The true wildcard of this conflict is China.

If China truly wields its economic power, this conflict will END in 72 hours, and a truce signed by the end of this week, with American military presence being forced at least a thousand kilometers out.

Like, what are the Western countries going to do if China stops the flow of treats to their countries? The threat of rare earth export is a stern reminder of just how much of their industries rely on China. Good luck trying to invade China.

It’s only a matter of political will.

On Ukrainian TV, they literally went “Musk made the Sig Heil Salute, means he’s our guy!”

Cutting off oil is Canada's nuclear option. What would it mean if it happens?

An excellent analysis of how Canada can fight back against Trump’s threat of annexation.

Remember, not all crude are the same. American refineries are mostly geared toward the Canadian and Venezuelan heavy crude that they have to import. The domestic shale production are mostly light sweet crude that they don’t have the capacity to refine, and have to export.

they nationalized industries like crazy

lol. The Nazis were the first to re-privatize the economy during the Great Depression after European powers nationalized their economies during WWI, which led to unprecedented socialist movements all over Europe and especially that revolution in Russia.

The mass privatization that begin in the late 1960s-1970s was based on the re-privatization effort of Nazi Germany, where that part of history has been conveniently scrubbed when academics talk about the history of neoliberalism and where the roots of marginalist/neoclassical economics were concerned.

From the Economy of Evil:

In February 1933, as Chancellor, Hitler met with the leading German industrialists at the home of Hermann Goring. There were representatives from IG Farben, AG Siemens, BMW, coal mining magnates, Theissen Corp, AG Krupp, as well as a locust of Bankers, investors, and other Germans belonging to the top 1%. During this meeting, Hitler said, "Private enterprise cannot be maintained in the age of democracy."

In 1934, Nazis outlined their plan to revitalize the German economy. It involved reprivatization of significant industries: railways, public works project, construction, steel, and banking. On top of that, Hitler guaranteed profits for the private sector, and so, many American industrialists and bankers gleefully flocked to Germany to invest.

The Nazis had a thorough plan for deregulation. The Nazi's economist, stated," The first thing German business needs is peace and quiet. It must have a feeling of absolute legal security and must know that work and its return are guaranteed. The interferences in a business which occurred at first, perhaps as a result of too much zeal, have become intolerable."

Germany had the most robust social-democratic movement, and consequently, the best worker protections in Europe codified by law. This was a significant impediment to businesses "operating freely without interference."

…

On January 20, 1934, the Nazis passed the Law Regulating National Labor. The act explicitly took power away from the government to set minimum wages and working conditions. The act stated, "The leader of the enterprise makes the decisions for the employees and laborers in all matters concerning the enterprise, as far as they are regulated by this law." Employers lowered wages and benefits. Workers were banned from striking or engaging in other collective bargaining rights. Worker conditions were so deteriorated that with the head of the AFL visited Nazi Germany in 1938, he compared the life of an average worker to that of a slave. Workers in Nazi Germany worked longer hours for lower wages.

“Adolf Hitler was a socialist” lmao

US could buy Nord Stream – Vucic

The Serbian president has made the prediction following recent reports about an American investor’s bid for the pipeline

The sabotaged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could become the property of a US investor in a year, and gas supplies from Russia to the EU could be resumed through the connector, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has suggested.

Vucic shared his view about the future of the pipeline in an interview with the German news outlet Handelsblatt published on Friday.

“I dare to predict: In a year at the latest, Nord Stream will be owned by an American investor, and gas will flow from Russia to Europe through the pipeline,” the Serbian leader said. “Mark my words. One year until Nord Stream is up and running!”

Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that US financier and investor Stephen Lynch had asked permission from the US Treasury Department to buy the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, if it is put up for auction next year.

lol. that would be extremely funny. imagine Gazprom selling gas to Europe through a pipeline owned by the Americans.

By the way, I absolutely do not accept the irony regarding Putin's statement that military tasks in Syria were solved brilliantly by Russia. They were solved brilliantly at that time. No irony. Russia preserved Syria as a state and gave it 8 years of a quiet life.

But circumstances tend to change, and those who, resting on their laurels, do not feel this, lose. Putin won the war in Syria, but lost the peace. The saddest thing is that such a matrix can be reproduced today (as it is regularly reproduced with dreary predetermination) with Ukraine.

You can win the war but still lose the peace. Can Putin keep the peace in Ukraine? That’s the question.