Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Dilbu »

What are the chances of Turkey joining the party?
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Philip »

Putin withdrawing forces,not heavy arty,etc. from eastern UKR.
Message understood by the UKR/ West and invites UKR boss Zelensky to Moscow for talks.Says not poss. in the eastern UKR because the UKR govt. must separately negotiate with the e.UKR leadership.

Tension reducing.It appears that the Biden- Putin call worked out an agreement to reduce the tensions.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Cain Marko »

Aditya_V wrote:Have the Russians managed to integrate Yakont to their Su 30 SM, that would be a potent weapon rather than just relying on Tu95, Tu22, Tu160s to carry ASHMs for them.
They have the kinzhal on the Mig-31s. And possible the the 300km KH59. And speculatively, the KH-32 (insanity alert) :shock:
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Aditya_V »

The key for Russians I guess to get a Desalination plant working in Crimea, ensuring enough water for the public and for farming on the Crimea, it is only trump card and the Ukranians have been playing it from 2014.

And I think the Ukranians know that Crimea was historically part of Russia but will be keep being pushed by the West to fight for it.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Philip »

The massive Kerch Straits road and rail bridges built at record speed by Putin to establish a direct logistic link with the Crimea and Russia indicates the huge importance being given to the region now back in the bosom of mother Russia. A pipeline from the Ru hinterland supplying water,etc. could also be considered. Desalination is a v.good idea but power reqs. for the plant have to be factored in.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by srikandan »

https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1483759747941679104

Western (USA/UK) portals beating the "war to protect freedom and democracy" in Ukraine --- Putin has enough troops stationed so that US/UK/NATO will not be able to push back the "separatist militants" occupying Crimea. US will not push Russia out of Crimea, not even if it fights until the last Ukrainian, which is their only option.

Germany has disavowed itself from all US actions against Russia as it did not allow US flights to overfly Germany on their way to Ukraine. Article from Swarajya outlines the history. Germany's main gas supplier is Russia, and in EU the US is increasingly seen as a bigger problem for Germany than Russia, if it undermines EU interests while pushing NATO into Russia.

https://swarajyamag.com/world/explained ... ve-with-it
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by kit »

UK has send in more than a thousand (s?) of NGLAW anti-tank missiles to the Ukraine to combat the Russian armour buildup., predictable.

https://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/next-gen ... apon-nlaw/
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by kit »

Dilbu wrote:What are the chances of Turkey joining the party?
Well, if Erdogone fancies himself as a Turkey dinner, he can face off the Russian bear by himself., opportunistic pathogen !
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by chanakyaa »

Waar cries are getting louder..and Ukie's waar president is back from retirement in Spain. Lot of whollywood drama on impending attack by Russ on Ukie, but doubt anyone is stupid. Never know, just like the Georgia war in the middle of Olympics, we could some fireworks in Ukie during Beijing winter Olympics...some interesting times ahead.

Ukraine's ex-president avoids detention in treason case as thousands rally
Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko won a court ruling on Wednesday allowing him to remain at liberty while being investigated for treason in a probe he says was cooked up by allies of his successor, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy....
...
Antony Blinken, meeting Zelenskiy in Kyiv, appealed to Ukrainian leaders to present a united front against Russia. :D
Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions

International flights appear to be avoiding Ukie airspace https://www.flightradar24.com/47.96,31.18/4
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Ambar »

While i don't think Russia can or will try to takeover the entire Ukraine, they may take some part of it temporarily until they can install a puppet government. That said the timing couldnt have been more perfect for Putin if his intentions are to invade Ukraine or atleast teach it a bitter lesson. Oil and gas prices are at a 8 yr high, the world is still grappling with a historic pandemic, US has significantly weakened internally due to its political shenanigans and also has a President who hasn't yet made it clear what his agenda is. Question is if Russia moves in then does NATO, and specifically the US have the stomach to get into a direct confrontation with the Russians to save Ukraine ? Only the beginning of a war can be predicted but not how it ends, i doubt if Europeans or the Americans would want a prolong bloody confrontation with anyone especially when China is looming large. The other bit is Europe's energy security gets directly threatened if Russia is attacked.

While i neither condone nor condemn Russia trying to protect its interests in its backyard , i cannot help but think about the repercussions its actions may have elsewhere. Say Russia goes ahead and invades Ukraine or atleast a part of it and the west does nothing more than sabre rattling , what message does that send China ?
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Pratyush »

kit wrote:
Well, if Erdogone fancies himself as a Turkey dinner, he can face off the Russian bear by himself., opportunistic pathogen !
As long as Turkey is a NATO member, article 5 is an issue.

Besides, with the Anglo-Saxon power's standing staunchly behind Ukraine Turkey, dosent have to worry about getting involved.

Now, i just have to learn about the background of the Crimea war. The situation seems to be quite similar.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by m_saini »

Ambar wrote:.. what message does that send China ?
Ambar saar you answered it yourself here.
i doubt if Europeans or the Americans would want a prolong bloody confrontation with anyone especially when China is looming large. The other bit is Europe's energy security gets directly threatened if Russia is attacked.
China doesn't control Europe's energy needs and Taiwan is way more important than some random sliver of Ukraine. Chinis would be foolish to take their cue from US's response to whatever Russia does.

Infact, a direct military inaction on Ukraine crisis would increase the chances that unkill won't sit quietly the next time around.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Aditya_V »

While we are talking about Russian deployment, there is no talk about Nato deployment,
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by stephen »

So if Russia does invade Ukraine, what are the immediate implications for India? If there is a widespread sanctioning on Russia, the US and Europe will definitely put a stop to India importing further S400 regiments or make it mighty painful to India in terms of restrictions and sanctions too. Russia invading Ukraine will be a boon for China and Pakistan in this case.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by ldev »

stephen wrote:So if Russia does invade Ukraine, what are the immediate implications for India? If there is a widespread sanctioning on Russia, the US and Europe will definitely put a stop to India importing further S400 regiments or make it mighty painful to India in terms of restrictions and sanctions too. Russia invading Ukraine will be a boon for China and Pakistan in this case.
IMO, NATO will not get directly involved in any Russian invasion of Ukraine, major or minor, the ATAGMs being supplied by the Brits etc. will be used by the Ukranians who will be the ones to take casualties. NATO special forces in Ukraine will guide and advise and pull out of country if needed. There will be further sanctions placed on Russia, including on key Russian political figures and there is talk of sanctions on Putin personally, depending on how big the the Russian invasion is, the objective being to make the invasion as costly as possible for Russia, both militarily and economically. Germany which is sitting on the fence right now, will join the Russia sanctions regime if there is an invasion. The German Foreign Minister has said that Nord Stream 2 will be stopped if Russia invades. What that will do to German gas supply and how the Germans will cope is another question.

The Russian invasion, if it happens, is not good from India's perspective as it will put further pressure on India in it's relations with Russia. Reflexively Russia will draw further towards China which is not good for India. At one stage there was extreme talk of cutting off Russia's access to the SWIFT payment system but that has now been watered down to sanctions on Russian banks. Either measure will put further strain on Indian Russian arms purchases. The rouble-rupee settlement system of old can only absorb so much volume given the paltry non arms trade volume between the two countries. Also, what this confrontation has exposed is just how risky India's Russia relations are on the continued presence of Putin. After the fall of the USSR it took about 10 years for India Russia relations to stabilize, at a lower level than traditional India-USSR relations. Even during the short time that Dmitri Medvedev was President, Russia India relations cooled off a bit. And the reason for this is clear. At it's heart Russia wants to be a European power and be accepted by the rest of Europe. It has always striven for that. Even during the early years of Putin's Presidency, and during the Medvedev Presidency, Russia turned westward and it was only after the relations with the West started souring that he turned east towards China and also re-discovered the Indian relationship.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by kit »

Dont diss the Rupee Rouble barters., i think the basket of commodities that can be exchanged has changed quite a bit from the 80s. The system will work for both countries. Also its not just about merchandise., the currencies can be used quite flexibly., India is a major trading nation with complete access to global financial system.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Kakkaji »

kit wrote:Dont diss the Rupee Rouble barters., i think the basket of commodities that can be exchanged has changed quite a bit from the 80s. The system will work for both countries. Also its not just about merchandise., the currencies can be used quite flexibly., India is a major trading nation with complete access to global financial system.
The balance of trade between India and Russia is heavily in Russia's favor. What items can India supply to barter for Russian weapons and oil? If it is shut out of western markets and financial systems, Russia can import all the consumer goods it needs from China bartering them for oil. IMHO The only items India can supply to Russia competitively against China are pharmaceuticals and agricultural commodities like wheat and rice. Not sure if Russia imports much wheat and rice anymore.

Overall, the sanctions against Russia will not be good for India.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by ldev »

Viewed from a narrow perspective, the chart I am posting below belongs to an economics thread. But from the viewpoint of a global military confrontation which destroys supply chains and shakes confidence in the global financial system, it is very relevant. And I am posting it here, although it is relevant in the buildup to any military confrontation, whether in Europe or vs China, which can threaten global supply chains and disrupt the global financial system.

It is posted from the twitter feed of Santiago Capital, a fund manager who specializes in Gold funds and hence could be viewed as biased but it brings into sharp focus as to which currencies are best positioned to retain confidence in the event of a global financial meltdown. Because in the event of panic, there will be a flight from paper currencies to precious metals or to currencies backed by precious metals e.g. gold. The pursuit of financial stability could herald a return to the gold standard. So which currencies are best positioned to be able to back their existing currency in circulation (defined as M0) or currency in circulation plus demand deposits (defined as M1) or currency in circulation plus demand deposits and fixed deposits (M2). For the sake of simplicity I have omitted other items not generally known to the average person such as central bank reserves, money market funds etc. My comments continue below the image.

Image

So based on the current price of gold of approximately $1850 per ounce, it is surprisingly Russia which is in the best position to ensure a fully gold backed rouble. In fact to back 100% of rouble currency currently in circulation via existing gold reserves with the Russian Central Bank, the price of gold need only climb to $2295 per ounce (look at the last table on the chart above to get the comparative figures) which it will easily do within hours or even minutes in the event of a real crisis. In fact the price of gold in such a situation could rise many hundreds of percent and it is quite possible that Russia will be able to cover not only its currency but also bank deposits by it's gold reserves. Not surprisingly as you will see, the extraordinary credit creation in China over the last 10-15 years will destroy the greatest amount of debt in China given it's break even point of almost $600,000 per ounce of gold required to safeguard it's M2 money supply and therefore cause the greatest economic dis-location in that country.

Mods, feel free to move it elsewhere if you deem fit.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by srikandan »

https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/statu ... 8216752132

USA journalists embedded with "ukrainian soldiers". Of course, no warmongering mofos in the USA are responsible for this war. Perish the thought. It is only Putin who is a threat to world peace, you see.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Y. Kanan »

If they truly cut Russia off from SWIFT and impose the devastating sanctions threatened, we may be on the brink of a great rift in human civilization, with two parallel branches of human civilization evolving separately. One branch would include the western-aligned nations, their Asian allies, India, and the other democracies, and the other branch of civilization would be centered around Russia, China and their allies. Two distinct financial systems. Separate space programs and separate, non-cooperating moon colonies, etc. Separate scientific research. Separate academia. Disconnected economies. Virtually no tourism. The rift will only grow over time and the mutual hostility and distrust becomes ingrained. Like the Cold War but more profound in many ways, because we'll be going from globalism to a more divided planet than it was even before globalism.

Kind of depressing.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by m_saini »

Why is it depressing? If it happens, and I don't think it will, I see it as something amazing.

Actually i hope the "rift" widens further and India, China, Russia, Japan, Germany, France etc go their own separate ways with each forming a separate branch.

Why should a single country hold power over everyone else in the name of "academia, economy & tourism"? If we are to have true "globalism" then let's have it on equal terms and not under the threats of SWIFT sanctions or CAATSA sanctions or Iraqi WMD sanctions.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by srikandan »

A reminder that the USA started its "color revolution" in Ukraine and is the initiator of the current crisis where Russia is being made the villain, because it is defending its borders. Russia-backed Yanukovich was displaced by US-backed Poroshenko by that colour revolution, and poroshenko has been recently beenreinstated as grand poobah of Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/statu ... Wss5opAAAA
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Aditya_V »

m_saini wrote:Why is it depressing? If it happens, and I don't think it will, I see it as something amazing.

Actually i hope the "rift" widens further and India, China, Russia, Japan, Germany, France etc go their own separate ways with each forming a separate branch.

