The MoA Week In Review – OT 2025-275

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November 30, 2025

Last week’s posts on Moon of Alabama:

Nov 24 – The Current State Of The 28-Point Plan
Nov 28 – Ukraine Rejects Trump’s Peace Plan – U.S. Reacts To Its Defiance
Related:
– Yermak Down? – Events in Ukraine
– Rubio Neo-conned Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan – Antiwar
– How to defeat Putin and build a better Ukraine – Valerii Zaluzhnyi / Telegraph
– Fog and winter weather open gaps in Ukraine’s defensive lines as Russians push deeper into Donetsk – Milwaukee Independent
– The path to peace in Ukraine will be tortuous – Spectator
– Zelensky’s fight for survival is more personal than ever (archived) – The Times
– Make Money Not War: Trump’s Real Plan for Peace in Ukraine (archived) – WSJ

Nov 25 – Executive Order Provides For Bailout Of Overextended AI Companies
Related:
– Premium: The Hater’s Guide To NVIDIA – Ed Zitron
– AI start-up offers local alternative to Google’s TPU as China seeks to cut Nvidia reliance – SCMP
– Google has pierced Nvidia’s aura of invulnerability (archived) – Economist
– Outside the U.S. and Europe, the momentum of China’s open source AI models is plain to see – Fortune
– Has the bailout of generative AI already begun? – Gary Marcus

Nov 26 – Navy Shows Why The U.S. Is Losing Its Relative Power
Related:
– Constellation-class implosion jeopardizes US naval superiority – Asia Times
– Exclusive: US defense firm Anduril faces setbacks from drone crashes – Reuters
– U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Keep Repeating the Same Costly Shipbuilding Mistake – gCaptain

Nov 29 – Trump Pardons Drug Smuggler, Threatens Venezuela
Related:
– Eliott Abrams returns, promoting a Caracas cakewalk – Responsible Statecraft
– The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine (archived) – NY Times
– Trump says he has ordered closure of Venezuelan airspace (archived) – Washington Post

> Trump does not have the legal power to close the airspace over another country, even as he appeared to be threatening an attack or seeking to push Venezuela’s leaders to think he was contemplating one. <

—
Other issues:

West Asia:

International force at heart of Trump’s Gaza plan struggles to find takers (archived) – Washington Post
Israelis are moving abroad in record numbers due to fear and discontent (archived – Washington Post
The Church in Lebanon on the Eve of the Pope’s Visit – Al Akhbar

EU:

The EU’s Kaja Kallas is Bad at History – Sonar21
EU top diplomat says Russian military size should be capped – Euractiv
Europe’s new war on privacy Chat Control will violate fundamental rights – Unherd
EU’s “Democracy Shield”: The Ministry of Truth No One Voted For – Islander World
Nexperia control battle rages as China’s Wingtech files appeal – Asia Times
The EU continues to self-sabotage its economy by targeting Chinese investment – Thomas Fazi

EU and Ukraine:

Europe’s Leaders Have No Strategy for Peace – Jacobin
If the fighting ends in Ukraine, the infighting in Europe will begin (archived) – Economist/I>
Belgium’s De Wever dials up opposition to Russian frozen assets deal – Politico
EU allies turn screws on Belgium over its tax income from Russia’s frozen assets – Politico
EU weighs Plan B for Ukraine as Belgium raises bar to unblock reparations loan – Euronews
Baltic nations seek EU bailout as Russia sanctions backfire – Telegraph (NZ)

UK:

Time to admit the truth: Brexit has been an unmitigated economic failure – Jeremy Warner / Telegraph
Cash-strapped Britain to sell off embassies – Politico – RT
The UK Is Cursed: How Finance Destroyed Our Economy – Naked Capitalism

Use as open (not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine) thread …

Posted by b on November 30, 2025 at 14:10 UTC | Permalink

Comments

arby | Dec 1 2025 1:11 utc | 99

With the full spectrum attacks on Russia the moment they moved into the snake pit called Ukraine, was also attacks on the rouble. Russia linked the rouble to gold and instantly their currency stabilised.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtlA-Zu-X2A

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 1:16 utc | 101

Q: Can the U$ navigate a Soviet style collapse?
Every now and again I read online some first hand accounts of post Katrina.
Even if only half true, … some of what eyewitnesses saw (and did) to survive is apocalyptic.
The worst place to be was the “emergency centre”, the stadium.
If one believes the accounts, the stadium pretty quickly broke down into race divide savagery. Heat, urine, faeces, gunfights for water, no escape – as armed guards kept people captive while refusing to ensure a modicum of civil society within the compound.
Brazen rape, murder, and the young and strong preying on the weak.
Out on the streets some neighbourhoods banded together with men taking shifts to guard their enclaves. Gunfire was rife. Roaming hordes were dealt with.
And government trying to confiscate weapons. Attempting to make people defenceless. Insanity.
Another example being the 2024 Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
Lots of accounts of law enforcement being the worst perpetrators.
Accounts of charities and individuals attempting to bring aid into devastated areas, only to have law enforcement confiscate the donations (heaters, water purifiers, chainsaws, generators) and then deny access to those attempting to provide aid and assistance.
None of this seemed to make mockingbird news. Of course. I was following a number of bloggers.. but eventually most seemed to get shut down and forced to stop posting.
Our barflies from either Katrina or Helene may have their own accounts.
—-
Summary.
Society can, and most likely will, break down rapidly, and “law” enforcement will be front and centre of the thuggery and thievery.
(The criminality of “law” enforcement, preying on a defenceless populace, was a Soviet experience also)

Posted by: Melaleuca | Dec 1 2025 1:19 utc | 102

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 1:16 utc | 101

I remember that. It was sort of half a link. I think it was that they would buy a gram of gold for some amount of rubles or something like that. It wasn’t a full link where one could exchange their rubles for X amount of gold.

Posted by: arby | Dec 1 2025 1:21 utc | 103

An article should read his Peter Hanseler’s series on BRICS.
Hanselers site ForumGeopolitica (https://forumgeopolitica.com/) is always interesting . I recently posted Part 1 of his article on BRICS, on my geopolitical analysis site News Forensics on Substact. I mostly agreed with what he had to say and was impressed by the depth of his research. Part 2 I feel veers somewhat influenced by Scott Ritter who is sincere and committed but mostly wrong. I say “wrong” simply because he most of his analyses reflect the perspective of someone who spent too much time in the US military echo chamber and then in the Podcast echo chamber created by his notoriety following the Iraq war (he’s ‘the Inspector’ LOL). He has just published at book about the threat of nuclear war. However, Russia’s superiority in nuclear weaponry, ballistic missiles systems, and anti-ballistic missile technologies gives it an edge. For Russia, MAD is not as “mad” as it used to be.
Fortunately, Putin is very, very sane — and able to recognize that the leaders of the West and the cultures from which they come are very, very IN-sane!You can read News Forensics’ analysis of Hanseler and Ritter here: https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/brics-and-nuclear-war

Posted by: julianmacfarlane | Dec 1 2025 1:22 utc | 104

@c1ue.

Tom said: Anything that impedes USG borrowing is bad for the US economy.
c1ue: Nope. Disagree completely also. This is classic bankster bullshit.First of all: the amount of economic growth per new debt has been continuously declining for multiple decades.
Tom: But did that stop them from using debt to keep what passes for our economy running? Didn’t stop them, did it? Why? I’ll explain in a second….

c1ue: Second: lots of easy debt = zombie companies = shit economy.

Tom: Of course. But that process of enshitification has benefited the ruling class. It’s what they wanted, and what we got, and what they chose for us is what we have. Less debt stops the economy as it currently _is_.

c1ue: Changing an economy from bankster/monopolist decline to growth isn’t rocket science.But it does involve not listening to these fuckers.

Tom: It is _waaaay_ harder than you’re representing. In order to get to the economy you posit, a pretty fair portion of the ruling classes’ attitudes, values and choke-hold on the US institutions has to be revised or destroyed. This is why so many people say “gotta crash but good before change is possible”.

