BRICS establish new international bank

This is all unbelievable. America did have great respect and reliability once upon a time, but these latest tactics are just adding to the self same tactics that triggered the decline in the first place.

Would you not think that someone would say, "Stop, this isn't helping." Instead of galloping to disaster?

I find it horrifying to watch from a distance, Sabot, Washington seems to be inhabited solely by corrupt, incompetent, lunatics. Obama is doing ANYTHING but put America first.

His tanty over his failure to grab Sevastapol naval base has so far led to things like, new international banks cutting out the US being founded, US astronauts relying on the goodwill of Russia to get to and from the space station, the Russian spy base in Cuba being reopened, and now Exxon exploration in the Arctic being endangered. Etc........

Then there's the wide-open southern border.

Roman Empire, Fall of.

I'm watching the resurgance of the Soviet Union, Part One. But then I'm not a political animal so maybe I am seeing shadows where there are none. But at the same time many of my friends in Europe are voicing the same worries. LL

It's not the Soviet Union, IMO, LL, any more than the renewed Germany is the Third Reich. It's more like Imperial Russia, only less chaotic and more democratic. I think what we are seeing is the 'old' nations like Russia, China, Iran/Persia, etc., coming back from the abyss?

I suspect a lot of Americans would like an intelligent, competent president that puts America first, encourages trade and co-operation with other nations, is a Christian and has no time for failed Marxist theory.

Unfortunately, they voted in Obama and got the exact opposite.

Imperial Russia?   Just an earlier version of the Soviet Union, with a Csar at the helm instead of a dictator.   At least the USA can vote in its leaders, and make a ballsup and 4 or 8 years later rectify the situation, but in Russia as in China there is no such thing as democracy.   Gays, dissenters, all end up in jail or exile.  In China they execute anyone who disagrees with the Government.  In India they permit the rape of children - the latest one being a six year old in a Bangalore school by teachers, and allow child brides and honor killings.  S Africa is a bit of a mess as is Brazil but they have no real clout.  Russia and China call the tune and they will continue to dominate BRICS.    Maybe the USA made a mistake with Obama, personally I don't know, but they can impeach him now or elect someone else when his time is up.  Who would dare to impeach Putin?  Maybe you think I am being naive but no-one in Eastern Europe trusts Russia.   And there is no way Germany could revert to the Third Reich, the allies made sure of that when they drafted the new constitution for West Germany.   Oh, I thought Obama is Christian, that rumor he is a Muslim was shot down years ago.  LL

bb1 wrote:It's not the Soviet Union, IMO, LL, any more than the renewed Germany is the Third Reich. It's more like Imperial Russia, only less chaotic and more democratic. I think what we are seeing is the 'old' nations like Russia, China, Iran/Persia, etc., coming back from the abyss?

I suspect a lot of Americans would like an intelligent, competent president that puts America first, encourages trade and co-operation with other nations, is a Christian and has no time for failed Marxist theory.

Unfortunately, they voted in Obama and got the exact opposite.

He's succeeding in breaking the country into a shadow of its former self.

He prayed as a Muslim at school in Indonesia and that was the religion noted in his school documents. Once a Muslim always a...........

Lily, i have friends who are Muslim at birth but do not follow the religion.  Are you saying they are Muslims?   I was baptised a Christian, I do not believe in that faith, but does that mean I will always be a Christian?  My daughter was baptised a Christian and converted to Buddism, does that mean she is still Christian?    This is one of the reasons why I dislike religion in any shape or form.   LL
ETA I'm bowing out of this discussion as I can see we will never agree and I hate to argue with my dear friends. I loved my time in the USA, by the way. LL

No LL, don't bow out.  I understand that Islam is different in that once in the religion, you are considered that for ever.  

I can be wrong, of course, but that is what I understood from my time in the M.E.    

ETA: I have discovered this:-

Islam is not something you inherit from your parents, it's something you believe, or don't believe. If you don't believe in the words of the shahada - "there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah", you are not Muslim, no matter how many other people there are in your family who are Muslim, or what your parents want you to be. Simple.

I don't know much about Islam, Lily, but I do know that Putin and his merry band are far closer to me here and to Austria than he is to the UK and USA, and money rules everything. I do not trust anything that has sticky Russian fingers all over it. I remember Vienna and the section held by the Soviets, I remember the Berlin Airlift, the Wall going up and the repression of the Soviet Union over Europe, and I wonder whether this new gambit by Putin etc is in fact deliberately done as this year is the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but a small fear gnaws at my soul. l'd love to be wrong, but .... LL

God help Putin if he ever comes up against Marine LePenn. She would scare the balls off a brass monkey.

LL, you are right to be feeling that way and you are not alone. It's scary when you have children and grandchildren. Many of today's kids know nothing about many matters that we discuss on here. Therefore they are clueless as to what could happen and which we are very fearful about if they did........

   

Hungary backs onto the Ukraine and Austria backs onto Hungary, opposite ends of the country. And the tanks can be in Budapest in less than half a day as they were in 1956. LL   

This is seriously bad news for the US economy:

http://news.sky.com/story/1302778/microsoft-cuts-18000-jobs-in-nokia-cull

Microsoft Cuts 18,000 Jobs In Nokia Cull
The tech firm emails staff to confirm a reorganisation of its operations will result in thousands of roles being "eliminated".

More at link.

The knock-on effect of that is liable to be devastating, with so much work in IT now being carried out in China.

Well worth reading on the subject of sanctions:

http://www.infowars.com/the-losers-from-u-s-sanctions-american-businesses/

And look what has happened in the two stock markets:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-07-16/obama-putin-if-you-your-russian-sanctions-here-are-some-more-live-feed

Sanctions don't work - just ask Fidel Castro, who has now seen off what - ten? US presidents?