Submitted by Simon Black via Sovereign Man blog [9],
The United States government just went from “Please, baby, don’t leave me [10],” to frustrated threats and whining.
After the UK announced it will join new China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as a founding member late last week, Germany, France and Italy decided yesterday to follow Britain’s lead and join as well.
Welcome to the beginning of the end of the US dollar’s domination. It’s happening.
For the past few decades America was the undisputed global economic and political superpower.
The entire world happily used the US dollar, and hence, the US banking system. More importantly, the world happily placed its trust in the US government.
But there’s a limit to how irresponsible, reckless, and threatening you can be. Eventually such behavior catches up to you.
That time has now come.
The US government is now drowning in debt that can never be repaid. The US government’s own numbers, in fact, estimate its level of insolvency at roughly $60 trillion.
This means that when you add up all the assets of the United States—every acre of land, every tank, every drone, every drop of oil in the strategic reserve… and subtract all the debt and liabilities, the result is MINUS $60 trillion.
That is the net worth of the United States government.
On top of that, the US government has chosen to use its once-trusted currency and banking system as weapons to blackmail the rest of the world.
FATCA (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) is probably the best recent example.
FATCA’s provisions require every single bank in the world to jump into bed with the Internal Revenue Service and agree to all sorts of expensive, debilitating information-sharing agreements.
And any bank which dares to defy the US government gets effectively blackballed from the US banking system and subject to a 30% withholding tax.
On top of that, the US government has taken to slamming foreign banks with the most astonishing fines—$9 billion, for example, in the case of French Bank BNP Paribas.
BNP’s wrongdoing was conducting business with countries, like Cuba and Iran, that the US government doesn’t like.
Bear in mind, BNP is a French bank and broke no French law whatsoever.
Moreover, the business was done through its Swiss subsidiary, and they broke no Swiss law either.
That didn’t matter to Uncle Sam, which fined the bank $9 billion under threat of being kicked out of the US banking system.
Blackmail. Extortion. Intimidation. This isn’t the behavior of a trusted friend. It’s the behavior of an arrogant sociopath.
And the rest of the world is sick of it.
Other countries—even allied nations—see that times are changing. There are new players on the rise, and the US isn’t the only option anymore.
Increasingly they’re turning to China, who, by some metrics, is already the largest economy in the world.
And the US government can’t do anything about it.
This is happening now with increasing speed. It’s mainstream news everywhere: the US is being shunned by its allies for the new kid on the block.
This has major implications for the United States. History shows that when reserve currencies change, the losing country almost invariably goes through significant turmoil.
But here’s the thing—the world is changing. But it’s not coming to an end.
Yes, things will change dramatically in the West in the coming years.
The standard of living that was attainable in the US because of its economic dominance will diminish.
For cues, look to Europe to see how unsustainable policies unravel when you don’t have the backing of the world’s reserve currency.
But people who recognize and embrace these changes early will prosper, for there will be tremendous opportunities throughout this process.
Modern technology means that all of our lives don’t have to be trapped within one single bankrupt country.
You can move your savings abroad to safety.
You can structure your business and assets so that you keep more of your hard-earned income for yourself and your family.
You can seek out investment opportunities out there that aren’t subjected to chasing bubbles induced by world central banks.
You can plan ahead and establish an alternative residency in a safe and thriving place, and perhaps even qualify for a second passport.
Bottom line– the world is changing. We can’t stop the end of the dollar’s dominance. All we can control is how we react to it… and when.
This is a real opportunity. Either an opportunity to gain, or an opportunity to lose. The choice is ours to make.