Allow me to point out that still, after all the mountain of evidence that our economy is fundamentally unsound, still the ruling class refuses to do fundamental change. To wit:

a. No increase in industrial capacity. See this chart, which I presented to you some months ago, and look at the trend-line. And note your recent remarks re: “most of that spending was for AI data centers”.

b. No discussion of industrial policy.

c. Top leadership has no experience building economies; they’re good at building golf courses and ostentation.

I approve of your intent, c1ue. Right stuff. However, to get to those outcomes you posit is going to take something very fundamentally different that what I see on-offer from _any_ level, _any_ quarter of US polity.

Our economy is gang-land wealth extraction from others scheme overlaid on a fairly efficient real economy; the real economy is, each passing year, a progressively smaller portion of our putative GDP. The progressively bigger portion of our GDP is fueled by debt and debt-derived spending (health care, defense, housing, a good bit of consumer non-durables).

That’s why I said “slow down the debt, slow down the economy”. And we aren’t even beginning to _think about_ building the economy you want.

Please rebut. Show me 3rd party charts reflecting fundamental investment in new growth industries (AI? If only) with lotsa well-paying jobs. Show me our industrial policy. Show me where Gov’t investment goes.

Not happening, c1ue. What you want is the right stuff, but you (and me also) are not the decision-makers.

Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 1:27 utc | 105

reading all the comments today here on this thread, i have to say, i really enjoy reading moa when the exchanges happen as they have here today.. thanks everyone.. i don’t have anything to add.. well, maybe a bit – @ Melaleuca | Dec 1 2025 1:19 utc | 102 the parallel with katrina in new orleans… yeah maybe.. maybe not… it’s a good place to start when imagining how the usa would respond to a breakdown as suggested by the others..

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 1:29 utc | 106

@ c1ue 89

“…the wealthy people who don’t want inflation because it hurts them in the long term, even as the poorest of people who are worst hurt by inflation in the short term”

Wow, talk about being sure of your own bullshit. I don’t even know what this means. What is short term? What is long term? Don’t the elite hold the assets? Aren’t the assets the very things primarily benefiting from inflation?
I would argue what inflation does is to keep assets AWAY from the lower classes and you have an increasing rentier economy, where, if the elites are not careful, indeed can bite them in the ass, but only in the extreme case of civil unrest/collapse, which is something America has never experienced.
I am not impressed by your reasoning.

I think all will be revealed very soon and it has the elite sweating. Wow, look at silver go again. Seems to me like the canary in the coalmine. A tool to be used by the lower classes and a signifier of waning elite control.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Dec 1 2025 1:34 utc | 107

Peter AU1@69…..as far as I know Canada is different, and that may also vary by Provence but my Title reads Co Tennant, my wife and I. I’d prefer it read Co Owner, I pay enough in taxes for it. I don’t think it has been challenged in Canada maybe a local might know. Should I fail to pay those land taxes, I am entitled to dig my house up and move it to another plot…….I do own it, but really, most people have a bankers lien on the house they rent from the bank so for them to default, the house stays for tax arrears.

Sounds like the raid on your place was a form of intimidation.

Cheers M

………I have watched a few reality shows, the alligator guys in Florida mainly, even they talk about getting the money together to pay their property taxes, many live in the swamp……taxes, on swamp. Nineteen for them, One for me……Harrison’s Taxman, SRV rips it best though…….

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Dec 1 2025 1:35 utc | 108

David G Horsman | Dec 1 2025 1:13 utc | 100

Perhaps I am a little bias because Krainer does tend to follow the money through to the City of London. That is where I ended up via a different path. Krainer connects many dots with names and documents. Is he 100% correct? Nobody is 100% correct.

Economics plays a big part in what we see today. So to does Martyanov’s ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’.

So what do we have.
The collapsing empire of the economic and military hegemon.
Russia, it can instantly stabilise the rouble with gold. It is a generation or two ahead in military technology with a national unity willing to fight with that technology.

Then there is this thing called diplomacy and people termed ‘statesmen’. An important aspect. The Russians have it, the hegemon does not.

Many different aspects to look at…. well three or four very important aspects. A person who specialises in one aspect may be slightly contradicted by another who specializes in another aspect.

And so we read or listen to those who specialise in different aspects – Economics, Military, Diplomacy and any contradictions need to be reconciled. Requires a bit of thought at times.
I think generally it is just in the way we have perceived their words. Keeping in mind that no one person is 100% right.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 1:39 utc | 109

sean the leprechaun | Dec 1 2025 1:35 utc | 108

Yeah. Here, south Australia from the beginning I think used the Torrens title which is quite different to Estate in Fee Simple. Only the older states had Estate in Fee Simple. From my research at the time, I know US has Estate in Fee Simple – at least for some of the older land deeds.

That Commonwealth vs NSW court case – it could easily be found at a .gov.edu website. All trace of it has now been erased from the internet.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 1:45 utc | 110

@Melaleuca, james | Dec 1 2025 1:29 utc.

Keep in mind that New Orleans was very vulnerable:

Poorly run city, lot of poor people, high population density, extremely vulnerable geographically and topographically (city is in a bowl), and on the outs with the current Prez administration. Perfect storm, no trying to be funny.

Same storm a few miles either way is a common thing for Gulf Coast USA. They get hammered a lot. Houston recovered fast from their flooding.

While it’s fun to ascribe cartoon pix to the general population, it’s not disciplined thinking. Cities are vulnerable to the degree they share New Orlean’s situation, but most of US is not cities. It’s rural, and most rural people are way more self-reliant and practical-competent than city folk.

When the economic crunch comes, the problems will come mainly from the cities.

With respect to gold price: I note that the notion that the dollar is suspect due to inflation potential has gained a great deal of traction in the last year or two. I used to notice that story-line from gold-bugs and debt-objectors and doomers, but it seems to have gone somewhat mainstream. I hear “you should have some gold in your portfolio” statements coming from lots of main-stream investment advisors lately.

It’s not a doomer thing anymore. And yes, of course, the foreign central banks are exchanging some of their dollars for gold. Gradually, and faster-gradually than a year or 2 ago. It’s picking up pace.

Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 1:50 utc | 111

arby | Dec 1 2025 1:21 utc | 103

I believe it was a guaranteed amount of gold for a certain number of roubles. Roubles per gram. Without a solid link, I doubt the rouble would have stabilized.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 1:54 utc | 112

“At the end of every year, the renowned publication The Economist releases its “The World Ahead” edition, in which it predicts trends and events for the coming year. And, nearly every time, the issue’s cover is replete with intricate, highly enigmatic, and often dire symbols. While usually, there is no reason to pay much attention to the contents of a magazine cover, The Economist is different.

The Economist, which was founded in the 19th century, has been attached to powerful elite families, including the Rothschilds.

Aside from the Agnelli family, smaller shareholders in the company include Cadbury, Rothschild (21%), Schroder, Layton and other family interests as well as a number of staff and former staff shareholders. A board of trustees formally appoints the editor, who cannot be removed without its permission. The Economist Newspaper Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Economist Group. Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild was chairman of the company from 1972 to 1989.

