Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 4
By Alan Hope - Trend:
Prior to the Catalan referendum, the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, in his latest tweet on Sept. 28, had stated that “the world's first internet war has begun, in Catalonia, as the people and government use it to organize an independence referendum on Sunday and Spanish intelligence attacks, freezing telecommunications links, occupying telecoms buildings, censors hundreds of sites, protocols etc.”
The great “crusader for truth” had mentioned all of the components of the current-day secession operations, but left a key component out.
Old-school secession ops
Any so-called “independence movement” carries full trends and implements the techniques formed by a methodology attained, tested and established by the preceding similar secession operations run back in days of the Cold War. The implemented methodology was first witnessed in the dissolution of the Eastern Block and USSR, later on to be reiterated in Yugoslavia.
New methods
New methods of incorporating the net technologies and social networks into the scheme of the “revolutions,” were noted in the “Arab Spring” operation. In turn, they were once again amplified and in different versions, used by different players in Ukraine, until they hit the European mainland in the of form Catalan independence movement.
XXI century methodology
The methodology of such an operation, which previously included a strategic use of the implanted ideology, designed on the foundation of the existing disaffections of the population, and the accommodating propaganda campaign, based on the analysis of the feedback received, in line with the tactical use of the human intelligence resources on the ground and the agents of influence in the higher echelons of power, was always matched, if not superseded by the financial investment in and gains from the project.
Source of financial backing?
As such, no one had yet to ask a question to the source of the financial backing of the Catalan operation, resulting in sharp downfalls on the European markets and spikes in euro and USD.
Internal spending?
Undoubtedly, Catalonia, having the seventh biggest GRP in the EU, could afford to spend its own money on the ballot boxes, voter slips and pro-independence propaganda campaign in all types of media resources. Yet the question remains whether its government foresaw and can indeed withstand to the immense pressures of the inevitable economic downfall.
Current indecisiveness of the Catalan government, which initially had threatened to proclaim the independence the day after the referendum results came in, only to later on ask for a third party mediation with Madrid, creates some doubts of the situation’s origin, proving it to be more of an artificial than of an organic nature.
"Cui bono?"
On the other hand, no one had asked who, by shorting the markets and euro, would have to gain the most of the opportunity created by secession, followed by the general-strike-paralyzed economy. Yet again, no one had asked whether there is a third party involved in the matter, which not just financed, even to some little extent, the said operation, but has huge expertise in the arrangement and implementation of the secessions for the explicit purpose of a personal financial gain, masked under the intensions of “higher good for the mankind.”
Come the ignitor
Although no substantial financial data is yet to be obtained, as the quarterly and yearly reports due by the end of the current fiscal year, the shadow of the oldest and the most provocative financial speculator – the old-man George Soros – glooms over the Barcelona events.
The EU speech
Some may recall Soros’s heart-breaking, further-EU-integration 2016 speech at the Brussels Economic Forum, when he stated that the EU is in “existential danger,” because of “dysfunctional’ institutions, a persistent austerity policy and outdated treaties.
Calling for "ever closer union", Soros had warned of the ‘hostile powers’ surrounding Europe, such as Russia, Turkey, Egypt. He cautioned of the “rise of anti-European, xenophobic parties that are motivated by values that are diametrically opposed to the values on which the European Union was founded.”
Soros felt that Germany "neither politically motivated nor rich enough to remain the motor of further integration." He strongly opposed the Brexit by stressing that the pound would plunge in value if the British citizens voted for leaving the European Union. Thus, they did and the pound did plunge, just as Soros had predicted.
The aftermath
Afterwards, on Jun 27, 2017, Michael Vachon, a spokesperson for Soros, stated that the “the fund was ‘long’ on the pound even after the vote, thus losing money.”
Nonetheless, on Jun 29, 2017, it was confirmed that Soros had made a trading windfall with other positions in expectation of the Brexit, including bets against Deutsche Bank, S&P 500 Index, Barrick Gold and the SPDR Gold Trust ETF, thus making €100M from the bet against the German bank alone.
Some would say “smart move,” to others it’s just a hypocritical way of playing the market by the “righteous man” within his “paragon of virtue.”
That was then, where is the current Soros – Catalan connection?
Since the fiscal reports are still awaited for and his current filings give little insight into how he may have anticipated the current European crisis, there is a substantial evidence of Soros’s involvement in the Catalexit.
In the same speech Soros had argued to reform EU by combining the "top-down approach of the EU institutions with the bottom-up movements that are necessary to engage the electorate," which supposedly would create a "multi-speed" and a "multi-track" Europe "that would allow member states a wider variety of choices."
Source is Soros?
Thus, Soros did provide the bottom-up movements with the capital to engage the electorate and give a wider variety of choices, including secession, to the EU member states.
Prior to the Nov 9, 2014 Catalan self-determination referendum (aka Citizen Participation Process) on the Political Future of Catalonia, George Soros’s Foundation, Open Society Initiative for Europe, had funded organizations fighting for the independence of Catalonia.
According to the Soros Foundation’s internal documents, $27,049 were provided to the Consell de Diplomàcia Pública de Catalunya (Catalonia’s Council for Public Diplomacy in Catalonia), an organization established by the Catalonia’s Generalitat.
At the same time $24,973 were given to the Centre d’Informació i Documentació Internacionals a Barcelona (the Barcelona Centre for International Information and Documentation), an independent think tank, playing the role of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Generalitat of Catalonia.
Notwithstanding the amount of the mentioned contributions to the cause, Soros’s involvement in the matter of Catalan secession appears to be undeniable.
Rope-a-dope
Though Soros had claimed and did match up his investments in line with his prognoses of the future US market falter due to uncertainties concerning Trump just a month ago, it seems that he pulled a “rope-a-dope,” by simultaneously putting “short” on the EU markets, as he had done on many previous occasions.
Even as the full disclosure is yet to come, there is a certainty that Soros has other currency, interest rate, fixed income, or derivative bets that were positioned for a turn in EU markets.
The Devaluation script worked again
Thus, it’s fair to argue that Soros had achieved the long-devised and tested script for the Devaluation outcome, but this time concerning “so-much-loved-and-cared-for” Europe, while once again causing mayhem, injuring thousands and ever expanding economic crisis.
Considering Soros’s profits from just the 1992 UK’s “Black Wednesday,” 2016 Brexit initiated “Black Friday” and the current financial fiasco caused by the Catalexit, it’s fair to say that he had scored a trifecta on Europe.
The ball is EU’s corner…