Russia in the Rude Mailbag

This mailbag item arrived right on cue! [The Rude Awakening] December 12, 2022 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Russia in the Rude Mailbag - Rude reader Bill wrote in with a peach of a commentary. I wanted to reply in full. - Russia has been gloating over the Bout/Grinder swap. - Bout’s interview on RT found its way onto Twitter. [Rickards: “Dollar doomsday plot” revealed]( Jim Rickards made some spectacular financial predictions in the past… - In 2016, Jim predicted Brexit would pass. He was right. - That same year, Jim predicted that Donald Trump would win the U.S. Presidential election. Jim was right again! - And in 2019, Jim didn’t just correctly predict a pandemic — he also predicted exactly how the government would respond! Now Jim is forecasting a “dollar doomsday plot” you won’t believe. [Go here now to see](. [Click Here To Learn More]( [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Good morning from frosty Asti! It’s sub-30 degrees Fahrenheit (about -4C) as I write this early Monday morning. The entire mailbag has been one treat after another for me. But this particular comment from Bill in Germany I wanted to address. It goes straight to the heart of what we’ve been talking about for a year. And it’s especially important after the Griner/Bout swap and winter coming so rapidly. Here’s Bill’s comment: Mr. Ring, I have been a student of history for 58 years. I was a Russian History major and had German and Russian languages as minors. Now that doesn't make me any more intelligent than others, but some points continue to be repeated. 1) Any study of Russia shows that it has reason to be xenophobic. Every dictator that they have had wanted to annex this and that using this BS as a reason. Putin obviously is trying to emulate Stalin and doing a great job, especially in sending untrained and even unarmed good ol' Russian boys to the meat grinder! Does he care? Not a bit! These liberals that think he will change are 'glupyy' (‘stupid’ in Russian). He will be knocking at everybody’s door sooner or later to reestablish the USSR... that is known in DR speak as delusional (I am now an MD) … would he feel upset if he nuked you in your bed? Yes, but only if his billion-dollar dacha is destroyed... 2) Our elites are just as delusional if they and NATO think that he will honorably negotiate… 3) I've carried a rifle in Nam and a stethoscope in Afghanistan, both senseless undertakings instigated by elites without a strategy... or a clue! Help Ukraine now or in three years he (Vlad) will be back rearmed to the teeth and with a large yearning for revenge and to start knocking at other doors… spell that one WWIII! Bill in Nürnberg In this edition of the Rude, I will take those points in turn. But before I do, I’d like you to watch Viktor Bout’s interview in English on RT: [Click here to learn more]( Credit and click here to watch: [@NewsBecker]( Also, watch the Russian newscast’s reaction to the deal. [Click here to learn more]( Credit and click here to watch: [@Liz_Wheeler]( It’s incredible stuff. Now, to Bill’s email. [Over 62 And Collect Social Security? Take Action Immediately!]( [If you’re over the age of 62 and currently collect Social Security, you need to prepare now](. Because Biden has given our country the worst inflation in decades – and many warn things will only get worse from here. Worse yet, the Social Security check you receive now may not keep pace with inflation… [Which is why, if you don’t act now, you could fall behind in the months ahead](. Is your retirement at immediate risk? [Click here now to get the simple, step-by-step actions to survive inflation](. at James is predicting now… and how to make up to an 8,788% return with crypto by 2025. [Click Here To Learn More]( Introduction I love history and wish I had paid more attention to it when I was younger. Not because finance - my major - is useless. Because it’s better to learn finance once you’re inside a bank or a corporation. In college, it’s more important to learn how to think. And history is the best non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) major to accomplish that. With that said, I minored in political science, which boosted my GPA! Poli Sci also let me explore the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the “end of history.” (I graduated in 1996.) Xenophobia “Any study of Russia shows that it has reason to be xenophobic.” Xenophobic is a strong word. But overly protective of its borders? Yes, indeed. From George Friedman at [Geopolitical Futures]( Russia’s main geographic problem is that it needs to maintain a buffer zone to its west to stem the risk of attack from the European Peninsula. Russia has been invaded three times, once by France and twice by Germany. In each case, it survived because of strategic depth. The Baltics, Belarus, and Ukraine created the buffer zone that gave Russia room to retreat and exhaust the enemy. Although