In other words, The Economist is linked directly with people who wield the power and influence to make agendas a reality. So the “predictions” made by The Economist are not guesses; they’re a warning. The events that are predicted are not necessarily due to happen immediately – they’re often long-term plans.”

https://web.archive.org/web/20251121040829/https://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/the-dire-predictions-and-cryptic-symbols-on-the-economists-2026-the-world-ahead-edition/

Posted by: GreatLakesObserver | Dec 1 2025 1:58 utc | 113

Squeeth | Dec 1 2025 0:16 utc | 85

I feel in need of a punching bag at the moment.
What is your thoughts on the way forward for Australian aboriginal people. The clock cannot be turned back, so we can only look at the way forward.
Don’t be shy.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 2:13 utc | 114

@ Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 1:50 utc | 111

the urban to rural population ratio is about 80/20 according to this link.. maybe it is in the ballpark.. regarding new orleans, i was on the fence with the example, as nola is a unique set up… i really don’t know if it is a good example – katrina, but maybe.. i have been there a few times.. i like new orleans and love the music and food culture their.. i have a close musician friend who has been living their the past 10 years making it work.. it is like the capital of black people, or i’ve heard some folks refer to it this way, which might explain why help to nola was slow in coming.. bush didn’t really care.. i guess this is a separate thread..

the ratio is very similar for canada, maybe slightly more in urban – says 82/18…

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 2:15 utc | 115

@ GreatLakesObserver | Dec 1 2025 1:58 utc | 113

you mean like it is better at brainwashing the nubes? lol… anyone who believes what the economist says needs their head read..

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 2:18 utc | 116

and “law” enforcement will be front and centre of the thuggery and thievery.(The criminality of “law” enforcement, preying on a defenceless populace, was a Soviet experience also)

Posted by: Melaleuca | Dec 1 2025 1:19 utc | 102

________

It’s also the American experience today. Your apocalyptic vision differs from present circumstances only in degree, not in kind.

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 1 2025 2:20 utc | 117

thanks for the link either way.. entertaining for sure!

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 2:22 utc | 118

james | Dec 1 2025 2:22 utc | 118

The 2012 cartoon was interesting. Putin and Assad neck deep in the swamp with devils on the banks poking pitch forks at them.
Assad/Syria has gone down, but now Putin is standing on the bank as the west tries to keep its head above stagnant water.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 2:29 utc | 119

@ Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 2:29 utc | 119

there was nothing prophetic about the image as i saw it… it is essentially a run down of all the crap that is presently taking place with no solutions appearing… the pic from 2012 and 2025 show of the angst that is presently taking place.. in that regard it might be relevant.. but certainly not prophetic as i read it… if they wrote on the devils back ”the economist” that would be better, lol..

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 2:36 utc | 120

@ c1ue and Tom

It depends what ‘they’ want.

Firstly “will never default” is not correct. If the US decides to default, for whatever reason, it will. It is not even “able to never default”, because the US is not able to guarantee what policy makers will be deciding in future. Sure, deep state etc. , but a guess, possibly even hype to invoke determined or secure management, but not a certainty.

Inflation, economic shitification, social upheaval.

The US remains wealthy although now more reliant and with reduced national productive capacity, associated loss of social direction.

Some consider a reset, imploding markets, possibly larger war or domestic chaos …it depends what ‘they’ want though, because all of these have an aftermath, which you can be certain is taken into account. Do ‘they’ want to reduce population , or merge and globalise governance, do they want a slavish population or do they see themselves as guides to a new necessary socio-economic norm ?

For example.

We might only guess, but any of those might be calculated or attempted.

Here is my observation of general direction so far:

It involves socialising wealth within the US but in a two tier fashion. The top stay further ahead, the rest get merged down to above whatever minimum.

They are careful with inflation, shortage of essentials or reckless monetary supply (which they control however) are the main factors that would see extreme inflation. Normally, they don’t want the system wrecked.

Dollar value goes down, subsidy equals out incomes but further devaluing dollar in real terms. Financial leverage increases, further supporting the financial and banking sector.

Ultimately, a (possibly rationed) CBDC system is possible, socialistic, very control, less private endeavour and more (completely in various ways) centralised.

The US is more free market than other countries, but it has slowly played catch up with the reality of various european nations for example, in its own manner.

All of that would probably have the feel of a depression, or stagflation, with uncertainty and political showmanship to match.

I don’t know what ‘they’ actually have as plan though, the point being that whatever goes on it would not be a surprise to find that a solution was already ‘ready to be implemented’.

Posted by: Ornot | Dec 1 2025 2:51 utc | 121

Maduro resurfaced in Caracas after 4-day absence from public appearances. He was handing out awards for specialty-coffees @ an event in eastern Caracas. At the end of the ceremony, he chanted that Venezuela is “indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable” while speaking about the nation’s economy.

Maduro, who usually is on live TV three or so times a week, had not been seen since 26 November. His absence fueled speculation that he had fled Venezuela for Iran, traveling a circuitous route that take him into Brazil, from there to Istanbul and ultimately Tehran.

Such was not the case, however.

In recent days, DJT has increased the pressure on Maduro by warning that strikes on land against drug trafficking networks could be coming “very soon” and telling airlines, pilots and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace.

However, speaking to a gaggle or reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, DJT said his warning about Venezuelan airspace was not a signal that an airstrike is imminent. “Don’t read anything into it,” he emphasized, adding that he made the airspace warning, not because Maduro’s country is indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable but “because we consider Venezuela to be not a very friendly country.”

Posted by: steel_porcupine | Dec 1 2025 2:54 utc | 122

james | Dec 1 2025 2:36 utc | 120

The economist. Those behind it. The devils playground I guess.

The russian military operation and what is behind it has changed the world. Putin is CiC of the Russian military forces. Those men on the kinetic frontline, I have the highest degree of respect for. It is obvious Putin does also.

My sister is woke and has said she makes decisions based on her emotions rather than facts. Her emotions based on what she reads in propaganda media. She is at least honest I guess.

You and Donbass are not in that category by the very fact you both comment here. You are a musician, Donbass with the mindset and intensity of adopted religion. I have always lived in the hands on world.

I don’t say it with disparagement, but you and Donbass come across as idealists, dreamers. I guess rather than looking for the perfect would, the fabled utopia, I look at what is doable.

As an aside, in my mind, I do have the perfect world, the Utopia, I guess the same as everyone but what would be my perfect world might not be yours and vice versa and that likely applies to all of us here.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 3:02 utc | 123

As today is Sunday as well as Thanksgiving weekend, I was looking at my old style Orthodox calendar list of saints for the day and noticed one named Zacharias the cobbler (rather unusual for our saints to have their occupation listed). He and his wife were listed as third century remembrance. Further down in the list came ‘John the cobbler’ 7th century (?) I was intrigued, so went on an internet search. What I found I will briefly tell here, and those not interested please pass on.

My search on Ortho wiki online came up with nothing, so I went to a general search and found a church which had more resources had put a story connecting the two. The story is told by John, or rather, about John. It turns out that he wasn’t a cobbler but ‘a man reputable and notable in the things of the world’. For John (remember, 7th century), ‘an essential work was for him to go keep vigil all night in the churches of the Lord. For this reason he went one night to Constantinople to the great church of the Word of God, Hagia Sophia.’ The church doors were closed, so he sat outside on a bench ‘since he was tired.’ Then he saw a great light approaching, and there came a man behind the light who bent and prayed before the doors of the church, which opened to him, as did also the silver door beside an icon inside the church, after the man had ‘bent his knees and prayed for a good amount of time’ before each of the doors. So, this man had entered the church ‘completely luminous.’

John then followed the man home, and saw that he entered a very small house off the straight path but beside ‘ the stairs of the holy martyr Julian.’ Then the light which had been before him ‘lifted from him’ and ‘thus between the two it became dark night.’ There ensues an interesting conversation between them as the cobbler took up his leather working tools — a conversation which I won’t give here, except to say that it answered my question concerning the calendar listing . Thank you, internet!

The final words of the story tell what happened after John left the cobbler’s house:

… Meanwhile, the blessed Zacharias, who was truly without pride, wanting to depart from the deceit of human glory, left his home and departed, and became completely unknown to all.”

So, that’s today for me. I was for a while in Constantinople, sitting on a bench outside the great church. Quite a bit more than I imagined when I duckduckwent looking.

Posted by: juliania | Dec 1 2025 3:26 utc | 124

I had to look up the meaning of Squeeth.

“Squeeth is a new financial primitive launched by Opyn.”

