soros108_WOJTEK RADWANSKIAFPGetty Images_anti eu protest

醒醒吧，欧洲

Feb 11, 2019 George Soros

慕尼黑——欧洲正在陷入梦游般的神志不清，而欧洲民众必须立即醒来，否则这一切就将无可挽回。如果他们醒不过来，那么欧盟就会重蹈1991年苏联的覆辙。我们的领袖和民众似乎都不明白我们正在经历着革命性的一刻，可能出现的后果范围极广，因此最终结果也就具有高度的不确定性。

我们多数人认为，未来会或多或少地与现在相似，但这其实并不一定。在人们漫长而跌宕起伏的一生中，我就曾亲眼目睹许多所谓的极端不平衡时期。我们今天就生活在这样一个时期。

下一个转折点将是预定于2019年5月举行的欧洲议会选举。不幸的是，反欧洲势力将在投票过程中占据优势。出现这种情况有几个原因，包括多数欧洲国家普遍存在的过时的党派制度，条约变更的现实几率微乎其微，以及缺乏对违反欧盟原则的成员国进行惩戒的法律工具。欧盟可以针对申请国强制执行共同体法律（也就是欧盟法律体系），但却没有能力强制成员国遵守欧盟的法律。

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George Soros

Writing for PS since 1997
121 Commentaries

George Soros is Chairman of Soros Fund Management and the Open Society Foundations. A pioneer of the hedge-fund industry, he is the author of many books, including The Alchemy of Finance, The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What it Means, and The Tragedy of the European Union: Disintegration or Revival? His most recent book is In Defense of Open Society (Public Affairs, 2019).

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 118 Comments on this article

Jacek Rostowski Mar 5, 2019

These ideas of President Macron’s are all good, but two things are absolutely critical:
1. Fixing the Eurozone by enabling it to have a proper countercyclical fiscal policy. At a minimum this requires having a European Fiscal Stance (I.e. fiscally strong nations must be required to spend during Europe-wide downturns. So that this does not become a “Transfer Union” they can spend within their own borders, but spend they must).
2. Military expendure has to be increased, first to 2% of GDP as mandated by NATO, and then progressively to 2.5% and 3%.
Jacek Rostowski
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Mauricio Duran-Loriga Mar 3, 2019

The EU was created because Germany was fed up of losing competitiveness at every currency devaluation of other European competitors. Under the Euro, Germany has reaped all the benefits of its superior competitiveness, while at the same time the former European countries which used to devalue their currencies, have entered economic tragedy and social hopelessness.

Germany used the bait of solidarity, and European countries bought that tale. When Greece bills were dishonored, Germany declined to foot the bills. Much higher bills are coming soon.

it was through ideology that Russia imposed the same economic slavery on the rest of members of the Soviet bloc. When the Soviet bloc could not rival the US defense spending, the Russians allowed the dismantling of the Soviet Union. Indeed, satellite countries were mere commodities providers and/or concentration camps of dirt cheap labor.

With few exceptions, most ex-Soviet member countries are now much better economically than they were in 1991.

The UK is giving Europe a huge lesson in democratic terms. They surely yell at each other in Parliament. But they end up counting the votes. Scotland voted. Brexit/Bremain was voted.

Europe has decided to restrain voting and it is now but a Turkish bazaar, where dignity is permanently on sale at constantly collapsing fire prices. As a result, millions of people feel they have been left behind and want to opt out of a system corrupted to the bones by unelected officials.

Europe will succumb to its own laws on welfare state that mandate a constantly increasing level of public spending that is impossible to finance. And the Euro will be dismantled as a result. Then, parties like AfD will be vindicated.

George you are Hungarian of origin. Yet you apply German tactics. The patient is ill and he does not respond to aspirin. Give him more aspirin...
- Markus Schumann Apr 4, 2019
  
  EU and Euro were a demand by France to accept German reunification (understandable from their point of view). Germany and Germans never were in favor of losing the Deutsche Mark (I hope understandable as well). Kohl accepted that loss in exchange for Mitterand's oui
  
  (but I guess, we had this conversation already a few years ago, here on PS, Sr. Duran-Loriga, cierto?)
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Md Kamal Hossain Feb 21, 2019

The feature is written in a wise and analytical way. Of course, The Europe has to be awaken in all respect. It is the sole decision for Britain to leave the EU. In fact, it had made a vast consensus referendum in June 2016. The Brexit issue is totally based on economic aspect. I would leave my opinion in such way that Britain may arrange such an arrangement to be fully self dependent economy, and on the other side, the EU has to prove themselves without the Britain. There would be left the two side independently to think off their fates. And after some years the rest world would observe the real conditions.
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Wolfgang Scholl Feb 20, 2019

George Soros obviously has no fundamental information about the crisis of the German political parties; the old parties (CDU/CSU, SPD, FDP,Grüne, LInke) do not care about the people, but only about their income and their pension system - simply speaking they are corrupt. For details see the book of Hans-Herbert von Arnim, Die Hebel der Macht.
Currption is the main feature of the EU-Commission and the EuroParliament.
And they are undemocratic as well.
You remember Victoria Nuland - "Fuck the EU".
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Alex Tuz Feb 19, 2019

Nobody need Europe that is a voiceless American slave. Such a Europe must go.
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D. V. Gendre Feb 19, 2019

