Nato: Not Quite Finnished Yet

Adding Finland to NATO only puts a big target on their country. [The Rude Awakening] April 05, 2023 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Nato: Not Quite Finnished Yet - Finland was admitted to NATO yesterday. - Russia said it would take “countermeasures.” - Sweden will likely be admitted this July, depending on the Turkish elections. [Download My New Survival Guide Today!]( I’ve created a BRAND-NEW “2023 Crisis Survival Guide” that I’m making available to all of my Strategic Intelligence readers today. This short 54-page document has everything you need to know to protect yourself and your family in times of crisis. Things like what foods to stock up on now, staying safe during periods of rioting and looting and more. Inside I break down all of the coming threats you face and how to prepare. [>> To see how to download your copy, click here now](. [Click Here To Learn More]( [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Happy Hump Day from another sunny day in Northern Italy. Pam, Micah, and I will head to Tuscany for the long weekend. If you join us on the Rickards Uncensored broadcast on Thursday - moved from Friday - we’ll get a bottle of Chianti in. I haven’t been to Florence in nearly twenty years, so I look forward to revisiting my favorite sites. But we’ll also be taking in Siena and San Gimignano, two places I haven’t visited before. I’ll give you a full report on the Tuscan excursion next week. Let’s turn our attention to more end-of-the-world matters. Finland has officially joined NATO. Entangling Alliances I’m sure I’m supposed to be excited about this, but some guy named Washington warned us against “entangling alliances.” In Washington’s Farewell Address, he said: The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities... it is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. Of course, he was talking about the newly formed United States vis-à-vis Europe. But I always thought this was wise universal advice. Washington knew the US would eventually be dragged into alliances, but had hoped for a [twenty-year interval of peace.]( If the world had listened to him, idiotic conflicts like World War I would never have happened. How the West Got Lost From [History.com]( on how World War I started: After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand came the July crisis. During this month, Austria-Hungary issued a list of demands to Serbia. Serbia, knowing that it could expect support from Russia as a fellow-Slavic state, refused to give in to one of the key demands. Austria-Hungary confirmed with Germany that it would receive its support if it went to war, and Russia did the same with France. But on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Over the next week and a half, Germany declared war on Russia and France, Britain declared war on Germany, and Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia. The justification that Britain gave for entering the war didn’t even have to do with its Triple Entente with France and Russia—it had to do with [the] much older Treaty of London (also called the First Treaty of London) from 1839 that mandated Belgium should always be a neutral state. When Britain entered the war, it argued that Germany had violated this treaty by invading Belgium. Over the next four years, many other nations entered the war. Japan joined the Allies at the end of August 1914. In November, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. The next year, Italy joined the war to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary, with whom it had previously formed an alliance. In 1917, the United States joined the Allies. It doesn’t get much dumber than that. How many excellent young men were sacrificed on the altar of hesitant leadership? Why did no one repudiate these alliances? [Breaking: Did Biden Really Blow Up Nord Stream?!]( New evidence has just been released the all but PROVES a shocking truth… President Biden gave the green light to blow up Russia’s Nord Stream Pipeline! According to [this shocking new expose]( Crippling fuel shortages… widespread “Biden blackouts”… and energy bills rocketing to $1000… Are about to hit American shores as a result. [Click here to learn the TRUTH about Nord Stream and how it will impact YOU](. [Click Here To Learn More]( No One Questions NATO NATO was founded on April 4, 1949. As its first Secretary General said, its mission was "to keep the Soviets out, the Americans in, and the Germans down." It made total sense, then. I’m not sure how much sense it makes now. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was an escalation of tensions, not a cooling of them. @Henrick_Palmgren tweeted, “So it's done, the ceremony of the accession of Finland into NATO has taken place. Below is much of the extent of the ritual around it. Note that Finland has to deposit their documents of accession to the U.S. Government via Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This tells you everything you need to know about what NATO is and who controls it.” Jeffrey Sachs was making fun of the USG, thanks to the security arrangement China made with the Solomon Islands, and comparing that with the Finland situation: [SJN]( Credit and watch the clip here: [@zei_squirrel]( Finland, a strategic partner of NATO for decades, finally codified its relationship with the alliance. (Those mustard-colored aspiring members are Sweden (top), Ukraine (center), Georgia (right), and Bosnia (left). [pub]( Credit: [The Times of London]( If you still can’t see why Russia would be opposed to Finland’s accession, here’s another way of looking at it via [@realstewpeters]( [pub] Credit: [@realstewpeters]( The Finnish have a long history of being brave fighters. Here’s an accounting of what they’re bringing to the table: [pub] Credit: [The Times of London]( Sanna Marin is Out, But Not Over This You may have heard Sanna Marin, the now-outgoing Finnish Prime Minister, lost the election. But it’s not that simple. Her party actually gained seats in the Finnish parliament. It’s just that some parties gained a bunch more. All the main parties that would or could participate in a coalition government are now pretty rabidly pro-NATO. This is a marked change from twenty years ago when only 9% of Finns surveyed thought Finland should join NATO. That number is now 59%. When I debated a Finn on Twitter yesterday, he was adamant he felt safer in NATO than outside of it. I asked him if he thought US troops would come to the rescue (something I absolutely don’t believe). He wrote back: It’s because Russia only speaks power and knows it doesn’t stand a chance against NATO in a conventional war. They take risks and miscalculate, but they aren’t stupid. Yeah, we can say ”US troops” but there’s much more. Wrap Up Well, there you have it. Finland is in, the Russians are down, and the Americans are happy. Somehow, I feel no safer today than I did two days ago. Have a great day ahead. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening In Case You Missed It… The Tsunami Running Up a Canyon [Sean Ring] SEAN RING It’s another gorgeous morning here in Il Piemonte. I hope the sun shines on you and yours and the coffee is fresh and aromatic. Following on from yesterday’s monthly asset class report, where we brought good tidings for gold, silver, and bitcoin, I want to follow up with more information. I saw some cracking videos and tweets this weekend that corroborate the theory that the USD will weaken substantially over time and that gold and silver will hit all-time highs. Much to my shock, Bitcoin may do the same because that chart went from “broken” to “maybe we’ll hit $48,000” quickly. I will put what I saw in a logical and easily digestible order, so that you can see what I see. The upshot is this: because the dollar’s demand abroad is falling rather fast, those dollars will flood the US domestic market, driving inflation far higher than even Jay Powell suspects. That inflation will drive the prices of gold, silver, and Bitcoin much higher than they are right now. So even if you haven’t bought any of those yet, you have time. Let’s begin. The News The fact that countries want to escape sanctions and high interest is not really news. But what is new is that there’s an alternative to the US dollar taking shape. Most Western economists agree that unseating the USD is a near-impossible task. But none of these countries are listening to these economists. In fact, it seems like the Global South will do anything short of madness to escape the grip of the USD… and USG. It certainly helps when [Russia forgives your debt, as they have in Africa]( to the tune of $20 billion. When was the last time the Western world did that? And don’t give me the appropriately named Band-Aid stuff. As in a “Band-Aid” on a broken leg. The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) are [working on a currency to displace the dollar](. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The association is discussing reducing dependence on the US Dollar, Euro, Yen, and British Pound from financial transactions and moving to settlements in local currencies. From the [ASEAN Briefing]( Indonesian President Joko Widodo has urged regional administrations to start using credit cards issued by local banks and gradually stop using foreign payment systems. He argued that Indonesia needed to shield itself from geopolitical disruptions, citing the sanctions targeting Russia’s financial sector from the US, EU, and their allies over the conflict in Ukraine. Moving away from Western payment systems is necessary to protect transactions from “possible geopolitical repercussions,” Widodo said. Of the ASEAN nations, just Singapore has enforced sanctions on Russia, while all other ASEAN nations