Guest Post by Paul Craig Roberts
The New Year is one full of economic, political, and war threats.
Among the economic threats are stock, bond, and real estate markets artificially pumped up by years of central bank money creation and by false reports of full employment. It is an open question whether participants in these markets are aware that underlying reality does not support the asset values. Central banks support stock markets not only with abundant liquidity but also with direct stock purchases. The Japanese central bank is now one of the largest owners of Japanese equities. Central banks, which are supposed to provide economic stability, have created a massive fraud.
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Throughout the Western world politics has degenerated into fraud. No government serves the public’s interest. (See: https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/12/29/eric-zuesse-explains-americas-worst-enemy/ ) Except for some former Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe, European governments have defied the will of the people by admitting vast numbers of refugees from Washington’s wars and others pretending to be refugees. The European governments further imperil their citizens with their support for Washington’s rising aggression toward Russia. The universal failure of democratic politics is leading directly to war.
The Saker explains that Americans with intelligence, honor, courage, and integrity have disappeared from the US national security establishment. In their place are arrogant morons high on hubris who believe: (1) We can buy anybody, (2) Those we cannot buy, we bully, (3) Those we cannot bully, we kill, (4) Nothing can happen to us, we live in total impunity no matter what we do. http://www.unz.com/tsaker/2018-war-or-no-war/
Scott Bennett reports that US soldiers are being propagandized that Russia is an enemy with whom we are headed to war. https://www.facebook.com/capsule.ninetynine.7/videos/1992321041038611/
The Anglo-Zionist empire is trying to overturn the Iranian agreement and to restart the attempt to overthrow the government of Syria. Lebanon’s Hezbollah is also in the empire’s sights. Washington is arming Ukraine in order to enable an attack on the breakaway provinces of Novorussia. Threats against North Korea escalate. Even little Venezuela is threatened with military intervention simply because the country wants to control its own destiny and not be controlled by Washington and the New York banks.
In the opinion of some, Russia’s very cautious diplomacy has increased the likelihood that Washington will miscalculate and give the world a third world war. By not accepting the requests of the breakaway Russian provinces in Ukraine to be reunited with Russia, the Russian government paved the way for Washington to provide the military means for its Ukrainian puppet to attempt to reconquer the provinces. Success would damage Russian prestige and encourage Washington in its aggressive actions. Sooner or later Russia will have to stand and fight.
Russia’s premature declaration of victory in Syria and withdrawal has made it possible for US forces to remain in Syria and attempt to restart the effort to overthrow the Assad government. Russia would have to defend its victory, or by the failure to do so encourage more aggressive actions by Washington.
Hopes have evaporated that President Trump would restore the normalized relations between the nuclear powers that Reagan and Gorbachev made possible. The question for the New Year is when does Washington’s aggression against Russia ignite a hot war.
Your website will be examining these issues as they unfold in 2018. From the perspective of today, it is unlikely that the New Year will be a happy one. Nowhere in the West is there a sign of leadership toward peace and the well-being of humanity.
Friends don’t let friends join the military.
Possibly, it could be total destruction for the Western World, with a double dose of death for all white English speaking people on the planet. Europe has been overrun with immigrants and will not stand and fight anyone. What bothers me the most though is the simple but undeniable fact that our Naval aircraft are showing their age, the F35 is a disaster, and the Russians and Chinese have gotten way ahead of us in aviation assets. Their new sleek, absolutely daunting, fighter aircraft have our F14s,15s,16s, and 18s looking as if they are way back in second place, which is a death sentence in a dogfight. With all the political correctness in the military, the feminism in the ranks, and far too many of our veterans at home looking for handouts instead being the leaders they should be…2018 is going to be tough. thanks
Trump recently approved “lethal aid” aka arms shipments to the stooges in Kiev.
Even Obama didn’t go that far.
The “you always end up with John McCain” foreign policy continues unabated.
The White Horse is risen. Fourth Turning opon us. Red races Black . The Pale abaits. The Cries of Mourners await Gabriel.
It is not too late!
Every new year we read what is essentially the same predictions of total doom that have been recycled from last years predictions of total doom.
Yet we are still here and doing fairly well.
Well that was a downer.
I cannot really argue with any of Mr.Robert’s points. Some are emphasized more than they should but they apply.
I think I’ll just live day at a time and see if dawn breaks the next day in a rainbow of nuclear colors or not. Frankly, I’m getting tired of leaping from one crises to another (or is it sliding) and it seems never to stop..
My biggest bitch is that every time I go to the grocery store down the street, I find that five pounds of sugar has changed to 4 pounds of sugar at exactly the same price or the cost of a qt of mik has gone up another nickel. In the last year, my grocery bill (for two people) has gone up over 40% and we eat less than we used to. Ah – the hidden faces of inflation.
Social Security raise this year is 2% and Medicare went up more than that, so we didn’t even break even there. Inflation is us at least 7% overall in 2017 so in 2018, we’re almost 10% poorer than we were last year. I wish I was one of 1% (Hell – I settle for somewhere in the top 75%)..
Javelin commented “Well that was a downer.” and didn’t even cover it a bit.
muck
Muck,
I’m with you on the food inflation.
As a retired SS recipient, everything goes up except our income.
Hate to sell my PM’s to get a Bitcoin!
Like my buddy Karl Denninger, I like to eat meat and low carbs, and I’m about to challenge Francis Marion on the ‘need vs. want’ for hunting. Lots of deer, pheasants, wild turkey etc. around my ‘hood.
All very tasty.
Hope I’m not being insouciant!