I can agree with Soros' analysis. But the after taste of his conclusion remindes me very much on Stalin's motto:"„When there's a person, there's a problem. When there's no person, there's no problem."
Of course not the EU bureaucrats are the problem, it's the stupid voters...
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JITENDRA VARMA Feb 18, 2019

Open society is the only way from here on wards. The forces of technology and communication and the commerce of information and data, has made States redundant. The future will be of the AI and the masters controlling the robots. Some surrealistic scene out of a science fiction movie. Either we look at it as the conflict between the humanity and the others and take positive action to make humanity win or we stay in a country with a vote to be counted as an asset.
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tomasznowak65 Feb 18, 2019

If the EU wishes to discipline (=punish) individual countries for violating its principles, it must in the first place meticulously define what constitutes such violations, just like in criminal law (nullum crimen sine lege scripta). Otherwise, in practice, "the dominant country" will punish all other counties for whatever it deems suitable. This will be worse than the Soviet Union.
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Per Kurowski Feb 18, 2019

Even though George Soros is active in the financial sector here there is not one word about the 0% risk weight assigned to the Eurozone sovereigns that take on debt denominated in a currency that is not their domestic (printable) one. That will take the euro down, sooner or later, and with it put the EU itself in great danger.
http://perkurowski.blogspot.com/2019/01/heres-moment-it-struck-me-that-if.html
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ian gribbin Feb 18, 2019

Dear Mr Soros - please accept responsibility along with your failed EU ideologues for betraying some of the noble ideals of the Treaty of Rome.

To point Sir, the horrific levels of unemployment, especially amongst the young of southern Europe that a decade of austerity has created. All of which was to support the abysmal idea of a single currency.

Your article seems to be in utter denial like most liberal fools - you seem to think this populism came from nowhere - when it is precisely what would have been expected from condemning a vast swathe of Europe to at best stagnation at worst long term decline.

If you wish to be taken seriously, then it is time that you lent your voice to those asking for the single currency to be fully backed fiscally. If you consider that too harder challenge then your next step should be persuading Frau Merkel and her toxic economists to exit the Euro for the good of Europe.
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Jay Kay Feb 17, 2019

The grand multi-national, multi-decade experiments of Globalism, Multiculturalism, and The EU, have demonstrated that these concepts just do not work in reality - no matter how many resources are thrown at them.

It was interesting, really it was. With the exception of Multiculturalism, these were reasonable, logically consistent concepts that seemed to be worth a try in case they did in fact work as predicted.

Multiculturalism of course was always in a different class. It was not a logically consistent set of ideas to begin with and it was never going to work by dint of the fact that it is no more than an oxymoron - so yeah, good luck designing an experiment for something like that.

So the experiments are over. The results are in. Those of a truly scientific frame of mind have learned something about how things do or don't work out in reality.

The True Believers, those who appear to be hard-wired to worship at the alter of sacred hypotheses about how the world should/must act, stand blinking before the mountains of experimental evidence demolishing their beloved sacred ideas.

Some True Believers close their eyes and pretend the mountains of evidence do not exist - the True Believers attack anyone who dares point at the mountains of evidence, or anyone who dares utter the most profane of all words, 'look'.

Some True Believers nod slowly, they know that the only way that their sacred hypothesis could possibly fail is that tge universe has conspired against them. The chronic failures were the work of 'devils', 'evil-spirits', 'racists', 'deplorables'.
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Link A&C Feb 17, 2019

It will be a big mistake.
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Peter Schaeffer Feb 17, 2019

The "Open Society" that Soros advocates is little more than a system of political and class exploitation that will end in ruins. The French analyst, Christophe Guilluy, put it well...

The rhetoric of an “open society” is “a smokescreen meant to hide the emergence of a closed society, walled off for the benefit of the upper classes.”

Open Borders (advocated by Soros) are a scheme for destroying the people of Europe so the elites can economically profit and feel smug about themselves.
- george sos Feb 24, 2019
  
  well ,if this is true,we now know his intentions (as you described them) ,so we can keep the good ideas and throw away whatever constitutes an "attack"on the people by the elites .
  Because how can one argue that it is a bad thing to have an open society if all people have enough to live,and disparages are minimized ? How can one say it is bad for the many to have multicultural society ,to exchange ideas and progress ,instead of hiding behind walls in fear of everything different,living a myth of purity of some kind.
  Sorry but i think it is a poor argument that you put forward .
  If there is a plan for a closed society of the few ,then we know it now (you uncovered the plot) ,so we can take measures to make sure this doesnt happen. It is not enough to say "Oh see,they are advocating such and such" and then turn your back and leave.If you propose something different ,then maybe it will be productive.
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Patrice Ayme Feb 17, 2019

Plutocracy is the rule, not just of money, but of evil (that’s the full sense of “Pluto”, successor of Hades and ancestor of Satan). Plutocracy is amplification of the human Dark Side by Civilization itself. In particular plutocracy shows up in evil corporations which employ politicians. This is not new: (elected) king Francois I of France and his rival Charles Quint (born a few miles away) were, de facto, owned by their respective banks, many around Florence for the former, and mostly in Germany, for the latter. Charles Quint got elected "Roman" emperor, because he spent even more bankers’ money than Francois.