Why should a single country hold power over everyone else in the name of "academia, economy & tourism"? If we are to have true "globalism" then let's have it on equal terms and not under the threats of SWIFT sanctions or CAATSA sanctions or Iraqi WMD sanctions.
Western Europe and thier descendants in North America did not become powerful and wealthy by being nice.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by srikandan »

Germany has refused to get involved in US's ukraine shenanigans

https://www.rt.com/russia/546804-german ... ubs-biden/

US is trying to get Qatar to replace Russia as LNG supplier -- don't see how that helps in the short term.
link
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Deans »

I've lived in Russia and done business in the Ukraine. My 2 roubles worth:

I don't think the West understands the threat ordinary Russians perceive, by the Eastward expansion of NATO. A basic tenet of Russian natural security is that they need friendly or neutral states around it. Not having that is enough to provoke the Russians into war. If they don't act now, the feeling is that
NATO will only push them more.
East Ukraine and Crimea have far more in common with Russia than Ukraine. Russians entering East Ukraine will be liberators not invaders.
This is a cause for which the average Russian is more prepared to sacrifice and die for, than the average Ukrainian.
NATO is not prepared to sacrifice men.

Russia has to act now. Europe is preoccupied with Covid. US & UK heads look shaky. New Chancellor in Germany. France is not interested. Turkey is not going to come to NATO's aid. The average Russian fighting man loves the winter (unike NATO) which is also when dependence on Russian gas is highest.

China's economy looks shaky and may affect the Global financial system (not Russia's). West Europe are US struggling with its economy.
US is yet to recover from the debacle in Afghanistan.

That said, war is a huge gamble for Russia. Their economy is also hit. They cannot take a protracted war, with an endless supply of weapons
supplied by NATO.

My sense is both sides will walk back slowly with NATO giving some concessions on sanctions and Russian security.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by rsingh »

Very well said.Lived in Poltawa and Moscow. Agree with your analysis. En plus Russian mass sill remembers western Ukrainian collaborators with Nazis. It will bae more than war. I do not see ant Tank battle or anything like that. It will be quick and decisive strike on important formations.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Rudradev »

Image

At least some Americans appear to get it.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Roop »

srikandan wrote:A reminder that the USA started its "color revolution" in Ukraine and is the initiator of the current crisis where Russia is being made the villain, because it is defending its borders.
Yes, absolutely! The Ukraine crisis of 2014 was started by American neocons -- as dirty and despicable a bunch of scumbags as you are likely to see in any gutter or sewer.
Last edited by Roop on 23 Jan 2022 08:48, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Roop »

Y. Kanan wrote:If they truly cut Russia off from SWIFT ...
They won't. That won't happen (cutting off Russia from SWIFT). Germany has already said so. Moreover, it is IMO clear that France and Italy think it is an asinine idea for them to fight Russia just to make Ukraine and a bunch of corrupt American neocons happy.

All European countries are well aware that Ukraine is a corrupt, chaotic society and the country doesn't belong in the EU or NATO. Pretty much the same thing as Georgia 14 years ago.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Atmavik »

rsingh wrote:Very well said.Lived in Poltawa and Moscow. Agree with your analysis. En plus Russian mass sill remembers western Ukrainian collaborators with Nazis. It will bae more than war. I do not see ant Tank battle or anything like that. It will be quick and decisive strike on important formations.

Well the T 90 are designed for quick dash. Let’s see if they will reach the Daniper
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Aditya_V »

If Russia invades it is suicide for them, better to let them play this for 10 years before the Ukrainians turn.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Dilbu »

German Navy chief has now resigned over the remarks he made on Ukraine while he was in India.
German navy chief resigns following Ukraine comments made during India visit
Speaking at an interactive session at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) on Friday during his visit to India, the German Navy Chief said Crimean peninsula which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine is “gone” and “not coming back”.

He also questioned if Russia really wants to attack Ukraine. “Does Russia really want a small and tiny strip of Ukraine soil to integrate into their country? No, this is nonsense. Putin is probably putting pressure because can do it and he splits EU opinion. What he really wants is respect,” he said.

