Will Putin Wake Up to the Threat of Russia’s Atlanticist Integrationists?

Guest Post by Paul Craig Roberts

Yesterday I reported that Anatoly Chubais, who created the Russian oligarch system during the Yeltsin years, the system in which wealth and capital flowed out of Russia, has fled Russia.  He was a member of the Gang of Three with Latvian Alexei Kudrin and central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina.  They convinced Putin of an economic policy that has severely damaged Russia economically and left her unprepared for Washington’s sanctions.

The Chubais-Kudrin-Nabiullina policy had Russia borrowing from the West for no reason other than to have Russia vulnerable to sanctions. The policy had Russia supporting the currencies of the US and EU to the detriment of the ruble, thus making the Russian currency another vulnerable point of Western attack, and gave away Russian income to foreigners by privatizing Russian assets.  The policy held back Russian economic development.  For reasons I don’t know, Putin trusted these leaders of the pro-Western Atlanticist Integrationists who built dams against Russian economic development.

Continue reading “Will Putin Wake Up to the Threat of Russia’s Atlanticist Integrationists?”

Neocons Demand ‘Crushing’ Sanctions on Russia

Guest Post by Ron Paul

undefined

You can always count on the neocons in Congress to ignore reality, ignore evidence, and ignore common sense in their endless drive to get us involved in another war. Last week, for example, Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-NC), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and others joined up to introduce what Senator Graham called “the sanctions bill from hell,” aimed at applying “crushing” sanctions on Russia.

Senator Graham bragged that the bill would include “everything but the kitchen sink” in its attempt to ratchet up tensions with Russia.

Continue reading “Neocons Demand ‘Crushing’ Sanctions on Russia”

Russian PM: “The U.S. Just Declared Full-Scale Trade War On Russia”

Tyler Durden's picture

Several hours after President Trump officially signed the new Russian sanctions into law – despite his reservations and his statement that while he favors “tough measures to punish and deter aggressive and destabilizing behavior by Iran, North Korea, and Russia, this legislation is significantly flawed” – Russia responded when moments ago Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on his FaceBook page that any hopes of improving Russian relations with the new US administration are dead, that the Trump administration demonstrated complete impotence by transferring executive power to Congress “in the most humiliating manner”, and most notably, that the US just declared a full-scale trade war on Russia.

From Medvedev’s facebook page:

Continue reading “Russian PM: “The U.S. Just Declared Full-Scale Trade War On Russia””

Russian Sanctions – The Start of World War III?

Guest Post by Martin Armstrong

The Russian sanctions being pushed by Congress demonstrate the most unprofessional comprehension of how to manage an economy I have ever seen. These sanctions are effectively economic war and will find that Europe will be forced to side with Russia.

Continue reading “Russian Sanctions – The Start of World War III?”

Russia Retaliates: Orders U.S. To Cut Diplomatic Staff, Seizes Two Compounds

Tyler Durden's picture

Just hours after the Senate overwhelmingly voted to enforce further sanctions against (mostly) Russia, North Korea and Iran, while binding Trump from undoing any measures against Moscow without Congressional approval, in the process infuriating not only the Kremlin but America’s European allies, with Brussels warning repeatedly it will have no choice but to respond in kind, on Friday morning Russia’s Foreign Ministry ordered the United States to cut its diplomatic staff to 455 by Sept. 1 and said it was seizing a dacha compound used as a retreat as well as a warehouse used by US diplomats in retaliation for new U.S. sanctions against Moscow.

Continue reading “Russia Retaliates: Orders U.S. To Cut Diplomatic Staff, Seizes Two Compounds”