is completely classified.

The RS-26 reportedly has a starting weight of about 40-50 tons and is capable of delivering 4 separate combat units at a distance of 2,000 to 6,000 kilometers. Its warhead is three times larger than the Iskander’s warhead. Accordingly, it is much more powerful.

It has an advanced protection against the missile defense system and reportedly four individual thermonuclear warheads with a capacity of 150-300 kilotons each. No foreign air defense system is reportedly able to intercept it.

 

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The Rubezh missile is aimed at carrying out nuclear strikes but in apparently in today’s attack the combat units were equipped with metal blanks. The published footage drom Dnipro shows the kinetic effect of the use of such ammunition. It is possible that the rocket was equipped with a Avangard-R hypersonic glider.

 

The footage also shows that the launched rocket had 6 combat units with 6 warheads in each. It is possible that the Russian military used its secret RS-27 or Yars missiles of the same type.

 https://s5.cdnstatic.space/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/zakh.mp4?_=3

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Moscow does not officially comment on the strikes but Russian diplomacy played well the media game that Kiev and its Western patrons imposed. LINK After the strikes, the spokeswomen of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mariya Zakharova held a media briefing, during which she had a ‘surprise’ call. Everyone clearly heard that the strikes reported by the media should not be commented. Thus, this was unofficial confirmation of the attack.

Apparently, Moscow warned the NATO countries about the impending strike in advance. That is why there was hysteria in Kiev the day before. Russian revenge was not long to wait but Kyiv and its patrons were surprised by its scale, target and timing.

After today’s strikes, the world will not be the same. Showing its advanced missile systems in action, Russia has demonstrated that it possesses unique missile technologies and is ready to use them effectively. In the event of the transformation of the conflict in Ukraine into a full-scale war with NATO, such complexes can already be used with standard nuclear ammunition.

Moscow responded to the strikes with NATO missiles on Russian territory in a sophisticated manner, giving a clear sign to Western warmongers.  There is no point no point on the European map protected from attacks by such Russian missiles. Today, NATO countries have no ability to intercept them, at least over the territory of Europe.

The exact number of missiles of this type in service with the Russian military is secret. According to open sources, the Russian Federation possesses at least 200 RS-26 Rubezh and PC-24 Yars missiles, which is more than enough to deal series of devastating blows on its enemies.

Russia responded to escalation. Now the ball is in Western court. The further steps are yet to come but it is clear that the provocations, including strikes with Western cruise missiles on Russian critical military, transport and energy infrastructure will be paid at too high price.

 

Paul Craig Roberts: At This Time in the World There Is Only One Important Decision Waiting to be Made

 

At This Time in the World There Is Only One Important Decision Waiting to be Made

October 4, 2024 | Categories: Articles & Columns | Tags: |  Print This Article

 

 

At This Time in the World There Is Only One Important Decision Waiting to be Made

Paul Craig Roberts

Except for the neoconservatives whose agenda it is, I sometimes wonder if I am the only other person who understands what the Ukraine conflict is about.

In 2007 Washington declared war on Russia without announcing it. Putin provoked Washington’s secret declaration of war when he rejected Washington’s uni-polar hegemony at the Munich Security Conference.

REPORT OF PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBÁN TO CHARLES MICHEL, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL

• 18/07/2024
• SOURCE: CABINET OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Dear President,

Please find below a summary evaluation of my recent discussions with leaders of Ukraine, Russia, China, Türkiye and President Donald J. Trump, as well as a few suggestions for your consideration.

U.S.-Saudi Petrodollar Pact Ends after 50 Years

  

U.S.-Saudi Petrodollar Pact Ends after 50 Years

June 11, 2024 — 11:01 am EDT

Written by Paul Hoffman for TipRanks ->

 

The 50-year-old petrodollar agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia was just allowed to expire. The term “petrodollar” refers to the U.S. dollar’s role as the currency used for crude oil transactions on the world market. This arrangement has its roots in the 1970s when the United States and Saudi Arabia struck a deal shortly after the U.S. went off the gold standard that would go on to have far-reaching consequences for the global economy. In the history of global finance, few agreements have wielded as many benefits as the petrodollar pact did for the U.S. economy.

A Boon to U.S. Bonds

The petrodollar agreement, formalized after the 1973 oil crisis, stipulated that Saudi Arabia would price its oil exports exclusively in U.S. dollars and invest its surplus oil revenues in U.S. Treasury bonds. In return, the U.S. provided military support and protection to the kingdom. This arrangement was a win-win situation for both; the U.S. gained a stable source of oil and a captive market for its debt, while Saudi Arabia secured its economic and overall security. 

