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Thursday, March 31, 2022
Hard drive containing Hunter Biden laptop data examined by two forensic experts - The Washington Post
Hard drive containing Hunter Biden laptop data examined by two forensic experts - The Washington Post: The examination confirmed that nearly 22,000 emails carried cryptographic signs attesting to their validity. But the data had been so mishandled over the years that it was impossible to reach a general conclusion about its contents.
Putin Is a War Criminal – and So Was Madeleine Albright - Antiwar.com Original
Putin Is a War Criminal – and So Was Madeleine Albright - Antiwar.com Original: Obituaries of Madeleine Albright, the first woman to be appointed US secretary of state, in 1997 by President Bill Clinton, could not have been more - Jonathan Cook for Antiwar.com Original
How does the FBI 'lose' a laptop like Hunter Biden's? - American Thinker
How does the FBI 'lose' a laptop like Hunter Biden's? - American Thinker: Some things don't make sense.
That brings us to some testimony from the FBI's assistant director for cyber-security, who told Congress's Rep. Matt Gaetz that he had no idea where Hunter Biden's laptop, entrusted to&...
The Realist Case for a Ukraine Peace Deal With Russia
The Realist Case for a Ukraine Peace Deal With Russia: Conflict resolution isn’t just for woolly-headed idealists.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
A new wave and a new booster? - by Eric Topol
A new wave and a new booster? - by Eric Topol: Staying ahead of the virus
NATO-Russia Proxy War: Revealing Signs of a Fading America, by Michael Hudson - The Unz Review
NATO-Russia Proxy War: Revealing Signs of a Fading America, by Michael Hudson - The Unz Review: Conversations with Scott Ritter and Michael Hudson
FOIA Reveals NIH Secretly DELETED COVID Data Provided by the Wuhan Lab at the BEGINNING of the Pandemic
FOIA Reveals NIH Secretly DELETED COVID Data Provided by the Wuhan Lab at the BEGINNING of the Pandemic: A trove of documents that were uncovered by a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request reveals the National Institutes of Health (NIH) secretly deleted information about the genetic sequencing of the Covid-19 virus in the summer of 2020. No surprise, former NIH director Francis Collins and NIAID Director Tony Fauci were front and center…
Biden administration proposes larger defense budget to counter China, Russia - CNNPolitics
Biden administration proposes larger defense budget to counter China, Russia - CNNPolitics: President Joe Biden's proposed fiscal year 2023 Pentagon budget includes $813 billion in spending for national defense, a 4% increase of $31 billion from the spending package signed into law earlier this month.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
The Democrats’ Common Sense Problem - The Liberal Patriot
The Democrats’ Common Sense Problem - The Liberal Patriot: Voters Think They’ve Abandoned It
H-Diplo Essay 424 - E424.pdf - Commentary Series on Putin’s War: “Russia in American Eyes: Some Telling Letters Offer a Lesson for Today.”
H-Diplo Essay 424 - E424.pdf
Commentary Series on Putin’s War: “Russia in American Eyes: Some Telling Letters Offer a Lesson for Today.”
Mendacious New York Times' warning about Censorship
Mendacious New York Times' warning about Censorship: The paper of record has clearly become The Ministry of Truth
Poland's president hails nuclear 'partnership' with USA : Nuclear Policies - World Nuclear News
Poland's president hails nuclear 'partnership' with USA : Nuclear Policies - World Nuclear News: At a meeting with US President Joe Biden, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said that he believed the two countries' nuclear energy programme "will be able to get off the ground soon".
Monday, March 28, 2022
What is our war aim?
What is our war aim?: Joe Biden's comments about regime change are a reminder that we can't leave the strategic thinking to the Americans.
The Collapsing American Family - From Bonding to Bondage - Dr. Rich Swier
The Collapsing American Family - From Bonding to Bondage - Dr. Rich Swier: "The enemies of freedom are enemies of the family." Linda Goudsmit, The Collapsing American Family: From Bonding to Bondage We received a copy of a new
Oil And The Eclipse Of Pax Americana In The Middle East
Oil And The Eclipse Of Pax Americana In The Middle East: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the U.A.E.’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan declined U.S. government requests to speak to Mr. Biden but saw no problem in talking to President Vladimir Putin. That is how much the prestige of Pax Americana has sunk in the Middle East.
