Voices from Russia

Saturday, 25 April 2015

Russia and Greece… This Move Could Change History’s Course Before Our Very Eyes

00 russia-greece. 25.04.15

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Editor:

This is a rare Western analysis that mentions the Orthodox angle. It’s a good read. I suggest that you read it twice… it’s a good sober wake-me-up to all the shit spouted by Psaki and Harf and seconded on CNN and Fox (and in Reuters and the NY Times). Russia’s day as leader of Eurasia is coming… that’s why Washington is so desperate… it wants to derail it. I don’t think that’s in the cards…

The emphasis is kept as it was in the original post.

BMD

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It’s becoming more clear by the day that Greece has just about reached the end of the road. Several months ago, I wrote that SYRIZA’s election victory in Greece was a game changer for European nations, and the EU project in particular. Then, it seemed to me that it wasn’t just the rhetoric of SYRIZA (especially, of its financial minister, Varoufakis) that was an utterly different strain… but their strategy itself, which indicated that this wasn’t just politics as usual. Whether one agrees with them or not, these folks really mean many of the things they say. Recently, though, the government in Athens was in quite a pinch, cash-wise. In fact, early April’s IMF payment was particularly a narrow escape, as they owed roughly 500 million USD (25.4 billion Roubles. 3.1 billion Renminbi. 31.89 billion INR. 609 million CAD. 639 million AUD. 460 million Euros. 329.3 million UK Pounds) in one lump sum. However, after “borrowing” everything not nailed down (including pension funds), they made that large IMF payment… barely. “Ya see, Watchman? Everyone freaked out over the 9 April IMF payment, but Greece paid its creditors on time, so there’s nothing else to worry about!” Really? You think so? Then, there’s the slightest possibility you’ll wanna take a look at this…

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00 what greece owes and when. 25.04.15

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That, my friend, is what we call, “running the gauntlet!” I mean, good grief! Just when you avert one debt blow, two more colossal blows come from behind! Let’s put it this way… if this ugly line of payments was a four-course meal, then, April’s payments are just the appetizer and salad! May is really the main course, and June is dessert! Now that things are coming to a head, the government in Athens is attempting to put in some capital control measures, to try to centralise the nation’s banking funds. In response, the ECB and Troika are busy putting the final icing on their majestic “Mistake Cake”, as they tighten the screws on collateral rules in Greece. In other words, the end of the line is here, they must make a historic decision, and soon. The Greek banking system is out of funds, and Athens has exhausted all other options within the EU. I guess it’s time for SYRIZA to call it a day, accept whatever horrific terms the Troika draws up for them, and resign themselves to being a provincial outpost of Brussels, right? Wrong!

The Ace Card

Notice that I merely said “all options within the EU”, because there are a growing number of options outside of it. You may remember that 10 weeks ago, I wrote a piece about Greece’s “wild card”, which Brussels was very nervous about. That wild card question was this… What scenarios, agreements, or treaties did Greece and Russia discuss or draw up? Well, we’ve now begun to have some answers to that all-important question, brothers… and they’re game-changers! I’ve always believed that SYRIZA’s hard rhetoric wasn’t just tough talk, but that their confidence stemmed from their preparations they’d been making with Russia for years. This is why the hardline strategy of Brussels and Germany came up so short in the Greek talks, and why DC’s hardline strategy of Russian sanctions failed. The countries of earth now have multiple financing options. The IMF and DC are no longer the only places where they can turn to for solutions! In fact, it is now very likely that Moscow will offer over 5 billion USD (254 billion Roubles. 31 billion Renminbi. 318.9 billion INR. 6.09 billion CAD. 6.39 billion AUD. 4.6 billion Euros. 3.293 billion UK Pounds) worth of advance payments to Greece, in exchange for greenlighting Russian natural gas pipelines through its country!

Why Russia Might Consider the Advance

“Watchman, I don’t get it, why would Russia give Athens a 5 billion USD advance payment? Isn’t that just throwing good money after bad at this point?” Noooooo, friend, it isn’t at all. Let me explain. If they give an advance payment to Greece, Greece will use it to meet the next 2 months’ worth of crucial debt instalments. Whilst Greece’s larger debt problem would still be there, this would still set off a likely chain reaction of events:

  • Firstly, the “Turk Stream” gas pipeline will be a lock.A transit line, which would guarantee Russian energy hegemony and dominance, would keep Europe on the hook to Russian gas, and would ensure constant streams of income from Europe for decades to come.
  • Russia would gain yet another valuable ally within the EU, to counter any future progress on sanctions against it. SYRIZA already gave the EU some difficulty over this issue in their last meeting (likely a shot across the bow). An agreement to veto or block any future aggression against Russia could be part of the agreement.
  • Russia would gain a valuable trade partner, as they import a great deal of agricultural produce from the Peloponnese. Do you think that Greeks, who now trust Moscow more than Brussels, have looked longingly at a membership within a trade bloc like the Eurasian Economic Union? You know they have.