Status as the Reserve Currency

Oil being denominated in U.S. dollars alone has significance beyond the categories of oil and finance. By mandating that oil be sold in U.S. dollars (DXY), the agreement elevated the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. This, in turn, has profoundly impacted the U.S. economy. The global demand for dollars to purchase oil has helped to keep the currency strong, making imports relatively cheap for American consumers. Additionally, the influx of foreign capital into U.S. Treasury bonds has supported low interest rates and a robust bond market. 

In his recent book, Bonfire of the Sanities (December 2023), bestselling author and investment manager David Wright argues the strength of the dollar is a key factor behind America’s high standard of living. Wright declares that the reason why people in the U.S. enjoy “as high of a standard of living as we do is because the dollar is strong.” Wright then explains this strength is partly because of faith in our economy “and because energy can’t be bought without U.S. dollars.”

Potential to Disrupt the Global Financial Order

However, the petrodollar’s dominance may be facing its most significant challenge yet. The agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia expired on June 9, 2024. This expiration has far-reaching implications, as it has the potential to disrupt the global financial order. 

The shifting power dynamics in the oil market are a critical factor in this development. The rise of alternative energy sources, such as renewables and natural gas, has reduced the world’s reliance on oil. Furthermore, the emergence of new oil-producing nations, such as Brazil and Canada, has challenged the traditional dominance of the Middle East. 

U.S. Dollar’s Future

The petrodollar’s expiration could weaken the U.S. dollar and, by extension, the U.S. financial markets. If oil were to be priced in a currency other than the dollar, it could lead to a decline in global demand for the greenback. This, in turn, could result in higher inflation, higher interest rates, and a weaker bond market in the United States. 

Key Takeaway – A Significant Shift in Global Power Dynamics

The expiration of the petrodollar agreement represents a significant shift in global power dynamics. It highlights the growing influence of emerging economies and the changing energy landscape. While the full implications of this shift remain to be seen, investors should at least be aware that on a macro level, the global financial order is entering a new era. The U.S. dollar’s dominance is no longer guaranteed.

The Canadian ETF Market, Retail and Institutional Usage of ETFs, Liquidity, Execution, and TradingThe Canadian ETF Market, Retail and Institutional Usage of ETFs, Liquidity, Execution, and Trading

Saudi Arabia ends 50-year petrodollar agreement with U.S.

  Saudi Arabia ends 50-year petrodollar agreement with U.S.

https://obektivno.bg/sauditska-arabiya-slozhi-kraj-na-80-godishnoto-sporazumenie-sas-sasth-za-petrodolara/

PAD

13.06.2024

Author:Objectively

Photo: Pixabay

Significant financial turmoil lies ahead in the financial world as Saudi Arabia has decided not to renew its 50-year petrodollar agreement with the United States. The deal, which expired on Sunday, June 9, was a cornerstone of American global economic dominance, The Business Standard commented.

Signed on June 8, 1974, the treaty included the creation of two joint commissions: one based on economic cooperation and the other on Saudi Arabia's military needs.

U.S. officials at the time expressed optimism that the deal would motivate Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production. They also saw the agreement as a plan to promote economic cooperation between Washington and other Arab countries.

The decision not to renew the contract allows Saudi Arabia to sell oil and other commodities in multiple currencies, including Chinese RMB, euros, yen and yuan, instead of just U.S. dollars.

This latest development marks a major departure from the petrodollar system established in 1972 when the U.S. decoupled its currency from gold, and is expected to accelerate the global move away from the U.S. dollar.

The dominance of the U.S. dollar is waning as Russia and Saudi Arabia consider using the Chinese yuan for oil deals and investors may need to start reconsidering their long-term investment strategies, said the CEO and founder of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory and asset management firms, DeVere Group.

Nigel Green's warning states that the change in the way global oil trade is conducted will have far-reaching consequences for economies and, therefore, for investors around the world.

"One of the most significant results of the three-day summit in April between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was that Putin announced that Russia now supports the use of the Chinese yuan for oil agreements," Green said. This suggests that the world's second-largest economy – China – and Russia are actively intent on reducing the dominance of the US dollar as the basis of the international financial system.

"Separately, Sudanese oil company Aramco plans to supply two Chinese companies with a total of 690,000 barrels per day of crude oil, reinforcing its position as China's largest supplier of crude," Green added. "It was reported that Saudi Arabia is also in talks with Beijing to pay in yuan instead of dollars."

Aramco is one of the largest oil producers in the world and is wholly owned and controlled by the Saudi government.

It seems that the rivals of the United States, led by China, are forming a new large economic bloc. If Saudi Arabia, which has vast oil reserves that are estimated to be the largest in the world, really switches to the yuan, it will bring about a huge change in the global economic system.

Cross-border CBDC transactions

Saudi Arabia has announced its participation in mBridge, a project that is exploring a central bank digital currency platform (CBDC) shared between central and commercial banks from different countries. The platform allows instant cross-border payments and foreign currency transactions.

The project involves more than 26 countries with observer status, including the South African Reserve Bank, which received the green light as a member this month.