Tech Billionaires Rally Around Nuclear as Energy Crisis Looms - BNN Bloomberg
Tech Billionaires Rally Around Nuclear as Energy Crisis Looms - BNN Bloomberg: In recent weeks, some of Silicon Valley’s most famous technologists have hailed a historically polarizing energy source — nuclear power — as a solution to both cutting carbon emissions and weaning the world off now-controversial Russian gas.
The Use of Nuclear Power Beyond Generating Electricity: Non-Electric Applications | IAEA
The Use of Nuclear Power Beyond Generating Electricity: Non-Electric Applications | IAEA: Decarbonization to create a CO2-neutral global economy requires decarbonizing all sectors that largely rely on fossil fuels today.
More Confirmation Of The Infeasibility Of A Fully Wind/Solar/Storage Electricity System — Manhattan Contrarian
More Confirmation Of The Infeasibility Of A Fully Wind/Solar/Storage Electricity System — Manhattan Contrarian: Many recent posts on this blog have dealt with the theme of the infeasibility of a fully wind/solar/storage electricity system. Today I will deal with another study of the subject, this one from German authors Oliver Ruhnau and Staffan Qvist, titled “Storage requirements in a 100% renewable electri
Zelensky Sends Mixed Messages About Ukraine's Willingness To Compromise - News From Antiwar.com
Zelensky Sends Mixed Messages About Ukraine's Willingness To Compromise - News From Antiwar.com: Updated 11:30pm EDTThe Ukrainian leader said he is open to "compromise" on the country’s Donbas region. Zelensky then said he would prioritize the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was willing to “compromise” over the country’s Donbas region. A core Russian demand has been that Ukraine gives up its territorial … Continue reading "Zelensky Sends Mixed Messages About Ukraine’s Willingness To Compromise"
With Russia's Weakness on Full Display: Hawks Now Want America to Fight Russia and China - Antiwar.com Original
With Russia's Weakness on Full Display: Hawks Now Want America to Fight Russia and China - Antiwar.com Original: Europe is at war and American hawks are busy. The Atlantic Council’s Matthew Kroenig argued that "the most consequential strategic question of the - Doug Bandow for Antiwar.com Original
Why the US doesn’t have enough doctors to fight Covid effectively - Vox
Why the US doesn’t have enough doctors to fight Covid effectively - Vox: Every year, thousands of perfectly qualified medical school graduates don’t get a residency match.
Congress Blowing Chance to Reform Nuclear Weapons Policy
Congress Blowing Chance to Reform Nuclear Weapons Policy: The national security establishment and its corporate allies dominate Congress’s new nuclear weapons commission.
Beware the redux: America's violent Cold War history - Responsible Statecraft
Beware the redux: America's violent Cold War history - Responsible Statecraft: Hollywood loves a sequel, but the Russia-Ukraine crisis has made the possibility real, and no one should want to see it.
Biden Confirms Why the US Needed This War – Consortium News
Biden Confirms Why the US Needed This War – Consortium News: In a moment of candor, Joe Biden has revealed why the U.S. needed the Russian invasion and why it needs it to continue, writes Joe Lauria.
By Joe Lauria
Special to Consortium News
The U.S. got its war in Ukraine. Without it, Washington could not attempt to destroy Russia's economy, or
Just where is Joe Biden going to find gas for the EU? – POLITICO
Just where is Joe Biden going to find gas for the EU? – POLITICO: Washington is counting on markets to replace some of the gas now supplied by Russia.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Latest CDC Data Shows That Vaccinated Children Aged 5-11 Are Now MORE Likely to Catch Covid Than Their Unvaccinated Peers
Latest CDC Data Shows That Vaccinated Children Aged 5-11 Are Now MORE Likely to Catch Covid Than Their Unvaccinated Peers: After approving the experimental mRNA jab for children as young as five a few months back, the tyrannical US Public Health Regime is pushing ahead with its plan to vaccinate even younger children despite mounting evidence that the jab may actually be facilitating the spread of the virus among them. Not to even mention the…
Bill Gates Says Rich Nations "Should Move to 100% Synthetic Beef" In Order to Fight Climate Change - "You Can Get Used to The Taste Difference"
Bill Gates Says Rich Nations "Should Move to 100% Synthetic Beef" In Order to Fight Climate Change - "You Can Get Used to The Taste Difference": The Globalist Cabal of elites wants you… to eat fake meat. And they are setting the table for dinner as we speak. In a recent interview discussing his recent book – “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster“ – billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who is currently the world’s fourth wealthiest individual, advocated for “rich countries”…
Our Elites Need to Recognize that America’s ‘Unipolar Moment’ is Over | RealClearDefense
Our Elites Need to Recognize that America’s ‘Unipolar Moment’ is Over | RealClearDefense: Writing in the current Washington Examiner, Anne Pierce suggests that the United States is today confronted by a new “Axis of Evil” composed of Russia, China, and Iran, which poses an exis
State Department: Blinken Hasn't Spoken With Russian FM Since Before Invasion - News From Antiwar.com
State Department: Blinken Hasn't Spoken With Russian FM Since Before Invasion - News From Antiwar.com: US officials say Blinken hasn't tried speaking with Lavrov
Washington Helped Trigger the Ukraine War - The American Conservative
Washington Helped Trigger the Ukraine War - The American Conservative: The magnitude of the aggressive moves taken by the Pentagon and CIA to bolster Ukraine are just now becoming apparent.
