It is not an either/ or. They intersect. For example, the Taliban have taken AFG back to the stone age again. EXCEPT.......for some reason they have still allowed the people to have internet access and smartphones. Big implications, current and long game and when they fighting. It impacts all areas of their lives. Netflix, smartphones, internet in general, etc are transmitters of western culture.
Russia has said it has started to limit the sales of essential food to limit black market speculation and ensure affordability. The trade and industry ministry over the weekend said there had been cases where essential foodstuffs had been purchased “in a volume clearly larger than necessary for private consumption (up to several tons) for subsequent resale”. The move comes as the sanctions against Russia start to bite.
Not sure that was the point of the write up. It was more about how - if the message starts getting out that governments restrict money that is supposed to be safe in banks, people may start to question putting money in banks. Its not just Russia. But recently there was big news about how the Canadian government froze people's bank accounts because they were "guilty of unacceptable views".
Dont think I am worried Putin's money not being safe if he starts a war.. that is way different than what canada did...
Not. Putin. and whether you think it is different, or why you think it is, doesn't change the fact that financial weapons are being used. What was previously thought to be safe is no longer.
In the case of Russia, I have no problem with that versus troops on the ground dying from U.S. or Europe for now
The people with frozen bank accounts in Canada were leaders of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist movement with a long history of violence and sedition. The three top leaders of the Canadian "trucker convoy" had long involvement with extremist organizations such as the Maverick party. I will note even before the bank accounts were frozen -- not a single donated dime made it to the street level "protestors". It was all being re-directed for personal or political use. It should be noted that donations to political parties in Canada from outside the country are illegal. This was not about being "guilty of unacceptable views" -- it was about straight-up illegal activity which required a national emergency to address. At this point the donated money and bitcoin are still frozen -- and most of these funds will likely be given to businesses and residents of Ottawa after further court action. The personal bank accounts were merely frozen for a couple days and now are all unfrozen. If you think that freezing or taking money from arrested people before they have been convicted is unusual then you better look into the lengthy history of asset forfeiture in the U.S. --- before complaining about Canada.