Friends we are watching the last gasp of the dollar and rising from the flames comes the Euro.

The American Empire is crumbling. Europe will rise again.

Let me say that again. The American Empire is crumbling.

Before you think I have lost my mind let me re-assure you that I am not going to start into a long rant about the despots and the injustice of American hegemony. Why would I?

 Mostly the American influence on the world has been benign. In fact I would say that it has been a positive boon for and we must never forget that fact, but the stark reality is that like all good things it must come to an end and we are watching the demise of the empire that never thinks.


The basic facts are these:
Empires are built on a combination of fear and greed
Each goes through a stage of expansion, consolidation, over reach and collapse
The ability to engage and manage an empire depends ultimately on the aquiescence of the subject peoples.
There will be mistakes made in every empire that are genocidal in nature but ultimately of little consequence to the stability and longevity of the regime.
Changes in leadership can distort and and destroy the outer fringes much more rapidly than they can the centre.
The end of Empire is not usually swift and calamitous for the centre but it can cause huge destruction and disruption for the periphery.

All right so now that is laid out let me explain why I say what I say.

I can tell you how if you like, but the reason why is so complex that historians will debate about if for ten thousand years. I can tell you with certainty that not one of us has a clue about what makes empires ebb and flow. At least not in our lifetimes. We are too close and it is too complex but we can see how they fold in and consume themselves.

It is simple really. America has lost the faith of its closest allies and must resort to bullying and coersion to achieve its ends.

The most common, and dangerous chatter is about how America is root of all evil. Almost everyone outside the states loves to watch as the Pentagon and White House wriggle and squirm as they try to extract some degree of good PR from each and every change on the international landscape. Even Britain, stalwart ally of the USA since the day she allowed them independence by protecting their shipping in the times of slavery, has a majority that loves to smirk as America confidence is picked apart by a paranoid administration.

I know there is a media fixation with conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran and N Korea but they are really small elements in the mix. The major sore that has never, and will never, be tackled is Israel. Until they acknowledge the fact that using Israel as a permanent battle cruiser in heart of Muslim Arabia is a flawed policy the American Empire can never achieve a period of equilibrium.

But let's be honest here, there has never been a nation that engaged in any altruistic endeavours, once again with the exception of the British Empire in the late 1800's.

Take aside the rights and wrongs of the Israeli issue, of which there are many, and consider this:
Any occupation - no matter if it is justified in ancient texts or otherwise - will cause resentment from the indigenous populous. Add to that the ancient tribal mindset and the very modern obsession with oil and you have a permanently smouldering powder keg that will never be extingushed. If you then add in an implacable religious opposition and the continued support of despotic regimes like the Al Sauds and you have managed to create a permanent enemy who need never have been.

That is simply bad management. A real empire would never do that. It is elementary and foolish in the extreme. But then America has been deluding itself for a long time and claims to have no Imperial ambitions. What horseshit. Of course they have! If they didn't why would the be worried? No empire means no enemies and no enemies means no worries. Don't believe me? Ask the Swiss.

The American Empire a Jungian dream (pun intended). A entire nation exhibit classic symptoms of denial.

American citizens would be horrified if they thought that they were Imperial storm troopers but then they are horrified if someone points out that their beloved TV evangelists as charlatans and crooks. You see the problem is that American citizens are from all parts of the world and none. They are refugees - the poor the tired, the huddles masses and as a result they feel no allegiance or necessity to engage with anyone outside of their own homes. They have fled from the rest of us and who can blame them when they ignore us?

In standard American process, the need for foreign interaction is purely to benefit the dim witted citizens of America and the political elites on the coast. You simply do not see the USA engaged in altrusim. Nor should you. They are powerful, greedy and in command. That is what empire is about and yet America pretends otherwise. That is the way it has always been and pretending to be "the worlds policeman" is simply idiotic.

In previous Empires, successful and long lasting ones that is, there has always been a degree of engagement with the occupied countries by the regular citizens of the ruling power. Adopt the ways of the locals, adapt, go native and learn  to manipulate the means for your own ends. If you impose a foreign ideology as well as a foreign burocrasy you are inviting disaster. Edmocrasy is not the answer and why for fucks sake anyone thinks it is is beyond me. You simply can't bring an entire culture to change overnight. Not even the Romans manged that.

On the other hand without engagement at some levels you will be certain of failure as well. Consider Russia and Belgium.

Both had overseas possessions which they lost in rapid order because they were too busy grandstanding to make any impression on the locals. Belgium fucked it up when Leopold massacred half of Africa and Russia is still trying to escape from a criminal take over in the mid 1990's. Neither will be remembered fondly and neither will gain in the long term from their policies in the past and I am afraid that the USA is similarly handicapped.

Imposing "democrasy" on foreign lands in order to obtain oil is disingenuous and pointless. Calling your enemies "rogue states" is ascenine to the point of idiocy and pretending that you can have it all and take no responsibility is called being a child, not a president.

This is why I say the dollar is over as the international currency.

It happened to the pound and it will surely happen again in the next few years.

America can't pay its bills. It can't maintain its military expenditure and wanton lifestyle. It has run out of friends as surely as it is running out of oil and the power balance is shifting in seismic jolts towards the east.

By contrast the Eastern power - Japan - has no inclination to join the world in any meaningful way and as such is neutered. China is corrupt, unbalanced and has little interest in taking responsibility for world markets yet. India is simply too poor so that leaves on place to put your money. One stable and reliable, multi-national, fundamentally politically neutral currency with ample resources and expertise to surplant the Fed.

That leaves the Euro.

When oil hits $200 a barrel and the interest rates in the US are almost zero and most of all when there is no confidence in the dollar because another plane hits another tower somewhere you will see the Euro smash its way through the barricades and the era of American dominance will be over.

Have a nice day, y'all.