The Free World - democratic and freedom of association and choice

 The Americans have been blowing the trumpet of democratic values and freedom in the so called Free World. They touted freedom of choice to choose their political system and leaders, freedom of association, to be friends of who ever they like, freedom to trade, freedom to choose the American version of democracy but nothing else. Only American defined democracy is accepted and allowed to practice.

With the Ukrainian war still ongoing, how many countries still believe in the Free World?  Every American ally and lackey were coerced, pressurised and armtwisted by the Americans to sanction Russia, attack and badmouth Russia against their national interests, setting themselves up as enemy of Russia that they did not have to. Worst, behaving like bandits and robbers, seizing Russian assets and funds, including those belonging to Russian citizens living in their respective countries. Such outrageous behaviour and acts were uncalled for, insane and brutish and only inviting trouble, waiting for Russia to hit back.

And these silly countries are not admitting that they have been armtwisted, pressured or coerced by the Americans to behave erratically against commonsense and sensibility. They are behaving like the silly comedian President Zelensky, taunting the Russians to hit back. This is the kind of freedom to be members of the so called Free World, freedom to choose, to act, as directed or armtwisted by the Americans, to do the bidding of the Americans freely but not anything else that the Americans forbid them to do.

The whole of Europe that is highly dependent on cheap Russian oil and gas, would now be forbidden by the Americans to get their supply from Russia. Germany, after spending billions to construct the Nordstream2 oil pipeline has to abandon the whole project and has to seek elsewhere for more expensive oil and gas, very likely from the Americans. This is 'freedom of choice' American style. Now why would the Europeans want to pay for more expensive oil and gas from the Americans? Are they of unsound mind? Don't they have the right to choose what and who they want to do business with under a democratic and open and free system? Do they still believe their freedom shit spread and flocked by the Americans? Or are they still willing to believe in the American fake freedom and fake democracy?

A peaceful and reasonably rich Europe is now pitted against the Russians, their biggest oil and gas supplier, because the Americans told them freely to do so. Europe doesn't want peace, doesn't want cheap oil and gas from Russia?

What democratic freedom is there to talk about when the Americans dictated to them who they can do business with? What freedom is there when they are coerced and fixed by the Americans against their own wishes and interests, to be in confrontation with the Russians and living under the cloud of a nuclear war to extinguish everyone of them when they could live a good and peaceful life, doing good business with the Russians and live happily thereafter?

How many still believe in the American fake freedom and fake democracy and fake human rights, the right to choose how they want to live, who to make friends with, who to do business with?

Europe has woken up from their beautiful dream of democratic freedom to find out that they were subjects of the American Empire, shackled and chained, and have no freedom of choice but to do what the Americans told them to. And Europe is not alone.  All the American allies and lackeys are just as enslaved as the Europeans.

The only free people and countries are those that the Americans claimed to be unfree, living under authoritarian states or dictatorship. These free countries have all the real freedom to choose to be with or not with the Americans. They could exercise their freedom of choice according to their national interests without having to make themselves enemies of the Russians. But of course, their free choice would make the Americans very angry with them for not obeying the Americans. The Americans would not allow them the freedom to choose. It is either with us or against us.  This is not authoritarianism or dictatorship or hegemony.  This is American democratic freedom. Freedom under the dictates of the American Empire.

How free are the countries under the American version of the Free World? And how unfree are those that are outside of the American Free World?

What do you think? Many would still want to hide under the blinkers and keep pretending that they are free countries under the American so called Free and democratic World without wanting to admit that they are in chain and shackled by the Americans. They have no freedom of choice, cannot exercise their democratic right to choose freely.

Sanctions - What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander

 The Washington and Brussels Gang can say anything they want, because they are the ones doing the exact same thing, breaking contracts at their whims and fancies.

Take Huawei for example. What contracts have Huawei made with the USA and all the White countries and in one fell swoop they tear away all those contracts. There were also other contracts made between USA and Chinese tech companies and subsequently binned using one 'Executive Order'. And they still claim such USA companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Intel have no connection to the USA Government? Kidding grandmothers? Oh yes, it is due to security reasons, of which not one shred of evidence or proof has surfaced.

What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander. Not only can Putin demand payments in Rubles, he could even cut off Nord Steam 1, saying that selling oil and gas to the unfriendly EU states are a security threat to Russia. It is in fact a security threat, knowing that Russian oil and gas are being used or helping to manufacture weapons and run tanks which are sent to Ukraine. The proof and connection is irrefutable, unlike the narrative on Huawei, that have yet to be proven.

