Orwell's Prediction of Perpetual War Proves Accuracy

In 1949 George Orwell set out to write a science fiction that was perhaps thought possible to have been written before. In his book 1984

All "Not" Quiet On The Eastern (Russian) Front: Part 2

Russia's sphere of influence not only upsets the balance of power economically in Europe by being the 3rd largest economy there, the looming defense forces stretched across Eastern Europe threatens to demand notice and dominate the real estate there as it has with Crimea. The Wall Street Bears awoke in the wake of Russia's potential invasion and Ukraine's civil unrest, plunging down rather quickly that week in February. When the Russian Premier, Putin announced that he wouldn't invade , the markets rapidly picked back up and high yields were produced from western markets. Russia is well represented as a member of the BRICS economic union, a super group consisting of Brazil, India, China and South Africa. These developing markets are buying up tons of gold , particularly China and India. The BRICS are dictating economics by suggesting a new currency exchange that might replace the U.S. dollar (USD) one day very soon. The Euro is slipping in value as well. With Persian Gulf alliances preferring a petro-Euro rather than a petro-dollar, the tides are slowly turning in favor of Eastern states. Isolating Russia with symbolic or even real harsh sanctions or kicking them out of the G8 will have little effects on stopping Russia's economic alliances. Putin is hoping to revitalize the old Soviet Union and it's Federation with a new Eurasian Union that will rival the G8 and the European Union.

All "Not" Quiet on the Eastern(Russian) Front: Part I

By now most Americans and the rest of the world has been following some aspect of what is happening between Russian, Ukraine and Crimea. In what has been described by Stephen Cohen of NYU/Princeton as the "new Cuban Missle Crisis" as tensions mount in this part of the world much like it did in 1962. This time the Russia lead by its Premier Putin seems not to be backing down. Unofficially the "first shot fired across the bow" has been launched with light economic sanctions against Russia as well as a temporary suspension from the G8 meetings. But, maybe the western powers have the situation backwards. Russia with the re-annexation of oil rich Crimea supplies nearly 40 % of western Europe's oil and gas. Germany's Andrea Merkel was more hesitant to place severe restrictions under the circumstances of a potential oil embargo from Russia threatening their and all of western Europe's economy. When petroleum products go up so do it's manufactured byproducts such as medicines, beauty products, herbicides, production of farm products by harvesting machinery, diesel powered trucks carrying food and other products and plastic productions. The interim Governor of Kiev has said that "these sanctions would not be very productive and would backfire". Oil is not the only leverage that Russia has, the 150,000 Russian soldiers on the Sothern and Eastern Ukraine borders is an open threat as well as Black Sea flotillas.