Ineffective

Sanctions are ineffective…

This is not me, vatnik saying it but the manager of Amundi, the largest investment fund in Europe saying it.

From Reuters:

Amundi expects Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 1.5% in 2024 and by 2% in 2025, compared with 0.5% and 1.2% for the euro zone.

“It means that the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia — the major developed countries — are unable to sanction a country effectively,” Amundi’s CIO Vincent Mortier told reporters at a news conference in Paris on the fund manager’s 2024 outlook.

“That’s what it means. We can deplore it, but it’s a reality.”

The impact of the sanctions was visible in terms of asset-freezing for a certain number of people, Mortier said, but not so much on Russia’s imports and exports.

Major emerging economies under the BRICS umbrella (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as well as countries like Turkey and Kazakhstan benefited from the sanctions as Russia managed to move its exports away from Western countries, Mortier said.

“It’s a reality check. In the end, if we take stock of the war in Ukraine: Europe has suffered directly and strongly; for the United States (the impact is) neutral; but Turkey, Central Asia and Asia more generally have benefited,” he said. 

The War in Ukraine Could Have Long Been Over

The above is a transcript from an interview, David Arakhamia, speaker of the Ukrainian parliament gave to the TV channel, 1+1. Here is a translation:

Fighting in Ukraine could have been over in Spring of 2022 if Kiev agreed to neutrality and an unaligned status.

The goal of Russia was to suppress us, so that we accept neutrality, as once Finland did. And so that we give promise that we will never join NATO. First of all I have to mention that we would need to change the constitution for that and we have no trust in the Russian that they will fulfill their end of the bargain.

The decision to fight was also influenced by the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, who said he does not want to sing anything with the Russians and he suggested to the Ukrainians to just fight.

***

Boris Johnson and the servile Ukrainian elite is guilty for the death of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers and the destruction Ukraine has incurred by challenging Russia. If this conflict drags on, there will be nothing left of Ukraine. I hope Boris sleeps well at night when Ukraine is over.

Coping With Russia Winning

Source

Many such statements out there. If Russia wins, the security in Europe will change, they might take the fight further to Central Europe.

The problem is that the Western narrative is that the Russian demands are illegitimate, and therefore Russian victory over the Ukrainians is not acceptable because that would mean seeking compromise with Russia. The Westerners have such a strong sense of superiority that all they demand from Russia is complete capitulation.

Ukraine in particular made any negotiations with Russia illegal. This is why, unless there is a regime change in Ukraine, the fight will last until a complete ruin. The idiots in Central Europe that think Russia ought to be stopped now might as well declare personal Jihad on Putin right now and get their asses to Ukraine and help the war effort.

But I doubt Russia will lose this, this is a matter of national security and therefore of utmost priority, Russia cannot come out of this defeated. I for one am looking forward to Russian victory and humiliation of the West.

Javier Milei

WTF?

This is Karlin’s post…

So, Argentina has elected a new president. He ran on a right wing libertarian platform. He loves Israel, wants to convert to Judaism. He also loves Ukraine, he is a shill for Washington, and will not join the BRICS on 1 January 2024. He will make Israel great again, I am totally certain of this.

That said, he has an interesting right wing economic program that I kinda like. Especially his thinning of the government, where he wants to abolish several ministries. I actually felt bad because I myself am technically an employee of the Ministry of Culture, and I am glad the object I work in belongs to the state and not to some private owner or even the municipality. They would turn it into a Disneyland. But then again, this country has much longer history and richer heritage than Argentina.

Clearly there is no need for a Women’s ministry anywhere in the World. But as I grow older, I do not think statism is all that bad. All the private sector cares about is short term gain. Some projects and industries take long to develop and cost money. I also do not think the ascendancy of a figure like Milei is possible outside basket case economies like Argentina with 140% inflation. This is some Weimar level bullshit.