My point is this: higher commodities
= Stronger Russia
= Weaker Europe zone
= Much weaker USA including military (a net consumer)
= Stronger Australia
= Stronger Canada
= Stronger Middle Eastern area

Also the added fact that Russia has a lot of US dollars in reserve, enough to influence the market (manipulate would be more correct but most major governments are doing this to their own currency for over the last 100yrs). In effect dumping the currency into the open market could hamstrung the world's largest economy (the bigger they are the faster they fall). If in this theory this happens a domino effect could result with other much larger holdings of USD being dumped on the market, causing panic in the market place.

I personally believe that Russia know USA is becoming weaker; the communists are capitalising on this and will try to rebuild an empire for trade purposes. USA has done this over the last 90yrs and has become it own worst enemy.

A pivotal fact is the USA are threaten the great bear with trade sanctions! USA placed tariffs on Japan in the 30’s; simply USA removed the supply of oil to Japan. The making of world warII, at that time USA was a producer! Using it as leverage to build its empire. Is it communist Russia's or communist China's turn for world trade? China has been very quiet over this conflict! What do they think?? The power is shifting.

USA has very little that is sustainable to negotiate with. What does Russia have? How about China?

Please keep in mind that this will not mean the end of the world! Day will still follow night, we will still wake up and work, there will still be conflict and there will still be peace.

COULD HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF??

History will reveal all.

MW

There is no quick fix, but an over-confident Russia is weaker than it looks...

The wider aims with which Russia is presumed to have entered Georgia have not yet been achieved, however. They include toppling its pro-American president, Mikheil Saakashvili, and using intimidation to stop Georgia and Ukraine from following the Poles, Czechs, Balts and other former dominions of the Soviet Union into the orbit of the West and thence into NATO. If it pursues sound policies, the West still stands a fair chance, despite its divisions, of thwarting these aims.

Sound policy starts with a sense of proportion. Contrary to some excitable first reactions, Russia’s ability to crush the minuscule Georgian army does not make it a superpower, and its aggression in the Caucasus need not mark the start of a new cold war. To put things in perspective, America’s GDP is ten times bigger than Russia’s and it spends at least seven times more on defence. Russia’s economy would fall off a cliff if energy prices slumped and its population, racked by ill-health and inequality, is shrinking by up to 800,000 a year. Russia can make mischief, but it cannot project military and ideological power all around the world, as the Soviet Union did during the cold war. Although it scares some neighbours (but not the Chinese), its threats make them all the more determined to stay on guard. It is surely no coincidence that after months of prevarication the Poles agreed immediately after Russia invaded Georgia to let America base missile defences (ostensibly against a future threat from Iran) on Polish territory.

To say that Russia’s strength is exaggerated is not to say that it should be allowed to escape its Georgian adventure unpunished. A weak power can be more reckless than a strong one. Russia needs to learn that in spite of their own enervating foreign wars and economic worries the members of the Western alliance can still unite in front of a challenge. But because Russia is fundamentally less strong than it likes to pretend, the West’s response can afford to be patient as well as principled.

Always take into account History.....It is the measure of tomorrow! what tommorrow brings is the rise of the sun, another few 10,000 new borns, another lie, another tear, another smile and another laugh. But for all that can happen will some day, in the future!

A long cold winter in Europe would result in a very long fiscal drought in Russia, as it is, the level of profit will be reduced, this will remind Russia for a long while that what they did was a little stupid.