I had something in my mind like a dog turd on the lawn squishing up between my toes when I stepped on it. Probably not far out.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 3:28 utc | 125

Nov 29 – Trump Pardons Drug Smuggler, Threatens Venezuela

This is signature FUKUS duplicity

Recall that,The US sent Ph prez Duterte to jail for cracking down on domestic drug cartel, while abrogating itself the right of extrajudicial , extraterritorial executionsat high sea.

Pirates ahoy !

Posted by: denk | Dec 1 2025 3:35 utc | 126

CRRC train plying Vienna !

Posted by: denk | Dec 1 2025 3:49 utc | 127

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 3:02 utc | 123

######

I’m not a dreamer, mate.

Many are asleep, but I don’t have that privilege.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 1 2025 3:49 utc | 128

Bargain price hypersonic missile

Posted by: denk | Dec 1 2025 3:56 utc | 129

You’re okay, but you are also a dreamer. I guess I also have my dreams for a better world.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 3:58 utc | 130

@ Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 3:02 utc | 123

i like what you’ve said and agree with it too, lol.. i am idealistic and i am emotional too, but i have this other side to me as well which transcends all this too.. cold and calculating… i’m a lot of things, like most folks.. but i do pray that we can all make it work on the planet together, so that is my idealism speaking here.. i think i am a dreamer too, for a better future for all of us.. i will wear that in a positive way, although it can be taken a few ways…

i like all you’ve said peter and happy to see this thread today on moa with the diversity and plurality of viewpoints for everyone.. thanks..

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 4:01 utc | 131

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 1 2025 2:20 utc | 117

####

History and fiction instructs is that law enforcement tends to go bad over time.

The incentives of arming and privileging some tends to bounce back on their “clients”.

A similar phenomenon happens with standing armies. Without an external foe, they begin to focus internally.

There are some good people in law enforcement but unions and nepotism, plus the huge target on them for corruption, the good ones become marginalized and isolated.

It is a stupid idea, IMO, and I don’t know where it came from to empower some with special moral sanction. It’s happened in many societies.

Right and wrong have to be universally applied, even though the wicked will always seek to carve out special exceptions.

Mind you, in simpler societies with less wealth disparity and strong families, that sort of BS is rarer.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 1 2025 4:04 utc | 132

here are the lyrics to that song i linked to above by jobim, a brazilian composer they named the airport in rio de janerio after – jobim airport! the other airport named after a famous musician? louis armstrong airport in new orleans…

Why are my eyes always full of this vision of youWhy do I dream silly dreams that I fear won’t come trueI long to show you the starsCaught in the dark of the seaI long to speak of my love but you don’t come to meSo I go on asking if maybe one day you’ll careI tell my sad little dreams to the soft evening airI am quite hopeless it seems, two things I know how to doOne is to dreamTwo is loving you

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 4:05 utc | 133

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 3:58 utc | 130

#####

The world is perfect and provides me with endless amusement and entertainment these days.

All of it.

Oh, and I am always sober. 😀

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 1 2025 4:06 utc | 134

formatting is a bitch, lol

Why are my eyes always full of this vision of you
Why do I dream silly dreams that I fear won’t come true
I long to show you the stars
Caught in the dark of the sea
I long to speak of my love but you don’t come to me
So I go on asking if maybe one day you’ll care
I tell my sad little dreams to the soft evening air
I am quite hopeless it seems, two things I know how to do
One is to dream
Two is loving you

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 4:06 utc | 135

My 130 was to Donbass

James 131. I cannot add to that. What you wrote… the last sentence especially is pretty much my thoughts.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 4:09 utc | 136

i am going down to the usa for 4 days… back in a bit… here is an instrumental version of the same song.. enjoy it while i am gone..

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 4:11 utc | 137

thanks peter! take it easy..

Posted by: james | Dec 1 2025 4:12 utc | 138

Oh, and I am always sober. 😀
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Dec 1 2025 4:06 utc | 134

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGuysrKY9rE

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 4:14 utc | 139

Yes, he [Hudson]also provided a short taster related to his above comment. One of his many sources is Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 AD to the First Crusade by Anthony Kaldellis, which is a rather recent work, 2017. He covers an age of turmoil not well known or understood yet remains very relevant to today.

Posted by: karlof1 | Nov 30 2025 23:39 utc | 80

Thanks for your reply, karlof1. You have given me a good second try at my local library . That does sound worth reading. [My first one dealt with McKinley and his tariff time in Congress – fascinating stuff if not really helpful on today’s ups and downs.] Maybe coincidence that I’ve been sitting outside Hagia Sophia in my penultimate comment today.

Posted by: juliania | Dec 1 2025 4:28 utc | 140

Pale faced, forked tongue
Fiction

Brit on Chinese embassy
‘The Chinese dont do diplomacy, they spy.
They dont need no stinky new embassy’

Fact

Any FUKUSA, aka AUKUS diplomat in any foreign country is automatically a spy until proven otherwise

Posted by: denk | Dec 1 2025 4:31 utc | 141

I highly suggest Salty, salty … – by Dr Warwick Powell that he published a few days ago.
Posted by: karlof1 | Nov 30 2025 21:38 utc | 58

I urge caution. checking his prior https://warwickpowell.substack.com/p/when-hydrogen-gets-cheap which has some serious flaws in it. he’s not an energy physicist or engineer, but an economist?
Powell’s argument is economist metaphysics, not biophysical reality. He replaces: EROEI analysis with Market-price extrapolation
Hall and Prieto would reject his logic outright. so be wary,

Posted by: Oldbert | Dec 1 2025 4:33 utc | 142

tHATS all folks !

Posted by: denk | Dec 1 2025 4:33 utc | 143

This anglo American empire. The steams of gold have dried up. Only the rivers of blood remain.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 4:34 utc | 144

DD Geopolitics Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvq7UABYh8I

“Ukraine deal-makers; Venezuela airspace games; and the Isaac Accords in Latin America.”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 1 2025 4:34 utc | 145

Posted by: karlof1 | Nov 30 2025 23:39 utc | 80

I agree on ocean vs. pool as far as enjoyable swimming. Yes, Waikiki! But I couldn’t have had the training experience in the ocean at my age and strength, no way. The pool was far easier than in fresh (nonsalty)water, so that made training more enjoyable than in the latter. And being oceanside it was fresh salt water going in and out with the tide. Plus I was doing it at night, could look at the stars…[backstroke]

Posted by: juliania | Dec 1 2025 4:48 utc | 146

Culinary.
Trying to make the same thing taste different. Sugar and vinegar soy sauce.
One part dark soy sauce soy sauce, one part vinegar one and a half parts sugar. Reduce it until the pot boils over then put in a plastic squeezy sauce bottle. The trials and tribulations of my limited culinary forays. Trying to make the same thing taste different.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 4:55 utc | 147

Conservative podcaster on Carney connections, grifts and more…

Moose on the Loose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94qbGXGBcls

“Carney family is steering Canada Pension Plan billions.”

How Many Space Weapons Does Trump Need For Golden Dome?

https://www.peacequest.ca/p/how-many-space-weapons-does-trump

“Over the summer, President Trump said the cost for Canada would be $61 billion US, then later he increased it to $71 billion US, or $100 billion Canadian dollars.

He added that it would be negotiated in a deal separately from the broader trade and economic deal sought by Canada for tariff relief.

Unfazed by the price tag, apparently, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, ‘We’ll be working together on a Golden Dome for the two countries…”

Unfortunately few Canadians know or care.

Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 1 2025 5:06 utc | 148

The Gaggle with Peter & George

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8knA2Ekncqo

“Trump’s strange regime-change war on Venezuela.”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Dec 1 2025 5:18 utc | 149

Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Nov 30 2025 22:45 utc

Infrastructure maintenance? The Russians kept everything running up until the day before it went pop. How many decades has America been serviced on a shoestring? It’s going to be awkward to repair things if locals are shooting strangers. And that’s assuming the spares are available to commence.