continue to trade with the country. There has been alarm at being caught up in US-led secondary sanctions, as are short to impact Central and South Asia countries involved in cotton manufacturing, a major industry in the region employing millions of people. Before you dismiss these two economic blocs, have a look at their populations: BRICS Nations: - Brazil: 213.8 million - Russia: 144.5 million - India: 1.366 billion - China: 1.394 billion - South Africa: 59.6 million - Total BRICS population: 3.178 billion ASEAN Nations: - Indonesia: 276.6 million - Vietnam: 98.3 million - Thailand: 69.8 million - Philippines: 108.1 million - Malaysia: 32.8 million - Singapore: 5.7 million - Brunei: 0.4 million - Cambodia: 16.7 million - Laos: 7.2 million - Myanmar: 54.0 million - Total ASEAN population: 669.6 million Therefore, the combined population of BRICS and ASEAN nations is 3.178 billion + 669.6 million = 3.847 billion. So, just under half the world’s population resides in these two blocs. They’re worth watching, aren’t they? Even Senator Marco Rubio seems to have finally caught on: [SJN]( Credit and watch the clip here: [@Glenn_Diesen]( [New Biden Bucks Follow-Up Available Now]( Hey, it’s Jim Rickards. Since posting my original Biden Bucks presentation online, millions of people have viewed it. Snopes and the Associated Press have even attempted to “fact check” me and claim my warnings are false: Point being, my message has raised a storm and caused a lot of controversy. But in the time between my message and now, a lot of new developments have come to light. That’s why I’ve just released an update to my original prediction… one which will likely be even more controversial. [>> Click here now to access my new 2023 Biden Bucks follow-up](. [Click Here To Learn More]( The Explanation Simple - but not oversimplified - explanations are always the best. Peter St. Onge, Mises Fellow and Austrian economist, performs the impossible. He makes understanding reserve currency, the dollar system, and inflation easy. [SJN]( Credit and watch the video here: [@profstonge]( I’ll paraphrase the professor’s video. Professor St. Onge correctly states that though the USD is the world’s reserve currency, that status doesn’t benefit dollar holders. It benefits those who print the dollars. Those beneficiaries are the US Treasury (via the Fed) and the commercial banks (who get to make more loans because of higher dollar demand). He asks us to think of it like this: The Fed prints a “river” of ever-increasing dollars which flows into the “money-supplied reservoir” where domestic USD holders float. Another river flowing out of that reservoir matches foreigners' (formerly ever-increasing) demand for USD. The dollars move through the domestic economy (the reservoir) out into the world economy without benefitting domestic USD holders. Now imagine if those same foreigners now don’t want those dollars anymore. That could be because the Fed created too much inflation or countries pay for things with their currencies. Those dollars would come flooding back up the river to the “money-supplied reservoir” of US holders. The USD holders be inundated with dollars, driving up inflation and the prices of goods and services in the domestic economy. USD holders - especially US citizens that must deal in USD - would get their purchasing power wrecked. Peter calls this the “Tsunami Running Up a Canyon,” from which this piece gets its title. This doesn’t mean this will happen tomorrow. But it’s increasingly likely that it will happen. Please watch the video if you have a chance. It’s well worth 4 minutes of your time. The Charts Before I get to the charts, good friend and ace Austrian economist Thorsten Polleit posted this video about the banking collapse and why it’s wise to hold gold and silver. [pub]( Credit and click here to watch: [Thorsten Polleit]( Here’s a great chart of Gold: [pub] Credit: [@gilmoreport via The Daily Chart Report]( Up and to the right. We suffered through a dip. It won’t be smooth sailing. But we’ll get up there. I’m still looking for $3,000. Here’s Silver: [pub] Credit: [@TaviCosta]( Yes, we can hit $48 when all is said and done. If we breach $50, the sky’s the limit. As for Bitcoin: [pub] We certainly can hit $48,000 from here. It’s not sure, but things are looking up. Wrap Up Things are in motion we can’t possibly stop. But we can protect ourselves and minimize the harmful effects on our wealth. In fact, we can prosper during these turbulent times by buying metals that have withstood the test of time. And maybe even the electronic version of it will shield us from the inevitable, imminent pain our brainless leaders have foisted upon us. Have a great day ahead. [SJN] All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2023 Paradigm Press, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. 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