You may have noticed there is some odd stuff going on in our spinning world. There is a major land war in progress on the edge of Europe. That used to be a big deal, since it is being conducted by a nation heavily armed with nuclear weapons among other things, with resistance funded by another heavily armed power not yet committed to providing troops to the war. There are some dramatic misperceptions about the nature of the conflict. The invading power was expected to triumph in short order, but it did not play out that way.

The military being utilized to invade is a legacy ground force derived from an older conflict that ended in 1990, or more than three decades ago. Apparently some changes in capability have occurred since the end of what was called “The Cold War.” The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is viewed by many in the context of that struggle, not the one in progress now. Revealed as part of it is weakness in leadership and manpower sponsored by the Kremlin, and opposed by Ukrainian blood sponsored by vast heaps of cash provided by the United States.

This conflict is a mismatch between old perceptions of power and a new reality. The Russians and their former Red Army are not what they were. The Americans seem to be flooding the world stage with the fiat currency that has supported international economics since the end of World War II. That tide of money has undermined its intrinsic value, and things are changing. The American military may have some of the same weaknesses as that demonstrated by the Russians, but the moment of truth on that matter is still out for determination. There are other major forces in play.

The new order may rhyme with the old one, but the melody and mood are changing. The rise of China is partly fueled by the long outsourcing of American industry to facilities overseas to save production costs. It has vaulted Beijing’s economy to number two in the world. Russia has fallen to number eleven. What is uncertain is where the world’s largest economy- America- is headed after an orgy of pandemic spending.

American and European troops are so far hanging back from direct combat in Ukraine. But that is not to say that there is not a larger war already in progress. The key to it is that it is a different kind of conflict. The trouble in France? 2,400 reported arrested by 45,000 mobilized police. Trouble also in Belgium, home of the EU capital. It represents a change in the old narrative of “class conflict” with one based on race and mobility across borders. We have seen it here in recent times, but our troubles seem orchestrated by funded groups of professional troublemakers, mobilized by organizations unlike the demonstrations of popular discontent.

So there is that aspect harnessed to economic struggles. There is another form of this warfare backed by state power. Counterfeiting is a form of financial warfare. Here we see AliExpress, a subsidiary of China’s Alibaba Group, selling USPS Forever stamps direct from China for $0.24 vs. $0.63 official. Hard to believe this is anything other than an effort to economically weaken America.

The USPS issued a statement about this earlier this year, noting the “surge” in the use of counterfeit postage and advising that mail found with counterfeit stamps is simply destroyed: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0215-usps-warns-the-public-about-surge-in-use-of-counterfeit-postage.htm
Of course, this means the USPS loses either way. Either they’re cheated out of the revenue or people’s letters and packages won’t be delivered and they’ll think even less of the USPS’ service levels.

Copyright 2023 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com