Saudi Arabia officially joins BRICS bloc

My previous post was hidden just for stating FACTS about the Quoran. Tells me all I need to know. Have a nice day, everyone.

SE Asia is the future I think. Maybe Latin America. The West is done and the Middle East isn't much of an alternative. Even though I would love to buy a condo in Dubai and stay there full time, but its still not the best place to be for an European liberal, a true liberal, I mean, not a crazy leftist.

While Latin America does have it's crime, as with many places it really depends on where you go. I lived in Colombia for a while, mostly in Bogota and never had any issues, however that means staying within safer areas (particularly at night) and keeping my head on a swivel. I live in LA and find it isn't any different than I would act here (the crime rates aren't any worse at present). However, other places I have spent time in such as Guayaquil, Ecuador or a number of places in Brazil are dangerous in much of the areas and aren't really worth the risk.

As for hubris, the US is chock full of it. The dedollarization process accelerated when the US froze Russian assets and many nations took notice that they could be next. This propelled the BRICS to move more quickly on their future gold-backed currency/currency basket to compete with the dollar for use in trading. Eventually they plan to have a large enough bond market to compete with the dollar as a reserve currency (vs solely as a trading currency) however that will take time.

Right now the US is considering actually taking the frozen Russian assets (which are mostly US bonds) and actually using it to support Ukraine in the pointless proxy war with Russia; this would essentially amount to a US default and only exponentially exacerbate the dollar's fall from grace.

As for visiting Muslim countries, it is much different than actually living there; and places like Saudi Arabia spend so much on their population (via oil profits) to keep them placated (particularly since it's Arab Spring protests in 2011) which also means having the funds to support visitors (and it depends largely on foreign labor and is home to the 3rd largest immigrant population). And when it comes to dictatorships, when things seem not so bad (for you), it's easy to become complacent and think things are great, but the second things start to get difficult you quickly realize you're essentially screwed since there's nothing you can do to stop it.

In any case, the US is an empire in decline (and the West in general) and is desperately trying to keep up appearances while things are falling apart from the inside. Weaponization of the dollar caused much of this, as well as reckless spending and US foreign intervention (i.e. sticking it's nose where it doesn't belong solely for it's own illicit gain under the guise of 'democracy').

It’s a move away from the dollar. The bloc will trade with its own currencies.

So yes , quite important . I said before the move away from the dollar has started.

i dont think washington is too worried about a bunch of 3rd world countries banding together... the G7 is a bigger bloc than brics

MBS will be out of a job in a year or two when usa gets done with him LOL

Yes, all dictatorships have to have their own clubs. BRICS is nothing more than bunch of countries with completely opposite interest. India hate China, China want conquer ruzzia, and south Africa will go big change soon.

On a separate note, when the Rus/Ukrn war started - I opened up my home to house Ukraninans but decided to call it quit after a year. I might be biased and totally wrong but I am somehow sensing and feeling that some Ukranians are just taking the mick at the moment. It felt almost we owe them everything with many of those that I have encountered were treating UK like a FOC holiday let resort of some kind.....

I fully appreciate many of them are at their end wits, but they seems to know more about the benefit system (££) in UK than I do!!!!

Anyway, I've done my bit to help but no thanks, not anymore. Just bad experience when one tries to help!

Always a good excuse - "I dont know...", just like our ex pm boris buffoon johnson!

With re to Iraq - your debate is only half side of the coin, have you forgotten WMD (weapon of mass destruction that never exists) yet america administration bombed the living daylight out of innocent civilians and Iraq descended into chaos since.

As to your point on SA switching over, your argument of a journalist murdered (sad situation that was) is simply pathetic.

Trait of businessmen - £££ always come first, likewise for all these BRICS leaders! It is a known fact that the america empire is already in decline (same to EU as to us on UK) and why do "businessmen" not jump ship? QED

I think you really need to differentiate between “ secular “ muslin cultures and extreme “ Wahhabism “

It’s probably not the forum to debate these issues

First comment of ignorance and stupidity of 2024! Keep it coming....