The more prominent observers of mBridge are the Bank of Israel, the Bank of Namibia, the Bank of France, the Central Bank of Bahrain, the Central Bank of Egypt, the Central Bank of Jordan, the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of New York, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the World Bank.

The project's steering committee created a personalised governance and legal framework, including a rulebook, tailored to the decentralized nature of the platform.

Evolution of the mBridge project

The mBridge project is the result of an extensive collaboration that began in 2021 between the BIS Innovation Hub, the Bank of Thailand, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Digital Currency Institute of the People's Bank of China, and the Monetary Authority of Hong Kong.

In 2022, a pilot project was carried out with transactions of real value. Since then, the mBridge project team has been exploring whether the prototype platform can evolve to become a minimum viable product (MVP) – a milestone that has already been reached.

mBridge is now inviting private sector companies to propose new solutions and use cases that could help develop the platform and show its full potential.

CHRIS KANTHAN -- NEW WORLD ORDER 2.0 IS INEVITABLE

  

CHRIS  KANTHAN --  NEW WORLD ORDER 2.0 IS INEVITABLE

The attack on Russia is the biggest geopolitical gamble in America’s history. If it succeeds, America will be the indisputable hegemon of the world, leading to a truly one-world government. On the other hand, if it fails, the American Century and the U.S. dollar’s status as the global currency will collapse unceremoniously. We are living through a momentous and dangerous arc of history.

Time is running out for America

Let’s start with the big picture. America’s preeminence is rapidly fading. The US’ share of global GDP is shrinking, and America’s debt is exploding. How long can the US dollar enjoy its “exorbitant privelege”? Max 10-15 years. America’s democracy is also faltering and the country is deeply divided.

Meanwhile, anti-American forces like China, Russia, and Iran are getting stronger. Russia has hypersonic missiles with multiple nuclear warheads that US missile defense systems cannot stop. China’s GDP is whopping $18 trillion now. And if Europe has peaceful relations with Russia (provider of cheap energy) and China (provider of cheap manufactured goods), the so-called Eurasia will have an economy twice as large as the US’. Even vassal states like Saudi Arabia are now starting to rebel, daring to sell oil for Yuan. Thus, something has to be done.

Plan A: Contain China

The US tried to contain and decouple from China during the Trump administration. However, that failed miserably: USA-China trade was whopping $650 billion in 2021. The next option could have been to isolate China by pulling Russia away from China’s orbit. Sort of like what President Eisenhower did when he invited the Soviet leader Khrushchev to the White House in 1959. (In 1972, Nixon did the divide-and-conquer in the other way by allying with China and isolating the USSR).

Plan B: Crush Russia, Strengthen Dollar

Vladimir Danilov -- Washington Unleashes Biological Warfare in Syria

 26.11.2021 Author: Vladimir Danilov

Washington Unleashes Biological Warfare in Syria

Column: Politics

Region: Middle East

Country: Syria

The US crimes in Syria have already been repeatedly reported by the Western media, the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, as well as various international organizations. The airstrikes on Syrian cities, which were carried out by the US and the coalition led by them in violation of international law and had disastrous consequences for civilians, were repeatedly brought to the attention of the international community by Amnesty International. One of its reports in 2018 explicitly claimed that the bombing was carried out blindly and without the necessary precautions, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties in the city.

However, even with the recent US cessation of similar military attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians in Syria, Washington’s crimes in that country have not diminished. Acting as a blatant occupation force, the United States forces illegally present on Syrian soil continue to pillage Syria, removing hydrocarbons from the oil-rich north-eastern provinces of the SAR, causing economic losses to the independent Syrian state and its people.

In addition, SANA has previously repeatedly reported to the world about military trucks carrying wheat moving from Syria to Iraq through the Semalka border crossing on the Iraqi–Syrian border. Special attention was drawn to the fact that the US troops have taken such actions for a long time against the background of a large-scale food crisis caused by the war in the Syrian Arab Republic. As for the guilt of the United States for the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria, SANA provided comprehensive information about the extraction by the US military from the occupied Syrian territory in early 2021 of 38 trucks with stolen Syrian wheat, and then another 18 trucks of grain stolen from grain elevators to neighboring Iraq.

Meanwhile, as SANA reported on November 23, the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform detected dangerous parasites in the wheat seeds supplied by the US as part of “humanitarian aid” through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID, an organization banned in Russia). Syrian authorities examined samples of those Turkish wheat seeds delivered by USAID to farms near the town of Qamishli under the control of the United States and its allies, after which a Syrian official, Saeed Hajji said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in Hasakah Province sent samples of wheat seeds provided by USAID to the laboratories of the Ministry of Agriculture, which found that they were not suitable for cultivation. The seeds contain a large number of parasite worm nematodes, which reached 40%. It poses a significant danger to agriculture in the region, mainly because its effects cause a lot of damage that worsens over time. The official warned farmers not to plant but destroy these seeds, whose destructive effects have been evident over the years. The Al-Hasakah Farmers Union had earlier urged farmers not to grow these seeds as they are unsuitable for agriculture and cause agricultural pests.

