An Indian minister said this recently: "Iran oil is sanctioned, Russia has problems, Venezuela cannot supply its oil. Then the oil price will not be $200 - it will be $480"

And that's exactly situation US wants to create. Their oil must be the only oil that will be bought by the world.

I wish there was a price cap on the price people pay for healthcare services in the US. But that's for ordinary people and not for oil giants, so not gonna happen.

@marathon0

Yeah I am not really aware of the economics-politics things, but was still exasperated by the propaganda being fed by all kinds of media. Whatever one side doesn't like is being branded mis/disinformation whether it's true or false. Likewise, whatever suits them is good information.

As far as I can see, Russia tried to play nice as much as it can. But the US wouldn't hear of it and has dragged europe into a war which is not its own. US business, especially military and oil businesses get rich at the cost of the economy of eu countries.

US doesn't want peace. As evident from its past actions, it profiteers from problems. It creates problems and then makes money by offering to sell solution to it.

And EU is pretty much under the thumb of us.

I guess US has enough influence over eu countries to make sure that no strong leader will rise up that will stand up to them.

Nazi-like groups in ukraine is okay since they are now fighting russia. Taliban was/is okay when they were fighting soviets.

Looks like US is trying to provoke yet another conflict in China. They are tyring to avoid getting into a war themselves, and get their business adversaries to fight and drain their resources.

Meanwhile, nothing is happening in Palestine and no human right groups, or media outlight is highlights it.

And I'm not sure if China's semiconductor tech is as good as Taiwan's at the moment.

@marathon0
I feel that Russia will lose the war when the combined miliatry machinery of europe and us falls on it. If the war drags on, discontent will brew within Russia, which I think is something the other side is waiting to happen. Russia can't access resources it used to get from other countries. Heard the other day that people there couldn't get spare parts for printers. Not sure how much they can produce on their own. Semiconductor industry is probably the most important thing that they will have to look for.

Even if Russia wins the battles, they are now surrounded by countries whose people have now come to hate it. Propaganda and war must have worked miracles.

@don

I wish people would pay attention to what's happening in Palestine as well..

Every now and then people people including children are being hurt there.

Saw in news that a child was killed a few days back.

Apparently, any country whose leadership doesn't yield to US interests is a dictator. Saudi is okay, but Iran isn't. There was a coup in Africa, but I guess US is already having its way there so it was okay. One more child was killed in Palestine last week, but Israel is a US ally so that doesn't matter. A woman was killed in Iran, not a US ally, so that was bad. Afghanistan is now run by Taliban, but I suppose US is okay with that though they were bad earlier. And many others I guess.

@marathon0
It's not in the interest of war profiteers to stop sending weapons or to refrain from pouring oil into fire. So that's not gonna stop. Where will the political leaders get election funds from then.
EU countries like Germany is literally hurting itself by not taking Russian gas and buying US energy which at a much higher cost. Leadership is not strong enough to resist external pressure, I feel.

That's what business interests want. Weak leaders whom they can bend to their will.

Unless US makes the blunder of entering the Ukraine war more openly, Russia is guaranteed to lose.
But Ukraine is going to lose more than Russia.
Though everyone is now driven by hatred right now, realization will follow later.
No country was 'helped' by big powers like US and ended up getting better.
Look at Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc.
They ended up getting wrecked or becoming client states or both.

Who benefits from ongoing war in europe?
It's not the common citizen.

What did the war bring about?

1. oil prices are up
2. war machine sales are up
3. new oil markets are extraobritant selling price
4. eu more subservient to us financial interests
5. politicians have something to yap about to divert people's attention
6. profiteering businesses contribute to next election campaigns

And who must it be who benefit from this?

Bureaucracy and businessmen of the US doesn't like strong political leaders. Even for their own country. Because strong leaders are bad for business.

War machinery sales are significantly enhanced by wars.
And 'helpful' deliveries of war machineries are unlikely to come with no strings
attached.

Oil prices are through the roof.

Who suffers?

Who profits?

Businessmen, not politicians, rule over most countries.

And businessmen don't like strong government leaders.

So such leaders invariably end up being labeled bad.
No matter if they are really bad or not.

Because they are 'bad for business' since they tend to prioritize the interests of their country more than the other category of leaders.

Some things to look over to understand some of the meaning of the current Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Vladimir Pozner: How the United States Created Vladimir Putin: youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5g
Putin's 2007 Munich speech: couldn't find any complete video of this on youtube. It used to exist, but maybe war made them take it down
BBC documentary: Putin, Russia and the West: difficult to find much about this on youtube now I think

Look at it without being prejudiced by the perceived/real political inclinations of the people speaking.

Think for yourselves, and see.

People of Ukraine (not its government) are the only group who are guaranteed to
lose no matter which side wins in the war.

And as long as US doesn't overtly participate with its military, they are
guaranteed to win one way or the other.

This war is about money, not ideologies or people, despite all the PR and virtue
signalling.

Aim of US is to weaken Russia, gain oil markets, provide something that the
politicians can blame on for anything and everything, etc, etc.

Aim of Russia is to have influence in Ukraine.

Ukraine is being used by the US and somehow the Ukrainian goverment finds it fit to allow themselves to be used.

EU has become a patsy of US. Germany needs the oil, but because of US pressure it can't get the Russian oil. American oil is good though.

Taliban used to be bad, but now they are okay.
Palestinian people seem to get hurt by Isreali police, but that's also okay.

All eyes on Russia-Ukraine.

Pure politics.

unpopop boosted

This is the essence of most US Foreign Policy: Kissinger, “For the West, the demonization of Vladimir Putin is not a policy; it is an alibi for the absence of one.”

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Banning/sanctioning anything Russian is like the latest trend.
Most of it appears to be virtue signaling.

Free speech includes freedom of speech for people you disagree with as well.

Banning of Russian media outlets is suggestive.
Even if they are spewing out propaganda.
But propaganda machines exist in both sides.
Why ban only those of one side?
Who draws the line between 'misinformation' and 'real information'?
Is it, "If it's favorable to us, it's good information"?

Russia-Ukraine conflict oversimplified:

Stage set by: US
Direct action initiated by: Russia
Pawn: Ukraine gov
Suffering: People of Ukrain (and rest of the world)

Target: Oil market, war machinery sales, money, money, money

Russia could hardly be expected to sit around when a hosile military alliance threatened to come to its doorstep.
Putin repeatedly warned against it. Especially since his 2007 Munich speech.

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