Plutocracy turns into an oligarchy so extreme, it uses evil to keep on ruling. Oligarchy, the rule of a few, is intrinsically fascist and inhuman, because only a few rule… Whereas human genetics has evolved to be ruled by none except love of all and the reason of many... but for the exception of actual combat.

This brings us to the fascist instinct (also something honed by evolution to enable otherwise weak primates to survive). Fascism is not just a tool for plutocrats to go on with their power and terror. Fascism is an old instinct which dominates human behavior when, submitted to a threat of extinction, primates group up, and follow the leader, in all ways, because, so doing, they act as one, and are more coordinated, thus stronger in combat, as they act as one superorganism.

Hence the rise of fascism among those who fight plutocracy. It's a defensive behavior. Thus fascism is used in contradictory ways. But that's not surprising: to fight those with swords, one can't use flowers, one has to use swords. Nazis didn't get persuaded by logic. 5.5 millions of German soldiers defending Nazism had to be killed, and even more than that had to be injured or imprisoned, for Nazism to stop.

We saw this sort of complexity arise in the 1930s: Italian, German and Spanish fascists were financed, enabled, and manipulated by plutocrats (most of them from the USA)... However, the fascist leaders were riding an… anti-plutocratic wave! (Hitler and company claimed to be fighting “plutocrats”, as they themselves said… while being financed and even armed, by… the same plutocrats they were stridently excoriating in their public discourses!)

We have a similar situation now. Bankers, the financial sector, are more powerful than ever (due to a deliberate mismanagement, by bought-off politicians, of “Quantitative Easing” and “TARP” by US and EU governments). Plutocrats manipulate media, the British media, the least trusted among 33 countries polled, in particular (British media is owned by plutocrats who fear european legislation taxing and regulating them... worldwide, so their plan was to weaken Europe fatally...)

The situation is thus very complex, and cannot be acted upon without prior correct analysis. This is true in Europe, and in the USA. Just complaining about "old political" parties is besides the points.

In particular, Brexit was a manipulation. Corbyn, 45 years ago, was the sole anti-European Labor politician, thus is probably even more anti-Europe than May (also he is married to a banker, below all his marxist-like rhetoric)....

The way out is much more referendums: motivated, We the People will start analyzing the situation more thoroughly. The best place to start is to re-run the brexit referendum, this time making it "legislating" (last time it was consultative). Plutocrats don't want this third referendum on Europe in the UK, because they know that We The People will vote to stay in the European Union.
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John Landrum Feb 17, 2019

“The dream of a united Europe”? Sophistry at best. Individual Europeans value their freedom more than “uniting” in ways that undermine sovereignty, their personal values and preserving their traditional customs and heritage. There is no “dream of a united Europe”. Trade union, yes. But not governance by faceless bureaucrats from Brussels.
- george sos Feb 24, 2019
  
  United as united in peace .
  This is a dream that at least my generation had in the 60s,70s,80s,90s and even in the 2000-and forward years. The dream of living in a continent without borders,with equal rights and obligations,equal pay,equal standard of living equal justice ,the list goes on.
  Yes there is a European dream (which can also be a long term World dream).
  The dream of Peace ,Freedom, Equality, and security for all humans on the planet.
  It is dreams we are talking about,right?
  - Henk Crop Feb 28, 2019
    
    George. Beautiful dreams, but of little value if not confronted by a reality check.
    Realities like that only nations can provide security and a sense of belonging. That all welfare, food, eductation, medicare, pensions, must be produced.
    Trying to achieve these dreams without a reality check just undermines societies.
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Andrés Galia Feb 17, 2019

I believe Mr. Soros sees the threat but he is short in recognizing that the threat is a consequence of not of what he calls the antiquated party system. The threat is because those parties have abandoned their voters and they take power to defend corporate interests instead of people's interests.
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panu2000 Feb 17, 2019

As usual, too little emphasis is put on why people are voting against the current establishment. I think it is mostly against EU's immigration policy. People are just so much against of policies that will fill Europe with people from 3rd world countries that they are ready to sacrifice lots of other things for that purpose - including demogracy. If EU changed their policy for this matter, this huge dividing factor would disappear and we could all concentrate on other important matters in politics instead of continuing this insane path for dividing the whole Europe.
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Smash Islamophobia Feb 16, 2019

"...the people of Europe need to wake up before it is too late. If they don’t, the European Union will go the way of the Soviet Union in 1991."
I'm not entirely convinced that this is an effective analogy -- for its intended purpose, anyway.

Soros' hysteria over the putative "dire consequences of Brexit":
"In the United Kingdom, too, an antiquated party structure prevents the popular will from finding proper expression."

If only there had been some sort of mechanism -- "antiquated" or otherwise -- for determining the "popular will." You know, like a "referendum," or something...

"But the collusion between Corbyn and May..."

If they "colluded," they may well have "meddled." Or even "hacked." Perhaps an independent counsel would be in order, to get to the bottom of this dastardly conspiracy to subvert "democracy."
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Freedom protocol Feb 15, 2019

Is this some kind of Joke? and you syndicaters are hypocrites
You know who he is. He is the symbol of international speculative robber
who make money from developing country's monetary market.
And you guys praise him? HAHA LOL this is typical non sense double standard of left
Don't ever think about yourselves you are "progressive" while praising this guy
- Henk Crop Feb 18, 2019
  
  @Freedom. Project Syndicate is a great venture. However there could be more balance of the authors.
  Too many of the left and/or of the establishment. I am also interested in, for example, what the new leaders of the "populist" partys, criticics of climate change or leaders of the Kremlin have to say.
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- Marianne McAuliffe Feb 17, 2019
  
  Is Project Syndicate a venue to present various views or is it a venue for only "acceptable views"? I thought the idea was to read that with which you agree and that with which you disagree so as to be better educated and in a position to form your own well-informed opinion in the end.
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Mirek Fatyga Feb 15, 2019

It is good that someone with a lot of money to spend is trying to alert the Europeans that fascism is upon us all over again. I think, though, that Mr Soros could actually use his influence to a somewhat better effect than just sounding alarms that we all have to defend democracy now.

1. He could state the obvious more forcefully. The obvious appears to be that fascism, unfortunately, appears to be a constant of human condition in industrial societies. We hoped it would be otherwise after WW2 ("never again") but it clearly was not meant to be. As the WW2 generation dies out, fascism is back with a vengeance. Fascism is a dangerous and ever present virus because, as a political method, it tends to work. Controlling people through incitement of fear may actually be easier than organizing a society around a rational argument. Once we arrive at this realization, we can have a reasoned discussion about striking a balance between freedom of speech and politically motivated incitement of fear and hatred. I personally do not think that internet has anything to do with the present outbreak, Der Sturmer did not need the internet, but rather generational amnesia.

2. He could use his influence in the liberal circles to force a cool down of the global warming, aka climate change, racket. The real problem of the world is energy scarcity, given still growing population. The downward pressure on western living standards is directly related to the pressure on scarce resources brought about by assorted multitudes trying to rise up economically towards the western standard of living (think China). Solutions here are technological, but these take time and money. Human civilization cannot afford to abandon fossil fuels, period. it does help that there is really no scientific case for carbon dioxide being a dangerous pollutant. The case has been entirely made up by the assorted activists, some with PhD degrees. Impose carbon taxes and watch the new rainbow coalition grow, this one composed of vests on rioters. You can bet that fascism will take full advantage of the raucous. And finally, politicizing science undermines the institutions of science. The industrial civilization cannot survive without science, certainly not as a democratic society.

3. He could use his influence among his rich friends to cool it off with calling anyone who even suggests higher taxes a socialist. Taxes on the rich and corporations are too low. Higher marginal tax rate will have three benefits: (1) finance a more humane treatment of the poor (2) give governments more money to finance necessary R&D and (3) last, but not least, reverse rampant wealth extraction that is currently taking place in western economies. Mr Soros is a direct example of this wealth extraction so he should know better than anyone.

There. Want to really do something good Mr Soros? Get cracking. In the process, you can atone for the way you lived your life before it truly is too late.
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Tova Gazit Feb 15, 2019

What about DieM25.org - Democratic Movemment for Europe?
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John James Feb 14, 2019

As I read the various commentary on the current global environment, one of the maxims from "The Book of Five Rings" (Musashi) resonates; "Practice the twofold gaze, perception and sight".
Although Mr. Soros' description is accurate, it lacks context. The "Developed World" has been suffering demographic and economic dislocation for the past 50 years and, at an accelerating pace. Among these are 1) Decline in replacement fertility, 2) Economic dislocation due to technological advances, 3) Halfhearted attempt to maintain significance via the European Union and other multilateral institutions, 4) Structural impact of Industrialization(mechanization, automation; eg. Artificial Intelligence) on political societies.

Although he bemoans the direction of European culture, I would posit, the Nation-State (at varying degrees) has become if not irrelevant at least less significant as the national force. HIs own accomplishments, as a currency trader, highlights the if not impotence, at least reduction in structural vitality of a nation. These are not new issues and have existed as long as humanity. Although Europe may have current and perhaps existential cultural issues, I view them within a longer continuum of humanity and human development.
- Steve Tjin Feb 17, 2019
  
  You comment that Soros' description is accurate yet you only add an eloquent but long-winded version of "Que sera, sera"? Either Soros' assessment is inaccurate or you don't fathom the threat he hints at.
  - John James Feb 17, 2019
    
    I believe he is inaccurate. It's easy but flawed to assess a situation in real time without taking into consideration context (election of presidents Morales(Bolivia), Erdogan and Trump are good examples). Politics, in the political economy context, cannot be adjusted or realigned simply because of current circumstances or events. It is a trendline process, palatable or not. Deviations around the mean may be positive or negative but, absent a structural change the trend is the defining structure. I acknowledge Mr. Soros' deep concern but, as the Bank of England discovered, the parable of King Canute still obtains.
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peter Feb 14, 2019

Until Soros stops conflating the EU with Europe he should be ignored.
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Richard Gordon Feb 14, 2019

Excellent article by George Soros! My only hope is that enough decision makers and people of influence read this article to change the trajectory of Europe.

Incidentally, for the people who have posted to this article, there is an excellent YouTube video by David Cay Johnston that is well worth watching describing the catastrophic damage the Trump Administration is doing to the US. It can be viewed at this link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azck1jY79cA
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Al Hall Feb 14, 2019

Item 1: "The first step to defending Europe from its enemies, both internal and external, is to recognize the magnitude of the threat they present."
Total genocide of the Western world is the magnitude. What a gutless way to commit genocide, by easing people into their own demise with horrible propaganda and brainwashing.

