Background
The European Economy is on the brink. The IMF has dire predictions for 2023 and for the foreseeable future. It states falsely the war in Ukraine as being responsible for the European economic decline, by creating energy shortages, food shortages, rising price, increasing interest rates – and more.
The IMF does not distinguish between what is artificially induced and what would be natural economic fluctuations.
Let’s look at the situation in a few European countries.
The UK economy: Flatlined in February 2023, no growth in GDP.
- The UK has committed £2.3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine
- One in four children in the UK are living in poverty (27%)
- UK records western Europe’s highest inflation
- Major UK supermarkets have started rationing the sale of some staple fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes (March 2023).
Germany: How the German economic machine broke down
- Ukraine war ([self-made] energy crisis)
- Supply-chain blockages
- Aging workforce
- End of the decades-long reign of Germany’s export-focused manufacturing
- Ukraine aid: $14.2bn
France: GDP growth softened for a second successive time in quarter-on-quarter terms in Q4. They say, the weaker expansion was driven by the Ukraine war (energy), a contraction in private consumption.
- Fixed investment and export growth declined.
- Growth in public spending more than doubled.
- Ukraine war assistance: $1.3bn
United States: Meanwhile, the US is profiting from this war when it comes to the European Union and Europe as a whole. Top European officials are furious with Joe Biden’s administration and accuse the Americans of making a fortune from the war, while EU countries suffer, because they say, Europe is forced to follow US mandates on “sanctioning” Russia and on supplying Ukraine with money and weapons, paid by the European tax-payers.
Why does Europe follow Washington’s orders like a herd of sheep?
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PressTV: Has the disruption caused by Putin’s war with Ukraine tipped several European economies into a recession, with inflation rocketing and a devastating squeeze on energy supplies?
Peter Koenig (PK): Not at all. President Putin has nothing, but zero to do with the European downfall.
What is happening in Europe, in one word, is suicide, Europe is committing willingly economic suicide.
When I’m saying “Europe”, I am not referring to the people of Europe. They are upset. This is one of the reasons they are in the streets or on strike, from France to Germany, to Italy to the UK to Greece – and more.
Europe is sending tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine in the form of weapons or so-called “budget support”. As a parenthesis, in the meantime we know where some of this budget support ends up – in the pockets of Mr. Zelenskyy and his cronies, as has been revealed by many mainstream media in the past few days. Zelenskyy and his buddies have embezzled at least US$ 400 million. Probably much more.
This is EU and US taxpayers money that could be spent at home, to create jobs, support social programs as the EU economy – and to a lesser degree also the US economy is falling into an abyss.
And this for a war which the west instigated – this must be clearly said and understood. President Putin has drawn a red line for many years, warning NATO not to move to Russia’s doorsteps, and Ukraine was the redline.
Just imagine, Russia would build military bases in Mexico or Central America. No need to talk about the consequences.
This war started of course much earlier than 24 February 2022. It started with the also Western instigated, US organized Maidan Coup of 22 February 2014 in Kiev (Ms. Victoria Nuland: “F*ck Europe”, remember?).
It was followed by two Minsk “Peace Agreements”, brokered by France and Germany with Ukraine, but was, to the surprise of everyone but Zelenskyy, according to Mme. Merkel’s – then German Chancellor – own and open admission a few months ago, never meant to be adhered to. Instead, it was meant to prepare and arm Ukraine for a much more serious war, a war of attrition with Russia, the one, we, the world, and especially Europe, are living now.
Imagine that kind of open treachery?! No laws, no respect. It is just unbelievable what the west has turned to and become. A nest of crime against humanity, hardly known in recent history. It screams for judgment, à la Nuremberg 2.0.
Now the US and NATO are literally fighting a proxy war through Ukraine against Russia, intent to kill as many Russians as possible and to weaken Russia.
