Course set for an economic world war

[Skybird]

US to bully Germany over trade surplus (http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,druck-727970,00.html)

US has lived for too long on borrowed money (http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,druck-727801,00.html)

Germany blasting Bernanke (http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,druck-727457,00.html)

I do not know if the US will get it's way with the EU or singled-out Germany, I tend to not to think so. But I'm sure that they will bite on granite with China.

Amazing how the anglosaxon idea of globalising the economy first damaged their own economies at home and now leads to the direct opposite of what they claimed they always want: from liberalising trade towards a new era of protectionism and currency war.

THE ICF recently proposed to get back to the gold standard. I do not know if that is realistic or achievable, but something like this, a mandatory way to add back a value to money that reflects real values of an economy, would be highly desirable. Right now, they gamble with casino chips only, with toy-money. What is being tried right now, especially by the Fed, is to play the global game in a "god mode" by using the infinite-money cheat. It seems Washington is determined (=desperate?) to relativise the American economic weakness by weakening stronger economies on other continents, instead of solving the immense structural problems of the no longer competitive US economy. Maybe that approach would work if being run from a position of strength, like in the past. But this stronger position is no longer the case. If this strategy of relativisation still can be successfull with resistence from new, stronger players like China, also India and Brazil, remains to be seen. Regarding the longterm perspectives, I doubt it. The other players are sick and tired of worthless bonds and inflationary printed floods of every new US money chips. Recent weeks ironically have seen a massive shift of investory, out of US bonds and the dollar, towards the - Euro. :lol: A move that can easily backfire - I would not invest in either the Euro or the Dollar.

The EU does not seem to profit from the American weakness, though, having lost reputation and weight on the political stage in the recent 1-2 years, as was to be seen on several international meetings and summits were they were no longer be treated as equally important "partners" by China, the US, India.

The bigger the EU became, the weaker it became. What was it that they say about too many cooks and their brews...?

[The Third Man]

Have you seen the Gold quote today? $1,419.50 @ 9:26AM EST.

[AVGWarhawk]

Skybird, the Fed is printing money it can not back. It is a very big problem.

[joegrundman]

There is no nation on earth so dangerous as a nation fully armed and bankrupt at home. -Henry Cabot Lodge


As for your comment on Europe. Well. Get used to this sort of thing. Germany may be a big country, but not compared to the US, and in another 10 years, maybe not compared to China, and in maybe 20 years, not compared to India or Brazil.

Although the failures in the present EU are real and problematic, it is my feeling that unless Europe federalises to some degree (or even just north europe), then the position of the individual European countries will be similar to that of post-renaissance Italian city states. Individually as rich as anywhere else, but always at a disadvantage when the interests of the bigger players became involved.

The world is rationalising into larger units, rather like Europe did in the 19th century, and unless the European nations do the same, then the European nations will be unable to argue for their own vision of how things should develop and will be left merely attaching themselves to the interests of the big players, who by the nature of things are primarily interested in their own perspective.

And in future when Germany's interests, for example, clash with a bigger player, and no other big player can be found to champion Germany's cause, then Germany will lose the debate. Same for other affluent European countries.

[the_tyrant]

You guys know the game Homefront?
the whole world engages in an economic world war, finally north korea comes and kills you all.

[Skybird]

Skybird, the Fed is printing money it can not back. It is a very big problem.
Indeed.

Joey,

I cannot see any attempt to form a federalised superstate inside the EU having a realistic chance for realisation. Europe is not the US. The US was found ion the very basis of non-exist former nationaöl states, and on immigration. In Europe, this is not the case - there are historically grown national characteristics, although bureaucrats and eurocrats hope to establish a EU superstgate nevertheless. But the truth is there is no siuch thing like a single european identity, and there never was. There are many Europes instead, and the best we can make of that is (becasue this dioversity historically also is the reaosn for the former power and developement of Europe), that we can form economic cooperation and the forming of a more or less unified voice in foreign politics. this was in principler what the old EEC was about, and what deGaulle called the cooperation of sovereign fatherlands. Eurocarts try to deny and to delete cultural diversity and local characteristics, and try to supress them by nomatization, yes, they try that. But I cannot see them winnijg the hearts and minds of the different people in the different local regions that way - quite to opposite seems to be the case.

As much as Germany is concerned, I did not wish to compl.ain about the attacks by the US fiannce minister, I just pointed at an actual conflict. But that the Us will and can wijn this conflict, is anything but certain. IMO, they cannot. While Eurppe looses importance, so does the US as well, and it's economic position and it'S disastrous financial situation both are anything but promising. The US will try to get rid of it'S debts by creating inflation, that was to be expected. Whether other big players will allow that withoiut reacting to that - is a completely different story. As I see it, the US must find ways to bring the immense structural handicaps in its economy back into order, and it is not certain that it can acchieve that anymore. Until that is being acchieved, just printing money means the US is digging its own grave.

The US in the past decades has sold away its industria<l competiotveness and potency, and inmcrease its military potency (altough financially not beign able to afford that military). Doing so was not clever.

China, on the other hand, patiently increased it'S soft power and industriua,l pitency, and now has turned towards a.) becoming less dependiong on expertts to the US, and b.) increases it's military potency, within a dimension that - different to the US - it can very well afford by its own financial situation.

The balance is shifting with every single day. And guess who is winning in the long run?! It's already decided.

And the EU: onm social politics and climate poltics it serves as the lörime example to the rest of the world for how not to do things. We have declared bancruptyy over our totally headless social politics of which we implemented too much like the US implemented to little. Our social systems do not serve as an example for countries like India, Indoenesia or China - but as an exmaple of what is to be avoided if the state finances shall remain healthy. Same can be said about climate policies. I do not judge here to what degree they are making sense or not, I just say that we put enormous stress on our economies by implementing more and more cliamte-related policies on them, and that we boost the bureaucracy that is meant to administer (?) them. On the last climate summit, nobody listend to our fantatsic climate agenda that we even cannot fulfill ourselves. Chiona, the US and India bypassed Europe, and later simply informed Europe of what they had decided all alone. Europe was completely marginalised, and was not asked at all. Thy were not even interested in whether the EU representatives agreed or disagreed. :O:

But left and green self-glorious dreamers still tell us that the world will envy us for our superior climate policies and that they will be eager to follow our example. Yeah sure. I certainly will believe that.

But not in this and the coming three lives.

What they instead will do is making hay while the sun is shining and boost their industries while we choose to weaken ours. Again, here I do not judge whether or not climate policies are needed and helpful, or not, or whether the outcome of economic policies will do harm or not not. I just say what will be done by them, while we do the way we do. If it makes ecologic sense, our deeds and their deeds, is something totally different.

[The Third Man]

I know you are trying to be as informative as possible. But that doesn't work. Another angle is in your best interest.

[Happy Times]

I have said many years that the collapse is coming for this Fiat-pyramid scheme.:yeah:

I wish i had had more to invest in gold, silver and property during these years, but one just has to be quick and bold in his moves when the collapse comes.:03: