What Ukraine has done for the world is to push all the world in a Cold War scenario.
The fear is fortunately not nuclear – world war 3 …but financial.
Putin is trying not to invade Ukraine, but his red line is that Ukraine must not be coherently under the US influence. Chaos or a federalisation will be enough.
But already Mevdev (now Russian PM) already told us that we are back in the Cold War 2.0.
But now the Russian are smarter. They understand that the core of the US Power is the US Dollar as reserve currency and that is what they are aiming at.
Putin is almost signing a mega contract for a Russian -Chinese pipeline. Maybe it will push for the price to be paid in Yuan.
Already Hong Kong banks like HSBC and Standard Chartered have a lot or reserves in Chinese Yuan.
In July there is a BRICS conference in Brasil (and Brasil is quite against US due to the currency war) where the BRICS Development Bank (sort of IMF for third countries) will be launched. And maybe now in USD.
Russia is studying an alternative to the VISA/Mastercard system payment, after the sanctions .
The fact is that the US Dollars in 2000 was the currency of choice for 55% of global transaction and in 2013 was 33%. Other currencies increased, in the same time, 400% (China does not disclose that data so other will include certainly Euro…but you could guess the Yuan increased a lot – China is aiming to make it fully convertible in 2018).
The US certainly knows this and replicates old Cold War scenario weaponizing all the Balcanic and ex USSR country and helping the Pacific Rim (Philippines, Vietnam, Australia mainly). It is quietly pushing Japan to leave its pacifist constitution. And UK is “leaving” Europe for the US.
Europe is struggling as military and “democratically” is linked to the US. But economically and energy is linked to Russia.
So back to the future!
investorpolitico 