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duncan smith
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Comments by "duncan smith" (@duncansmith7562) on "Should the EU invest more in its strengths? | DW Business" video.

investment means gaining a return on the money put into a project. Europe does not offer much hope of a decent return compared to other parts of the globe. The future is BRICS, not de-industrialized Europe.
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if by "we" you mean the russophobic West that can only view Russia as an enemy, agreed. If by "we" you mean the world in general, no, most of the world is fine with Russia. Global trade will increase and supply lines between most of the globe (that don't believe in trade-killing sanctions) will be fine. It's just the sanctions-obsessed West that will suffer, deservedly.
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@@Dobacat that's why Chinese, Korean, Indian and Japanese made vehicles and machines are so popular globally and why their exports are growing exponentially, right? because German engines are so great! you live in the past.
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@johanhirte9661 child poverty rates is no indicator of good or bad investment opportunities! Russia has a much more robust economy than EU. By "smaller" you are looking at that misleading and outdated GDP nonsense. Same mistake the EU leaders made, thinking a smaller GDP = weaker economy. It doesn't. China remains a sound place to invest. It's shrinking economy is still more productive than the West's. South Africa is mineral rich, and produces commodities the world needs. You are clearly ignorant about Brazil....but par for the course, you seem ignorant on most things. Saudi Arabia and Iran would be VERY useful BRICS members. Just see how the West panics every time Russia and OPEC work together to lower oil production.
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@johanhirte9661 1. Correct. Japan and Korea are not BRICS countries. Who said they were? However, both Japan and Korea produce machinery, engines and vehicles that rival Germany's and are competing most favorably with Germany. Remember, I was replying to the observation that Germany produces "the best" machinery. 2. Correct, US and Japan are big rivals of Germany, and right now, investing in both USA and Japan would look a whole lot wiser than investing in de-industrialized, green obsessed, recession hit Germany. 3. Investment decisions are based on anticipated, future growth, NOT on the current situation, so describing current stats is irrelevant. it is the trend and the future that is of concern. 4. small in volume CURRENTLY indicates a possible great opportunity for investment! 5. Clearly you have learnt nothing from the Ukraine conflict. Russia is absolutely massive when it comes to the world economy. Only the West has failed to grasp this.
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@johanhirte9661 GDP does NOT indicate the productivity that is necessarily essential to a successful economy. Instead, look at commodities exported. Russia exports what the world needs: uranium, precious metals, oil, gas, wheat, grains, fertilizers. Africa doesn't care what Italy produces or what the GDP of Italy is. Italy could disappear tomorrow and Africa wouldn't care that no Italian products could get to Africa. But with Russia, it's the opposite. the World wants and needs what Russia produces, and that is the true measure of a strong economy. capisce?
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@johanhirte9661 I never said investment in BRICS was a good idea. I said investment in BRICS was a better idea than investment in Germany.
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@oneshothunter9877 1. Despite no evidence, Russia was blamed for interference in the Brexit vote and Trump's election. Russian "disinformation" is the go-to lie the media will trumpet at the drop of a hat. NATO's expansion eastward has been a provocation since 1990. Get real. Russophobia is a media obsession. 2. "Fixed things to get needed energy from other places?" So why does energy cost SO much more today compared with pre sanctions on Russia? For working people struggling with energy bills and the inflation caused by higher energy costs, THIS IS NOT FIXED! Russia and OPEC work hand in hand to keep energy prices high, but just for for the West. you need to wake up.
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@trowawayacc No one listens to the G7 any more. It's all BRICS. Now that BRICS is even including military cooperation, the G7 is in panic mode and just can't understand why most of the globe cares nothing about the West's obsession with sanctions and with isolating Russia.
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@johanhirte9661 child poverty was a horrendous problem during the Industrial Revolution in Britain, but it was a most marvellous period and place for investment. Learn some history.
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@johanhirte9661 why would you take "turnover" to be an indicator of economic might?
