LIGHT MOMENTS OF HISTORY: Bye Bye, "People Power"

In a way, it is lamentable because it is now really over the hill. Still, it was conceived in the Philippines after all. "People Power", I mean. Only it didn't leave the scene with fireworks but with resounding laughter.

The past few weeks have been a comedy of errors on the part of the EU in Ukraine after it was made clear once & fall by the Ukrainian President that gone were the days of its appeal and leverage so he rejected an Association Agreement with them. The "people power" hauled in from Western Ukraine (the poorest part of the country while the Russophone East, The Ukrainian President's bailiwick, is where the real wealth is) was the expected Western  "not-so-secret weapon", just like when they pressured Marcos to give 63,000 metric tons to the CIA during the first "People Power" test-run in Manila. Well, only the usual Western mainstream presstitute media & the NGO-mercenaries in Ukraine themselves were left interested in the topic this time around. The hapless Western Europeans, already saddled by prolonged economic depression and high unemployment rates with poor prospects of ever regaining their previous standard of living, were actually thankful of the prospects that  no Ukrainian can again steal their meager job options. However, the desperation wrought by a very public humiliation threw away decency from Western officials, both Western European and American, as they openly intervened in favor of their mercenaries. But can bullying arrest their dwindling influence? After all, the Ukraine episode has become the final confirmation of two game-changing facts: the loss of their financial muscle, and the consequent loss in their political power.

Well, the EU has its own "mysterious" mission order and it just played its last card after the ridiculous meddling of American Senator Eugene McCain in Kiev itself: the EU suspended the talks, apparently a move to "enrage" the "people power" more, but it's obvious, that would never resuscitate a dead elephant. The usual talk of sanctions and other "leverage" maneuvers were ominous in the past, but just add to the hilarity of the moment now. The EU, realizing its position just turned ridiculous with the presence of McCain, had no choice but to execute a last-ditch effort to save face: I imagine a ditched suitor saying: "No, it was not her who broke up with me, I broke up with her first!'

The Ukrainian President  has proved himself to be a worthy Poker player. However, at this point, he can discard the poker face and react freely instead to the punchline: time to laugh, baby!

Let them play. Nice comedy routine, EU (with special headstand tricks by McCain!).

People Power had its heyday, but people now are familiar with its tricks. It is now officially outdated.

COUNTDOWN TO THE ASIAN CENTURY: The New VIP's and Some Scheming "Dalahiras"

It turned out that the fatal flaw of Western-style democracy is that the most  logical choice for the good of a  country can easily be hijacked by a few simpleton section of its society, the latter being handily whipped up by domestic and foreign villains who are not necessarily mindful of their interests. Unfortunately, when brains were distributed, most didn't receive a sharp one (brains are more exclusive commodities than beauty, especially in Ukraine, the sexual playground of Europe). The case of the current Ukraine mass action is a very timely example. Their current contrived people power doesn't invite sympathy, much less solidarity, because it's obviously a mass of ignorant people who probably thought the world was like what some foreign-funded NGO's have hoodwinked them to imagine it to be (Which reminds me of the Philippine People Power which didn't really change the life of the Filipino except for more frequent recitation of the mantra "Democracy"- most Filipinos thought that meant a better life, but it really was only about 64,000 metric tons of gold being "extorted" from them). At its current state, the EU is swaying precariously beside a cliff, and not a few experts are predicting there are no guarantees it won't break up. It's obvious the major countries, highly indebted and gasping for air economically, are not exactly welcoming them wholeheartedly because of the unwanted  Eastern European migrants who flooded their labor markets earlier. The enthusiasm is obviously artificial: the EU authorities just recently warned they immediately needed nearly $3 trillion injection because of shortfalls from hard-up member countries so its obvious they're toying with the ignorant section of the Ukrainian populace who most probably didn't understand  the implications of their country's current flirting with bankruptcy.

But the real story isn't about the EU  because people power as a political destabilization weapon isn't their specialty. That there were sudden petitions for American help right in the White House website were the proof that foreign destabilization is at work here. The dark intention was not hidden, that's part of the given in this kind of political weapon- telegraph the intent for psy-war effects. Unfortunately, the world has changed recently without the usual fanfare: the effect now is actually comedic. The main problem of Ukraine is economic, it needed money but the IMF couldn't force its usual extortionist tricks. The Ukrainian President didn't only reject the IMF offer, and since the Western Europeans are just as hard up (and highly-indebted America neither had the money), he also rejected the EU itself for a better deal with the cash-flushed Russia. The Western media disinformation tried to make this appear as a fight for the West and their alleged values, but the drama is actually just a proof of the changing dynamics in the world.

If you're hard up and can't fight frontally with cash, the cheapest option is just to destabilize. In a neighborhood, one-upmanship is almost a given. The eclipsed lady in the corner, unable to come up with the money to shore up her pretensions, will try to spread gossip and intrigue instead to destroy the reputation of her newly-rich nemesis. The battle tactics of a broke "dalahira" or "intrigera". That's what the EU (and America) has been reduced to now. While before, when they clearly lorded economically over, these kinds of destabilization spread fear. But now, they have become hackneyed  and, viewed from the prism of a dawning Asian Century, strangely amusing.

Here's the joke: the other side thought they could dictate the terms as usual, but ironically, it strengthened the hand of Yanukovich instead. It will still be hard for the EU next time because it will still have no money and Ukraine will still be near bankruptcy. In the end, just as America's pivot to Asia will eventually realize-  power means actual, tangible money. Especially in Asia.

Welcome to the club of the New VIP's- only CASH admission here, please. Definitely no credit, especially to highly-indebted nations.


NB: (DEc 4, 2013)
It gets more amusing. His country is still on the brink of bankruptcy,  so, while some of his more ignorant countrymen were still  being conned to do a  "People Power" because they wanted to be associated with the supposed "rich" West (which they haven't fully appreciated has no money to help them & was precisely conning them to "revolt", paving the sneaking of the IMF magicians through the backdoor), President Yanukovich just embarked on a trip to seek help from where the real money is- China & Russia. If the real state of things is not still obvious to the most stupid sucker, I don't know what is. I didn't expect, the countdown towards the Asian Century would be hilarious...