Its NOT different this Time
Governments are toppled right and left, puppets are installed, insane policies are implemented, livelihoods are destroyed, people are upset and they protest the government demanding change.
And we are back to square one.
This time like other times, folks are saying this 'time is different.' Yes, true in one aspect because the rage will be more, unrest will be a daily occurrence, suffering will be normalized, hunger will be rife and death will skyrocket.
Sadly, all the rage climaxes' at the same old conclusion, i.e. NO SOLUTION!
We are not experiencing anything profound. History taught us that. Unless there is a fundamental change in the governance structures.
Since this seems like a tall order at this time, we at Khakis & Leather aim to learn from the same rotten institutions as they protect/position themselves to benefit from portending global outcomes.
Researching into the world’s largest insurance company with over €1.1 trillion in assets, Allianz. I came across an article published on their corporate website, were they reflected on the growing concern among executives in the FIRE (finance, insurance and real estate) sector about the risk of societal breakdown. According to Srdjan Todorovic, the Head of Crisis Management at Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty’s London unit, civil unrest is now a bigger threat to global businesses than terrorism:
‘‘Civil unrest increasingly represents a more critical exposure for companies than terrorism. The nature of the threat is evolving, as some democracies become unstable, and certain autocracies crack down heavily on dissenters. Unrest can occur simultaneously in multiple locations as social media now facilitates the rapid mobilization of protestors. This means large retail chains, for example, could suffer multiple losses in one event.
Where we currently stand, I don’t expect incidences of social unrest to abate any time soon, given the after-shocks of Covid-19, the looming cost-of-living crisis, and the ideological rifts that continue to divide societies around the world. We’re seeing rising interest from risk managers in specialist cover for political violence, as some traditional property and casualty insurers have stepped back from the exposures associated with SRCC insurance. The standalone market is also having a rethink on war-like perils, as well as the coverage extensions that were offered freely only a few months ago.’’
As you should expect, the article highlighted the risks for investors and financial houses while offering a safer option to park their investments. It is evident there will be minimal structural changes only tighter controls used to quell the uprisings and protect their interests. Of course, ushering more centralization, authoritarian and totalitarian measures.
According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, a Sweden-based global non-profit, the number of countries that are becoming “more authoritarian” by the organization’s calculus is three times the number of countries that are moving toward democracy. The year 2021 was the fifth year in a row that the trend has moved in that direction, the longest uninterrupted run of pro-authoritarian developments since the IIDEA started tracking these developments.
The one thing that will be different after the uprising will be a neo feudal/technocratic/technological system to ensure order from chaos. A new way of organizing and managing irate people with the help of technology.
See the aftermath of the Sri Lankan crisis. According to James Corbett via the Corbett Report,
Specifically, Wickremesinghe's government has decided to restore order to the country by implementing a "fuel rationing" scheme that relies on QR codes and digital surveillance. Under the new carbon eugenics regime, the slaves of the new technocratic prison state will be allowed to associate one vehicle identification number with their National Identity Card number. They will then be assigned a QR code that will have to be scanned to allow them to obtain the privilege of buying fuel . . . so long as it's their assigned day to purchase gas, that is. Their assigned day will depend upon the last digit of their license plate.
Another take from Nick Corbishley via Naked Capitalism,
As protests grow in size and intensity, it is perhaps no surprise that governments, central banks and corporations around the world, from West to East, are trying to rush into existence and law digital technologies such as vaccine passports, digital IDs and central bank digital currencies that offer the promise of much greater control of their increasingly restive populations. Gathering civil unrest could even serve as a public justification for their introduction.
With Digital IDs the government can deny the dissenter/protester food, water, medicine, travel and money to maintain compliance/obedience.
The group most worried about their positions and investments are the global corporations and banks as they should hence, the rush to bring about these new systems of control.
Nafeez Ahmed, a special investigations reporter of the British newspaper Byline Times, published an article warning that global banks are privately preparing for “dangerous levels” of imminent civil unrest in Western homelands. Citing the head of a “financial institutions group” that provides expertise and advisory services to other banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions, Ahmed reported that contingency planners at top financial institutions believe that “dangerous levels” of social breakdown in the West are now all but inevitable, and imminent:
An outbreak of civil unrest is expected to occur anytime this year, but most likely in the coming months as the impact of the cost of living crisis begins to saturate the lives of “everyone”.
The executive [who spoke to Byline News on condition of anonymity as the information he disclosed is considered highly sensitive] works at a leading Wall Street firm which is considered a systemically important financial institution by the US Financial Stability Board. These are institutions whose functioning is considered critical to the US economy, and whose failure could trigger a financial crisis.
According to the executive, major banks all over the world including in the US, UK and Western Europe are instructing their top managers to begin actively planning how they will respond to the impact of financial disruption triggered by a prolonged episode of civil unrest. However, the banking official did not elaborate on what these planning measures involved beyond reference to stress testing to determine the impact on investment portfolios.
While increased civil unrest in developing countries has been openly discussed by major institutions such as the UN, World Bank, IMF and other institutions, this is the first time in recent years that expectations of a coming epidemic of social breakdown in Western societies has been attributed to top banking and investment firms.
Do you spot any difference or do you see an exacerbation of the suffering and loss of livelihoods?
Do you foresee more centralization or decentralization?
The state is offering us a bad deal. It is left for us to reject it.
We expect nothing from the state, as any/every hope in government is premised on a savior model to save/solve the crisis for us.
Only we can be our saviors. Decoupling from the system, setting up decentralized communities/payment systems and becoming ungovernable.
Like this kid,
Or this Honey Badger,
The solutions lie with US!
Are you propping up the system 'working' to earn devalued fiat? or are you seeking out your freedom?
The answer lies in our daily habits and behaviors..
See you tomorrow!
- Ope