Posted by: Some Random Passerby | Dec 1 2025 5:32 utc | 150

The company, currently led by interim Chief Executive Stefan Tilger, told its Chinese unit that Nexperia’s leadership is “ready to meet you at any time and at any location.”

OK. Ask all the Dutch executives to attend a meeting in Beijing. On arrival slam them all in jail and put them on trial for piracy.

Posted by: BM | Dec 1 2025 6:37 utc | 151

Republicofscotland | Nov 30 2025 15:35 utc (Ukraine thread)
(Using Trainspotting descriptions)
This wanker loves Scotland. Was in Oban two weeks ago (I did wave as I passed Glasgow). And Wick back in April. I urge all barflies to visit Scotland, you will not regret it.

I understand why you dislike the English appearing as my wife is Welsh and has Cornish family too. Got to say though that your biggest problem isn’t wankers, it’s the Green MSP that says Scotland needs (at least) a million migrants.
Green MSP claims million needed

Posted by: Some Random Passerby | Dec 1 2025 6:41 utc | 152

Posted by: exile | Dec 1 2025 8:59 utc | 153

Squeeth | Dec 1 2025 0:16 utc | 85

[…] What is your thoughts on the way forward for Australian aboriginal people. The clock cannot be turned back, so we can only look at the way forward.Don’t be shy.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 2:13 utc | 114

While a complete rewind is near impossible, meaningful partial reversals are achievable. Take the end of the Soviet Union for example, multiple countries returned property to pre-communist owners or their heirs. East Germany for instance, where after reunification land, businesses and even homes were returned to owners dispossessed after 1949. Or Hong Kong (1997) and Macau (1999), returned from Pommy and Portuguese control to China in an explicit reversal of 19th-century political arrangements.

The way forward for First Nations people should be a matter for them to decide. Enough already of this patronising, domineering government dictate we have here in Australia. But hey, expect little in terms of reconciliation and Aboriginal self-determination from a country that didn’t extend the right to vote to black fellas till the 1960s, and only counted its indigenous people as part of the population from 1971 onward. That way you won’t be disappointed.

Friendly reminder: This land was never ceded. It was a brutal, genocidal take over by European brutes, who went on a 500 year long rampage across this planet to rob, enslave and rule any people they came across.

Colonisation spreads like a disease
the Imperial flag flaps lazy in the breeze
Horse sweat and leather, clink of iron and steel
Native people in chains, the suffering they still feel
All the sorrow in the world can be traced right back
To an invading force and the humanity they lack

Neil Murray -Tears Of Wybalenna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnZtAJd_Guo

The colonial, supremacy mentality from back then, it rises and wanes, but never disappears. The referendum 2 years ago to grand Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people at least a voice in parliament on matters concerning their affairs was voted down by a a whopping 60% of Strayans. Fuck me dead, what a nation of inbred diehard royalists and bigots.

Mention the need for First Nation representation and self-determination to any of these Sky News lobotomised right-wing nuts, and you’ll get “maaaate, we are all equal in this cuntry. I don’t have a voice in parliament so them blacks don’t need no stinking voice in parliament. Equal mate. Equal.”

Reply “So okay, if its equal rights, let them equally invade your property, kick you and your family off your land, live off your resources, you know, like your ancestors did to ensure you have the wealth you flaunt today. Getting equal, or shall we say even.” OMG, nearly all of them will almost have an aneurysm.

So the way forward, Peter, imho, is to educate every Australian, permanent resident or tourist, that no matter where they set foot, they are on Aboriginal land. Is to value rather than belittle their cultural ways. Is to give our countrymen and women the power that was taken off them to determine their own path. Oh, and, fuck King Charles and the horse he wrote in on.

Posted by: Juan Moment | Dec 1 2025 9:09 utc | 154

Re: Collapse, what to do ?

During the LA Riots, I lived in a ‘transitional’ neighborhood with my Wife and Child. The menfolk banded together on the 2nd night and created a very limited type of Security Patrol for our couple of blocks. We dragged some big trash containers from the Strip Mall down the way and used them to block the street entries. A very primitive checkpoint. The gun guys handed out weapons. The roving bandits shyed away and went after easier pickings.

The most illuminating defense action was on the roof of a burger joint about 1/2 mile away. Owned by 2 Greek-American Brothers, they set up lawn chairs on the roof and for 3 days and night took potshots with shotguns at any car that appeared to be filled with bandits. (likely using rock salt). The Burger Joint was located at a typical SoCal shopping street – little strip malls, gas stations, restaurants, local bars, etc. Well – up ‘river’ of the Greeks on the roof…..total destruction and looting….entire blocks trashed. Down’ river’ of the Greeks…not the littlest bit of damage.

Also of note, in the rich (well protected by LAPD and BHPD) Jewish Neighborhoods of SoCal all cleared out in a mad rush. Cars were driving on medians, sidewalks, and worse . It was an absolute frenzy. They barged in areas far away from the Riots demanding Cheap Hotel Rooms and such. Anything to get away from those Human Animals the Schwarzes.

Posted by: exile | Dec 1 2025 9:14 utc | 155

Format grrrrr
Actual
2% 2019
9% 20211
8% 2024
Forecast
24% 2025
Estimate (my own)
30% 2026
34% 2027

Posted by: exile | Dec 1 2025 9:15 utc | 156

Juan Moment | Dec 1 2025 9:09 utc | 154

I could not see a lot that was constructive in that. In the mid sixties, it was decided aboriginal people were humans rather than native fauns. With that, they were dumped in the middle of the ocean and told to lean how to swim.

Russia and China, both large multi ethnic countries. In both, the minor ethnic groups have been carried forward along with all, yet in a way they retain their culture and social structure.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 9:36 utc | 157

Hello b,

what is the problem mate?

Got to give me a clue at least.

Posted by: DunGroanin | Dec 1 2025 9:41 utc | 158

~~fauns~~ fauna

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 9:42 utc | 159

[…] I could not see a lot that was constructive in that. […]
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 9:36 utc | 157

What do you want to construct?

Posted by: Juan Moment | Dec 1 2025 9:47 utc | 160

Talking of the state – not so deep – control of media and publishing. It seems the DSMA committee – call it BigBro is moving; has arrived into social media and blog sites in the U.K. at least…

That is the ‘D-notice’ dictate to the media by the tyrants of the Crown State that is the U.K. barely concealed by the artifice of democracy, freedom of speech and belief, and a free press and judiciary.

We saw last week how the judiciary with their wigs and gowns are actually nothing more than circus clowns in their outfits when the Palestine Action hearing judge was replaced by a Zionist entity friendly set of 3 judges!

We know that the D-notice system has been running a long time from the MoD/FCO/Intelligence actors who hide behind the veils they draw to protect their blushes mostly – since much of what they wish to repress is published elsewhere around the world. Even if the Wasters are barred from accessing it.

The journalists at Grayzone, Klarenberg and co have hit pay dirt again, about how that secretive capturer of honest journalism (long suppressed in the U.K. now) has extended its hoary old claws at social media posters.

https://thegrayzone.com/2025/11/30/files-expose-britains-secret-d-notice-censorship-regime/

it shows that we are all being targeted and it won’t be long before even independent blog sites based anywhere in the world can become sanctioned – because bigbro and the techbros that are in cahoots are busy wiring up the wide open lands into their tyrannical megaranches with razor wire like fencing and killer gamekeepers – many perhaps who were turned from happy indies into poachers and made offers they can’t refuse by the gangsta old bastards.
it seems according to that Grayzone report protection of the Zios, paedos, rich and powerful and illegal military special ops are part of the mixture of concealing conspiracies and saving some aristo turds blushes. All with the collusion of ‘journalists’ who actually go and check if it’s ok to publish some investigative journalism! Before they have to come begging forgiveness and with boot licking apologies so that their careers and incomes as presstitutes aren’t threatened.

There are many such gatekeepers now. More so daily. We need newer unconquerable pastures to keep the wild natural world secure.

Any ideas barflies? hurry up. The bells are tolling.