Item 2: "The second (step to defending Europe from its enemies) is to awaken the sleeping pro-European majority and mobilize it to defend the values on which the EU was founded."
It is clear that Europe is starting to wake up...in droves...and the post-WW2 cultural concussion, and liberally applied mass application of guilt, is wearing off and the sleeping giant is dusting itself off. Only a fool would believe the traditional European is going to defend the mechanism that is erected purely to bring about his, or her, own genocide. For a European to 'awaken', in the direction that George Soros has in mind, would be like an unconscious victim being bent over at the gallows and 'awakening' at the last minute to praise the construction of the gallows and comment on how nice a person the executioner is. My feeling is that George Soros would like an awakening of the shady forces that have stayed in the shadows since USSR Communism fell in 1991, but which could easily come back for a second go at inserting Bolshevism back into the fore. Veiled general threats and subtle hints at mass violence don't go unnoticed.

Item 3: "Europe is sleepwalking into oblivion, and the people of Europe need to wake up before it is too late. If they don’t, the European Union will go the way of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Europe is awakening to the EU's true purpose. (Whether that purpose was always there, quietly tucked away, or whether it has been discretely hi-jacked and 're-purposed' does not matter as it's current intent is clearly genocide of the traditional European.) Correctly George Soros states, "the people of Europe need to wake up before it is too late" which is the truth, but only in the correct context of the present "do or die" moment that Europe is currently in. Do defend Europe or die in and overrun Europe.
Also, if I remember correctly, the Soviet Union was a murder machine that finally ended in 1991. The "EU" is a murder machine too except the type of 'murder' is a societal murder designed to play out across a few generations. By the premeditated and orchestrated murder of traditional Europe, being cunningly perpetrated across a few generations, the murderers expect to get away with the crime. It's the perfect crime!
"the European Union will go the way of the Soviet Union in 1991" is actually a good thought, like the infamous bloody gallows, described above, being dismantled just seconds before the blade was set to fall down upon the traditional European's head, which had been so well were prepared and ready for cultural execution. A giant multi-lingual European sigh of relief would be heard.

Item 4: "anti-European forces will enjoy a competitive advantage in the balloting", yes, because that is Europe's true awakening and their realisation that it's rapidly becoming a massive cultural "do or die" moment. It's also inappropriate to write "anti-European", as none of the so called "right wing" nationalists have been speaking against Europe, they love Europe, it's the "EU" they are speaking up against. The EU, whether by design, or by stealth, has become a culture destroying machine. This is why 'balloting' in May should scare the EU leadership.

Item 5: "the extremist Alternative für Deutschland". In any extreme moment where a person is faced with death then doesn't their survival, their self preservation, warrant an extreme action to bring about an alternative outcome, or would you expect traditional Europeans to simply accept their genocide?

Item 6 "disciplining member states that violate the principles on which the European Union was founded" and "principles on which the European Union was founded"
The EU would never have been founded at all if the founding members were told about the curious mass immigrations and subsequent genocide of traditional Europe that would come down the track. Nor would there be any problems with "disciplining member states that violate the principles" if the precious principles had not been corrupted and abused for foul genocidal purposes by shady back room manipulators. If anything Brexit has brought out the EU leadership's true colours; unprincipled for all to see.

Item 7: "pro- and anti-European forces." there's a (deliberate/convenient) confusion between EU and 'European' as already explained. "anti-European" would better explain a person coming into Europe, with no intention of integration but, rather, to destroy it. "anti-EU", on the other hand, is increasingly becoming popular due to the "EU" itself acting against Europeans. The EU is proving to be thoroughly anti-European and the European people should, and must, vote themselves into positions within the EU to enable them to obtain the "legal tools for disciplining" the EU, as it has violated "the principles on which" traditional Europe was founded".

Item 8: "In the United Kingdom, too, an antiquated party structure prevents the popular will from finding proper expression"
The "popular will" found "proper expression" in the form of a beautiful referendum win. Certainly by exiting the EU the UK soon may create laws to stop individuals from skimming 20 billion pounds out of the UK economy and walking away with a galling and obnoxious 'nerve' to suggest that the system, that gave the referendum a chance, was hindered by "an antiquated party structure". UK will prosper provided it prepares for the wave of very real treachery and very real treason which will undoubtedly follow Brexit, all perpetrated by shadowy characters whose sole purpose will to subvert the process and force a second "referendum or, even better, for revoking Britain’s Article 50 notification.". At which such subversive attempts will "set in motion a groundswell of support for a" ...second Brexit.

Item 9: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a legend. The truth hurts. Anyone of sound mind who bothers to read Orban's positive, nation loving speeches and then reads 'commentary' by George Soros will draw their own conclusions as to who can lead a nation and who can not, of whose words can be trusted and whose words can not.