For the last at least 100 years – at least since WWI – Russia / the Soviet Union has been in the crosshairs of the west, notably the US, to be conquered and dominated, not because of an ideology the west doesn’t like (in fact, these neocons couldn’t care less) but to take over this vast land area, about 17.1 million square kilometers, or 11% of the world’s land mass, because of its enormous riches in natural resources.
So far, they have miserably failed in two WWs and they will fail again this time, by destroying another country, the Ukraine.
PressTV: What is the general outlook for future of economy in the EU, particularly UK, France and Germany with the energy crisis and Ukraine war in the background?
PK: As long as the European Commission – as it is structured today – stays in power and as long as the key European leaders are “implants” of the World Economic Forum – WEF – and its backstage strongmen Financial Cult supporters, the outlook for Europe is bleak.
Just to name a few of the implants, so people around the world get an idea:
- Ursula Von der Leyen, unelected President – accent on unelected
- Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, and before him, Angela Merkel
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France
- Mark Rutte, Netherlands…
- And many more
They all display some dictatorial, some even tyrannical trends.
They are all graduates of the WEF’s Academy for Young Global Leaders (YGL).
Not too long ago, Klaus Schwab had boasted that he and the WEF are proud having been able to infiltrate governments around the world with the WEF’s Young Global Leaders.
That says it all.
Currently I am staying in a country that has a WEF implant as President, Peru — Dina Boluarte is a WEF YGL. Maybe you have followed what has been happening in Peru since last 7 December when the Parliament, led by then VP, Boluarte, removed the elected President, Pedro Castillo, put him in prison without a trial. Yes, without a trial.
Ms. Boluarte has since assumed Presidency against countrywide protests and calls for immediate new elections (to no avail). She has Schwab’s and Washington’s support – and all the money and if needed military support that comes with it.
Under the WEF’s Global Leaders, justice has been eradicated. Not just in Peru. Look at Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and not least, the European Union.
Not to forget, Christine LaGarde. She literally runs the European Central Bank like a European Economic prison.
She has recently been recorded saying that not only Central Bank Digital Currency – or CBDC — is the future, but she added already now, paying for anything with 1000 Euros in cash is forbidden, it will be punished by fine – and even prison. Yes, you heard right, even prison.
This is economic tyranny. Under such tyranny no economy can thrive.
And more, the introduction of CBDC, if it happens, which I still doubt, would put an enormous brake on the economy of those countries that eliminate cash, or the traditional electronic transfer system because CBDC is only about control, absolute control. And no investor wants to be controlled to the last penny he spends.
Maybe the CBDC clowns don’t realize that. Or, alternatively, that is precisely what they want. The last straw to ruin western economy. It fits perfectly into Schwab’s / WEF’s Great Reset, alias UN Agenda 2030, “creative destruction”, to rebuild for a small elite, served by a limited number of transhuman serfs with chip implants so they can be made to act like robots – as Klaus Schwab had already predicted in a 2016 interview with the Swiss French TV. Unfortunately, that two-minute interview clip has since been “fact-checked” away.
You also mentioned the energy crisis, food shortages and massive inflation.
There is no real energy crisis.
Not buying already contracted gas from Russia — because Russia must be “sanctioned”, Washington says so – is nothing but a self-made energy crisis, or as I said before: economic suicide.
The energy crisis is entirely fake, has been fabricated in order to ruin the European economy – which, as mentioned before, is part and parcel of the Great Reset. Done on purpose by the EU / EC WEF implants.
The Great Reset is about destroying the current economy and resetting everything to zero; then starting anew, rebuilding with a massively reduced population under a global elite.
Most of the people, I believe would not like this, if they knew.
This interview is meant to spread this information to as many people as possible, so they may act, the way they feel they must act to survive.
We would not have an energy crisis in Europe if Europe would not be following like sheep the US model, would not have “sanctioned” Russia for the war in Ukraine – a war that was entirely instigated by Washington and NATO and stupidly followed by the EU.
