BRICS/Meanwhile, BRICS is Alive and Well

19.11.2019, NEO New Eastern Outlook (Russia) https://journal-neo.org/2019/11/19/meanwhile-brics-is-alive-and-well/ 

Vladimir Platov*

There’s been no shortage of interest towards the recently concluded ninth BRICS summit in Brazil. This association brings together a total of five countries, with its name being an acronym coined to represent the combined economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This block represents 23% of the world’s economic output and some 18% of world trade, with a combined GDP of a mind-boggling 15.435 trillion dollars. However, what is even more important, some may argue, is that it represents 42% of the world’s population.

This year’s summit was held under the motto “Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future.” This motto pretty much pre-determined heated discussions on the most urgent challenges the international community faces – instability, regional insecurity, the state of the world economy, the state of affairs in trade and finance.

In addition to opening speeches by the leaders of each member state, there was

US Arming of Ukraine Is a Scandal on Its Own

October 10, 2019, Strategic Culture Foundation (Russia) https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/10/10/us-arming-ukraine-is-scandal-own/

Aaron MATÉ

There is growing evidence that President Donald Trump briefly froze U.S. military assistance to Ukraine for political goals. Max Blumenthal explores how the Ukrainegate scandal overlooks the dangers of those weapons sales to Ukraine and the corrupt interests behind it.

Under Trump, U.S. military assistance has prolonged a bloody proxy war with Russia, killing thousands in Ukraine and enabling far-right Ukrainian forces — all while enriching weapons manufacturers and DC lobbyists.

Guest: Max Blumenthal, Editor of The Grayzone and author of “The Management of Savagery.”

Watch/read Part 1 of this interview here.

TRANSCRIPT

AARON MATÉ: Welcome to Pushback, I’m Aaron Maté, here with Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone and author of several books, including his latest, The Management of Savagery. We’ve been talking about

Abya Yala*/World usurers prepare to strangle Argentina

2019/09/01, Strategic Culture Fund (Russia) https://www.fondsk.ru/news/2019/09/01/mirovye-rostovschiki-gotovjatsja-dushit-argentinu-48912.html

Valentin KATASONOV

Russia and Argentina may be on one side of the barricades

Argentina is a prime example of what money-lenders can do with a country if the country falls into their network. Today it is difficult to imagine that at the beginning of the twentieth century Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world. She was especially popular during the years of Peron's presidency (1946-1955). At that time, a severe economic reform was carried out in the country in the interests of workers, which limited the appetites of local and foreign capital. As a result, Peron was overthrown by the efforts of the United States.

After that, a military dictatorship was established in the country. In the period 1975-1990. the economy of Argentina was the so-called great depression. Since the late 80s, the domestic political situation seems to have normalized, and liberalization of the state’s economic policy has begun. Reforms were carried out with the active participation of Minister of Economy Domingo Cavallo and IMF advisory assistance. The doors were opened for foreign (primarily American) capital, the markets were completely deregulated, all barriers to merchandise imports were removed, the currency management regime was

Bretton Woods Is Dead: What Next?

July 27, 2019, Strategic Culture Foundation (Russia) https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/07/27/bretton-woods-dead-what-next/

Matthew Ehret*

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has publicly admitted something normally reserved for backroom discussion in the circles of Europe’s governing elite at an event honoring the 75^th anniversary of Bretton Woods (the conference which created the foundations for the post WWII world order).

At this event, Le Maire stated ever-so candidly that “the Bretton Woods order has reached its limits. Unless we are able to re-invent Bretton Woods, the New Silk Road might become the New World Order”.

He went onto state that “the pillars of that order have been

Angola a “olhar para Oriente” depois de dispensar o FMI/安哥拉放弃IMF融资 “放眼东方”

25 julho 2016, Macauhub http://www.macauhub.com.mo (China, 中国)

A decisão de Angola de dispensar o apoio do Fundo Monetário Internacional num momento de aperto económico e financeiro terá sido sustentada na perspectiva de novos apoios financeiros da China e de fortalecimento das relações com outros países asiáticos, de acordo com analistas.

