Confirming that they intend to impose a new round of sanctions on Russia, White House officials are seeking to claim “credit” for Russia’s recent economic woes, bragging that they have put Russia on the brink of an economic collapse.
Russia’s current economic problems center around weakness in the ruble. Russia’s central bank raised interest rates yesterday to try to stave off further inflation, but the weakness continued in today’s trading.
Wilson Center scholar Matthew Rojansky defended the sanctions, saying the logic behind them is to damage the Russian economy so much that it “starts hurting the Russian public’s ability to buy food or heat homes,” forcing Putin to act in the face of the crisis.
Russia’s economy is far from pushing the average citizen to the brink of starvation, however, though a new round of sanctions at this point makes it clear that is indeed the US goal.
During World War Three, Russia had over 21 million of it’s people slaughtered by fascists. And as Empire USA is just as fascist as Hitler’s Germany was fascist, if our Empire thinks that Russia will go down without an all out nuclear war, then as the great historian Howard Zinn would say,
“If you don’t know history, it’s as if you were born yesterday.”
Russia doesn't need to go down. Only Putin needs to go down and why would Russians, particularly young Russians, want to die for the oligarchs who have been robbing them for more than 20 years?
You've clearly an inventive take on what Russia's present state is, who is responsible for what concerning it, and where Russia has come from in the last decade. The largest theft ongoing towards Russia is perpetrated by the USA's belligerence, and ignorant commentators who couldn't tell honest news from flagrant propaganda.
What evil and monstrous nation brags about putting a society into nearly collapsing, and states its intention is to make it hard for its civilians to buy food and heat homes? It's purely psychopathic, and declaring oneself a villain through and through.
Putin has threatened to cut of gas supplies to Ukraine this winter and may well yet do it. Many Americans were gloating that we Europeans would freeze to death if we didn't kowtow to Putin. Putin is simply being paid back in his own coin.
This is wholly not true. Russia's gas relations with Ukraine have always been a business matter, and it is Ukraine's decision to not pay for gas – why would they then receive gas they didn't pay for? If they want to heat their homes, they can buy the gas to do so – there is no sabotage or ill-will in that, and it doesn't parallel to the US attempting to sabotage Russian civillians out of very ill will.
Further, Russia's position as gas supplier to Ukraine isn't an artificial intervention designed to maliciously afflict Ukraine, while the US is directly acting to maliciously afflict Russia.
There is no reason in the US's actions, it is purely evil, vile, malevolent, and psychopathic.
Oh, so this is all about starving the Russian people then. Well, that so kind of the world's most fabulous democracy. At least Rojjchansky is being honest.
Just when you think the psychopaths running the US can't get any lower they prove you wrong.
Although the concept is a wishful thinking, but Santa is not in the mood to to let the Russian people go hungry because uncle Sam says so. Dollar been devaluated for years for two reasons, 1-for dollar to be the only money dictating the international buy and sale market. 2- when a currency is devaluated it means buyers pay less for the goods they buy so is more profit for the buyers. Russian economy is not a offshore banking economy where by one country, or two or even three oligarch or economical institution as U.S. federal reserve with printing power can go under, all that Russian sanction is about dollar losing its money power around the world and the new world economic growing power as Russia, China, South America, South Africa, India and others that are sick and tired of USG in forcing its deceptive and fraudulent economic ideas around the world.
Now, looking at the billions upon billions economic in energy, technology and other deals that Russia has made with China, with South America, South Africa, India and many others, it is not coincidence when Gorbachev says europeans are no longer relevant nor for USG is.
The deals Mojo refers to are all long term. Construction hasn't even begun on the pipelines and they won't be ready until at least 2020 (and given the age-old Russian capacity for managerial bungling, probably not even then). Essentially, Putin is clutching frantically at straws, as, indeed, are his American supporters.
Former Rep. Ron Paul (Tx-R/14&22nd district) said sanctions where an act of war. If so, this is an elective war. Tonights PBS news hour had an economist and a woman parroting the antiRussia Washington DC line. Only 25% of Russia's Gross National Product is related to Oil and Natural Gas, said Eswar Prasad the interviwed international economist .
