“The Financial Jigsaw Part 2: Chapter 1 – The Geopolitical Battlespace” Conflict between The Global North v The Global South sets the scene for future strategies on the road to ‘Protect & Survive’
The pace of change and the simultaneous need for deep structural transformation means that the decade to 2030 represents a critical juncture that, not only obliges society to increase its future-preparedness, but also to proactively shape what comes next.
It requires moving away from old maps and outdated operating models to shape a future that works for all and achieves the goals articulated in the 2030 Agenda. This session explores the role that foresight can play to increase the collective capacity of society to address the transformational challenges ahead.” (Paywall): Speakers (USA)
Peter Schwartz, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Planning, Salesforce. Co-Author: Seven Tomorrows (1982); Energy Futures, Human Values and Lifestyles (1982); Art of the Long View (1991); Inevitable Surprises (2003).
Amy Webb, Professor, Stern School of Business, New York University. She is CEO of the Future Today Institute (FTI), where she pioneered a data-driven, technology-led foresight methodology that reveals the future though trends and scenarios.
Moderated by, Olivier Woeffray, Practice Lead, Strategic Intelligence, World Economic Forum
Depopulation – The WEF says the quiet part OUT LOUD and they creepily laugh about it! Listen carefully and note what Bill Gates says, “If we do a real good job on vaccinations we could get the population down 15-20%”. But I thought that vaccination actually saves lives; sort of a dead giveaway don’t you think?
And I wonder what the Global South thinks about it now that the South African government has been forced by court order to publish their secret Pfizer Vaccine Supply Contract? Jeff Childers has read their 46 pages so you don’t have to: Coffee & Covid 2023
GEOPOLITICS – NEW WORLD ORDER
- Expand BRICS alliance to confront American hegemony head-on
- Counter The Empire’s financial and economic weaponised sanctions
- Promote an alternative to the Empire’s ‘SWIFT’ global fund transfer system which is currently used to impose economic sanctions on Iran, Russia, Belarus, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, and Syria, among others.
- Promotion of autonomy, self-reliance, national sovereignty, and a precept of ‘cooperation’ over Western exploitation – ‘Promotion by Attraction’.
- Integrating BRICS11 with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to counter imperial militarised threats.
Michael Hudson has consistently shown how the US/NATO/EU’s, “strategic error of self-isolation from the rest of the world is so massive, so total, that its effects are the equivalent of a world war.”
Prof. Hudson contends that the proxy war in Ukraine is not only against Russia but also against Europe and, “May be thought of as World War III.” Sanctions against Russia have proved to be a farce, with damaging blowback against European economies (but never mentioned by MSM); continuing western energy imports from Russia; a big recovery in Russian GDP growth since early 2022, and a major Russian programme of import substitution aiming at long term self-sufficiency in goods and services previously bought from the West.
Prof. Michael Hudson studied classical economics in the 1960s: Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Keynes, David Ricardo, and Thomas Robert Malthus. Karl Marx and the socialists of this period were superceded by research much later when Austrian Economics offered a balance against Marx’s ‘free market’ theories.
Hudson was the last economist claiming that industrial capitalism is revolutionary. The function of industrial capitalism, and all of the British political economy, described in the 19th century, was to free markets from landlords, the hereditary landlord class that had inherited the land in England and Europe. The aim was to free economies from predatory banks and apply banking for its real purpose of financing agriculture and industrial production thus freeing economies from monopolies and criminal cartels, but it didn’t work out that way.
Hudson made numerous visits to Washington, the White House and the Treasury. They all said that the way to economic growth is to cut labour wages, cut labour’s living standards, and force governments to sell off their raw materials, resources, and lands to the Industrial-Financial Complex.
The universal message from almost all of Wall Street and academia was that the way to get rich is to financialise the economy. You’ll get rich by going into debt, and using debt to buy houses, real estate, stocks and bonds and increase their prices. And this is how it has been for 70+ years.
Sources
- NATOstan Robots versus the Heavenly Horses of Multipolarity https://strategic-culture.su/news/2023/08/29/natostan-robots-versus-the-heavenly-horses-of-multipolarity/
- The Graveyard of Empires: Fall and Decline of the Western World Order https://internationalman.com/articles/the-graveyard-of-empires-the-top-investments-as-the-world-order-collapses/
- Demystifying Economics, June 30 2023 https://michael-hudson.com/2023/07/global-economic-history-in-2-5-hours/
- Sergey Naryshkin: “the many wars and conflicts that were triggered in Europe involving Russia against its interests can often be traced back to London” https://tass.com/politics/1670615
- Central Asia is the prime battlespace https://www.unz.com/pescobar/central-asia-is-the-prime-battlefield-in-the-new-great-game/?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=pescobar
- Russia’s Import Substitution Programme. Sanctions Backfire https://www.globalresearch.ca/west-sanctions-hypocrisy-russia-import-substitution-programme-sanctions-backfire/5831369
GEOPOLITICS – THE HEARTLAND
According to the Mackinder-designed geopolitical game conceived by Britain in 1904, ‘The Heartland’ is the proverbial, “Pivot of History.” Its historical role is as relevant now as it was centuries ago and is a key driver of emerging multipolarity. Thus all major powers are working in the Heartland/Central Eurasia: China, Russia, US, EU, India, Iran, Türkiye, and to a lesser extent Japan.