Item 10: "the dream of a united Europe could become the nightmare of the twenty-first century."
Without a strong resurgence of nationalism the dream of a united Europe will become THE nightmare of the next millennium.
- Ecoute Sauvage Feb 15, 2019
  
  The Orwellian nature of Mr Soros's "open borders" (euphemistically branded "open societies") is clearly displayed in a report by one of the think-tanks he has funded. Non-European invaders claiming refugee status are, we are told, opposed by "Anti-European" (sic) forces - meaning the peoples originally known as the natives. Of course, and as Mr Soros's article here openly states, elections are one of those occurrences Europe simply "cannot afford". You can't make the stuff up:
  https://www.ecfr.eu/page/-/EUROPEAN_PARLIAMENT_FLASH_SCORECARD_online.pdf
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- peter Feb 14, 2019
  
  Agree 100%. He still uses Europe when he means the EU. I look forward to the day the EU ceases to exist. I have fought it since 1992 and will fight it until my last breath.
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Robin Morritt Feb 14, 2019

This article only serves to remind us why George Soros has to be one of the most despised people on the planet.
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Elizabeth Pula Feb 13, 2019

The third step is the democratization of specific and strategized software application platforms that are effective community and local community opportunities for entrepreneurship, and local horizontal integration platforms to offset the extreme political and commercial imbalance due to vertical integration of a few, other software application platforms. Much of the change needs to be elicited within the backbone hierarchy of the national and then international architectural structures of the various private business commercial and public telecommunications networks.

If the vertical integration issues are not addressed, then the predatory business practices due to vertical integration will escalate into rolling national state collapsing scenarios.

Some Middle European, and Chinese/Oriental groups are not as extremely corrupted at this point in time, as certain US, Middle Eastern and South American states. China could probably be the saving-grace, however, it could just as easily become the military force to quell most of the masses worldwide. No other military will have the distinct presence, nor capabilities of distinct recognition just because of the racial identity difference compared to Caucasians. The military forces could be a mix of the Korean, Chinese, etc. within the Oriental demographics. There could be a significant play for power between the Japanese, Korean and the Chinese etc., which remains to be seen, if ever.

If basic ethics, balance of power vs wealth, and social contractual law is still ignored, then, you may want to ask yourself this:

What kind of out-sourced military forces will protect the infrastructure of Europe? It sure ain't gonna be poorly paid non-assimilated stragglers from the African continent. The present local police, such as in France, are already under-paid, faced with firing lethal weapons at their own kind. Do you really think that a for-hire militia made up of non-citizens not native, nor 90% non-speakers of local languages of any kind will protect any citizenry within the present European states? The Chinese will be called in by the wealthy to be the comrades in arms for the Russian, American, British, ETC., International conglomerates to quell all people, within the fenced confines of specific camps in specific geographical locations, with absolutely no distinction to race, religion, or sex.

Sure, there will be real open societies, then, just ripe for the picking, as the various crops cycle to maturity, and sorted out from the definitely not-green pastures. Those generations at that point will be doing any task that anyone tells, or point at them with a stick or whip to do. They won't even need to be able to read or speak, exploited to the "nth degree of insanity".

Change could occur relatively peacefully, if the powerful few will start to recognize that their personal greed is the real destructive causal factor, for that type of negative scenario development for the future.

If not, hey, I personally care less, I won't be alive then. How's that for an appropriate closing, capitalist line to address, somewhat reasonably, the real conceit of a few?

The pro-European majority are fighting impoverishment that you are supporting.
Call in the troops, if you can find them to fight for YOUR open societies. How much are you paying your private body guards? Start developing your battalions to take over the sleeping pro-European majority. It's your nightmare. You've created it, not them.

They're fighting the nightmare, with eyes wide open. They're fighting for their rights, their right to any contract, their right to any land, their right to own anything other than debt. Where is their opportunity? They are tired of being put at total risk, by a few greedy souls that don't even know how to walk-the-talk. They've been working hard, and what do they get?

Another day older, and deeper in debt. AND, today, they can't even identify the company store. I wonder why.
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Matthew McCarthy Feb 13, 2019

Interesting. I read this a few days ago, and didn't get to comment, but came back now. I see most of my thoughts on the article already written in various comments. Soros is truly one of the out of touch elite who do not really understand what is happening and so keep plugging their ears and repeating "Xenophobe - Fascist - Racist!" so they can avoid looking at the real situation. I don't think he realizes that his "capital vs. labor no longer matters" is because he IS capital and he thinks labor doesn't matter anymore.
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Aino Tuominen Feb 13, 2019

I think the division between conservatives and liberals is much more important than capital and labor. Many conservatives are skeptic about EU but the division is not clear. Also, conservatives value security. And strong EU is the best guarantee for security we have.
- peter Feb 14, 2019
  
  Those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither.
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rjwoodrjwood Feb 13, 2019

Does pro-European equal pro-EU in this context? If so, I strongly disagree and feel the opposite is true. The EU has done nothing to preserve the culture and heritage of individual nations. If anything it has damaged them by economically ruining the working class to the point they don't feel secure enough to have children and then attempted to replace them with a more desperate people ... it’s a shame
- Mayora Lee Feb 13, 2019
  
  Right on!
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Hannah Szenes Feb 13, 2019

It's not the end of the world, just the end of YOURS!
- Mayora Lee Feb 13, 2019
  
  Exactly!
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Zrado Gonta Feb 13, 2019

Why in the list of countries with intensified nationalist and neo-Nazi regimes I did not notice Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic countries? Are they so small that they can be ignored or are they in a privileged position among applicants for world leadership? The international order that developed after World War II was long ago destroyed by the imperialism of the Anglo-Saxon West, and with the destruction of the USSR, the uncontrolled USA completely lost its restraining motives and began to remake the world with impunity. Thank God coronovirus showed the whole predatory essence of this arrogant failed leader of the world.
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Elizabeth Pula Feb 13, 2019

"The second is to awaken the sleeping pro-European majority and mobilize it to defend the values on which the EU was founded."