Maos' China survived greater US animosity. The Russians survived Hitler's invasion. Crimea was Russian in the 18th century. Nixon's great ecomplishment was severing the Soviets from China. Who is asking the what-ifs? What if you do harden the Russian position? What if Russia decides to properly invade the Donbas region in Ukraine? What if they don't play ball in Assad's Syria and Iran and reverse positions. To paraphrase Scott Horton: "You know things are bad when Henry Kissinger is the dove and no one is listening"'.
I suspect that low oil prices are the most serious problem for Russian trade. But they are also the most serious problem for domestic shale oil producers. Are we looking at the impact of foreign policy or the impact of monopolistic market manipulation?
Russia produces stuff other than minerals and crops. The US economy is also a large oil producer.
Yes, Russia produces diamonds, aluminum, and steel. Precious little food.
Well, that's what its all about in the U.S. anymore: obedience. From leaders of other countries, to the average citizen on the streets, we must all obey the almighty state!
Oboomer brags about 'starving' the Russian people,
while a woman in Philadelphia, PA is arrested for
(stealing) 5 eggs from a supermarket in order to
feed her hungry children.
This man is a complete joke
The German economy was crushed by hyper inflation after WW1. Look how well that turned out.
The general air of dismay in the comments suggests that most people see that sanctions are working.
Economic embargoes, or "sanctions," disrupt normal business agreements, which actions harm both parties to the agreements. The United States of Amnesia — or at least its oligarchic "government" — supposes that because America doesn't do that much business with Russia, that therefore it can bully its vassal proxies in Europe and Japan – who actually have business relations with Russia — to suffer so that America can pursue with impunity its ideological aggression against Russia. To the extent that such economic aggression "works" ti will only alienate America from its vassal proxies who lose their own business prospects with Russia while the Russians simply redirect their business to other, more dependable trading partners. For an example of rational policy, see the many and huge agreements recently signed by Russia with China, Turkey, India, et cetera. And as for Russian competence in pulling off large-scale engineering projects, their North Stream pipeline into Germany has worked exceedingly well for both Germany and Russia. Similar large-scale projects will do as well.
The Russians under the competent leadership of Vladimir Putin have proceeded patiently in pursuit of their long-term national interests while the United States of Amnesia careens recklessly from one enormous leveraged-debt bubble to another. Short-term panic among the stock -speculating vultures may seem like a "working" policy to some Americans, but it reeks of disaster in the making. Russia will certainly experience some short-term economic problems due to American economic aggression, but Russia will survive, adapt, and continue its recovery from the U.S.-induced "Shock Doctrine" pillaging that occurred in the 1990s and early 2000s. Russia has already seen the worst that American "free market" capitalism and "democracy" has to offer. The pathetically indebted American populace has yet to do so.
I accidentally gave you thumbs down because I thought your post was from Michael Kenny. Sorry.
Isn't that dandy? Regardless of race, creed, color or political persuasion, our Government is committed to inflicting as much pain as possible on the Russkies! Well, every good American knows that the Russkies are bad folks. The only way to deal with bad folks is for good folks to punish them, until they realize that they are bad folks who need to think and behave the way good folks want them to think and behave. None of that "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" crap. None of that "love thy neighbor as thyself" nonsense. Just hit them on the head until they get the message: we are "exceptional" folks who get to make up the rules of the game we choose to play. Like "enhanced interrogation," for example.
Yes, the White House drove Russia to the brink of economic ruin — and thus drove Putin into the arms of Beijing. Putin and Xi make a good partnership: Russia has the military systems technology and China has piles of money with which to bail Russia out.
Hitler said that he wanted to starve the Russian people into submission. It is no stretch to say that Obama is like Hitler.
Putin has cut off all food supplies from Europe and USA. Putin brags his trade war may continue for ten years. Putin and Stalin are good for the Russian people.
As are American warmongers, psychopaths and perverts.
As America is for 40% of their population living below poverty line…
Russians have plenty of food to share with their starving comrades in East Ukraine.
One very important comment:US is so eager to help Ukrainian people but also Ukrainian fascists…
During late ww2 Ukrainian fascists with their leader Bandera committed heinous crimes against Poles living in Wolyn and Eastern Galicia…children were cut in half on the watch of their mothers, people were frown to ovens, mothers were cut to kill their to be born children…such bandits are now in Ukrainian government (20-30%)!