Mike Norman Economics

US sidestepped most important issue — NATO expansion.The Vineyard of the SakerREFEED: Lavrov gives statement following US response to Moscow security demandsThe Sakerhttp://thesaker.is/refeed-lavrov-gives-statement-following-us-response-to-moscow-security-demands/alsoSputnik InternationalRussian Foreign Minister Lavrov Gives Statement on US Response to Moscow Security...

We often hear the allegation that Russian President Vladimir Putin aspires to “re-create the USSR.” That is an absurd allegation. He has been quoted as saying that “anyone who does not regret the breakup of the Soviet Union has no heart; anyone who would wish to recreate it has no brain.” But even if that should be his dream, it would be, practically speaking, totally impossible to bring about.So what is his aim–in general and specifically in regard to Ukraine? Richard Sakwa has published an...

Longish analysis that goes into the details. Here is the summary.SummaryUntil the summer, the EU would likely be able to survive large-scale disruption to Russian gas supplies, based on a combination of increased LNG imports (to the limited extent this is technically possible) and demand-side measures such as industrial gas curtailments. However, this would come at a cost for the EU economy and might even result in some countries (those more exposed to Russian gas and less interconnected...

 This is pretty damning criticism of Boris Johnson: Otto English says he's an incompetent, lazy, good for nothing, barefaced liar, self indulgent, over privileged, self serving, who's only in it for himself, and the end of his political carreer can't come soon enough. [embedded content]https://youtu.be/oY4Uqsx5vAk

People have so bought into monetarism that it has become institutionalized. I consider it a sickness.

What an actual military action in Ukraine would look like based on military analysis rather than political, which is all that appears in the "news." Andrei Martyanov concurs.The Vineyard of the SakerReassessing LDNR military capabilitiesThe Sakerhttps://thesaker.is/reassessing-ldnr-military-capabilities/

A good run down on how the situation in the Ukraine developed. The US is so hawkish. Since WW2 the country has been nearly always at war. Expanding NATO into Eastern Europe was extremely profitable. What’s really happening in Ukraine, and why is NATO expansion a red line for Russia? Most Americans have no sense of the vital political and historical context that created this crisis. It has been completely hidden by major U.S. media, Brian Becker explains on The Socialist Program.[embedded...

Capitalism has been taken over by techno-feudalism says, Yanis Varoufakis, and social democracy died along with it. Amazon has too much control in the marketplace, and the other tech giants know everything about us. The elite have become richer despite covid - or the 2008 crash, which they have paid for as they caused it - but now in many Western countries many people are not getting enough food. This is pure neoliberalism at work, but was it their fault that they were so unlucky and became...

Backgrounder. Pepe sees false flag drawing Russia in as likely, resulting in sanctions. The US plan is to encircle Russia (and China) militarily and bankrupt them economically through imposition of sanctions, starting with Russia. Because this worked so well with Iran? And neither the Russian nor the Chinese military are comparable to Saddam's. So get out the popcorn. This could get interesting. Meanwhile, the four horsemen — war, famine (climate change), pestilence (pandemic), and death —...

Longish backgrounder. Lotsa numbers, too.The Vineyard of the SakerSitrep China: As the competitors start entering the newly constructed Olympics villages the war beat goes onAmarynth and the Here Comes China Newsletter by Godfree Robertshttp://thesaker.is/sitrep-china-as-the-competitors-start-entering-the-newly-constructed-olympics-villages-the-war-beat-goes-on/