Dangerous days

Hello this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday June 24^th in the year of our Lord 2022. I will be talking about the end of the unipolar world that has existed since 1991. American Foreign Policy seems to have brought about the rebirth of the cold war as the world is dividing into different camps or choosing sides in this old game of world domination politics. The weapon the U.S. uses in this cold war is economic sanctions. Which tend to weaken the U.S. and strengthen its adversaries.

Dangerous days – result of bad governance

A second title to this Report could be bad governance but I’m trying to be kind, so I gave it the title of the results of bad governance. The Biden Administration just announced that it is sending $1 billion more in weapons to Ukraine for 18 more Howitzers, more long-range missiles for long range rocket systems as well as Harpoon anti-ship missiles. These are weapons whose only purpose can be to strike at Russia’s Black Sea fleet. The Russians seem to be intercepting and destroying much of the shipments as they cross the borders into Ukraine. So less and less are effective.

The weapons shipments need no further Congressional approval since congress has already signed off on $40 billion. Which leaves the choice of weapons with the President or those of his choosing. This brings the total to something like $56 billion and climbing. So the question becomes how much is enough, $60-$70 billion perhaps. It is apparently very expensive to weaken Russia as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told us was the real purpose. So, we play this cold war game as we fight a losing proxy war against Russia in Ukraine while conditions here in America are deteriorating rapidly. I call that bad governance.

Domestic suffering

People are suffering but this American President seems incapable of caring or even noticing. Gas prices above $5 per gallon on average nationwide. The cost of basic food necessities soaring all of which destroys real wages of the American people. Crime rates including murder are also soaring out of control, and all taken together looks very bad. The people see the tens of billions being poured down the ratholes in Ukraine. And they must be wondering what about us.

The Kaliningrad Dispute

Almost daily the administration seems to find new ways of provoking a nuclear confrontation with Russia. The latest is a blockade of materials through Lithuania to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad which is a small sliver of land and people between EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Supplies from Russia come through rail lines and gas pipelines. Lithuania announced that it was banning rail transport of goods subject to EU sanctions which includes coal, metals, construction materials and technology, or about 50% of all goods, but not food according to the Lithuanians.

The Russians demanded an immediate lift of the ban or else. Or else what? The Russian statement reads like this:

If in the near future cargo transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of the territory of the Russian Federation through Lithuania is not restored in full, then Russia reserves the right to take actions to protect its national interests.

The usual diplomatic protests were delivered as well as a statement that the ban was a violation of Lithuania’s international legal obligations. Russia also stated that it considers the action to be “openly hostile.”

Dangerous days from dangerous goals

The action by Lithuania to provoke a nuclear armed country with which it shares a border is a serious matter with potentially dire consequences. The Foreign Minister of Lithuania said they were simply complying with sanctions imposed by the EU, and that they were taken after consultation with the European Commission and under its guidelines. So, they were doing what the EU told them to do and the EU did what Washington told it to do. I can’t help but wonder if Washington is trying to provoke Russia into attacking a NATO country so it could have a kinetic Russia against NATO war.

If that is the goal in all this, then it is a very stupid and very dangerous goal because Washington and the EU have already divided the world into hostile camps. In an admitted attempt to weaken Russia they have made it stronger. The Ruble is currently approximately twice as strong against the dollar as when it all started. The worst of it is that a coalition of nations has united against the interests of the West. China just issued a statement that it supported Russia’s actions in Ukraine. China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Syria, even south Africa and many smaller nations have all joined this coalition.

How the Russian camp grows

Several of the Middle Eastern nations are onboard or teetering on the brink. Qatar just signed one of the world’s largest natural gas deals to sell natural gas to China long term. President Biden went to Qatar and asked for the United States to be considered but they said no Joe, but thanks for coming. The United States has lost its place in the world and has lost the respect of other nations.

Recently President Biden convened the summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, but he did not invite Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. The result of the snub was at least partially responsible for causing the Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, to invite Russian troops and military bases into his country. Reportedly about 230 Russian troops are currently occupying a base on the Pacific coast of that country. So, no more Monroe doctrine and thanks again Joe Biden. Furthermore, Columbia, long a U.S. ally just elected an old narco terrorist and Marxist as president.

China prepares to go to war

On the other side of the world the Chinese are quite openly preparing for war in the area, specifically Taiwan, but also South Korea and even Japan is involved. Just a couple of days ago China sent a large integrated strike package of 29 aircraft into Taiwan air space. Everybody around the world seems to be nuking up right now. The North Koreans are testing nuclear weapons and the Secretary of the U.S. Army recently said it might be necessary to put nukes in South Korea as a deterrent. The South Koreans are reportedly close to a delivery vehicle for the nuclear war head they expect to have within 12 months.