the weather also played a role, distance was the main challenge for attacking armies. Even in World War I, Germany was unable to sustain the gains it won. In the Napoleonic Wars and World War II, the enemy was ground down and defeated. After World War II, Russia’s buffer zone expanded dramatically. A second tier of nations to the West – Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania – came under Soviet dominion. Soviet power pushed into central Germany. For the first time in its history, it had strategic depth such that an attack from the European Peninsula was unthinkable. From the south, Russia earlier had to contend with the Khanate slave markets. If you’ve not read Peter Hopkirk’s [The Great Game]( I highly recommend it. It reads like a spy novel. [SJN] From [Wikipedia]( In the 17th century, Khiva began to develop as a slave market. During the first half of the 19th century, around thirty thousand Persians and an unknown number of Russians were enslaved there before being sold. A large part of them were involved in the construction of buildings in the walled Ichan-Kala. Put simply, if a Russian wandered too far over the border, he was enslaved. Of course, Russia was more interested in the conquest of India and taking it from the British. But it still had a hand in freeing untold numbers of slaves. So, Russia’s always had reasons to be paranoid about its borders. (We won’t even get into the inevitable disputes with China over the Russian Far East.) Regarding your comment on recruiting the too-old and too-young into his forces, I think you’ll find both sides are doing that. Honorable Negotiations “Our elites are just as delusional if they and NATO think that he will honorably negotiate….” Old joke: How do you know a politician is lying? When his lips are moving! I’m sure Putin will do everything he can to get the best deal possible. Russians tend to be excellent negotiators. I’m not sure why you assume NATO and the West will honorably negotiate. “Not one inch eastward,” and all that. Senseless Undertakings “I've carried a rifle in Nam and a stethoscope in Afghanistan, both senseless undertakings instigated by elites without a strategy... or a clue!” That’s amazing. Going from a soldier to a doctor must have been some journey! Yes, both wars were ridiculously stupid wastes of blood and treasure. But our elites are doing nothing today that demonstrates they’ve learned anything from those situations. Well, one thing: their unlimited money-printing ability ensures perpetual war. Randolph Bourne was right when he said, “War is the health of the state.” The State can arrogate or confiscate anything it wants nowadays, all in the name of some such war. As for helping Ukraine now or later, it was folly to get into this mess, to begin with. America’s supply lines are too stretched for the long haul. Everyone seems to forget that Russia and Ukraine share a border, which won’t change. Wrap Up A big thanks to Bill for writing in. May you have a warm winter without chopping any firewood! Having such good intellectual stimulation early on a Monday morning is great. There are a few more in the bag that I must write about, and they’re coming. In the meantime, stay warm and toasty! All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2022 Paradigm Press, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your Rude Awakening e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from Rude Awakening, feel free to [click here.]( Please note: the mailbox associated with this email address is not monitored, so do not reply to this message. We welcome comments or suggestions at feedback@rudeawakening.info. This address is for feedback only. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, [contact us here]( or call (844)-731-0984. Although our employees may answer your general customer service questions, they are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular investment situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. We allow the editors of our publications to recommend securities that they own themselves. However, our policy prohibits editors from exiting a personal trade while the recommendation to subscribers is open. In no circumstance may an editor sell a security before subscribers have a fair opportunity to exit. The length of time an editor must wait after subscribers have been advised to exit a play depends on the type of publication. All other employees and agents must wait 24 hours after on-line publication or 72 hours after the mailing of a printed-only publication prior to following an initial recommendation. Any investments recommended in this letter should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. Rude Awakening is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. Please read our [Privacy Statement.]( If you are having trouble receiving your Rude Awakening subscription, you can ensure its arrival in your mailbox by [whitelisting Rude Awakening.](