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@johanhirte9661 bla bla bla about current stats on China. Investment is about looking into the future and getting a good return on your money. China is still an attractive proposition COMPARED to the recession hit, green obsessed, declining Germany.
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@johanhirte9661 China and Russia are working well together, and thanks to Western policy on sanctioning Russia, the West has brought Russia, China and India closer together. Another failure of Western policy. The future is BRICS
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@c128stuff we are talking about investments and comparing investment opportunities that Germany presents compared to the rest of the world. Investment means looking into the future. Germany's future looks bleak and is VERY unattractive to many investors. Now, if China was looking for some investment in its coal-fired power stations ambitions, I would think that would be very rewarding. Germany's windmills? nah. gonna fail.
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@c128stuff and now, the reality. More fossil fuels were bought and used last year than ever before, and that growth will continue. only a few small sectors in the West are trying to move away from fossil fuels, but globally, fossil fuels are booming and that is why Russia is doing really well. Russian inflation is low, 2% or so, the envy of most of Europe, employment and growth numbers better than Europe, and sanctions are actually driving inward investment in Russia to new heights. remember, in Feb 22 how Biden talked of the ruble becoming rubble and how sanctions would bring Russia to its knees and Russia would not be able to fund its war? How is that going?:)
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@gigachadsitler indeed it is
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@bigboss.800 USA saying it would destroy Nordstream with no protests from EU leaders proves that EU is indeed just a puppet state of USA, like Ukraine.
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@gigachadsitler why is GDP of any importance? Italy and Russia have roughly the same GDP. If Italy disappears tomorrow, the world economy is just fine. If Russia disappears tomorrow, the world would go into panic over the loss of wheat, grains, uranium, precious metals, oil, gas and much more.
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@johanhirte9661 How about investing in ALL those Russian companies that replaced the Western ones that pulled out due to sanctions? The Russian version of Starbucks or McDonalds, you know, the ones that are performing REALLY well!
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@johanhirte9661 yes, I can see you don't understand economics. you are confused and can't think beyond vague terms like "economic output". i explained, exporting commodities that the world truly needs is the best measure of a strong economy, as Russia has proven. now, if you can't grasp that, and you keep flailing with terms like "productivity" and "economic output" I can't help you. you have to really really think hard.....what EXACTLY makes an economy strong, resilient and robust? it ain't simply "economic output". output of WHAT? Dolce and Gabbana handbags, or oil?
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@manasmishra8945 GDP is a meaningless measure
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@c128stuff the same principle at play in the example I gave you applies today. learn from history. Child poverty is horrendous today in Vietnam, but many companies have made lucrative investments in Vietnam.
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@johanhirte9661 Germany is doomed because it has embraced green energy policies with a passion and is de-industrializing. No serious investor sees Germany as a beacon of FUTURE economic growth COMPARED TO MANY OTHER PLACES ON THE GLOBE.
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@gigachadsitler tell me what the hidden strengths of Qatar are. Qatar is number 1 or 2 in GDP ppp?
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@mike4393 Italy is not an island, but you are so right, Sherlock, I compared the economic importance and standing of Italy with that of mighty Russia. Nothing gets by you!
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@c128stuff Russia is not the only exporter of such vital commodities, but it is unique in that it exports so much of so many of the world's most needed commodities.
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@gigachadsitler so why did you mention "GDP ppp" as being important? "ppp" stands for "per person", right? correct me
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@johanhirte9661 sounds like PPP is a totally meaningless concept that was created recently. GDP and GDP per capita are the only measures of any significance, and in this debate, about what "economic strength" really means, GDP is irrelevant, Given I deal with facts, and not fiction, makes sense I would be ignorant of something that is a "fictional calculated GDP". I would recommend you stick to facts, and not fiction, when discussing economics.