Further he stated: “He (Putin) wants high-level respect and my God giving some respect is low cost, even no cost. If I was asked, it is easy to give him the respect he really demands and probably also deserves. Russia is an old country, Russia is an important country. Even we India, Germany, need Russia. we need Russia against China…”

In the same context he added, "I am a very radical Roman Catholic. I’m believing in God and I believe in Christianity and there we have a Christian country even Putin, he’s an atheist but it doesn't matter. Having this big country on our side...”
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by srikandan »

roop ji:Yes, absolutely! The Ukraine crisis of 2014 was started by American neocons -- as dirty and despicable a bunch of scumbags as you are likely to see in any gutter or sewer.

Indeed, roop ji, the neocons are very worst of the murderous, genocidal scum on this planet, as they amply demonstrated by attacking Iraq after 9/11 instead of Afghanisthan.

However, let us note that Trump was not a favorite of that crowd, and went in the opposite direction and was replaced by Biden. And with Biden and Blinken their policy prescriptions for warmongering are coming back to life in a democrat administraction. So these "neo-cons" are not related only to the GOP side of US politics.

Recall that Bush and Clinton and all the top leadership on Both sides kissed and made up when trump was president, with photo ops together stating how Trump is destroying the country, so parties wanted these "neocon" policies back in play, and it is now back in play thanks to Biden, Anthony Blinken and official organs of the US govt., with NYTimes and WaPo editorials urging Biden to go to war with Russia. Even Bill Kristol and other "neo con" talking heads are all pro-biden now..who would have thunk?

I think we can safely conclude that there is no such thing as "neo con" group in the US pushing wars and genocides on other countries --it is all the US State dept. and official US policy that drives all these wars and genocides.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Roop »

srikandan wrote:
... However, let us note that Trump was not a favorite of that crowd, and went in the opposite direction and was replaced by Biden.
Yes, in fact Trump was targeted for political destruction by a bipartisan cabal of neocon scumbags -- people like Clinton, McCain, Bush, Pelosi etc. You can see the maniacal extent to which they went to get rid of him, and even now, with him out of office, to ensure that he cannot run for President again. Him "losing" the 2020 election probably saved his life -- he would have suffered the same fate as JFK if he had won.

The reason for this is that Trump is the only one they suspect of wanting to improve relations with Russia. Everyone else on the American political scene who is reaonably capable of becoming President is either sympathetic to the neocons or scared of them. Trump wasn't scared, so he had to be taken out.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by ManSingh »

ldev wrote:Viewed from a narrow perspective, the chart I am posting below belongs to an economics thread. But from the viewpoint of a global military confrontation which destroys supply chains and shakes confidence in the global financial system, it is very relevant. And I am posting it here, although it is relevant in the buildup to any military confrontation, whether in Europe or vs China, which can threaten global supply chains and disrupt the global financial system.

Because in the event of panic, there will be a flight from paper currencies to precious metals or to currencies backed by precious metals e.g. gold. The pursuit of financial stability could herald a return to the gold standard.

So based on the current price of gold of approximately $1850 per ounce, it is surprisingly Russia which is in the best position to ensure a fully gold backed rouble. In fact to back 100% of rouble currency currently in circulation via existing gold reserves with the Russian Central Bank, the price of gold need only climb to $2295 per ounce (look at the last table on the chart above to get the comparative figures) which it will easily do within hours or even minutes in the event of a real crisis. In fact the price of gold in such a situation could rise many hundreds of percent and it is quite possible that Russia will be able to cover not only its currency but also bank deposits by it's gold reserves. Not surprisingly as you will see, the extraordinary credit creation in China over the last 10-15 years will destroy the greatest amount of debt in China given it's break even point of almost $600,000 per ounce of gold required to safeguard it's M2 money supply and therefore cause the greatest economic dis-location in that country.

Mods, feel free to move it elsewhere if you deem fit.
From quantity theory of money,

M*V = P*Y
M = Money in circulation; V = Velocity
P = Price( inflation ); Y = Industrial output

If Prices go high ( due to a crisis ) and Industrial output goes high ( war production ), central banks can simply print more money (M). In fact this would be a god send for capitalist economies, since under normal circumstances it is very hard to print more money without inflation getting out of control. An increased money printing opportunity would greatly expand the stagnant economies of the western world.