Posted by: DunGroanin | Dec 1 2025 10:08 utc | 161

What do you want to construct?
Posted by: Juan Moment | Dec 1 2025 9:47 utc | 160

The way forward……
We see heaps of crap – a few parliament seats/voice in parliament will sweep the dirt under the rug and nothing changes. The not so long back curfew in Alice springs. The place had become unbeatable due to constant petty crime. No good for either black or white.

The vast majority of non urban aboriginal people live on social security. They have no hope for the future. As children, they’re the same as any children, but as they get to working age, something changes. Normal hope and optimism of children leaves.
My first year in the Kimberly’s, I could not get any of the young men to work for me because I was a whitey. A lot of hard earned distrust. Towards the end of the second year, all the young blokes in both communities were asking me for a job. They were asking me to teach them how to repair motor vehicles, teach them how to weld.

The liked their phones and tv’s and those sort of modernities, they also wanted the pride or respect that comes with actually doing something for a living. That along side of being accorded respect for their culture and social system. I was not and am not government funded so I could not do what I would liked to have done.

Australia still needs to do what should have been done back in the sixties. The land is the glue that holds the Aboriginal culture and social structure together. The young people need work on their own land. The young people need people of any skin colour that can gain their respect and help take them into the modern world.

It would take large government subsidies to achieve that – create industry and employment on their own land. That in itself is close to unachievable in this white mans world, but on top of that, incoruptable auditors would be required to prevent corruption, the syphoning off of government funding. What I saw in the Kimberly’s – Whites screwing the blacks, educated blacks screwing the blacks – ALC, all had portfolios of rental properties. Federal funding for the communities did not reach the communities.

As a whitey, I just headed off into the big bad world when I was young. From what I saw, it makes a big difference if the young aboriginal men have a few uncles around.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 11:11 utc | 162

DunGroanin | Dec 1 2025 10:08 utc | 161

From what I see, away from here, we live amongst lambs destined for the slaughter. Somewhat like the non bandera or neutral Ukroids.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 11:21 utc | 163

@ LoveDonbass | Dec 1 2025 4:04 utc | 132

Thank you. Exactly.

Posted by: malenkov | Dec 1 2025 12:07 utc | 164

…..The place had become ~~unbeatable~~ unliveable due to constant petty crime…..

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 12:22 utc | 165

I believe it was a guaranteed amount of gold for a certain number of roubles. Roubles per gram. Without a solid link, I doubt the rouble would have stabilized.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 1:54 utc | 112

Key Takeaway
No, the Russian ruble is not linked to gold. Despite claims from some gold commentators, Russia’s Central Bank has not established a gold standard. This article examines the facts behind the misconception and analyzes what actually happened with Russian gold policy in 2022.

https://www.gainesvillecoins.com/blog/is-russian-ruble-linked-to-gold

Posted by: arby | Dec 1 2025 12:51 utc | 166

Yeah sure, it’s actually good that there is no official fixed exchange rate between gold and fiat. It helps with true price discovery.
Nevertheless, gold can be exchanged for BRICS units, and BRICS units can be exchanged to practically any commodity or product in the world, so that establishes the connection.

Posted by: unimperator | Dec 1 2025 12:59 utc | 167

arby | Dec 1 2025 12:51 utc | 166

Learn to screen out the bullshit from western institutions.

A quote from your link.
“The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) announced it would buy gold from Russian credit institutions at a fixed price of 5,000 rubles per gram.”

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 13:15 utc | 168

Peter, that is what I said in my first post. They would buy gold at a certain number of roubles., Not sell gold. Sort of a half peg, and now that is even gone. The US went off their gold standard because they were selling gold at a fixed US dollar rate. It is the selling part that is important and can cause trouble not the buying part.

Posted by: arby | Dec 1 2025 13:45 utc | 169

@DunGroanin | Dec 1 2025 10:08 utc, who said:

We need newer unconquerable pastures to keep the wild natural world secure. Any ideas barflies? hurry up. The bells are tolling.

DunGroanin: a highly pertinent question you’ve asked. Can’t think of a better one at this time.

My suggestion:

a. Need a peer-to-peer network, ala BitTorrent, The Onion Router, etc. that decentralizes distribution of material. Make the distribution points operable on a desktop computer with an internet connection. Cheap. Open-sourced software, download and run. Uses available resources (compute power, bandwidth) not currently being used for household ops

b. Establish a registry – a distributed registry – of players. All submissions into the distribution sys come with a token that establishes, with confidence, that it came from who (the player) it says it came from. You don’t know the identity of the player, just that it was a from a registered player. Submitters can establish a brand (over time, good stuff comes from Player X) and readers can select-for submissions from that brand

c. Establish a payments mechanism such that resources get funneled to the players that carry the freight

Something like that. Main principles are:

a. Identity-protect the players
b. connect behavior (quality of submission) to a player
c. No single point of failure, and _many_ points of distributed function.
d. Uses “free” – under-utilized compute and comm resources
e. Software to run it is open source, free to us, uses minimal compute and comm resources
f. Reward the do-ers. Doing takes effort and skill, it’s valuable, needs to get fed
g. Has built-in translation, so all sources of feed are available to all points of consumption

That’ll do most of what needs doing. Please evaluate and adjust as needed. Interested to hear what you have to say.

I encourage you to periodically re-inject this line of dialog. There are many people who see what you see, and a _lot_ of those people have the wherewithal to make it happen.

Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 13:50 utc | 170

Selling or buying, the rouble was pegged to gold to stabilize it. Once stabilized, Russia again free floated the rouble.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 13:51 utc | 171

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 3:02 utc | 123

Great summary. Yeah. Focus on the doable. Not one’s personal utopia. As an ultra environmentalist and egalitarian to boot my personal utopia’s a pipe dream anyway. Not even that much scope for the doable there. As for the “propaganda media” you mention, just been chatting to a friend in Germany:-

Putin’s a monster. Steals children. His soldiers kill and rape with impunity. Ukraine’s having a hard time at the moment but for all our sakes Putin must not be allowed to win. No matter the cost.

So much for such as Kujat and Lüders and Baab. The last a profound analyst who’s been on the ground, both sides. All these Germans, plus the German journalists reporting from the ground are spitting in the wind. Same or worse in England. I have never seen such a thoroughgoing and successful propaganda campaign before, not even in the run-up to the Iraq war. Though Syria ran that one close.

From the ivory towers of academe, through the press, through the myriad Military and Intel information war units and down to the scrubby Bellingcat outfits lurking in the weeds, I reckon put all that together and we spend more money and effort on propaganda than on regular armed forces. Our information warriors don’t do too well outside the West but inside they own the territory. No contest.

Used to adapt an old joke for Colonel Lang’s site. Two Russian Generals picking their way through the ruins of a conquered Berlin. “By the way, who won the information war?” “Oh, they did of course. We were never in with a chance.”

………………………..

Only discovered Baab recently. This is Baab from several months ago. None of my friends over that way have heard of him. They’d dismiss him as a Putin troll if they did.

Patrik Baab: German War Propaganda in the Ukraine War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BAY87npgoE

Baab nails every aspect of “The Devil’s Playground”, as you describe it. As an aside, Diesen’s far more into the politics of the Continent than I could ever be but even so, can’t agree with Diesen’s brief take on Merkel. The record’s against her from way back. “Bride left at the Altar” and all that. But that’s maybe a quibble in this context.

Posted by: English Outsider | Dec 1 2025 13:56 utc | 172

Azerbaijan is already following in Ukraine’s footsteps: is Kazakhstan next? (EADaily, Alan Pukhayev, December 1, 2025 — in Russian)

Azerbaijan is clearly following Ukraine’s path. This is evidenced, among other things, by the recent arrests in the country for Soviet symbols. Who’s next? Kazakhstan? Something tells me this scenario will now be imposed on all member countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

As reported last week, law enforcement officers detained Abdullah Ibrahimli and Ibrahim Asadli in Baku. Their “crime” consisted of marching with like-minded individuals through a local park under Soviet flags. The authorities deemed this an anti-government protest, leading to searches and arrests.

