Intel Slava Z, [2022-08-01 1:28 AM]
🇺🇲🇷🇺🇺🇦 American economist Jeffrey Sachs: "Ukraine will disappear from the map, or a third world war will begin"

Among the well-known Americans who disagree with the official White House version of events in Ukraine, a serious addition: the economist Jeffrey Sachs has warned that the conflict in Ukraine will not end with the defeat of Vladimir Putin. “Ukraine will disappear from the map, or the third world war will begin,” he gave a forecast of the development of events during the Free Thoughts on the Future conference.

It is noteworthy that Sacks blames the West for starting the current conflict, saying that there is only one option to end hostilities - NATO must admit that it will not expand at the expense of Ukraine. The arrogance of the Western military alliance, which refused to take into account the demands of Russia to ensure its security, is the reason for the outbreak of hostilities in the center of Europe. And if the West really wants peace, Sachs believes, it needs to end the war against Russia, not on NATO terms, but with Moscow's interests in mind.

@marathon0
The big IF here is if the west wants peace. I see no indication that is the case. Mostly because proxy wars are not just bad cases of refusing to consider other nations' demands.
This war's economic front has been raging for quite a while now, but so far all that has accomplished is getting some western leaders ousted while Putin is ever more popular among not just Russians. Moscow's interests are really secondary to the resolution of this ordeal. If the West really wants peace it needs to mind its own populations' interest.

@PiedraFiera
Agree, looks like sanctions are being eased somewhat as the west realizes events have backfired with unintended consequences.

@marathon0 I am not so sure the consequences were unintended.
But it sure does not look like peace is what they want. The choices seem to be only between types of war and when, but never peace.

@PiedraFiera You think the American's (NATO) deliberately shot themselves in the foot with the sanctions?
So they wanted the Russian ruble to increase in value?
Nah, not buying it. ;-P No offence intended.

@marathon0
I get why you see the sanctions as shooting themselves in the foot. Consider maybe they shot themselves for ulterior motives. My guess is that they did not even consider that the negative consequences would be so much, because Russia outmaneuvered them.
But what would they hope to get out? What is the ulterior motive?
They are getting NATO to prep up for a coming war. The war budgets worldwide have never been bigger. Arms deals for years to come.
I think that there is enough profit involved in moving to whole world's national economies to a war economies to justify any losses attributable to strengthening the Russians temporarily. That is who they serve, war profiteers not the American's interest.

@PiedraFiera
I agree, US officials didn't seem to understand the implications - right at the start, Putin said "we understand where their weaknesses are", in economic terms. The Russians and Chinese had started to prepare their economies against sanction pressure before the start of the Special Operation. That's what BRIC is all about.