German Industry Powerhouse Shaken to Core by War in Ukraine - Bloomberg
German Industry Powerhouse Shaken to Core by War in Ukraine - Bloomberg: Germany’s industrial base, just emerging from pandemic and unprecedented supply-chain challenges, is taking another beating with Russia’s war on Ukraine hitting its powerhouse car, chemical and precision-machinery manufacturers.
Largest American Wind Farm ever Built all-at-Once Opens in Oklahoma, Saves Customers $1 Billion over Fossil fuels
Largest American Wind Farm ever Built all-at-Once Opens in Oklahoma, Saves Customers $1 Billion over Fossil fuels: Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) - This week, American Electric Power (AEP), which operates in several states, inaugurated what it called the largest wind farm in the US ever built all at once. That is, there are larger wind facilities, but they were actually a congeries of several projects built over many years. The nearly 1 gigawatt Traverse Wind Energy Center, in Blaine and Custer counties in western Oklahoma, generates power not only for that state but also for Arkansas an Louisiana. Mark Williams at the Columbus Dispatch writes, 'Traverse has 356 turbines that are nearly 300 feet tall. Most of
Big Oil Is No Longer “Unbankable” | OilPrice.com
Big Oil Is No Longer “Unbankable” | OilPrice.com: In 2019, just at the height of the ESG craze, big banks began to turn their backs on oil and gas companies, but as prices soar the banks are back to take advantage of profits.
Saturday, March 26, 2022
The Twin Revolutions of Politics and Fertility
The Twin Revolutions of Politics and Fertility: Two centuries and a half ago, two world regions had a fertility revolution. Soon after, they both had a political revolution. These facts are connected.
We Have New Evidence of Saudi Involvement in 9/11, and Barely Anyone Cares
We Have New Evidence of Saudi Involvement in 9/11, and Barely Anyone Cares: The FBI has quietly revealed further evidence of Saudi government complicity in the September 11 attacks — and nothing’s happened.
Is Putin a War Criminal? - Antiwar.com Original
Is Putin a War Criminal? - Antiwar.com Original: President Joseph R. Biden caused a stir in the media last week when he called Russian President Vladimir Putin "a war criminal." Biden's - Andrew P. Napolitano for Antiwar.com Original
Friday, March 25, 2022
Verified Hate: Ketanji Brown Jackson Edition, by Gregory Hood - The Unz Review
Verified Hate: Ketanji Brown Jackson Edition, by Gregory Hood - The Unz Review: The GOP is putting up a surprisingly stiff fight over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, but that won’t save us from absurdities to come. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he would vote against her, but she’ll still be confirmed by the Democrat majority. President Biden nominated her so she could be the first black woman on the Court, but she couldn’t define what a “woman” is. https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1506451924555649026 One may pretend this is just word games. https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1507005563644829696 However, the Supreme Court must define groups because the government treats them differently. It pays to be a member of
Russia Says Hunter Biden Linked to Funding of Ukrainian Bioweapons Labs, by Andrew Anglin - The Unz Review
Russia Says Hunter Biden Linked to Funding of Ukrainian Bioweapons Labs, by Andrew Anglin - The Unz Review: https://dailystormer.name/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/download-62.png I’ve never argued that people should just take information coming from the Russian government at face value. Obviously, they don’t lie on anywhere near the level of the West. In fact, I don’t even know anything that they’ve lied about. But of course, they could be lying about something. However, Hunter Biden being involved in the funding of biowarfare labs doesn’t really sound too outrageous to me. The problem is, the United States and all of its dirty dealings are a black box. They literally lie about absolutely everything. So you can either believe Russia or not, but you
EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden Bio Firm Partnered With Ukrainian Researchers ‘Isolating Deadly Pathogens’ Using Funds From Obama's Defense Department.
EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden Bio Firm Partnered With Ukrainian Researchers ‘Isolating Deadly Pathogens’ Using Funds From Obama's Defense Department.: An investment firm directed by Hunter Biden was a lead financial backer of a pandemic tracking and response firm that collaborated on identifying and isolating deadly pathogens in Ukrainian laboratories, receiving funds from the Obama administration's Department of Defense to do so, The National Pulse can reveal.
Biden refuses to rule out Ukrainian territorial concessions — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
Biden refuses to rule out Ukrainian territorial concessions — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union: The US president didn’t rule out Ukraine ceding territory in exchange for a ceasefire with Russia, but said it’s Kiev’s decision to make
NATO issues warning to China — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
NATO issues warning to China — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union: NATO leaders have warned China against aiding and abetting Russia in its military campaign against Ukraine
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 24 | Institute for the Study of War
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 24 | Institute for the Study of War: Russian forces continue to make slow but steady progress in Mariupol, entering the city center on March 24, but conducted few offensive operations elsewhere in the country. Ukrainian counterattacks northwest of Kyiv in the past several days continue to
U.S. indicts 4 Russian hackers for attacks on energy sector | Fortune
U.S. indicts 4 Russian hackers for attacks on energy sector | Fortune: Four Russian nationals who worked for their government committed cyberattacks against hundreds of companies in the energy sector worldwide, including the operator of a nuclear power facility in Kansas, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday as part of a sweeping pair of indictments aimed at curbing state-sponsored hacks.
Caiso ups power by 4 GW a year, builds grid with $4bn+ spend - Rethink
Caiso ups power by 4 GW a year, builds grid with $4bn+ spend - Rethink: California’s ISO (Caiso) has issued a 391 page detailed transmission plan for the development of its grid – with mostly the effort of building it out falling on the three largest regulated utilities PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric), SCE (Southern California Edison) and SDG&E (San Diego Gas and Electric) The most shocking change in numbers on the plan is the idea that it has gone from putting just 1,000 MW a year of new resources onto the grid, up to 2,700 MW in this plan, and expect to be closer to 4,000 MW in subsequent years. The plan is a 10 year plan. The increase in the pace of power build out is due to the need to decarbonize the…
White House diverges from CDC, focuses on aerosol COVID spread | CIDRAP
White House diverges from CDC, focuses on aerosol COVID spread | CIDRAP: "Just as chemicals can build up in the air, viruses can as well."
How biogas greenwashes North Carolina's hog waste problem – Scalawag
How biogas greenwashes North Carolina's hog waste problem – Scalawag: Eastern North Carolina residents, researchers, and farmers say the rapidly-growing energy sector distracts from the state's hog waste issues.
Russia Accuses Hunter Biden, CDC and George Soros Foundation of Funding Pentagon's Biological Program in Ukraine
Russia Accuses Hunter Biden, CDC and George Soros Foundation of Funding Pentagon's Biological Program in Ukraine: Hunter Biden’s firm Rosemont Seneca provided capital for the firms behind the creation of Biolabs in Ukraine. The Gateway Pundit broke this news earlier this month. The US State Department admitted there were dangerous US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine during senate testimony earlier this month. Then on Wednesday the Biden regime backtracked and insisted there were…
Thursday, March 24, 2022
The connection between Hunter Biden, Ukrainian biolabs, and Russia’s war
The connection between Hunter Biden, Ukrainian biolabs, and Russia’s war: The connection between Hunter Biden, Ukrainian biolabs, and Russia’s war at LifeSite
Donald Trump sues Hillary Clinton, others over 2016 Russian collusion allegations | Reuters
Donald Trump sues Hillary Clinton, others over 2016 Russian collusion allegations | Reuters: Donald Trump on Thursday sued his rival in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Hillary Clinton, and several other Democrats, alleging that they tried to rig that election by tying his campaign to Russia.
