Here’s a great idea that will go a long way towards destroying international trust, financial flows, and commerce: take Russia’s $300 billion on deposit in the West to fund Ukraine. From Jack Rasmus at laprogressive.com:
Like the 300 Spartans before them at Thermopylae, the West’s distribution to Ukraine of Russia’s $300 billion of assets will not be able to prevent eventual defeat.
2500 years ago, the myth goes, 300 Spartans faced a much larger military force from the East at Thermopylae, a small mountain pass in ancient central Greece. Thermopylae is the Latin word for ‘Hot Gates’, as the area featured hot springs. In European history the ‘hot gates’ battle ended with the 300 Spartans annihilated.
The Persians had opened a second front to the rear of the Spartan line which then collapsed, wiping them out to the man. The ‘hot gates’ was thus a defeat, although in later mythology it was spun as a strategic victory that bought time for the Greeks to mobilize to fight another day.
Having bought time at Thermopylae is debatable, however, given that the battle of the ‘hot gates lasted only three days! That’s not much of a delay. The Greeks then took another year to mobilize. Three days didn’t matter that much. So the loss of 300 Spartans at Thermopylae was really a waste of a valuable elite battalion of troops—and Thermopylae was by no means a ‘strategic victory’ that it is spun in western mythology to have been.
Two and a half millennia later Europe is again at the ‘hot gates’! And 300 is once more the magic number!
300 today refers to the $300 billion of Russian financial assets that were seized by NATO countries in 2022 as part of US and EU sanctions imposed on Russia in February that year. According to European Central Bank director, Christine LaGarde, no less than $260 of the $300 billion is held in Europe, most of which is in Belgium near Brussels which is NATO’s home base. Another $5 billion was frozen in the USA. The rest distributed among banks of other G7 countries and friends.
A pyrrhic victory at the hot gates of hell?
If Europe loves their 404 comrades so much then fire up drafts in every nation and get over there and fight Ivan the big dumb vodka swilling lout. (s/)
Recruiting offices are open until then.
Germanystan will step up first with their world beating forces?
LMFAO!
“The ‘hot gates’ was thus a defeat, although in later mythology it was spun as a strategic victory that bought time for the Greeks to mobilize”
It did however lead to the one of my favorite, most memorable openings to a historical novel –
“The weapon which slew me at Thermopylae was an Egyptian Hoplite spear..” –
Gates of Fire