Authored by Colin Todhunter via Off-Guardian.org,
The recent global disruptions are often portrayed as a series of chaotic events: a ‘pandemic’, inflation, energy shortages, and war.
Most people are understandably confused by these events. However, a closer look reveals a deliberate dismantling of the 20th-century social contract.
We are in the midst of a shift from a productive capitalist model that relied on a strong mass labor force to what Yanis Varoufakis terms a techno-feudalist order.
This transition was triggered by a financial stabilization strategy implemented through a public health crisis. As Professor Fabio Vighi points out, the global financial system faced terminal instability in late 2019, leading to the collapse of the US repo market.
Lockdowns froze the real economy while central banks injected massive liquidity to save the banking sector. This prevented hyperinflation but sacrificed the productive middle class to preserve the dominance of the financial elite.
A geopolitical reset was also necessary. Germany’s economy relied on cheap Russian gas, high-tech exports to China, and a US security umbrella. By late 2025, all three pillars had crumbled.
The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines was a crucial move for the Western financial elite, forcing Germany to shift towards LNG imports from the US, leading to a decline in industrial output.
Meanwhile, the City of London thrives on global volatility, acting as a hub for war risk insurance and energy brokerage.
By treating geopolitical instability as a lucrative asset, the City profits from chaos that it helps create.
Furthermore, the City plays a key role in managing the transatlantic energy pivot, extracting wealth from the replacement of Russian gas with more expensive LNG.
The restructuring of economies has heightened social tensions. The ‘Russian threat’ is used to manage dissent and divert public attention from internal issues.
Under the guise of national security, billions are redirected to the military-industrial complex, while public services suffer.
The status of the human being is also evolving. With AI and robotics reducing the need for labor, healthcare is viewed as a non-performing cost to be cut.
Looking ahead, the elite will likely exploit climate crisis and security threats to justify increased austerity measures.
Opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.