Putin has already drafted legislation to prevent Western companies disposing of their assets in Russia and moving out the proceeds of such disposals out of Russia. This is as legitimate as the USA and the Western countries freezing the assets of the Russian Central Bank and it's Oligarchs from moving out of the West. The sword can cut both ways. 

Anonymous

The Last Hurrah of Western Global Financial Hegemony

 

The West's moves to exclude Russia from foreign exchange markets and to freeze its foreign exchange reserves may have been seen by policymakers in Brussels, London and Washington D.C. as an appropriate and proportionate tool to punish Russia. But like many decisions driven by geopolitics, these sanctions will have unintended outcomes and derivative impacts.

Not only do they raise profound questions about the financing of trade and the management of foreign exchange reserves, but their scale and severity must be ringing alarm bells in any country not completely aligned with the Western view of the world. And nowhere will the bells be ringing louder than in the corridors of power in Beijing.

China has always held long-term ambitions to reduce its reliance on the dollar and internationalize the yuan, although progress toward this objective has been slower than expected. But the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia have highlighted the dangers it incurs by remaining dependent on its rival's currency and will inject greater urgency to its attempts to reduce this vulnerability.

This is seen in its efforts to convert payments for imported commodities to yuan instead of dollars. Although this has had mixed success in recent years, the news that Saudi Arabia is now considering accepting yuan as payment for some of its oil shipments to China suggests that the impetus to de-dollarize such trade flows is gaining momentum. Importantly, it is not alone in such efforts to switch away from the dollar. India is also apparently exploring whether Russian oil could be purchased using rupees and by means independent of Western financial mechanisms.

Western policymakers have failed to understand the derivative longer-term impacts of their actions. The sanctions were imposed with the self-assured belief that the world's continued reliance on the existing Western financial mechanisms was sacrosanct.

But by sanctioning the world's fourth-largest foreign exchange reserves, they have triggered shock waves that will reverberate around global finance for many years to come, create new risks, instabilities and vulnerabilities, and ultimately reduce the role and influence of Western financial systems.

The U.S., and more broadly, the West, will lose geopolitical influence while China will gain, although the extent of China's gain will depend on its ability to persuade others of the merits of a yuan bloc. The U.S. will lose the substantial economic benefits it derives from having the world's dominant currency. But conversely, some countries will benefit from the emergence of an alternative financial system more closely aligned with their stage of economic development.

Geopolitics will, at some stage, force international corporates operating across multiple financial systems, especially banks, to choose between the dollar framework and a rival yuan system. 

 Anonymous 

Rubles-For-Gas Plan Breaches Contract – Desperate EU Says (The knife cuts both ways)

Leaders from some European Union member states have claimed that Moscow's demand that “unfriendly” countries pay rubles for Russia’s gas could breach supply contracts, Reuters reported .

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that gas contracts with “unfriendly countries” – those responsible for sanctions against Russia – be settled in rubles only. The announcement sent European gas prices soaring, raising concerns of a possible energy crunch in the EU.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday the currency that his country’s companies must pay for Russian fossil fuels is fixed in their contracts. “There are fixed contracts everywhere, with the currency in which the deliveries are to be paid being part of these contracts... in most cases it says euros or dollars,” Scholz said after arriving at the EU summit in Brussels.

Scholz was echoed by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who said “This is basically a breach of contract, this is important to understand.”

“We will not allow our sanctions to be circumvented,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated, noting that “the time when energy could be used to blackmail us is over.”

According to analysts, ruble payments would be possible without breaking EU sanctions, which do not directly hit oil and gas supplies but target banks that could be involved in the transactions.

Russian gas accounts for 40% to 45% of Europe's total consumption. Daily EU gas imports from Russia this year have varied between €200 million to €800 million, according to estimates.

President Putin said that Western sanctions against his country have dealt a large blow to public trust in the two major Western currencies. Putin said that the penalties showed it “makes no sense anymore” to sell Russian goods in the US and the EU while receiving payment in dollars or euros. 

Anonymous

MSM - What is the truth?

 In trying to justify the red dot's unilateral sanctions on Russia, the ST cited a recent survey by Singapore-based research consultancy Blackbox Research.

It says the survey found that over nine in 10 of those polled in Singapore supported or sympathised most closely with Ukraine in the conflict. In comparison, 71% in China supported Ukraine, compared with 91 % in India and 86 % in Australia.

It also says nearly seven in 10 Singaporeans blamed Russia for the crisis, compared with 10 % in China, 60 % in India and 82 % in Australia. Three % in China pointed to the United States as being most to blame, while 54 % said they did not know who was most responsible.

Can believe only 3% in China blamed US ??!! Can believe all the figures cited ??!!

Even my maid also know US and NATO to blame for expanding NATO up to Russia's borders triggering the crisis! 

Anonymous