Immediately after the incident, local media outlets began declaring that the “hand of Moscow” was clearly visible. As “evidence,” the police presented Marxist literature, portraits of Soviet leaders, red flags, badges, and discs of Soviet feature films and documentaries confiscated from the detainees. Everything is exactly like in Ukraine.

This is unsurprising, since the Musavatists, who are the ruling elite’s guiding light, formerly served the Ottoman Empire and later Great Britain, supporting the Whites and the interventionists in southern Russia. Aliyev seeks to repeat this history, which occurred a hundred years ago. Moreover, nationalist propaganda targets not only “Western Azerbaijan,” which includes Armenian Syunik, but also Dagestan and adjacent Russian territories.

In the context of the events under discussion, communists, as in the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine, find themselves in the position of enemies of the state and agents of the Kremlin. People have previously been tried in Azerbaijan for displaying the Victory Flag on May 9.

Given Turkey’s increased efforts to strengthen ties between Turkic states and bring them under its influence, it’s possible that similar arrests will begin in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. First in Ukraine, then in Azerbaijan, a new method of forced decommunization has already been developed, outlawing all supporters of the Soviet Union. Now this experience could be applied in the remaining OTS countries.

As a prerequisite for this, one can recall that recently, in the member states of this organization, participants in the Basmachi movement, the Wehrmacht’s Turkestan Legion and Muslim SS units have been undergoing mass rehabilitation. Last year, bills were introduced in the parliaments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan aimed at banning communist ideology and criminalizing the glorification of the Soviet Union.

These repressions are undoubtedly due to Azerbaijan’s geopolitical turn. As is known, it has already been officially announced that the country is adopting NATO standards in matters of military development. Moreover, Baku supports the “Trump route” and the Trans-Caspian route, which bypasses Russia.

Today, it can be said with certainty that Azerbaijan plays a key role in advancing Western interests in the post-Soviet space, serving as a kind of link between the Anglo-Saxons and the Turkic republics of Central Asia via Turkey. Clearly, Baku is currently forming a line of opposition to Moscow not only in the Transcaucasus but also along Russia’s entire southern border.

These relations are built on an ideology of anti-communism and anti-Sovietism. Azerbaijan, one might say, is already ripe for becoming yet another Anglo-Saxon front against Russia. Now it’s Central Asian republics’ turn.

Posted by: S | Dec 1 2025 14:16 utc | 173

English Outsider | Dec 1 2025 13:56 utc | 172

Headlines in the oz ABC late 2022. Zelensky winning the information war against Putin. Very low brow shit that appeals to educated people…. Though perhaps more generally to those that have the mindsets of Lira’s system pigs.

The propaganda has been ridiculous, yet most I know or knew believe it.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 14:16 utc | 174

S | Dec 1 2025 14:16 utc | 173

There is no room for neutrality in this great game. As bush said “you are either for or against’. Russia China is content with Neutral players but the Anglo Saxons are not. Everything is weaponized.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 14:22 utc | 175

Posted by: canuk | Nov 30 2025 16:15 utc | 10

As always using an example ( weimar) that was on a gold standard. So for the 666th time you are yet again comparing Apple’s and Oranges. So no exile is not and,p never has been in the right track.

c1ue wins the bet because as always you and exile are stupid. Might as well pay up now.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 14:29 utc | 176

Key TakeawayNo, the Russian ruble is not linked to gold. Despite claims from some gold commentators,

Posted by arby.

Of course not lol .Don’t listen to the gold bugs they are full of shit wouldn’t recognise their ass from their elbows.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 14:36 utc | 177

Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 14:29 utc | 176

Who is p?

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 14:39 utc | 178

Repost: The Key Stat to watch is Percentage of Federal Revenue ‘consumed’ by Interest Payments on Federal Debt: Actual2% 20199% 202118% 2024 Forecast24% 2025 Estimate (my own)30% 202634% 2027 At 34% of Federal Revenue going to pay interest, one can safely predict some sort of Insolvency Crisis in 2027. Watch the 10 year Treasury Bond interest rate , if it stays above 4% then the bond market agrees. If it drop below 3%, then I am wrong. TBD
Posted by: exile | Dec 1 2025 8:59 utc | 153

Can you explain in English why that is a key stat ?

Without wandering into gold standard,fixed exchange rate territory ? I bet you can’t.

How does the FED get $’s ( pmsl) what your brain calls revenue ?

It will drop below 3% if the FED keeps cutting rates. So wtf are you on about. ?

Admit it exile you are making up bullshit as you go along. Have been for 10 years.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 14:44 utc | 179

Cloudland.

I was up at my daughters place one and the utterly useless son in law had both computers running ‘mining’ for bit coin. Like a constipated dog trying to pop out a turd.

I asked what the value was in bitcoin. He beat around the bush so I said its is based on faith, and he agreed with that. High value metals are not faith, they are a commodity. Perhaps if non western banks were not stocking up on gold, I would be foolish enough to take clowns like you more seriously. High value commodities are easeir to store and transport than low value commodities.

French greeness. I saw a funny video the other day. A line of electric car charging stations – all had their heavy copper cables snipped off at the bowser. Copper is a commodity. Commodities are currencies. Life in Borrell’s garden.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 14:53 utc | 180

The kinetic frontlines of Russia meets west – bean counters diddling the books don’t mean jack shit there. The west tries to win by diddling the books. The Russians are having none of that crap. The Russian economy is based on substance, not some hairy fairy faith.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 15:02 utc | 181

Japan’s annual interest payments on government debt could surge more than 50% of revenue ( Orwellian word).

Japan’s public debt stands at more than twice the size of its economy.

They are looking to increase budget deficits ( private sector surpluses) and not slash spending because they are way , way , way brighter than Pete ” exile ” Peterson or Hertitage ” exile ” foundation.

Current inflation 3% , unemployment rate of 2.6% and yet exile says they should be bankrupt and insolvent by now.

Why isn’t Japan bankrupt and insolvent exile what with, 50% of so called revenue going towards interest payments and debt levels more than twice the size of the economy ?

Oh that’s right exile ……

https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=62277

Go back to your gold standard , Pete Peterson, Heritage Foundation , fixed exchange rate drawing board exile. Where you really belong. With all the other economics neocons.

C1ue wins the winners medal. He’s right in everything he said above. As he has an IQ in more than double figures.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 15:13 utc | 182

Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 15:13 utc | 182

Your fiat world is closing in. The sharks of production and commodities, Russia and China, are circling the dying fiat.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 15:19 utc | 183

There is a weakness about you cloudland. You do not have the balls to address me directly.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 15:21 utc | 184

Exile says if a countries interest payments exceeds 38% of its income it becomes insolvent, bankrupt and any other word you can think of.

Even though most countries don’t even have an “income” because they generate money via keystrokes. But leave that anomaly aside for now. A country is not a household.

Exile’s take is Nothing more than a dodgy Rogoff spreadsheet entry from gold standard, fixed exchange rate days. Yup, that’s where exile lives now in neoconservative IMF, world bank HQ. Brainwashed by the sound money Economist magazine, IMF and World bank and Reuters. A buddy of Pete Peterson.

Yet, we have a real life example of a country debt levels more than twice the size of its economy and approaching nearly double the % of interest payments that exile says would bankrupt it and make it insolvent that is doing just fine.

Yes indeed , facts don’t matter in a world of ideological brainwashed buffoons. Exile Rogoff doesn’t believe in facts just fairytales and dodgy spreadsheets. Even though the country is real and if Exile Rogoff wanted to, could catch a plane and touch it. Fly to Japan and take a look around.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 15:32 utc | 185

Cloudland.

Bear rather than bare wit me. I have to be somewhat diplomatic for fear of standing accused of poofta bashing. What is your thoughts on faith based vs commodity based currencies?