Even economically China is leaning toward Russia and away from the U.S. Chinese oil imports are up 67% this year and reportedly they have amassed a huge amount of unrefined crude. When asked if they would sell the oil to the West, no was their answer. Many Chinese refineries are reportedly offline due to COVID lockdown madness, but that can change anytime they want to change it.

New weapons for even more dangerous days

The Chinese have recently tested a mid-course intercept missile defense system. Why? Probably because they know that the Taiwanese have missiles that could hit deep into China, and they want a defense against them when they decide to invade. The Chinese read the same think tank evaluations that predict the U.S. would not be able to defeat China in a conventional war in the Indo-Pacific region that we in the U.S. read and as a result they are making bold moves because they sense weakness.

In the United States the corporate interests that are heavily involved in China, pressure their congressmen and Senators to tread carefully with China. Their lobbyists tread the halls of congress through their corporate and NGO revolving doors. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, recently bragged about his commitment to China and its 5 million Chinese employees. Essentially, I interpret his statement as Apple is no longer an American Company. Just as the Saudis are trying to buy professional golf, and China has bought professional basketball they use those sports to cover what they do. When they pay athletes multi-millions not many really care about human rights abuses.

India finds its new place

India is the most important player in the Geopolitics of the Pacific region because it is one of the BRICS nations or Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa that are putting together a new G-8 group of nations to compete with the Western financial control of world trade. It is obvious that China is seeking to build a competing new world order. Which way will India go, or which ally will it choose for its future security? They have and are continuing to develop ways to avoid U.S. sanctions and trade outside the dollar system. Russia has been quite successful in demanding payment for its petroleum products in rubles. Which way will India go is the question?

What has been gained by U.S. sanctions against Russia if anything. The bottom line is that the West is much weaker as a result. The global oil market is certainly not cooperating with the sanctions as even the Europeans often ignore them. According to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Russia is earning more money from oil exports than it was before the sanctions began. Russian oil profits are 60% higher than they were last year. The only thing the sanctions seem to be accomplishing is the destruction of the U.S. economy, and the collapse of the Western Order.

An all-time low

Vladimir Putin recently said that relations with the West are at an all time low. That means even worse than the cold war. I don’t remember the U.S. being so openly hostile even when Russia controlled Eastern Europe all the way to Berlin. The St. Petersburg Economic Forum held recently was the site of Putin’s remarks. He said that anti-Russian sanctions have only come back to hurt the people of the EU and the West broadly. Then he pointed out the obvious: soaring gas and food prices, inflation fears, severe supply chain shortages.

He declared an end to the Unipolar world that we know by saying that new powers have arisen with their own economic system and with the right to protect themselves. The entire system of international relations has changed. He estimated the cost of anti-Russian sanctions to the EU alone to be around $400 billion. He said he is still willing to talk to people who understand what’s going to happen. “Russia is entering the coming era as a powerful sovereign country. We will definitely use the enormous new opportunities that time opens up for us.”

American weakness

The U.S., on the other hand, projects nothing but weakness and disarray. I say that because the U.S. has abandoned its own values and other countries are definitely taking notice. The values of the constitution, the family, quiet home life, a safe environment in which to raise a family, even religious values have all been abandoned. Now American diplomats go abroad and talk to other nations about Black Lives Matter, transgender rights, gender bending surgery, men can get pregnant, men can become women just by thinking about it and most of all climate change.

Countries such as those with which the U.S. used to have influence don’t want to hear it anymore. Climate change is a first world luxury and developing countries are not interested in hearing about it. Oh, they will take your money if you offer them $100 million to promote climate change, they will take it and distribute it to their strong men and cartels, but they won’t do it. Even the Philippines, longtime U.S, ally and generally a catholic country, is now more aligned with China.

More dangerous days

In addition, many of these countries have been subject to severe sanctions such as Venezuela and Iran which has had its economy shut down and its scientists and officials killed. These kinds of sanctions often have the opposite effect that was intended. Like strategic bombing, they usually make a determined opponent willing to fight to the death and are counterproductive. Sanctions are the only weapon available and now they have been tried and have failed.

Finally, folks, these are indeed very dangerous days. We flirt with nuclear war as if we have no fear of it happening. The administration has used the COVID insanity and is using the Ukraine War as cover for a Keynesian—Socialist transformation and domination of what used to be American Society which they apparently hope to impose on the whole world. It’s not going to work.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Until next time folks,

This is Darrell Castle.

From castlereport.us, appearing here by permission.