World War Episode 3 - "Yes, Russia, There is a Sanction Claus(e)"

S.722 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017

While you were too busy worried about what President Trump was tweeting about...

Last night, The Senate passed a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia, Iran, and North Korea with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, 97-2. It removes powers from the Executive Branch giving them, instead, to the US Congress, who in the final version of this bill takes Executive Orders signed by President Obama and makes them law.

In 2014, President Obama signed Executive Orders imposing sanctions on Russia, which the Executive Branch has the power to do, but for the first time in American history, the US Congress, as the Legislative Branch, takes these Executive Orders signed by President Obama and orders President Trump not to ever remove them, thus effectively negating his ability to conduct foreign policy.

This is less about President Trump and more about the The Deep State/Global Elite thumbing their collective noses and posturing towards The Russian Federation and The EU. The bill also imposes sanctions against, and the orders the destruction of: Russian railways, mining and metals facilities, energy activities, and natural gas supplies (which feeds Europe). 

QUICK DEBATE

Should I invest in gold, silver, and energy related stocks, commodities, and funds while simultaneously exiting the broader market due to the crumbling U.S. Economy and weakening U.S. Dollar?

Yes.

WHAT NOW?

President Trump will be out of office by the end of August, because the Deep State has other plans with the trillions of dollars directed towards walls and stuff. In September this bill is due to take effect, and in what happens to be just a total coincidence, I'm sure; Russia begins their summer war games. Framed in this narrative, the appearance of, let's say...100,000 Russian troops around The Baltic Sea will come off as antagonistic at best.

GUESS WHAT?!

The Russian exercise, known as Zapad, or West, (every military performs war games, Russia does this every four years) will take place this year in western Russia, including Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. 

The United States will put ships in the Baltic Sea and take over the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s air policing in the region ahead of the exercises in August and September, said the two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military maneuvers. 

The U.S. military estimates that 70,000 to 100,000 Russian troops could take part in the exercise, the officials said, adding that the Russian military could also take the opportunity to upgrade certain equipment permanently stationed in the region. Specifically, the officials said that they expect the Russian missile defenses in Kaliningrad to be permanently upgraded with nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missile systems.

In response, several countries in the region are considering additional ground-based air defenses, the defense officials said, adding that the United States also could deploy Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries during the Zapad exercise if needed. The Patriot is capable of intercepting aircraft and ballistic missiles.

At least China isn't in the picture...

OH SHIT!

On 21 June, Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov announced new defense acquisitions for aircraft and armored personnel carriers (APCs) with Moscow and Beijing. Ravkov indicated that Minsk plans to purchase four combat trainer Yak-130 aircraft and 12 Su-30sm multirole fighters from Russia as well as several CS/VN3 light armored vehicles from China. While the Russian jets will be furnished over a period of three years the Chinese APCs were delivered to Belarus this Wednesday. This acquisition builds on a burgeoning Sino-Belorussian partnership on the eve of Zapad 2017. 

While the most salient portion of these acquisitions, the Su-30sm fighters, will not be online for Zapad, the future of such increased defense cooperation is still contingent upon financing for the deal. 

What is significant is the increased role of China in Belarus’ geo-strategic calculations. New reporting indicates that Chinese ships may soon join Russian vessels for naval exercises in the Baltic Sea in late June (there's no way that happens, is there?). Russian military cooperation with China is not especially novel. Naval forces from both countries drilled together in the South China Sea as recently as September 2016. For Belarus, however, the opening is part of a broader counter-balancing strategy—deepening ties with Beijing and diversifying from Moscow. In the run-up to Zapad 2017, Minsk is looking for additional great power friends.

OK, RUSSIA AND CHINA, BUT THE EU?!

Yes, idiot! 

As Germany has warned the US of retaliation when these sanctions harm their interests, and the EU is, likewise, warning that these actions by The United States Congress will most assuredly have “unintended consequences”, the “unholy” alliance of the Obama-Clinton Democratic Party with Republican Party warmongering neocons is listening to no one but themselves, and who actually believe that they can dictate the destruction of Russia without any cost to them being paid.  

The only apparent sane people left in the US and EU who know full well that Russia will never allow this new law to destroy them, are the military leaders of NATO, who by the day are becoming more and more concerned as Russia's summer war games that, as briefly stated before, is already setting off alarm bells all across Europe, particularly due to Chinese and Russian warships massing off the very doorstep of Europe for the first time in history (Oh shit, it's happening!). 

DONALD TRUMP IS THE PERFECT SCAPEGOAT

I'm not a supporter of Trump, but the way he conducts himself just makes it too easy for the Deep State to operate. While World War 3 might be a bit of hyperbole--You have to give credit where credit is due. The one thing Trump has been consistently honest about is fake news. The power of the internet and other media has facilitated spreading news and propaganda to billions of people and very few can distinguish if they hear or read "real" news or "fake" news. Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister, who was an expert at manipulating the German people, said: "If you tell a big lie often enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually believe it."