Just how bankrupt for ideas is the West's anti-Russia agenda?

Just look at the headlines. This was propaganda from the West a month ago.

US, allies agree to cap Russia oil prices to hinder invasion

European allies of the U.S. plan to follow the Biden administration and take steps to stop their use of Russian oil by the end of this year, a move that some economists say could cause the supply of oil worldwide to drop and push prices as high as $200 a barrel.

That risk has the U.S. and its allies seeking to establish a buyer’s cartel to control the price of Russian oil. Leaders of the Group of 7 advanced economies have tentatively agreed to back a cap on the price of Russian oil. Simply speaking, participating countries would agree to purchase the oil at lower-than-market price.

Europe is making it much harder for Russia to ship oil anywhere

Brilliant! We are going to tell Russia at what price they can sell their oil and gas.
It's such a brilliant plan that I'd bet that Putin has already given up, amirite?
The unbiased Atlantic Council agreed.
The West is going to "starve" Russia.

Asia Can’t Save Russia’s Energy Sector

The Russian regime appears to have assumed that China and, to a lesser extent, India and other non-Western partners, would effectively bail them out by buying up whatever energy exports the West did not and providing the equipment lost because of sanctions, export controls, and self-sanctioning. Although China and India have done much to cushion the blow in terms of export volumes thus far, they have their Russian counterparts over a barrel as commodities flows are rewired and energy markets adjust. The outlook for Russia’s oil, gas, and coal industries is dimming, if not yet completely bleak. But there is little reason to see a full “pivot to Asia” sustainably addressing the problems Russia faces.

So there you have it. Russia is done. It's all over. The West wins again.
Cut to post-game interviews.

A few weeks later let's look at the headlines again, which I'm sure are all full of glorious celebrations due to the fall of Putin.

India’s Finance Minister Defends Increased Purchases of Russian Oil
India tells oil companies to load up on discounted Russian crude
Russia's share of India's June oil imports surges to record

So I guess the crushing of Russia was somewhat delayed. That's OK. We'll just have to wait a bit before breaking out the bubbly.

Brazil, India, and China's rush to buy Russian energy shows Putin still has strong allies who can prop up Russia's economy
Saudi Arabia doubles Q2 Russian fuel oil imports for power generation

I find it interesting that this came out right when Biden is visiting Saudi Arabia to beg them for more oil.

Sanctions On Russian Oil And Gas Didn’t Work, And Now We Know Why.

In a further revelation, CREA pointed out that in the first two months of the war, 23 large companies purchased fossil fuels from Russia. And that 15 of those companies were still buying in May 2022. These included big oil companies: Exxon, Shell, Total, Repsol, Lukoil, Neste, and Orlen.

Gosh. Western oil companies are defying the sanctions, but you almost never hear anything about that.
However, the best headline of all, was this one.

The U.S. and EU Are Better Off Without Asia’s Support for Russia Energy Sanctions

You can actually hear the pathetic whining if that sentence, can't you?

And then Russia goes on the offensive.

Russia launches new chartered ships to trade commodities with China and India as wartime sanctions block typical supply chains

Russia Aims to Take Control of Oil Pricing by Creating Benchmark

You've got Putin on the ropes, Biden.
Don't let him up now.
You know what Biden could do to take ever more command of the situation?
Biden should shoot himself in the foot...again. That would show old' Putin.

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Lookout's picture

https://www.rt.com/news/558960-saudi-turkey-egypt-brics/

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt plan to join BRICS, and their potential membership bids could be discussed and answered at next year’s summit in South Africa, Purnima Anand, the president of the organization, told Russian media on Thursday.

“All these countries have shown their interest in joining [BRICS] and are preparing to apply for membership. I believe this is a good step, because expansion is always looked upon favorably; it will definitely bolster BRICS’ global influence,” she told Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) account for over 40% of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world’s GDP.

How those sanctions working out? Bet the price cap will be equally effective.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout
but adding the Saudis really gives it some weight. Get the UAE in there as well and you'll have both the biggest exporters of energy and the biggest importers of energy.

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karl pearson's picture

President Biden and the Neo-cons look like they are playing Whack-a-mole with Russia. Sure hope this ends soon, but something tells me it won't.

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Bob In Portland's picture

The West seizes Russian assets in Western banks. So Russia says, pay for gas in rubles. Rubles go up in value, euros' value collapses.

Here's an idea. Instead of Yellen thinking she can enforce a price cap on Russia, how about she enforce a price cap here in the US?

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to undercut their prices on polluting dinosoar swill, aren't they making the Russkie oil a far more attractive investment?
Note that these people will be the same ones who cry like stuck pigs when Russia cuts its exports to the west because supposedly they weren't buying it anyway,

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10 users have voted.

They say that there's a broken light for every heart on Broadway
They say that life's a game and then they take the board away
They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story
And leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret-- A. Moore

Makes me wonder how Biden's meeting with the Saudis is going to turn out?

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dystopian's picture

@humphrey

Makes me wonder how Biden's meeting with the Saudis is going to turn out?

I would answer but it's kinda like a family blog here... Smile

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

making a complete ass of himself and we, the people.
Good damn grief!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Pluto's Republic's picture

....has been a long ordeal in elder abuse.

It's been painful to watch, and it's horrifying to witness the Neocon's cynical dismissal of the powerless American people. The dynamics and complex interactions in the geopolitical world seem to elude Americans — who generally parrot the propaganda and cliches that they hear everyday. A deeper problem is the People's intellectual void in macro-economics — a key feature of a US education — which obscures the insidious source of their financial woes.

One evil behind the current inflation is fairly obvious. Trade tariff meant to harm US rivals that missed the target. Typically, American importers pay the tariffs to the Federal government when goods arrive at the dock. The importer is able to recoups the tariff he paid immediately by adding it to the price he charges to American wholesalers. Everyone in the supply chain then passes the increased cost down the line, while preserving their customary profits ... until it reaches the American Consumer. The tariff price bubble ends up being paid in full by the consumer.

Thus, American Consumers pay the total costs for the US tariff attack against China out of their own personal earnings. The Federal Government pockets all the Tariff loot. The American people are slammed with the economic harm that China or Russia were supposed to suffer. Poorer Americans feel the greatest impact from tariff-inspired inflation — experiencing economic hardship. Concocted boycotts of foreign products, and energy shortages caused by aggressive US sanctions are meant to harm foreign competitors, instead push prices and exacerbate the economic pain for Americans. Hunger, homelessness, and poverty are on the rise.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden is belittled and demeaned at home for his mental shortcomings and persistent confusion. And he continues to travel for important meetings with key foreign leaders, where it becomes painfully apparent that the President has greatly diminished mental faculties. The message he actually brings is that the hawkish deep-state cartel is controlling the US Executive branch — while Joe is merely acting as a hood ornament to to make that point perfectly clear.

It's elder abuse at its worse.

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The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato