The Ruble is falling like a rock. It might break 70:$1 in the next day or so at this rate.
http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=RUB&view=1W
Cheers,
Scott.
http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=RUB&view=1W
Cheers,
Scott.
Vlad must be unhappy.
The Ruble is falling like a rock. It might break 70:$1 in the next day or so at this rate. http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=RUB&view=1W Cheers, Scott. |
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Not good
The only fallback they have is war. What else can a failing wannabe empire do when the revenue stream runs out? Of course, they're sovereign entity like the U.S. That's what we do. There are other options, but conservatives don't like them. And shirtless KBG spook is definitely a conservative. Again, messy... "Religion, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable." ~ AMBROSE BIERCE (1842-1914) |
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There is that...
He does seem to have learned the lesson that throwing the Russian Army around in tiny border states makes him popular at home (at least while the economy is improving). Let's hope he doesn't think that lesson applies when NATO is a potential adversary. He's been given lots of opportunities to climb down without losing face, but he doesn't seem to want to take them. Instead he's been throwing around comparisons to Jerusalem which is not going to make it easy for him to get out of Ukraine. Here's hoping a peaceful way out is found.... :-( Cheers, Scott. |
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If the Russians march on Kiev, then what?
They could probably take it in a few weeks. I'm not sure the West would put boots on the ground in the Ukraine. |
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He won't do that.
Foreign Policy: The White House points to the billions of dollars moving out of Russia, the volatile Micex stock index, and the ruble’s falling value as evidence that sanctions are inflicting economic pain. But if the goal of the sanctions was to get Putin to stop bullying Ukraine, then they have yet to hit the mark. Instead, Putin is telling the head of the European Union that he could conquer Kiev in two weeks — if he wanted to. Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin foreign-policy advisor, told the Guardian on Tuesday that Putin’s remarks were taken out of context. NATO plans to station rapid-response forces to protect Eastern Europe, though it’s unclear whether the United States — the most powerful military in the 28-member alliance — will participate. Stars and Stripes: Published: September 8, 2014 We still have that pesky treaty guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for her giving up her nuclear weapons... Putin can make things very difficult for the West if he wants (UN vetos, jacking up military spending and provocations, etc.), but he's not going to invade NATO states or make overt moves in Ukraine. My $0.02. Cheers, Scott. |
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I do hope you're right!
Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov |
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This entire situation is YAN "gift" from the corrupt Clinton Administration.
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Yup. Putin had no choice. Nobody has Agency but the USofA. Of course... :-/
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Of course, NATO expansion East had nothing to do with it. :-/
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Last expansion was April 2009. What year is it now?
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So, if a LIE is old enough, it doesn't count anymore?
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All those countries west of Russia are -- and were, in 2009 too...
...free and sovereign members of the UN. They can join what-the-fuck-ever organisations they want, and that doesn't give that fucking little Westentaschenführer THE LEAST fucking right to start invading them. What's so fucking hard to understand about that?!? You still a fucking Stalinist, or what? I always knew growing up in Russia did couldn't have been good for you... Holy sheee...eesh! -- Christian R. Conrad Same old username (as above), but now on iki.fi (Yeah, yeah, it redirects to the same old GMail... But just in case I ever want to change.) |
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What I learned from a year in the Soviet Union.
Never trust the West. What the US secretary of state said on Feb. 9, 1990 in the magnificent St. Catherine's Hall at the Kremlin is beyond dispute. There would be, in Baker's words, "no extension of NATO's jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east," provided the Soviets agreed to the NATO membership of a unified Germany. Moscow would think about it, Gorbachev said, but added: "any extension of the zone of NATO is unacceptable." http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-s-eastward-expansion-did-the-west-break-its-promise-to-moscow-a-663315-2.html If I had truly "grown up" in the Soviet Union, my views would be even more extreme to Western eyes. |
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That's one interpretation...
Foreign Affairs: [...] FWIW. Cheers, Scott. |
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Drum: More echos of 1989.
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I wouldn't cheer to gleefully for another collapse.
One thing Putin can do, and has already begun to do, is pivot East. No doubt about it, he and Russia are in a very bad way (just imagine the World of Shit we would be in if there was a call on our debt! We're the world's leading debtor and have been for decades). But there is this straw Putin has that was not available in 1989: http://thediplomat.com/2014/08/why-chinas-love-for-putin-is-dangerous/ |
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Interesting.
Dunno how well the "pivot" is going though. Foreign Policy: China hopes to project a squeaky-clean image while international attention centers on APEC’s host. But that’s not the only reason why the Putin-Peng Coatgate has China’s censors on high alert. China’s tightly controlled state media carefully protects the reputation of its top government leaders, and the names of China’s top leaders are frequently some of the most heavily censored terms on Chinese social media. In addition, the sweeping anti-corruption campaign Xi himself directs specifically targets infidelity as both a sign and a symptom of graft. And given China’s growing economic and military ties with Russia, even the hint of less than squeaky-clean behavior involving Russia’s president and China’s First Lady is certainly strictly verboten. Whoops! ;-) Being a debtor in one's own currency isn't a huge problem. China needs to buy dollars to keep its currency weak. They know they would be in a world of hurt if the Yuan rose to too high a level. FT. We'll see what happens. And keep our fingers crossed... Cheers, Scott. |
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Fsck him!
And the horse he rides on. :) Lets see if financial pressure works in the new world of interdependence. Although the local yokels have no idea Putin is the cause. Total media control has its consequences. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov |
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now every russian unhappy, central bank is now at 17%
that will kick the crap out of the economy even more. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-15/russia-increases-key-interest-rate-to-17-to-stem-ruble-decline.html Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 59 years. meep |
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Diplomat-LRPD: Duck, and cover.
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Lather, rinse, repeat.
-- Drew |
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77.5:$1 before falling back today. So much for 17% interest helping...
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Bloomberg: Ruble fell after Putin's pals got $10B.
Bloomberg: DEC 15, 2014 12:35 PM EST (via a comment at Balloon-Juice). As Box says, the little people are going to get crushed. Putin and his pals? Not so much, if things go according to their plans... Cheers, Scott. |