Putin's oligarchs and the great escape
Putin's oligarchs and the great escape: As Russian oligarchs scramble to store their wealth amidst rising international sanctions, all eyes are on the most likely candidates: Israel, UAE and South Korea. So far, they have failed the call of the Ukrainian people, writes Anthony Harwood.
BlackRock chief Larry Fink says Ukraine war marks end of globalisation | Financial Times
BlackRock chief Larry Fink says Ukraine war marks end of globalisation | Financial Times: Boss of $10tn asset manager warns about inflation as companies reconfigure supply chains
Why this economic war on Russia breaks all rules of the game - Responsible Statecraft
Why this economic war on Russia breaks all rules of the game - Responsible Statecraft: The 'great expropriation' will come to be regarded as a turning point — one in which the great powers of the world will likely regret.
Dr. Paul Alexander says he rejected Pfizer’s $1 million offer to stop questioning COVID vaccines - LifeSite
Dr. Paul Alexander says he rejected Pfizer’s $1 million offer to stop questioning COVID vaccines - LifeSite: The Canadian health researcher and former Trump administration official said that 'Pfizer offered me $1 million & $50,000 month wage; essentially to stop writing & hammering them.'
Pray to the Mother of God for Ukraine
Pray to the Mother of God for Ukraine: As escalations continue in Ukraine, let us pray to the Virgin Mary and ask that her intercession may bring peace.
Forum: Fruitless to blame US and Nato for war in Ukraine | The Straits Times
Forum: Fruitless to blame US and Nato for war in Ukraine | The Straits Times
Clyde Prestowitz comment on Kishore Mahbubani article on the Ukraine war
Half-hearted sanctions against Russia have already failed
Half-hearted sanctions against Russia have already failed
https://archive.ph/jqMuD
Half-hearted sanctions against Russia have already failed
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard22 March 2022
Russia has not defaulted on its sovereign debt after all. Nor is it likely to do so under the current sanctions regime, and as long as Europe continues to finance Vladimir Putin’s military state with purchases of gas, oil, and coal.
The Kremlin is already sufficiently confident to reopen the Moscow stock exchange for bond transactions. The US Treasury’s sanctions office (OFAC) has made life easier by leaving a loophole for sovereign debt repayments, concerned that there might otherwise be a Lehmanesque shock to global finance.
The uninterrupted flow of fossil revenues – at windfall prices – is enough to cover interest service costs and redemptions. Goldman Sachs even thinks that the central bank will be able to relax capital controls gradually.
The rouble has not collapsed. It has stabilised after a 40pc devaluation, a manageable drop for a semi-autarkic closed economy. The fall is less than the currency slide in Turkey over recent months, which few even noticed outside specialist circles.
We are facing the failure of western sanctions policy. Calibrated half-measures are not sufficient to change the Kremlin calculus or to dissuade Putin from a policy of attrition against civilian targets.
Yes, Russia is having to sell some crude oil at a steep discount but the gap is already narrowing as shippers learn to navigate the political reefs.
India and others are competing for bargain supplies, cutting the discount to $20 this week from $28 a barrel after the invasion of Ukraine. If Europe is still buying Russian oil, how can distant states in Asia be persuaded to desist?
The Kremlin is still earning almost $100 a barrel at today’s global prices ($118), twice the average of the last eight years. The Russian current account is in rude good health. Clemens Grafe from Goldman Sachs expects the surplus to top $200bn this year as imports of western consumer goods are slashed.
Russia's current account surplus is growing
Trade balance in goods and services
SOURCE: GOLDMAN SACHS
Russia has enough usable foreign currency to stay afloat for a long time. Western sanctions against the central bank are not proving to be the killer blow supposed at first, and nor is the ejection of some Russian banks from the SWIFT nexus of global payments. There are too many deliberate exemptions.
Goldman’s deep-dive into the effect of sanctions ought to end all wishful thinking. The US investment bank forecasts that the Russian economy will contract by 10pc this year, a bad recession but not an economic breakdown. Growth will then recover to 2.4pc next year and 3.4pc in 2024 as the country adjusts. Exports will be back to 98pc of prior levels by early next year. If so, Putin is not going to lose sleep over this.