Four out of five Central Asian ‘stans’ are full members of the ‘Shanghai Cooperation Organization’ (SCO): Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Others, such as Kazakhstan, may soon become members of BRICS+. The geopolitical challenge for influence across the Heartland pits US/NATO against Russia and China on all aspects of political, economic, and financial fronts.
The Imperial modus operandi imposes sanctions, military threats and ultimatums. Only four months ago, US emissaries from the State Department, Treasury, and Office of Foreign Affairs Control (OFAC) toured The Heartland bearing a whole package of ‘gifts’; (aka, blatant or thinly disguised threats.)
The primary message was: “if you help, or even trade with Russia in any way, you will be economically sanctioned” by the weaponised dollar – a blatant act of an imperial bully. Informal conversations with businesses in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, Bukhara, and contacts in Kazakhstan reveal a pattern: Everyone seems to be aware that the Americans will go no-holds-barred to secure the Heartland/Central Asia at gunpoint.
But there is another Heartland emerging in Africa. Millions across the West Africa Sahel region and around the world have loudly objected to the imperialist-instigated threats against the newly installed ‘National Council for the Defence of the Homeland’ (CNSP) in the Nigerien government.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) continues to threaten an invasion in order to re-impose a western-allied leader but being pressured from below to pursue a diplomatic resolution. In Niger thousands of young people were in Niamey’s main stadium to sign up as volunteers and defend the uranium-rich state in the event of a hostile invasion. Geopolitical hotspots are emerging across the globe as the birth-pangs of a New World Order intensify.
DESPATCHES FROM THE FRONTLINE – SELF-RELIANCE
CHS describes the logic far better than me; this is his excellent article, lightly edited and Anglicised. “The decay of social norms and status quo systems, triggering an authoritarian tightening of the screws, is a well-worn pattern throughout human history.” What does CHS mean by, “Neither ‘Comply nor Resist’?” Society functions by ‘voluntary compliance’ within a spectrum of social norms – what’s socially acceptable or unacceptable – some of which are institutionalised into legally defined rules that impose judicial consequences on those who break the rules.
Society breaks down when a set of social norms, the institutionalised judiciary or cultural norms, lose the voluntary compliance of the vast majority. This dynamic is illustrated by the current ULEZ scheme in London where a vigilante group, ‘The Blade Runners’, are destroying the ULEZ cameras in short order.
Observe what happens when ‘petty’ crimes have no enforcement consequences, crime soars and social norms of politeness break down where primitivism begets violence.
There is also a spectrum of personal responsibility and choice from obedience to active resistance. This spectrum applies to both laws and regulations and to cultural norms.
Obeying laws and regulations avoids trouble and maintains social order. When the ruling elites in any political system feel threatened, they respond by becoming more authoritarian. They will tighten the screws on their minions, increasing dystopian controls, as they become hyper-vigilant about hammering down any nail that pops up as a threat.
In quick succession laws requiring everyone to wear their underwear on the outside of their clothing (an egregious Woody Allen reference) become the norm. Complex regulations grow like Topsy when they become indecipherable. Penalties for perceived ‘law-breaking’ quickly become more intense and oppressive.
Laws and regulations tend to be enforced asymmetrically along political lines. In the late 1960s a high percentage of policemen were to be found on the streets of Britain, interacting with the public offering succour and comfort. In those days Policing was a Service rather than the militarised 21st century ‘Police Force’ modelled on the UN global unified model.
As authoritarian-political pressures mount, agencies tasked with enforcing laws end up breaking their own laws in a sycophantic misplaced belief of supporting ‘law & order’. These have been illustrated time and again as politicians are caught breaking every law in the book. This becomes, ‘The Breaking of the Social Contract’ and America’s ‘Deep State Mafia’ is a case-study of authorities and institutions gone rogue. The social contract has been broken by the State, says Neil Oliver:
“Render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s” makes excellent sense as authoritarianism increases. Obeying egalitarian laws is an implied civic duty and a strategy for avoiding needless trouble. However when the laws become overtly oppressive, and contrary to natural justice ‘Common Law’, a proportion of the general public will always resist. Anthony Wedgwood Benn was clear in 1981 when he asserted that, “Conscience is above the law.”
Active resistance is precisely what the system will crush. If conscience demands resistance, be aware that the system loves open resistance because it saves them the hassle of identifying troublemakers. If it’s a matter of conscience, then be prepared to turn yourself in to start your prison sentence. This is what it takes especially for ‘political crimes’, (crimes against the state, not against individuals.)
The system incentivises compliance but it’s not legally binding. There’s no law requiring people to borrow vast sums to attend college, or take out a crushing mortgage to own a house; these are social norms to which we are “encouraged” or pressured to conform. Neither Comply nor Resist is non-compliance and non-resistance. (NVA) are paths to personal freedom and responsibility that have no legal consequences.