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 15:33 utc | 186

@exile | Dec 1 2025 8:59 utc, who said:

At 34% of Federal Revenue going to pay interest, one can safely predict some sort of Insolvency Crisis in 2027. Watch the 10 year Treasury Bond interest rate , if it stays above 4% then the bond market agrees. If it drop below 3%, then I am wrong. TBD

Exile: why does bond market “agree with you” if rates stay where they are? 4% is a historically very low interest rate, and doesn’t seem to be saying “the house is afire”. To me, 4% says “all cool. Carry on”.

What are you seeing/thinking that says 4% is a big deal? Serious question; your thesis rests on that answer, right?

Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 15:39 utc | 187

Your fiat world is closing in. The sharks of production and commodities, Russia and China, are circling the dying fiat.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 15:19 utc | 183

In your dreams Peter.

Did you not even read the Kazan Declaration?

If you think China or Russia are heading to a gold standard then you are an idiot Peter. A travelling circus.

Do you like facts Peter ?

If you do. I will leave Xu Gao the chief economist of the Central bank of China with the last word.

Here:

://www.chinabankingnews.com/p/chinese-economists-recruit-ray-dalio

As you can see , The truth is BRICS is encircling your dumb ” sound money” world Peter. Regardless of your fairytales.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 15:47 utc | 188

Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 15:39 utc | 187

Tom, this stuff on economics…. my thought is economics must be backed by commodities and production. Even saying that is arse about. Economics is a service industry to production and commodities. Production as in primary industry, commodities as in secondary industry.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 15:47 utc | 189

Posted by: lex talionis | Dec 1 2025 0:15 utc | 84
Its for you to fight the sadness which I understand totally.
Live in the moment, I do, as I also have and love many animals. Keyboard messed up due to an amazing abilities of my cats for software messes. Sorry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DePFiF-nNoE
Do not give up, we still have power. BDS, active resistance etc.

Posted by: stranger | Dec 1 2025 15:47 utc | 190

@Clouds, who said:

Yet, we have a real life example [Japan] of a country debt levels more than twice the size of its economy and approaching nearly double the % of interest payments that exile says would bankrupt it and make it insolvent that is doing just fine.

OK, let’s examine “doing just fine” assertion. Japan has a major problem. It’s an export economy that can’t export because it’s production costs are too high, other countries ate its export-market lunch (S. Korea and China) and it doesn’t have either the plan nor the resources to execute a re-invent Japan strategy.

The “resources” would have to come from Gov’t, since the “fix”is so structural, takes so long, and so much resources to do. Now let’s do a search: “Japan Industrial Policy government funding”. Lessee what pops up.

Japan and the U.S. have a new trade deal with a unique twist. Japan is creating a $550 billion fund to help boost American manufacturing. While Japan is paying for the fund, the U.S. President will be in charge of how the money is used.

Here’s another. It’s recent; few days old:

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Cabinet approved a 21.3 trillion yen ($135.4 billion) stimulus package Friday to help spur the economy through expansionary government spending and to relieve the impact of higher prices.
After taking office last month, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi promised to boost government spending despite concerns that such moves will delay progress on trimming Japan’s national debt, which is about triple the size of its economy.
Takaichi told reporters that the package aims to quickly deliver on her promises.
“Through wise spending, we will change worries into hope and achieve a strong economy,” she said.

Clouds: if you think those citations are biased or insufficient, please provide some that prove your point. From my perspective, Japan has a major problem (can’t compete) and has no seed corn. $135B is chump-change in this game, and they apparently elected to use $500B of their remaining seed corn to take stakes in US industry, not Japan’s.

This is a country that’s both out of ideas, and out of money to execute what few ideas they have. This is not a picture of a strong central government with the resources needed to implement.

How come no money? Well, they’re already lumbered down with debt, and what available Federal income they are getting is substantially allocated to interest payments (treading water), not investment. That’s a big freakin’ problem.

The US also, increasingly, has this problem. Debt overhang saps national vitality. Eating the seed corn has proven, all throughout the ages, to be a _bad_ idea.

Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 15:55 utc | 191

What are you seeing/thinking that says 4% is a big deal? Serious question; your thesis rests on that answer, right?
Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 15:39 utc | 187

He’s making it up as he goes along Tom. Exile rogoff has done it for years, if it went up he screamed insolvency if it went down he screamed bankruptcy.

Was he right or has been right for the last 10 years at the bar ?

Nope not even close. He’s been brainwashed by the Heritage Foundation and Pete Peterson the IMF and World bank. Neocon central HQ.

This % of so called income on interest payments is his new scam. As he’s never been right for a decade. It’s his new 3 card monte that once again makes absolutely no sense when put it under even a tiny little bit of scrutiny.

Maybe make a tiny little bit of sense in a gold standard, fixed exchange rate world. Where he lives, not in the real world.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 15:59 utc | 192

The US dollar became the world standard because it was backed by massive production capabilities and gold.
Exile – live within your means. The same holds true of nations.

It seems hairy fairy Cloudland has departed.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 16:02 utc | 193

@Peter, who said:

Economics is a service industry to production and commodities. Production as in primary industry, commodities as in secondary industry.”

Of course that’s exactly right. In a healthy economy, the role of Finance is to allocate resources to the highest social good. It’s the “hidden hand” of capitalism that’s supposed to be exercising good judgement. This is what Hudson terms “industrial capitalism”. And this is where the Chinese model gets it right; they have a cadre of grey-hairs that have been thoroughly vetted whose job it is to allocate capital. That’s the “communist” part of China: top-down, competent policy-and-executive branch. Then there’s the rest of China – the market-driven hoardes of capitalists, busy designing new products, building companies, and trading and producing and selling their arses off. It’s a blend, and apparently, they’ve got a pretty good recipe for that blend.

When finance goes off the rails and actively _predates_ upon the real economy, as it does now here in the US…. finance is operating as a tool to both extract wealth from and then _concentrate that wealth_ into the hands of gangster-predators. Then you get what we have, which is much-weakened host ridden with parasites.

And then you get regulatory capture, and by then …. tuff to turn it around. That’s where we are now.

c1ue wants an economy that functions as it’s supposed to. He things Moses-people like Trump are going to fix it. Not likely. To fix this one, tens of millions of Americans, and UK-EU-Aussies are going to have to tune in and learn a lot of stuff, and start kicking some ass. Gonna happen?

Hum. What channel is your TV tuned to?

DunGroanin’ had it right: need new comm channels. Now.

Posted by: Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 16:05 utc | 194

mmm. Posted and saw I was wrong.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 16:06 utc | 195

It’s hilarious – Bat shit crazy Canuck comes along and shouts…..

Yes, “Exile Rogoff is right look at Weimar ”

LOL , PMSL !

They permanently live in a gold standard, fixed exchange world that no longer exists lol.

Apples and oranges, apples and oranges, apples and oranges. They have zero idea how modern money works. Why they never get anything right.

C1ue is right above. He gets it. Understands modern money.

Posted by: Clouds Of Alabama | Dec 1 2025 16:09 utc | 196

Tom Pfotzer | Dec 1 2025 16:05 utc | 194

You write my thoughts better than I can. Apart from those separated from the basics, we are now headed into a Palantir world. Big brother looking at our every communication.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 16:13 utc | 197

If Santa Claus doesn’t bring a Witkoff — Kushner cage match by Christmas then the Easter Bunny had damn well better get it sorted.

What the fuck is in it for those two prominences to be involved anyway? Why are they taking the risk instead of relaxing and enjoying their billions?

Posted by: too scents | Dec 1 2025 16:18 utc | 198

too scents | Dec 1 2025 16:18 utc | 198

Money to spare gives a bit of time to relax. Money to burn is power.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 16:21 utc | 199

Money to burn is power.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Dec 1 2025 16:21 utc | 199

—

The stoopid boring slog Witkoff & Kushner have set themselves upon reflects the antithesis of power.

Posted by: too scents | Dec 1 2025 16:24 utc | 200

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