Why would they go to a gold standard that severely limits the options of the central banks? Just asking...I don't know why.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by ldev »

ManSingh wrote: Why would they go to a gold standard that severely limits the options of the central banks? Just asking...I don't know why.
OT for this thread. So briefly, the flight away from paper money is being discussed in the context of a global military crisis which could cause supply dislocation which in turn will cause inflation so printing more money will make it worse which will cause the average person to lose confidence in paper money unless it is backed by credible non inflating collateral. Something like gold.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by ldev »

Dilbu wrote:German Navy chief has now resigned over the remarks he made on Ukraine while he was in India.
German navy chief resigns following Ukraine comments made during India visit
Clearly the German Navy Chief was voicing rather imprudently and in undiplomatic language, what looks like to Europeans as a reasonable alternative to the current confrontation and impasse between the US and Russia over Ukraine. And it seems to be thinking that is in the political mainstream in Germany and France.

Political Advisers to Hold Four-Way Talks on Ukraine in Paris
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Political advisers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany will hold "Normandy format" talks on eastern Ukraine in Paris on Jan. 25, a source in Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration said on Saturday.
German chancellor to discuss Russia with France's Macron on Tuesday

And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is travelling to Paris on Tuesday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on Ukraine and other issues on Tuesday.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Malayappan »

What Lies Beneath The Replacement Of The German Navy Chief
The solution to this sort of situation globally can only come from wise leadership, primarily from the buffer states in any such circumstance. There must be internal acknowledgement by Ukraine that while its right to join EU/NATO must be inviolable in principle, exercise of that right would be detrimental to regional stability.
Kiev’s actions must flow from there, perhaps in a parliamentary resolution, and a responsible acknowledgement of Russian redlines. Moscow must also acknowledge Ukraine’s rights in principle. It must recognise that for Kiev to keep those rights in abeyance requires carrots, and the stick must be invisible.
On a higher level, the US, the EU (Germany), and Russia must put an end to the needless needling of each other on this strategic frontline, which is vital to global stability, and get back to the business of doing business. There are other, larger and more substantial threats to counter.
A good summary of the situation!
rsingh
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by rsingh »

Old European media is starting to bring US propaganda. They have seen what happened to US leadership in Afganistan but still.EU leadership look cautious.
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Re: Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Post by Aditya_V »

ldev wrote:Viewed from a narrow perspective, the chart I am posting below belongs to an economics thread. But from the viewpoint of a global military confrontation which destroys supply chains and shakes confidence in the global financial system, it is very relevant. And I am posting it here, although it is relevant in the buildup to any military confrontation, whether in Europe or vs China, which can threaten global supply chains and disrupt the global financial system.

It is posted from the twitter feed of Santiago Capital, a fund manager who specializes in Gold funds and hence could be viewed as biased but it brings into sharp focus as to which currencies are best positioned to retain confidence in the event of a global financial meltdown. Because in the event of panic, there will be a flight from paper currencies to precious metals or to currencies backed by precious metals e.g. gold. The pursuit of financial stability could herald a return to the gold standard. So which currencies are best positioned to be able to back their existing currency in circulation (defined as M0) or currency in circulation plus demand deposits (defined as M1) or currency in circulation plus demand deposits and fixed deposits (M2). For the sake of simplicity I have omitted other items not generally known to the average person such as central bank reserves, money market funds etc. My comments continue below the image.



So based on the current price of gold of approximately $1850 per ounce, it is surprisingly Russia which is in the best position to ensure a fully gold backed rouble. In fact to back 100% of rouble currency currently in circulation via existing gold reserves with the Russian Central Bank, the price of gold need only climb to $2295 per ounce (look at the last table on the chart above to get the comparative figures) which it will easily do within hours or even minutes in the event of a real crisis. In fact the price of gold in such a situation could rise many hundreds of percent and it is quite possible that Russia will be able to cover not only its currency but also bank deposits by it's gold reserves. Not surprisingly as you will see, the extraordinary credit creation in China over the last 10-15 years will destroy the greatest amount of debt in China given it's break even point of almost $600,000 per ounce of gold required to safeguard it's M2 money supply and therefore cause the greatest economic dis-location in that country.

Mods, feel free to move it elsewhere if you deem fit.
Well RBI holds 619 Tons and the Indian Public plus temples will hold another 27000 tons- does that count?
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