Yes, all this is good, but Russia would get something else even more valuable than all that.  Two months ago, I was the first person (and almost the sole person) to bring up a consideration that no one else considered: the religious consideration. Remember, I predicted that the real hidden danger to Brussels was that Moscow would use the obstinate actions of the Troika to drive a wedge between Catholic Europe and Orthodox Europe. That, my friends, was always, always, the biggest threat… and bless me, if that’s not exactly what’s happened! If Russia extends this advance payment, they’d finally have an influential foothold within the Orthodox Christian community, in a geostrategically important space on the European mainland!

We already know that Greece and Russia have talked about establishing a military base within the Greek islands. For crying out loud, if that wasn’t enough, there’s now even talk of Russia providing Greece with S-300 SAM systems! This is the extent to which Greece distrusts NATO and Brussels. “Watchman, isn’t that going a bit too far? I mean the thought that NATO or Europe would bomb a European country for taking a different approach is beyond the pale!” Brother, tell that to the Orthodox Serbs, whose lands NATO viciously bombed and partitioned during those “peaceful Clinton years!” Believe me, this left a quite a bitter taste within the Orthodox world, and they still hold it against NATO and DC to this day. Greece knows NATO is treacherous and murderous, and both they and Moscow are keen to keep another “Belgrade Bombing” from ever repeating. Putin’s job in all this has been wayyyyyy too easy, as all he’s had to do is sit back, and let the banksters do all his work for him. As of late, he’s become quite active though in stepping and creating a long-term symbiotic relationship with Orthodox countries, and his latest details of this plan takes the cake. Take a look at this:

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00 russian gas projects

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Do you see that brothers? That picture is an inspired move! Putin is doing what I thought he’d do… he’s keeping the proposed line for “Turk Stream” entirely within the Orthodox heartland of Europe for as long as possible. This line would cut through Serbia and Macedonia, and reach all the way up into central Europe, and connect with Russia’s key new strategic partner… Hungary! Amazing. This would reunite Russia and Orthodox Europe in ways that would’ve been unimaginable 20 years ago. All this will increase Eurasia’s foothold in Europe, and diminish DC’s and Brussels’ influence. To think… he can acquire all this and more for a measly investment of 5 billion bucks! It’d be the deal of a lifetime for both Moscow and Athens. No question, Moscow wants to do this, but at this point, it’s really up to Athens. Oh! There’s one more important thing that this 5 billion dollar advance payment would buy both China and Russia… time!

Remember, if Greece refuses to back down, and “defaults within the EU”, a strategy that Varoufakis laid out in disturbingly interesting detail several years ago… then, Europe’s banking system is toast, as it’d trigger credit default swap payouts. When that occurs, the banking system in Europe may have mere weeks left… then, chaos would spread here to the States. In other words, a Grexit spells the likely end of the world monetary system. The question left is… are China and Russia “ready” for this to occur yet? Do they have all the gold reserves they want? Is their alternate SWIFT system ready for primetime? Have they forged the treaties and alliances they want? Have they adequately reduced their exposure to US Dollars? Brothers, I don’t have the answers to these questions, but I bring them up, because if the BRICS aren’t yet ready for the Reset to occur, every month they can buy for a few billion dollars is invaluable to them.

Conclusion

The growing “pivot to Russia” is becoming a stronger reality each day. The geniuses in Brussels dreamed of establishing a political union atop a monetary one (the latter established as a honey trap to establish the former). They dreamed of a “United States of Europe”, and overran the wills of sovereign peoples in several nations to bring it this far. However, the arrogant manner in which the Troika dictated to Greece ensured that the battle for Greek hearts and minds was lost. There were never any good options for Brussels here, but refusing to budge even the slightest bit on Greek debt amounts and repayments was the worst move they could have possibly made. These blunders aren’t just big, they’re history-altering.

The scenario I predicted of a growing influence of Moscow within the European Orthodox world is really taking off. Why wouldn’t it though? Europe has been cruel to the Orthodox world for decades. From the NATO bombing and partitioning of Serbia, to Cypriot bail-ins, to hardliner austerity in Greece, to threats and pressure on Bulgaria to kill off South Stream… everything the West has done drives the entire Orthodox world back into Russia’s arms… and more importantly… it’s brought the great Eurasian dream one step closer to its eventual reality. The Brussels line, of “Pay us or get out”… has failed. 

Everyone in DC and the EU continues to act as if they’re the only game in town. Not only are they not the only game in town, but they’re the lamest game in town. Brussels continues to offer the Greeks humiliation, austerity, and hopelessness. Whereas Moscow is offering trade, military treaties, gas transit income, and gas price reductions. Guess which one is winning? They forced Greece to cough up or auction off vast amounts of its cultural treasures and assets. They’re on the cusp of making a historic turning toward parts East. When and if they do… every Orthodox nation will follow their lead. Brussels has everything to lose, whereas Athens has already lost everything. Whether Greece defaults or leaves the EU, every scenario will now benefit the BRICS and Eurasia, and hurt Europe’s banksters. For 5 years, the Troika bled every drop they could from Greece. That process was self-defeating, and now Greece’s cash reserves have gone stone-dry. Yet, remarkably, the Troika continues to want more blood! Someone shoulda reminded the banksters… you can’t get blood from a stone.