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@johanhirte9661 i believe i have replied to everything, Mr Hot Air
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@johanhirte9661 but just to repeat my main point, investment in Germany and much of the West will gradually decline as the BRICS nations attract most of the world's investors. The more the West freezes bank accounts and imposes sanctions, the more investors look away from the West. it's that simple. The Nordstream attack showed investors that no project in Europe is safe from US terrorism.
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@distinctga5811 Russia's economy is substantially more robust than Europe's! If the sanctions currently imposed on Russia had been imposed on the EU, life in the EU would have collapsed. you are confusing a robust economy with a "productive" economy. same mistake our Western leaders have made. so, what you need to do is examine EXACTLY what you mean by "productive" and then figure out why "robust" and "productive" are so different. When my car is stuck in mud with its wheels spinning it is EXTREMELY productive! It is producing noise, rapid wheel movements, engine parts working intensely....just not going anywhere. capisce?
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@johanhirte9661 as I said, I deal with facts in economics, not fiction, so when you explained that GDP ppp was "fictional" (your word), that totally explained why I had never heard of it. I repeat, I deal with facts, nothing "fictional", something you should do too, when talking economics.
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@johanhirte9661 what makes you assume, Sherlock, that I didn't look it up? your logic is, how should I put it, such a joke?
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@distinctga5811 1. Tell me any 2 nations that have the power to cut off Russia's access to sea lanes, given that the Baltic is international waters (you clearly know nothing). 2. this nonsense about "Russia running out of components" has been doing the rounds for 15 months now! It's bs. Van der Leyen and "Russia is taking chips from washing machines" twaddle. Globalism means Russia gets all the components it needs from all the countries (most of the globe) that are happy to trade with Russia. This is why the sanctions have failed. you know nothing.
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@distinctga5811 Europe is EXTREMELY vulnerable to food supplies! See the mayhem caused when cheap Ukrainian grain started flooding the EU market! Sure, Europe can feed itself, but when food prices take off, as they have done since sanctions on Russia, all kinds of economic pressures pile on Western governments and mass discontent takes hold. You mistake food security for food price vulnerability. Europe is on a knife edge with food price vulnerability and, if push comes to shove, Russia could exacerbate that vulnerability to its liking. The European panic over the grain deal collapsing is not because Europe cares for starving Africans, but because Europe knows another bout of food inflation will be a disaster.
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@distinctga5811 you really are ignorant! Fossil fuels are NOT dying out! More fossil fuels were produced and consumed last year than any year before, and that trend will continue! You really live in a deluded Western bubble! The reason sanctions have failed is because Russia exports what the world needs. Coal, gas, oil, uranium. Only an ignoramus would assume that development of renewables somehow means Russia's energy exports will matter less in the future. On the contrary, given that most of the world couldn't care less about windmills and solar panels, Russia future is assured. get real!
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@distinctga5811 I'm splitting my sides laughing at this one about the world wanting the euro and how reliable it is! Again, you know nothing. Already we see signs of investors diversifying away from the dollar and the euro. after all, if the EU can freeze Russian bank accounts, what's to stop EU doing the same to any other nation in the future? Nope, confidence in the euro and dollar have plummeted, and that is why you see dedollarization and a move by the BRICS countries to trade in alternative currencies. The writing is on the wall.....both dollar and euro will be shunned in the future.
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@distinctga5811 Russia has been disconnected from SWIFT for 16 months! So what? You speak as if there is only one way to transfer money! BRICS are happily developing their own mechanisms for bank transfers. In fact, it is the failure of the West to obstruct Russian banking that has shown the rest of the world how powerless the West is. Russia is admired for dealing with sanctions so effectively. It's not Russia that is in recession! That would be Germany! It's not Russia with 8% inflation, that would be the UK! You clearly have not kept up with the news!
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@distinctga5811 you are confusing three different things. the sanctions on Russia are causing massive rises in food prices and energy prices. The war in Ukraine is causing greater government debts in the West as Ukraine gets unlimited aid, and cheap Ukrainian grain dumped into the EU market is causing mayhem as EU farmers demand it be removed from the cartel's market. All three factors are hurting the West enormously.