Can you imagine, the purposefully suicidal Europe “sanctions” Russia by not buying Russia’s cheap energy, the energy that has been the engine for much of Europe’s economic success? This is “de-industrializing” Europe, especially Germany which now must buy energy from the US and elsewhere at double the price.
A huge colony of German business people and corporations do not like this scenario at all. There may be hope.
Interestingly, Mr. Putin in the past had often repeated, he for his side, would respect the energy supply contracts with Europe, whenever Europe is ready. These offers were of course ignored by Brussels and the EU leaders (orders from NATO and Washington), and never covered by the mainstream media.
And one more thing you should know: Washington / NATO destroyed the Nord Stream Pipelines in full accord and connivance with the German Chancellor and with Ursula Von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. There is not the slightest doubt that at least these two corrupt criminals were in on the deal, maybe more.
PressTV: With the Strikes going on in the UK and France as well as the cost-of-living crisis in Germany, what is the solution for these governments in the short run?
PK: The short answer – these governments, UK, France, Germany et al. should resign immediately and call for new elections.
Shortages of food, goods, and service, as well as the so-called cost-of living crisis, also called inflation, have directly to do with the manufactured “shortage” of energy. It’s economics 101. When you reduce the offer but keep the demand, prices go up.
There are reports that in the UK, supermarket shelves ordinarily filled with fruit and vegetables are empty. Imagine what you could do with the billions sent to ultra-corrupt Ukraine to help kill people, and use these funds instead to buy food for the UK locals.
New elections by the people, for the people – not by the WEF.
You may bet, the strikes would stop, almost immediately.
And the manufactured chaos would also end instantly.
Democratically-elected new governments should listen to the people.
That’s why they are called “democracies”.
But as everybody can see, there is not a single country left in the so-called west which deserves the term “democracy”.
Not one. There is not a shred of democracy in the west – if there ever was.
Maybe newly people-elected governments should lean back and think, before they contemplate their own power, and instead think about how the power of the people can be implemented so that people, and not a small elite, prosper.
It is as good as guaranteed; this would make a drastic change for the better.
It would dismantle these unelected powerful structures like the WEF, and all the financial giants behind it, and would bring forward the will of the people – all that what is meant, when we talk about democracy.
And, of course, key for all this to become a success story is dismantling the entire US / CIA / Rockefeller created EU. A corrupt, dictatorial structure.
Yes, you heard correctly, the European Union was never a European idea.
PressTV: And finally, what should be done, in your viewpoint?
PK: The simplest, and especially in the medium to long run, the most effective solution would be what was mentioned already before:
- Get rid of the European Commission
- Dissolve the entire European Union – and get back, or rather jump forward, to the individual, autonomous and sovereign nation states we had until 2000 with their own individual currencies
- Countries could make their own internal arrangements among themselves, including currency swap-agreements
- And dedollarizing each country’s economy.
Every country’s own dedollarized currency would be a piece of freedom to ally with whomever they decide – Russia, China, even the US if they still felt it could be useful.
One thing is for sure, the economy would immediately reverse its trend – with excellent prospects for the European economy’s recovery and with a rapid economic growth.
And never, ever accept Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). It is the absolute control mechanism. It will be programmable, can be turned on or off, or even made to expire, according to your behavior. The reigning elite can let you starve, by cutting you off your – I repeat – YOUR money.
An economy can only thrive when it’s free. Yes, it needs regulation, but certainly not control by a tyrannic elite.
This would totally discourage investments and any other initiative.
And one more thing – the Future is in the East. Iran has already realized this and is doing well.
Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for online journals and is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed; and co-author of Cynthia McKinney’s book “When China Sneezes: From the Coronavirus Lockdown to the Global Politico-Economic Crisis” (Clarity Press – November 1, 2020).
Peter is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). He is also a non-resident Senior Fellow of the Chongyang Institute of Renmin University, Beijing.