Russia’s trade will mostly be diverted rather than destroyed. There may even be some short-term growth stimulus as Russia replaces western goods with home-made manufactures. Putin has been building a fortress economy ever since the annexation of Crimea. Net foreign funding is negligible. Total public debt is 18pc of GDP, one of the lowest ratios in the world.
Over four-fifths of GDP come from sectors that import just 15pc or less of their inputs, falling to 7pc in the mining industry. This is a radically different economic structure from western states such as Poland.
“If Russia were fully integrated into global supply chains, restrictions on imports and exports would be immediately destructive. However, Russia largely exports goods that are almost fully produced locally,” said Mr Grafe.
Iran endured tougher sanctions without buckling. Cornell professor Nick Mulder, author of The Economic Weapon, said the country settled into a new equilibrium within a couple of months. “If Iran’s experience is any guide, Russia will survive and return to lacklustre growth,” he said.
“Historically, sanctions have hardly ever been successful in stopping wars,” he said. A rare exception was the Balkan ‘war of the stray dog’ in 1925. Needless to say, Putin’s war on Ukraine is not a border skirmish. It is a long-planned attempt to overturn the post-Cold War settlement and alter the world’s balance of power.
European ministers once again grappled with a hydrocarbon embargo – the fifth package of sanctions – at an EU meeting on Monday. Once again the proposals ran into resistance from Germany, with Italy and others happy to tuck in behind.
There is a pervasive fear of a gilets jaunes uprising across Europe, a suspicion that a fickle public will not tolerate a cost-of-living shock once the horrors of Ukraine lose their novelty on TV screens – but that is to abdicate leadership.
The business-as-usual lobbies in Germany have dusted down a catastrophe scenario known as Lükex 18, a report by the German civil defence agency (BBK) painting a portrait fit for Hieronymous Bosch of what might happen if gas supplies were ever cut off.
It is to throw sand in our eyes. We are already in late March. The winter is over and Europe will have enough gas to last deep into the late autumn. It has sufficient spare import capacity for liquefied natural gas to rebuild some of its depleted storage with shipments of LNG from the US and Qatar over the summer months.
Professor Moritz Schularick from Bonn University said an immediate halt to all purchases of Russian gas, oil, and coal, would cut German GDP by 3pc this year and cost around €120bn but is perfectly feasible. “The world wouldn’t end,” he said.
The possible measures are by now well known. Every one degree cut in home heating saves 10 billion cubic metres (BCM) of gas. If Europe dialled down from an average of 22 to 19 degrees, which happened in some states in the 1973 crisis, it could already cover one fifth of total Russian supply. Targeted sections of heavy industry can be rationed with a small loss of GDP.
As for oil, the International Energy Agency has just cut its forecast for global demand this year by 1.3m barrels a day (b/d). It has issued a 10-point plan for rapid cuts that could shave a use by a further 2.7m b/d without causing an economic crisis, chiefly by a string of temporary measures such as lowering speed limits by 10 km/h, car-free Sundays, and less air travel. Together these savings add up to 4m b/d, equal to most of Russia’s oil exports to Europe.
The issue is no longer whether it can be done but whether Europe has the political courage to try. What is clear is that western sanctions policy is the worst of all worlds. We are suffering an energy shock that is further inflating Russia’s war-fighting revenues.
While it is hard to separate the effect of sanctions from war disruption and market psychology, the current situation is intolerable. We are allowing Putin to exploit Russia’s leverage as a full-spectrum commodity superpower.
The spot price for ammonia in Europe has risen sevenfold this year, deliberately pushed higher by a Kremlin ban on fertiliser exports that has no other purpose than causing maximum chaos and probably a global food shortage over the next year. Shortages of nickel, palladium, and other metals are becoming critical.
Fertiliser prices are exploding
It is a strategic imperative to bring this crisis to a head immediately by raising the ante. A total energy embargo would buttress the military resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces and test whether it is even possible for Putin to continue prosecuting a bungled invasion.
As matters now stand, the sanctions have failed to achieve anything. It is Ukrainian resistance, and military kit mostly provided by the Anglo-Saxon powers of Nato and frontline EU states, that have so far held the line. Core Europe has done little more than bleat on the margins.
The spontaneous willingness of European nations to welcome millions of refugees is marvellous – and the UK should drop its tone-deaf visa requirement immediately – but what is most needed is to confront the cause of this vast human convulsion.
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