🎙️ Petit Petit Summit (14) Will We Make It Through This Winter?

October 9, 2022 — Part 3

What Will Happen in Europe This Winter?

Allan: I’m starting to feel guilty for bringing every conversation to such a dark conclusion. Isn't there at least one good sign? Goro-san, do you have any bright news for us?

Goro: Hmm... not particularly. But I do feel like Japan is holding up a bit better than I initially thought.

Yūdai: So far, we haven't seen any massive natural disasters or full-blown "starvation hell." Prices are rising and the yen won't stop sliding, but compared to Europe, we're still at a stage where it’s manageable.

Allan: True. Before the summer, I expected things to be dire by this autumn, yet here we are. I wonder if we can somehow scramble through the winter like this.

Goro: But wait—even if Japan is okay, from what I hear from people living in Europe, things are getting insane over there. At this rate, they won't be able to secure enough energy or food to survive the winter. I heard the governments in Switzerland and Italy are limiting indoor heating to a maximum of 19°C (66°F), and there are severe penalties for violators.

Allan: That's right. Now that Nord Stream has been sabotaged, the gas from Russia has stopped flowing. Any hope of negotiating with Russia seems to have evaporated.

Yūdai: The Japanese media doesn't report on that at all. But if Europe fails to survive this winter unscathed, it will inevitably affect Japan.

Allan: Anti-government protests are already breaking out in various countries. People are realizing that the cause is their own governments acting as puppets for the U.S. and NATO, continuing these nonsensical sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine. Yet, the leaders of these nations are all members of the WEF (World Economic Forum) and refuse to stop these irrational policies.

Goro: Exactly! It’s like those people don't have a concept of "nation" or "national interest" at all. It feels like they're using the war, the COVID infodemic, and the vaccines for some other purpose—like establishing a unified world government through digital technology.

Allan: Yeah. The concept of "war" has completely changed. Things are happening that simply cannot be understood through the old lens of "nation-on-nation" conflict.

Yūdai: To me, Putin seems to be the only one acting on a conviction to protect his own country. Isn't he moving with a different behavioral logic than the other world leaders?

Goro: What about China? Isn't Xi Jinping moving based on a vision of Chinese hegemony?

Yūdai: China is incomprehensible to me. There are parts of their thinking I just don't get.

Allan: I agree. It's often discussed as "Russia and China acting in lockstep," but is that really the case? There are signs that China cooperated with the U.S. in developing the COVID virus. And while Putin's name seems to have disappeared from the WEF website, Xi Jinping's name is still there.
What is clear is that the "Anglosphere" alliance—the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand—is still moving in lockstep, charging down a path of self-destruction. Australia is reportedly talking about injecting mRNA into cattle, and Trudeau in Canada is practicing a brand of politics that is frankly unhinged. Canada and Australia might last a bit longer because they are large, food-producing nations, but Europe might fall apart all at once this winter. If that happens, the people will riot. We might see massive civil unrest: the people versus the government.

Yūdai: It seems it's already starting. You mean the public's rage will explode and things will become uncontrollable? The question is to what extent Japan will be dragged into it.

Allan: Japan is already in dire straits, but compared to the severity in Europe, I think we're still in a "soft" phase. If we move carelessly when Europe goes completely haywire this winter, we won't just get hit by a stray spark—we'll be burned to a crisp.

Goro: Could the civil riots trigger a war that engulfs all of Europe?

Yūdai: I think that's a very real possibility.

Allan: It’s unpredictable. Perhaps even that is factored into the "population reduction plan." Maybe for those aiming for a "New Order," Europe is a region they no longer find particularly valuable.

Yūdai: You mean it's just a bunch of small countries bunched together? Aside from a few breadbasket regions, its potential value in terms of food and underground resources is thin.

Allan: Even the death toll in the early days of COVID was concentrated in Europe. ...Am I overthinking it?

Goro: Whoa! Now that you mention it... Ishikof-san, you might be onto something!

Yūdai: If so, what becomes of Japan? I wonder what the people who think they rule the world think of us. Do they think we're worth keeping around because we have no resources but are easy to manipulate, obedient, and hardworking?

Goro: A "convenient country" that buys vaccines in bulk and cheerfully hands over massive amounts of money. Maybe out of pity for our obedience, they diluted the vaccine ingredients just for us so we wouldn't die too much?

Allan: If that were the case, it would be... well, not good, but... Ugh, I don't even know anymore.

Goro: "I don't even know" is right.

Allan: I don't know how the "time bomb" of the vaccines will act in the future, or if they will mostly remain duds. But fundamentally, the world dominated by the U.S. through the dollar and military force will gradually decline, and the power of Russia and China will grow. India and some South American countries will successfully switch tracks and survive. Europe won't survive and will end up like burnt cinders. The U.S. is a superpower, so it won't vanish easily; it will survive by accepting a new economic order while losing its dominance and falling to the same level as other nations. That’s the transition I predict.
In that flow, what will happen to Japan, which has been nothing but a yes-man to the U.S.? Can we maintain our balance while gradually distancing ourselves from America and keeping good relations with other nations? Will a politician or bureaucrat emerge who can keep their center on that balancing ball?

Yūdai: Prospects are dim.
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Allan: I thought so. I can only pray that no "charismatic" leader takes the top spot and misleads the public in a dangerous direction. Maybe we should expect more from young entrepreneurs than politicians. But youth carries its own dangers...

Yūdai: I haven't got much time left myself, so to be honest, I'm losing interest in the affairs of this world. My current challenge is how to successfully detach from this physical body and return to where I originally came from.

Goro: Where you originally came from...? I want to hear more about that.

Yūdai: I’m tired for today. Another time, if the opportunity arises.

Allan: I'd love to hear it. Well, shall we leave it here for today? Good work, everyone.