Thank you. The problem is the it is so much easier for the politicians to just kick the can down the road, as we see with the lack of will for a balanced budget, and instead rely on "continuing resolutions" which is just a band-aid on a gunshot wound. Politicians rely on bribing their constituents for votes (via unnecessary entitlement and pork spending like bridges to nowhere) or doing the bidding of their true masters (campaign donors/corporate and deep state lobbyists) and get us into more wars or excuses for corporate welfare instead of living within our means (i.e. our actual budget).
Forecasts from both the White House and the Congressional Budget Office show that, by 2031, interest expense, along with mandatory entitlement spending like Social Security, will consume the entirety of federal tax revenue.

The ONLY way out of this mess is to have an economic renaissance in the United States which prioritizes productivity and growth.
It’s simple math; if real (i.e. inflation-adjusted) GDP grows by 3% instead of 2%, all of these problems will melt away over time. The federal government will be swimming in tax revenue, Social Security will be properly funded, and the US could re-assert itself as the global economic leader. But that will take actual intelligence, courage and willpower, something severely lacking across all levels of government. And the best way (going back to classic liberalism) is for the government to simply get out of the way (impossible for sure).

Yes, I would consider Colombia, Panama, or a few other places if things get much worse; their economies are still growing and support upward mobility (and haven't yet completely bought into the woke or climate scams that are nothing but a wealth transfer) while the US and Western Europe are in a state of contraction/falling middle class.

The US WANTS a war with Iran, and is doing what it can to provoke it without seeming like the aggressor (see gulf of Tonkin, Pearl Harbor, "Remember the Maine", etc.). We have been trying this with Russia via Ukraine since 2014 when Victoria Nuland put Zelensky in place via a coup d'état and he started shelling the Donbass region (who are ethnically and culturally Russian) to the tune of over $1million per day per the IMF. This region got tired of the violence against them and finally 2 years ago voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia and begged for Russian protection; this caused Russia's parliament to vote for a 'special military operation' to protect these regions. A peace agreement was about to be signed last year but Biden sent Boris Johnson to sabotage the agreement. And now Russia is taking advantage of the situation and no negotiations will happen without Russia walking away with new territory. The US spent the past few decades fighting inferior third world militaries/men in caves and now realizes they are woefully unprepared against a first rate power in Russia, whose weapons have largely destroyed or evaded most things the West has thrown at it.
The whole point of the war was to take out Putin and put a western sympathizer/puppet in place. It didn't work.
Biden wants to be a wartime President as in the past this has helped most incumbents win re-election. A draft will likely have to happen if a full-war occurs as we are so short in soldiers that entire groups/divisions have been shuttered since they can't operate with such low numbers.
Another possibility is for Biden to use a false-flag operation like a massive cyber attack to invoke martial law to stay in power (the ironic thing is that the left accused trump of having such thoughts yet it is Biden who, from the dictatorial actions he's taken thus far while in office is far more likely to be the one). Covid kept him from having to campaign, so now they'll have to come up with something else to keep Weekend At Bernie's to keep playing...

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I don't now ... my comment stupid or not .... when Iraq attacked Kuwait and the borders of Saudi Arabia, the US was at the front helping them.... When Yemen attacked Saudi Arabia, they used US war technology ... It is possible that the Prince of Saudi Arabia was attracted to Putin's handsomeness and smile ... Saudi Arabia's alleged switch was due to western block protests over the murder of a journalist which went viral

Interesting read there bro (

Do you mind sharing the verses in the Quran stating the same? Or the verse numbers/references?

Thanks

Only for Russia to then intervene and spoil the party... MBS is not worried at all...
The West can have its green new deal cake!!!!

may be better US war first to Iran or Saudi Arabia as testing power of brics bloc

Makes dollar undervalued. Which means, time to chomp more dollar.

Long term view.

Time to bring democracy to Saudi Arabia