Those who don’t offer a threat to authorities and “render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s” aren’t going to attract a lot of official attention. Fading into the dull-grey background of millions of others with similar profiles is a practical strategy as social norms crumble and an authoritarian response increases accordingly.
It’s called ‘opting out’, or ‘off-grid’ and it’s been a successful strategy since the waning days of the Western Roman Empire. Don’t want to pay high taxes? Then need less so you can make less money; low income equals low taxes. Start a self-employment enterprise that enables you to legally reduce your net income by expensing legitimate costs; the fewer things you need, the easier life gets. The healthier you are, the easier life gets. The more you produce and the less you consume, the easier life gets. This is the ‘less is more’ mantra so often missing in those who have fallen under the spell of GloboCap’s consumerism.
Decaying social norms and systems are more prone to fail if things that were once reliable are no longer reliable or predictable; life becomes far from relaxed. The more Self-Reliant we are the lower our exposure to risk and the downside of system decline and decay.
The decline of social norms and status quo systems triggering an authoritarian hammer has been a well-worn pattern throughout history. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that we are living this dynamic in real time. We don’t control the decay or authoritarian hammer, but we do control our response to it.
SOUTH AFRICA MONITOR
“It’s a reflection on the fascinating diversity of this country, not only in the identities of its people but in the landscapes, wildlife, cultures, and activities it offers. South Africa is a country which, because of its variety, can be all things to all people, truly a rainbow of varied opportunities and experiences.”
This is what Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said about Community Schemes, including housing complexes, retirement housing schemes, and housing cooperatives:
“Community schemes are growing at a rapid rate because of the growth of the middle class, migration and rapid urbanisation. As people flock to urban centres in search of economic opportunities, there is an urgent need for spaces to live in. The scarcity of land in urban centres, security concerns and the convenience of community schemes have made them an attractive option for many middle-class people.
Issues and conflict will be greatly reduced as people accept that living together means embracing diversity and not forcing people to adopt their preferred way of living. Embracing cultural and religious diversity has to be made a necessary element of the good governance of community schemes”
Skilled people are are coming back to South Africa, including South Africans themselves, but you will never hear about it on MSM. And don’t get hooked on the power failure narrative – SA and Eskom breathed a sigh of relief as China comes to the rescue.
Anyway, being off-grid is yet another example of self-reliance. In my day we only had electricity for lighting, and when my parents ran out of cash for the meter, we had oil lamps and candles. As a child I often went to bed with a candle. Post-war Austerity in Britain: What a Life! – 1949; Welcome to ‘Broken Britain’:
The advantage of living in a country with little or no social security is obvious to me: it breeds self-reliance, enterprise and innovation. It avoids soul-crushing dependence on the state, depression, fear, and mental illness that I see around me every day, even deep in rural SW England.
Of course, it’s what the sick psychopaths ruling Britain want; a weak, dependent and subservient populace who will go to any lengths for a free lunch. When Digital IDs and CBDCs arrive I wager that at least 80% will meekly accept the bribe of UBI and will happily enter the Banksters’ digital prison, already being prepared for them.
FINALLY – Jesus gave us guidance about these things saying you cannot serve two masters, “You cannot slave for God and for Riches, “On this account I say to you stop being anxious about your lives as to what you will eat or what you will drink”…”Observe intently the birds of heaven; they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?”
“For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. So never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.” [Matthew 6: 25-34].
Eckhart Tolle calls this, “The Power of Now”. Make a journey into ‘The Power of Now’, leaving the analytical mind and its false-created self, the ego, behind. Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart Tolle offers simple language and a question and answer format showing how to silence thoughts and create a liberated life.
“Surrender to the present moment, where problems do not exist”. It is here we find joy, embracing our true selves and discovering that we are already complete and perfect. If we are able to be fully present and take each step in the ‘NOW’ we will be opening ourselves to the transforming experience of ‘The Power of Now’.
REFERENCE – My Books: “The Financial Jigsaw” Parts 1 & 2 Scroll: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358117070_THE_FINANCIAL_JIGSAW_-_PART_1_-_4th_Edition_2020 including regular updates.
Excellent content…………. Free of systematic bindings ……………
That was an interesting article.
One does not really know what is going on in the world in places such as South Africa.
I wonder just how much of this is happening all over yet never reported.
https://southfront.press/shocking-footage-shows-recent-operations-by-russian-recon-groups-behind-ukrainian-lines-18/
So much is not reported Ginger that most are befuddled beyond any measure. In extremis we always return to the safety of the cave – I guess it’s a reaction borne of history?
Thank you Peter, I always look forward to your writings.
A country with little or no social security sounds great, but I must admit, I thought South Africa was a place to be feared. Now I see it different.
Some of my friends think I am foolish, as I have told them I will not be signing up for Medicare. Although it is still a couple years off.
We are producing more of our food every year, will be butchering a pig and a heifer as soon as it gets cold enough.
We can most of our meat now, as I don’t trust the power grid to keep the freezer going.
All the best to you, Peter.
Many thanks SJ for confirming my own approach to the problem after 50 years and 25 doing what you are doing. Stay safe, keep farming and doing what comes naturally. You have a big country in which to hide & thrive – in UK not so much.
Blessings
AP