22 April 2015

The Wealth Watchman

http://thewealthwatchman.com/were-watching-history-change-course-before-our-very-eyes/

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Sunday, 15 February 2015

“Grexit” Could Cause EU Collapse

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo. Euroised Greece. 2012

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American economist Barry Eichengreen warned that the consequences of a Greek exit from the Eurozone could be devastating, and that the governments of the monetary union are taking the possible repercussions too lightly. In an interview with Die Welt am Sonntag, Eichengreen, UC Berkeley Professor of Economics, said that the consequences “would spread to other countries. When a Portuguese family or Spanish businessperson sees that Euros have been converted into drachmas, they’ll take their money out of their accounts. That could lead to a run on the banks”. Eichengreen continued that this scenario would snowball, “investors would speculate on the next candidate to leave the Eurozone”, thus endangering the entire Euro project. He also thinks that financial markets are also guilty of miscalculation, with share prices giving an overly positive picture. “My experience as an economic historian has taught me that markets always look relaxed, until suddenly… they aren’t. From the banking crisis of 2008 to the emerging markets crises of the 1990s, anybody can take their favourite financial crisis and discover that markets are really not a good crisis indicator. In the run-up to the crash, the players were always too relaxed for too long, and then later fell into a complete panic”. Eichengreen believed that the new Greek government should be given more time, “They should be given some breathing space, which is also in the interests of their creditors. I’d be in favour of tying interest payments on the borrowing to economic growth. Only when the Greek economy grows, should the country pay interest, otherwise the payments will simply be deferred. The Euro is of great symbolic and geostrategic worth for Europe”. He added that such an eventuality on the economic front would also have consequences for the West in terms of the European geostrategic situation. He observed, “The West hardly wants Russia to be able to position itself as a saviour, and become involved”, adding that this would have “dramatic consequences” for NATO.

15 February 2015

Sputnik International

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150215/1018299307.html

Monday, 5 January 2015

Die Linke Slams Merkel Government… Accuses It of Blackmailing Greece

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo. Greece's Golgotha. 2012

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Bernd Riexinger, co-leader of Die Linke, accused the Merkel government of blackmailing Athens and of deliberate attempts to destabilise the situation in Greece. His comments followed an article in Der Spiegel stating that Bundeskanzlerin Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble no longer ruled out the possibility crisis-stricken Greece might leave the Eurozone. Riexinger said in an interview to Handelsblatt-online, “With this lack of tact, the government may set off a bomb that may aggravate the crisis in Greece. This kind of open blackmail destabilises the situation in the run-up to elections”. He argued that such media releases might trigger massive withdrawal of cash by retail clients form bank accounts. Riexinger said, “That’s organised irresponsibility”. Der Spiegel quoted government sources as saying that the German authorities believed that Athens’ withdrawal from the Eurozone would be almost inevitable if Greece halted the policy of austerity and public spending cuts after the upcoming 25 January parliamentary election.

5 January 2015

ITAR-TASS

http://itar-tass.com/en/world/770348

Sunday, 31 March 2013

Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus Sez: “We Should Withdraw from the Union”

01a Chrysostomos Kirill 01.11

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Archbishop Chrysostomos Demetriou of Nova Justiniana and all Cyprus said that his country should withdraw from the EU, as the EU would cease to exist in the future, as its coming apart. Vladyki Chrysostomos said in an interview with Pervy Kanal (Первый канал: Channel One), “Currently, the economies of Spain, Portugal, and Italy are in danger. If the Italian economy goes down, just like our economy, the EU won’t withstand it. The people who rule the EU, particularly, those making decisions in the so-called troika, don’t understand many things; that’ll lead to the collapse of the EU. This is why I believe we [Cyprus] should withdraw from the union before the collapse takes place”.

On Monday, the finance ministers of the 17-nation Eurozone agreed to a 10-billion Euro (399 billion Roubles. 12.9 billion USD. 8.5 billion UK Pounds) deal for Cyprus to rescue the island nation and its oversized banking sector from financial collapse. The new deal forces the holders of accounts of over 100,000 Euros (3.99 million Roubles. 128,400 USD. 84,300 UK Pounds) to take losses that could amount to 30 to 40 percent of their deposits. The ministers expect the new deal to yield some 4.2 billion Euros (137.5 billion Roubles. 5.4 billion USD. 3.5 billion UK Pounds) to allow Cyprus, which is currently teetering on the brink of default, to obtain 10 billion Euros in financial aid from the troika of international lenders. The so-called troika of creditors are the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, and the ECB.

31 March 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/world/20130331/180359765/Archbishop-of-Cyprus-Says-His-Country-Should-Quit-EU.html

 

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