As quantitative data proves, the price-earnings ratio to stocks are approaching 1929/dot-com crash territory. Beyond prevailing economic fundamentals, the black swan event we forecast that will melt down markets will also murder millions.
Much of the political and media world’s focus in 2017 has been on escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea. And while there is great concern regarding America’s and South Korea’s massive military maneuvers off the shores of North Korea, and Pyongyang’s counter missile launch responses, we forecast an even greater threat of war … a war that will be the most deadly yet of the 21st century.
In early November, 32-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, installed as the nation’s defacto leader, staged a palace purge, arresting and seizing the assets of princes, ministers, office holders, businessmen and prominent public figures.
It was largely reported by mainstream media that the purge was to moderate Islam and fight corruption. Missing from the reporting was that many arrested opposed the prince’s aggressive domestic and foreign policies, particularly the deadly, costly, unending Yemen war he launched in March 2015.
Also unreported was that the moves were a political power play to secure his leadership and eliminate potential opposition.
Concurrent with the palace purge, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri unexpectedly resigned during a trip to Saudi Arabia. While he later returned to office, at the time of his resignation, he said his life was in danger and accused Iran of causing “devastation and chaos” in the region, but ignored the kingdom’s destabilizing role throughout the Middle East.
Shortly following the palace purge, Saudi Arabia, a nation formed in 1932, intercepted a missile near its capital, Riyadh, that was launched by Houthis who have been ruling large sections of Yemen for a thousand years. They blamed Iran for supplying the Houthis with the missile and said that this action constituted Iran declaring war on Saudi Arabia.
A week later, following an explosion of its main oil pipeline, Bahrain joined the “blame Iran” Saudi war chorus, claiming, without a shred of evidence, that is was an Iranian attack.
And during the heat of the Mideast war rhetoric, President Donald Trump threw his unequivocal support behind the kingdom’s actions. “I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “They know exactly what they are doing.”
Long a critic of Iran, Trump has labeled it “a terrorist nation like few others” as he steadfastly supports the Saudi regime and its invasion of Yemen.
Begun under the Obama regime and continued under Trump, the United States provides Saudi Arabia weapons, intelligence support and air-refueling for its bombing runs over Yemen. Since the Saudi ambassador announced war against Yemen from Washington, D.C., in March 2015, those sales top a reported $400 billion. In late November, the Trump regime sold the Saudis an additional $7 billion in munitions.
Taking the conflict in a new direction, CIA director Mike Pompeo affirmed Saudi Arabia has been working directly with Israel. Also, it was reported that Prince Salman, who labeled Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei “the new Hitler of the Middle East,” made a secret trip to Israel to meet with senior officials prior to the palace purge. And, on cue, Israel cheered the prince’s tough line on Iran, instructing its ambassadors around the world to launch an anti-Iran public relations blitz.
Weeks later, Israel admitted it was working with Saudi Arabia on military matters, and that both countries agreed Iran was the “largest threat to the region.” And the Saudis have teamed up with Israel in their fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Iran supports and the US considers a terrorist organization.
All is not quiet on the Middle Eastern front. While the US media is obsessed with reporting sexual misconduct and its non-stop “hate Russia” campaign, we closely study these developments and see them as laying the groundwork for war that can spread beyond the Middle East.
And with President Trump declaring Jerusalem Israel’s capital and vowing to move the US embassy there – despite it being an occupied territory, in violation of international law, UN resolutions and condemned by allies such as France, Sweden, Germany and Britain – protests have erupted around the world and violence between Israel and the Palestinians has escalated. Indeed, Monday’s New York City bomber said he was “motivated by Israeli actions in Gaza.”
TREND FORECAST: Branding Iran and Hezbollah as a common enemy has formed a historic and unprecedented alliance among Saudi Arabia, the Arab League, the United States and Israel, giving them license, at the slightest provocation, false flag or real, to strike at will against Iran and/or Lebanon.
Moreover, with the United States, Saudi Arabia and its allies defeated in their attempt to overthrow the Assad government of Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declared he would “not allow” Iran “to entrench itself militarily in Syria.”
The battle lines have been drawn. In Washington, there is absolute support for Israel and absolute hatred for Iran. Should these trend lines continue on their current path, we forecast war will ignite war throughout the Middle East… and possibly worldwide.
When war breaks out, equity markets across the globe will crash… along with the dollar, euro, yen, yuan and other fiat currencies. Citizens of the world, gripped in fear, hysteria – and reality – will run for their lives, grabbing what they can carry and putting whatever cash they have into gold and crypto safe-haven assets.