A folha informativa Africa Monitor Intelligence, a que a Macauhub teve acesso, informou que a decisão anunciada no final de Junho, abrindo mão de um máximo de 4500 milhões de dólares ao longo de três anos, terá sido tomada na sequência de

Ukraine’s Debt to Russia: Detonator for Global Financial Chaos/Украинский долг России как детонатор мирового финансового хаоса

11.11.2015, Strategic Culture Foundation http://www.strategic-culture.org (Russia), Фонд стратегической культуры http://www.fondsk.ru (Россия)

Valentin KATASONOV*

The $3-billion loan Russia provided to Ukraine in December of 2013 will mature in a month and a half. Kiev has made the decision to overlook what it owes to Russia. Such daring, or perhaps it should be called audacity, can be explained by the fact that the Ukrainian government senses that it has the support of Washington. And the US is even working to get Kiev’s financial chicanery blessed by the IMF.

According to the National Bank of Ukraine, that country’s international reserves now amount to about $13 billion. Kiev has the ability to pay – just not the desire. But even if Kiev did not have that $13 billion, it could get the $3 billion it needs to pay Moscow, from that very same IMF. As long as Ukraine is not in full-fledged default, the IMF can send Kiev the next scheduled tranche of its bailout loan under the current agreement that was signed in the spring of 2015. The fact that this option is not being discussed shows once again that Washington is not looking for a simple solution. It needs to muddy the waters as much as possible.

With manic energy, the US is mounting an assault on the International Monetary Fund, demanding an urgent review of the rules of lending, so that the altered rules will allow

Technical Default or Death Sentence for Ukrainian Economy?/Технический дефолт или смертный приговор экономике Украины?

10.10.2015, Strategic Culture Foundation http://www.strategic-culture.org (Russia), Фонд стратегической культуры http://www.fondsk.ru (Россия)

Valentin KATASONOV 

Situation in Ukraine has been leading up to this for a long time and it has finally happened. A default was formally registered on 23 September – the day that the European Committee of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) adopted its resolution on Ukraine confirming the country’s technical default.

Similar verdicts were issued by a number of rating agencies. The international rating agency Standard & Poor’s, for example, declared that Ukraine was in selective default (SD) for its debts in foreign currencies after issuing a statement in the third ten-day period of September that it might downgrade Ukraine’s credit rating to ‘D’ – a full-fledged default.

The ISDA is an international non-governmental organisation that was established in 1985 and has its headquarters in New York. It brings together the major players in the global financial market – banks and funds. The association’s standing committee is made up of 15 global giants

Printing Press: Kiev’s Last Hope/Печатный станок как последняя надежда Киева

13.06.2015, Strategic Culture

Valentin KATASONOV

Yury Lutsenko, an MP and the leader of Bloc of Petro Poroshenko party, reported that the Ukraine’s National Bank started the printing press. Allegedly it went ahead after Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk gave his approval. Few people paid attention to this information. Soon Yulia Timoshenko confirmed the news (she is an opposition leader). She said the uncontrolled emission without back-up should be stopped. In January the emission rate was 31billion hryvnias.

The issue hit the agenda to be picked up for discussion by politicians and journalists.

The Prime Minister is in a tight spot. The money received as the first tranche in mid-March (5 billion US dollars) is spent. There is no certainty about the next tranche to be released (the talks on debt restructuring have become stymied). The government has no money for social spending (pensions, wages etc.). It all left Yatsenyuk little choice but to start running the printing press.

All of a sudden the issue came to the fore. It looks very much like a plot to do away with the incumbent Prime Minister. The printing press was started to run as far back as last year. The emission has no back up (central bank’s gold and currency reserves, bonds, promissory notes, economic production…). The only thing to come along with the emission is