This sending of wheat seeds by USAID to Damascus is nothing but an attempt to carry out a biological attack on Syria, which has already suffered from US military operations.

  

Para a História: Os EUA na luta para impedir o controlo comunista de Portugal

abril 26, 2021

• João Santa Rita

---

Melo Antunes manteve canais privados de contacto com Washington e discutiu ajuda militar

Documentos revelam programas clandestinos de apoio a forças anti-comunistas na instablidade após o golpe de Estado de 25 de Abril de 1974.

Os Estados Unidos prepararam um programa de apoio militar clandestino a sectores anti-comunistas do exército e outras forças em Portugal quando este país se encontrava à beira da guerra civil em 1975, na sequência do golpe de Estado de 25 de Abril de 1974, revelam documentos agora tornados públicos pelo Departamento de Estado americano.

Transcrições de reuniões, memorandos e propostas de acção ao mais alto nível do Governo americano tornam claro que o major Melo Antunes, um dos dirigentes da facção moderada das Forças Armadas portuguesas conhecida então por “Grupo dos Nove”, estava ciente do plano, tendo estabelecido um canal de comunicação “privado” com os Estados Unidos pouco antes de 25 de Novembro de 1975, data em que acções armadas eliminaram forças radicais de esquerda ou ligadas ao Partido Comunista.

Um documento indica que ajuda poderá ter sido fornecida através do ministério do interior português. Contudo, não há qualquer indicação que ajuda militar americana tenha sido canalizada para forças anti-comunistas, embora existisse um plano para tal com apoio da Inglaterra e possívelmente França.

O plano de apoio militar é apenas um dos aspectos de um programa de acção, que envolveu apoios directos ou clandestinos por terceiros a partidos políticos, dirigentes sindicais e jornais, muitas vezes através de paises europeus como a Suécia, França e Alemanha, programa esse considerado de grande importância para quebrar o controlo que o Partido Comunista exercia sobre os sindicatos e meios de informação.

Alguns dos nomes que receberam essas ajudas e quantias gastas continuam razurados nos documentos agora tornados públicos.

Um documento sem data do então assistente do presidente Gerald Ford para questões de segurança Brent Scowcroft tem ainda razuradas todas as menções às quantias gastas em programas clandestinos destinados “a apoiar moderados e resistir aos comunistas” e em que se faz uma referência a quantias entregues para “operações laborais”

Os documentos revelam também intensos debates internos sobre os partidos políticos portugueses e conhecidas personalidades politicas e militares portuguesas de então, como o dirigente do Partido Socialista e futuro presidente Mário Soares - relutante em envolver-se com os Estados Unidos e descrito como “desorganizado”– e o General António de Spínola o primeiro presidente após o golpe de estado de 25 de Abril de 1974 e que é tido como inepto e sem futuro pelos dirigentes americanos após fugir do país na sequência de uma tentativa de golpe de direita a 11 de Março de 1975.

As atas de reuniões revelam também uma posição moderadora do embaixador americano Frank Carlucci que se mostra particularmente bem informado sobre a situação em Portugal e que tenta corrigir várias vezes as opiniões do secretário de Estado e conselheiro Nacional de Segurança Henry Kissinger, frustrado com a relutância de países europeus em serem mais agressivos com as autoridades portuguesas e que nutre uma antipatia para com Mário Soares que viria a ter um papel preponderante na consolidação da democracia em Portugal

O alarme em Washington

EN --- LARRY ROMANOFF -- China's 1959 Famine -- January 09, 2021

 

 

China's 1959 Famine

By Larry Romanoff, January 09, 2021

 

ENGLISH  ESPAÑOL NEDERLANDS PORTUGUÊS

 

Most of the world is generally familiar with the fact that China experienced a great famine in 1959-1961. The death tolls published in the West tend to be greatly exaggerated, some reaching 80 million lives or more, but from everything I can learn from the original sources the actual total appears to be about 20 million lives or perhaps a bit more. In discussing the cause, the Western media, columnists, authors, and book publishers casually mention the series of natural disasters, the multiple large typhoons, persistent excessive rainstorms, plant diseases that simultaneously inflicted China, but tend unanimously to focus on and allocate the blame to Mao Zedong. The official Western narrative is that Mao so terrified all his lieutenants that they reported totally fictitious grain harvest volumes so as to avoid possible repercussions, which resulted in Mao misallocating most of the food distribution and therefore now shoulders almost all the blame for those deaths. It's a good story but, as with most history emanating from the West, it's not true.

 

Famine or food shortage?