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@distinctga5811 Yes, agreed, if the aim is to screw Ukraine over even more, just ban Ukrainian grain from being sold in the EU. we agree on something.
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@distinctga5811 only the price of grain in Europe was under deflationary conditions. due to sanctions on Russia, all other foodstuffs have gone up in price.
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@distinctga5811 banning, limiting and placing tariffs on goods is exactly how prices are driven up, inflationary, and it makes food prices very unstable and is a big concern for Europe, as I already said. Bit of a slow learner, aren't you?
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@distinctga5811 Europe is indeed very vulnerable to food supplies. as i said previously, while Europe is able to feed itself, EU citizens and voters do NOT suffer food price rises gladly! the vulnerability lies in the fact that sustained food inflation causes panic and poverty as has been seen in the UK and other countries. Russian and Belarussian fertilizers are also key factors in keeping food prices stable, hence a big part of the grain deal was the EU concession to have no sanctions on Russian and Belarussian fertilizers. Now that the grain deal is dead, expect more upward pressure on EU food prices to come.
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@distinctga5811 of all 12 sanctions packages announced by the EU against Russia, which one did you think would cripple the Russian economy to the point that it would be unable to wage war in Ukraine? Or is it going to be the next package that achieves that?:)
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@distinctga5811 so, in brief, a "productive" economy is one where the exchange of goods and services is at a high level (though the foundations of such an economy could be weak). A "robust" economy is where the exports are commodities that are in high demand globally. so, for example, many EU economies are productive, but not robust. In a good year, Italy might make a handsome profit from selling handbags and package holidays. it's economy is NOT robust. Russia has a robust economy. it will ALWAYS have lucrative markets because its products are essentials, not luxuries. so, now you can discard that nonsense about "Russia being just a gas station with nukes". capisce?
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@johanhirte9661 yep, Russia is indeed a technology hub, and globally, we can see that Russian hi tech weapons like kinzhals, you know, those hypersonic missiles that the West has yet to integrate and deploy into their systems, have caught the attention of countries around the globe! Can you say "bye bye to the failed NATO weapons on the battlefield" and "hello Russian high tech weapons that are demilitarizing NATO"? My God, USA resorting to cluster bombs! SOOOO high tech!
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@johanhirte9661 keep looking at your list of "valuable" companies. one day, you might be bright enough to figure out what a company's "value" truly is. but then again, i doubt it, you seem a slow learner.
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@johanhirte9661 not at all. economics professors are continuously evaluating the nature of "value" and what it means, exactly. it's only dullards like you that think you know something that are confused and frustrated.
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@johanhirte9661 believe me, i know very well the difference between the notions of "developed countries" and "developing countries". i have spent a great chunk of my life in both! Have you? Thanks for the mathematical poser. Curious that you have now had to switch to debating what a "developed/developing" economy is rather than the original question of just how robust the Russian economy is! I'll take that as a white flag....bro.
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@distinctga5811 you clearly are woefully ignorant. the reason sanctions on Russia have failed is because the Russian economy, based on exports of commodities, is robust. no recession in Russia like you have in Germany. Inflation in Russia half what we see in the UK. Employment numbers are good, Inward investment is strong. Europe wouldn't know how to solve any problem that came its way if its life depended on it. Look at the mess of immigration problem Europe is failing to resolve. I know, it is so hard for you to think of the 12 sanctions packages that the EU threw at Russia and to see how it was the EU that suffered most, not Russia. keep pondering what "robust" means. All those sanctions, all that Russophobia, yet Russia is demilitarizing NATO with ease. read it and weep, loser.
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@distinctga5811 if the same sanctions that were placed on Russia were placed on Germany, how long do you think Germany would survive? a week? :) robust = being told your economy will be crippled to the point where you will be incapable of waging war, and then managing to wage war for 18 months and demilitarize those that said they would demilitarize you. Slava Rossiyi, the very definition of robust. read it and weep, Brandon.
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