I really think that a lot of people just aren't buying the intent of some people's messages, as really being bottomline truthful. Real people are recognizing the real predicament that their lives are becoming. Destroying the real states and systems for real people to support only a few, is NOT what democracy is all about, really, not in the past, not now, and not for the future.

Values are essential for human beings and the real societies on earth. However, so is the nation state essential for real humans to maintain reasonable human GROUP systems to maintain and sustain civil discourse, and social contracts. Sorry, George, but what you are really supporting is destruction of real societies to become fenced work- camps for the few that enjoy the results of ALL the labor of the majority of citizens that are attempting to maintain and sustain their communities that have developed over centuries.

Do read, or let me put it to you this way, include a good auto- algorithmic scan of this comment, for words, content, context, and behavioral/psychological, cues based on other, and prior strategized algorithms for focus of content for public dissemination:

“We want to remain spry and competitive, but we reject the argument that we must choose between freelancing in a hellscape gig economy for vampirical platforms or submitting to the whims of a corporation that botches basic HR tasks,” the BuzzFeed News Union said in a statement."

That little quote is from BLOOMBERG:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-12/buzzfeed-journalists-said-to-vote-to-unionize-in-wake-of-layoffs?srnd=technology-vp

Now, what that little quote reveals is that the closely approaching 40 years of age group, is starting to experientially recognize just what their lot in life is becoming.

Personally, I am shocked that Bloomberg even published the information. I think it's great of course, because the divide that is affecting LABOR is starting to equal zero, really now. Perhaps, it's even below the line now, really.

Here's another quick read, that has been floating around in lala land: again from BLOOMBERG, so coming from a real base for capitalism, perhaps a few CEO's need to start recognizing a bit about the meaning of the word ETHICS, as ethics is affected and infected by intent and action by whom and for whom:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-11/apple-black-site-gives-contractors-few-perks-little-security
- Mayora Lee Feb 13, 2019
  
  WOW...Thank*You!
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Henk Crop Feb 13, 2019

Mr. Soros wants Europe to wake up.... to defend the values on which the EU was founded.
One of these values is that refugees and immigrants are welcomed and treated equal as a EU citizen. I think that is great. Why deny anyone housing, food, life-long allowance/ pension, etc. ?
However these value were developed by legal people, often more than 50 years ago.
They never consider the numbers involved. When these numbers are big they have impact on the life of a host country.
The EU ( 450 million people ) is located next to Africa. Africa has 1250 million people, while it's population is expected to double in the next 35 years. Many want to migrate to the EU.
This rapid growth will maintain poverty and enhance repression, violent conflicts and feed immigration to the EU.
Africa, and others, have problems. But they have sovereign Nations and they are the only ones in a position to solve their problems. Also because Africa is rich in resources and is 7 times as large as the EU.
In 2015 Germany admitted 1 million refugees and still has trouble integrating them.
Nevertheless the EU is holding on to their beautiful values and refuses to set limits on immigration. Our leaders have set the EU on a suicide course, as there are limits to what EU societies can absorb.
That this is no theory explained Juncker "In 2016 the EU offered asylum to three times as many refugees as the US, Canada and Australia combined".
It is indeed time for the EU citizen to wake up and see what they are doing there in Brussels.
- Heinz Günther Feb 14, 2019
  
  "One of these values is that refugees and immigrants are welcomed and treated equal as a EU citizen."
  
  This is, once more completely false! Refugees are treated as refugees, not even as regular immigrants, but as refugees. Further, their status is regulated on national level, not on EU level.
  
  https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/asylvfg_1992/ <= this is the german law for refugees
  
  "In 2015 Germany admitted 1 million refugees and still has trouble integrating them."
  
  First of all, these were mainly refugees that were on european soil, second please give some details on these "problems".
  
  "Nevertheless the EU is holding on to their beautiful values and refuses to set limits on immigration. Our leaders have set the EU on a suicide course"
  
  No, because immigration (from outside the EU) is the responsibility of the single member states, not the EU. Same is true for the refugee processes and the deportation of declined refugees!
  - Henk Crop Feb 15, 2019
    
    Heinz. The refugees are in theory still a National responsibility, but they have to be treated to EU or UN laws. This meaning they cannot be detained ( this led to the 2016 Christmas murders in Berlin, 12 dead, 56 wounded ). They have to be given shelter, food, medicare. They can hardly be deported because of complex legal procedures.
    They can almost endlessly appeal court decisions. Some extend their stay in this way for more than 10 years.
    
    These 1 million should have been stopped on the EU borders ( Dublin accord).
    That it became so massive was caused by mrs. Merkel "wir schaffen es".
    It was heard all over the world.
    
    If these problems are not shown on the German State controlled TV channels I recommend to watch foreign TV stations.
    
    When I watch German response to some international developments it is if they have no notion of what is happening in the world. They are sleeping in their peaceful villages. Mrs. Merkel goes to Macron to ask what she must do.
    - Heinz Günther Mar 4, 2019
      
      Maybe you could elaborate what a UN law is? That would be really interesting :-)
      
      Is the fact that refugees are granted food and shelter one of your core critique points?
      
