TODAY, politicians and common people in all countries expressly say that the United States is losing its influence on the global stage. Even The Washington Times, by publishing the results of the new survey conducted by Pew Research Centre, acknowledges that the prevailing opinion among US nationals is that the US is definitely a loser in the race with ‘growing’ China. Many American and western media outlets desperately acknowledge the US’s clear failure in its sanctions policy forced upon Russia and the whole world, as it has only strengthened the Kremlin’s global weight and brought the wreckage of the American and the western economy as a whole.

The sanctions policy dictated by Washington in respect of energy supplies from Russia resulted in an unprecedented growth of their global prices, drastically increasing the prices for these goods and electricity in the US and the whole world. The cost of the electricity required to maintain the work of economic facilities has more than thrice exceeded the historical average value for a very short period even in the US. As a result, enterprises are forced to shut down all over the country. Thus, for example, Century Aluminum, the largest military class aluminium manufacturer in North America, suspended the work of its smelting plant in Kentucky on June 27. The company’s forecast is that the plant might stay idle for up to one year, waiting for the energy prices to return to a lower level. As Bild wrote on June 28, with reference to the research made by the Bavarian Economy Association, termination of supply of Russian gas will result in Germany’s gross domestic product decreasing by 12.5 per cent and in cutting 5.6 million jobs.

The west, in its attempt to strangle Moscow by the sanctions, discovered that the oil prices rocketed and Russia found new buyers, The New York Times notes. Moscow earns more by selling fuel than it did before the start of the conflict, while the influence of the restrictions is mostly felt in the west. The sanctions boomeranged on the west. With a vengeance.

Politicians and business community representatives in many countries declare ever louder that the US and Europe are consistent in killing their own industries by introducing new sanctions against Russia and maintaining the previous ones. Mario Draghi, the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Italy, delivered an address to his western partners urging them to stop the sanctions pressure upon Russia, as it would in the first turn affect the Europeans. According to the politician, the European Union is in a difficult position while the Russian economy only becomes stronger. Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, a member of the Swiss People’s Party and a businesswoman, urged to put an end to the policy of blockade, boycott and sanctions against Russia.

Inflation, soaring prices for gasoline and food products, financial market decline, destructive policy and approaching recession — all these cause concern and anxiety everywhere, especially in the US, as leading American media outlets note. Two recent opinion polls by Gallup demonstrate the crash of the fundamental principles that are the basis of stable and sustainable society: the decline of American moral values. The things that used to be regarded as bad and immoral are now brought up by the White House as a great virtue — and woe be to any institutions and even individuals who dare say the opposite. These are the roots of mass shootings in American schools and other public places that happen in broad daylight.

In order to accommodate the personal sentiments of the new master of the White House towards the LGBTQ and transgender communities, the American diplomatic missions actually equalise their symbols to the state ones. The so-called American diplomats, demonstratively raising the LGBTQ community’s rainbow flag above US embassies, do not take into consideration the principles and traditions of other countries where they are accredited, causing even greater aversion to this ‘American democracy’ as a result. This was in particular demonstrated by such an action of the US embassy in Khartoum, where the recent use of LGBTQ symbols in the North African state whose entire population are Muslims and very critical about the LGBTQ propaganda, was another evidence of the US barbaric approach and deliberate abasement of the local population’s human dignity.

The American elites ignore the fact that immorality, along with great debts, have ruined many great states and this is what the United States is rushing towards. Yet, even the late well-known American religious and public figure, television and radio preacher Billy Graham said, ‘No, America is not at a crossroads! We have already passed the crossroads…. America has gone a long way down the wrong road. We must turn around and go back and change roads.’

Instead, relying on revenge-seeking ideologists’ recommendations, Washington is still feeding self-destruction dragging the world into the arms race and into forming new military blocs, clearly forgetting about the existence of diplomatic means for settling any emerging disputable issues, not being ashamed to call for military confrontation with ‘states undesirable for the White House.’

As follows from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s own documents on the eve of the alliance’s summit in Madrid, at the present moment the total manpower of all eight battalion groups of the alliance near the borders with Russia is 9,641 persons. Nevertheless, at the suggestion of Washington, NATO intends to increase the number of its response forces even further, to 300,000 soldiers near the Russian borders and to expand its presence in Europe, straining the relations of the west with Moscow that are clearly in the state of confrontation. American social media users were horrified by such statement as they are sure it can lead to a new global clash unleashed due to reckless actions of Washington and NATO. ‘The third world war is slowly approaching. Slowly but steadily. In other words, Russia was right,’ one Twitter user wrote.

Meanwhile, NATO’s expansion in the Far East is taking shape of a confrontation with China. NATO’s new strategic concept declared China ‘a threat’ against the background of the US-initiated expansion and ‘globalisation’ of NATO itself that is strenuously spreading its ambitions to the Pacific Ocean and China’s maritime ‘underbelly,’ supporting the anti-China separatists in Taiwan.

Russia repeatedly emphasised that NATO was aimed at confrontation and further expansion of the bloc would not bring more safety to Europe.

In accordance with revenge-seekers’ malicious intents, many serious armed conflicts and wars began in midsummer, a period of the longest days of the year. The midsummer solstice is very special this year as on these days the great planetary alignment takes place and all planets are lined up. From the point of view of esotery scientists, that means great changes, tempests and cataclysms on the planet. Even from a purely physical point of view, all planets accumulated in one part of the sky are able to cause gravitational perturbation that might lead to changing of the real world order. One may get the impression that this is the real reason why, relying on recommendations from its esoteric advisers, Washington has especially enhanced its destructive activities in this month of June, plunging the world into even greater chaos.

However, apart from the geopolitical, trade and economic chaos instigated by the United States, the main changes should be awaited on part of common citizens who, against the larger misfortunes brought upon them by Washington, may inspire the change of administrations in the US and in many European states.

New Eastern Outlook, July 3. Valery Kulikov is a political expert.