      And which is it, the EU or UN law?
      Are you not so sure?
      Is the member state able to choose?
      Or maybe the refugee?
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    - Heinz Günther Mar 4, 2019
      
      Then, once more, the millions of refugees were to a big part already in Europe (you remember the Hungarian journalist kicking a refugee woman with kids? Yes, that was before), or they were directly at the border.
      
      The reason why so many came had nothing to do with Merkel, but with the fact, that in early 2015 operation Triton substituted Mare Nostrum. With that the area of operation was decreased dramatically, which made the trip through the Mediterranean way more dangerous. The eastern border was not to well secured.
      
      While Germany did agreed to receive refugees, mostly from Hungary (that is inside the EU) the Balkan route was closed, by the EU, which supported the neighboring countries.
      
      You can find articles that state that the balkan route is not fully closed. Fact is, the number of refugees passing through is minimal, and who ever writes such an article is not the smartest. Not even the border between North and South Korea is fully closed...
      
      By the way, Public TV and state controlled TV are two very different things, and people who talk about the state controlled TV have usually three characteristics: 1. they are on the way far right side 2. they do not watch public TV 3. they usually know that the German TV is laying because they saw it on Russia Today (<= not a joke)
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    - Heinz Günther Mar 4, 2019
      
      Okay... Once more, lets check some facts.
      
      Anis Amri came to Italy in 2011, that was a bit before 2015.
      After he was in prison, where he was radicalized (yes in an Italien prison) Italy got his birth certificate and there were no obstacles for his deportation.
      
      Somehow he was not directly deported, but set free and under surveillance by the it alien intelligence, which lost him somehow, but registered him as potential dangerous in the systems.
      
      Rumor is, that Italian authorities tried to use him to infiltrate the extremist scene. But that is rumor, the rest is a well established fact, that you can find in the internet in literally 30 seconds!
      
      He then registered in Germany under the name Anis Amir, which made it impossible to recognize him as the dangerous extremist Anis Amri. Yes, he just switched the two last letters of his last name...
      
      So, he could have been deported by Italy, because it is their responsibility, not just in theory but in everyday practice. The only thing missing was to book him flight! It was the Italien Authorities that screwed up. It is funny, that out of the couple of attacks in Germany you selected exactly the one that proves so beautifully how wrong you are!
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Ecoute Sauvage Feb 13, 2019

Mr Soros: "...to awaken the sleeping pro-European majority and mobilize it"

Europe is the people. Mr Soros does not realize what his wish entails - should the people wake up from Mrs Merkel's soporific "weiter so, weiter so", they may violently expel the non-Europeans among them, whether long-standing residents like the gypsies or newer arrivals like the sub-Saharan Africans.

And they will most certainly reject what Mr Soros correctly calls the Politburo, the Brussels Berlaymont-ensconced bureaucracy shamelessly proclaiming on its website its utter contempt for the will of the European people as freely expressed in elections:
"... The process leading to the Lisbon Treaty is a result of the negative outcome of two referenda on the Constitutional Treaty in May and June 2005..."
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/5/the-treaty-of-lisbon

The next inflection point, therefore, is not the European Parliament elections in May, it is the March 29 Brexit date. Attempts to overturn the result of that referendum, whether by extending Article 50 or by annulling it altogether via a second referendum, may well be the wakeup call that will set all Europe on fire.

"Careful what you wish for" is an old lesson which appears to have been forgotten.
- Mayora Lee Feb 13, 2019
  
  Mr Soros is quite aware of what he is wishing for...And worried, his wish (fortunately) is not becoming reality, since "Europe, Please Wake Up"is doing exactly just that, waking up to his plans of erasing its identity!
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Mathijs Koenraadt Feb 13, 2019

Europeans never wanted the Union, for the same reason Northern Europeans never wanted Catholicism. It's an unnatural superstruct. 80% of Dutch and German people, for example, say EU membership was a mistake, the Euro was a mistake, and mass (replacement) immigration was a mistake. Of course this project was going to fail. It's not really the "EU" is it? It's the Brussels Empire, the ghost of the Roman Empire. The ghosts of the Germanic barbarians will rise up and overthrow this disgusting monstrosity. To us, "never again" meant "no more empires".
- Magnus Forslin Feb 17, 2019
  
  This guy make things up as he goes. Fascinating. Russian troll?
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- Steve Tjin Feb 17, 2019
  
  That is complete hallucinogenic nonsense. Currently, the majority of Dutch and Germans are supportive of the EU because they understand that lest they unite, they'll be mauled by the US (especially under the likes of Trump), Russia, China and various fluid Middle Eastern coalitions. That does not subtract from the fact that the EU (and the Euro) require reform.
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- Heinz Günther Feb 14, 2019
  
  "80% of Dutch and German people, for example, say EU membership was a mistake,"
  
  Do you have some source for that number or is that just a feeling?
  
  "It's the Brussels Empire, the ghost of the Roman Empire. The ghosts of the Germanic barbarians will rise up and overthrow this disgusting monstrosity."
  
  That is the mindset. Finally after Romans brought science, arts, hygiene and medicine, the germanic barbarians overthrow this "disgusting monstrosity". What a beautiful time followed after that... It was full of... What was so great about it?
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