Tuesday 28th of October 2025
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the self-inflicted decline of europe....

 

In the workshops of the Ruhr, where the fire of blast furnaces was once considered Europe’s eternal companion, today reigns a cold more expensive than any raw material. An economic pause has descended in icy silence. A tombstone rests on the grave of industrial greatness, signed by Europe’s own leaders.

 

Europe’s Economic Winter Transfers the Workshop of the World to Asia’s New Furnaces

Rebecca Chan

European capitals increasingly resemble branch offices of an American headquarters. Decisions on industrial policy have long turned into ritual acts of loyalty rather than independent steps.

 

The continent is dismantling its own productive arteries, while Asia launches new lifelines. The center of gravity shifts to where clusters grow, not gas prices. Europe is losing not to chance, but to the results of its own “strategic” deafness—an error the East has turned into opportunity.

The Trap of Sanctions and Costly Energy

The European Union invented sanctions as a weapon of pressure, only to receive a boomerang blow to its own skulls. German and French factories are drowning in energy bills, shackled by chains forged by their own hands. Electricity and gas no longer feed the economy; they have become instruments of self-destruction.

Europe is bogging down in its own restrictions, while Asia calmly unfolds a field of maneuver, transforming it into a genuine center of growth 

Germany’s industrial activity index is sliding down like a thermometer in a frozen room. Machinery, chemicals, and metallurgy are losing markets, exports are crumbling, subsidies resemble aspirin after an amputation. Every new restriction, dictated in favor of the overseas ally, turns yet another factory hall into an abandoned museum. Brussels codifies these barriers, expanding its dual-use export control list to tighten the screws on high-tech trade.

European industry is being sacrificed to Washington, like a temple offering leaving only smoke behind. Factory pauses are transforming the industrial core into a ritual of obedience and loyalty. And against this backdrop, the East gathers strength. The International Energy Agency notes how these price shocks diverge across regions, with Asia absorbing them into growth while Europe suffocates under the weight.

Expansion of Capacity and “Importing Industry”

China launches new production lines as if assembling a puzzle from the fragments Europe has scattered. India strengthens petrochemicals and takes on raw material processing from which Western corporations are fleeing as if from a fire. Vietnam and Indonesia pick up orders for electronics and light industry, turning others’ losses into their own growth.

European prohibitions have opened a showcase of opportunities for the East. Every restriction meant to crush competitors has become a stimulus for Asian investments in infrastructure and new industries. Ports expand, corridors stretch, power grids come alive—all built on the ruins of European stubbornness.

The East is transforming foreign stagnation into the foundation of sovereignty. Every collapse of European production coincides with the rise of Asian capacity, as if the world market itself had decided to relocate the planet’s factory to where there are no imposed illusions of “strategic solidarity.”

The Loss of Control Tools

Washington and Brussels stubbornly tried to keep the world’s supply chains by the throat—erecting barriers, hammering out new rules, handing out sanctions left and right. Control crumbled like a rusty lock on an old warehouse. Production lines are leaving Europe and taking root in Asian soil, pulling with them not only jobs but also political influence.

European capitals increasingly resemble branch offices of an American headquarters. Decisions on industrial policy have long turned into ritual acts of loyalty rather than independent steps. Even a hint of an alternative sounds seditious and draws condemnation. Meanwhile, Asia is drafting its own continental blueprint: corridors instead of walls, ports and energy unions instead of sanctions. Trading platforms operate without Western notaries, and it is there that the new rules of the game are born.

The map of the global economy is turning into a chessboard where the West is allowed to play only pawns. Europe is bogging down in its own restrictions, while Asia calmly unfolds a field of maneuver, transforming it into a genuine center of growth. This shift changes not only container routes but also the very balance of power in world politics.

The Future Is Written Where New Furnaces Smoke

Europe is entering an era of prolonged economic permafrost. Any attempt to revive factories crashes against energy bills and acute political dependence. Empty workshops declare that the continent’s industrial age has come to an end. Berlin now concedes the burden, promising subsidies and lower energy tariffs for industry in its 2026 budget—a rare admission that the sacred “market” cannot carry this weight alone.

For Asia, this turns into a conveyor of opportunities. Every shuttered plant in Germany or France automatically sets new lines in motion in Shenzhen, Mumbai, or Jakarta. Every European loss settles into Asian infrastructure, cementing a new industrial order. India’s role inside BRICS+ shows how external pressure is repurposed into sovereignty, a reminder that decline for one bloc is ignition fuel for another.

Europe faces a harsh crossroads: either radically change its industrial model and rebuild its political logic, or lock itself permanently into the role of a marketplace without factories. Asia has already made its choice and consolidates its success step by step. The continent that was once the workshop of the world is becoming a museum of illusions, while the future is written where new furnaces smoke.

 

Rebecca Chan, Independent political analyst focusing on the intersection of Western foreign policy and Asian sovereignty

https://journal-neo.su/2025/10/18/europes-economic-winter-transfers-the-workshop-of-the-world-to-asias-new-furnaces/

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

humiliation....

The robbery that took place at the iconic Louvre Museum on Sunday is an “intolerable humiliation” for France, president of the right-wing National Rally party Jordan Bardella has said.

The heist took place at around 9:30 a.m. local time, when a group of masked intruders used a truck-mounted basket lift to reach a window on a facade of the museum, officials said. The gang entered the Apollon Gallery and escaped on motorbikes within four to seven minutes, leaving one item – reportedly the crown of Empress Eugenie – damaged and found outside.

“The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture. This heist, which allowed thieves to steal the Crown Jewels of France, is an intolerable humiliation for our country,” Bardella, who’s also a member of the European Parliament, wrote on X. “How far will the decay of the state go?” he added.

Veteran right-wing politician Marine Le Pen, who leads the National Rally’s parliamentary group in the French National Assembly, described in a post on X the theft as yet another “ordeal” for France and a wound to the nation’s “soul,”while wishing the security forces courage in recovering the jewels.

Earlier on Sunday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the robbery as a “very professional” operation, emphasizing that the stolen items have “inestimable heritage value.” Culture Minister Rachida Dati said no injuries were reported and that investigators are reviewing CCTV footage, the equipment used for the break-in, and interviewing staff.

The Apollon Gallery has housed what remains of the French Crown Jewels since the late 19th century, including items formerly belonging to Napoleon’s family and Empress Eugenie.

https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/626688-louvre-robbery-humiliation-france/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

wokish louvre....

The management of the Louvre Museum has been criticized for prioritizing diversity over competence in key appointments, following a daylight robbery in which the French crown jewels were stolen.

The controversy has centered on the Louvre’s security chief, Dominique Buffin, whose appointment was hailed in French media last year as part of a gender-balance drive. Buffin, who previously held posts in the police and the Culture Ministry, became the museum’s first female head of security last September after being appointed by director Laurence des Cars, herself the Louvre’s first woman to hold the position.

Marion Marechal, a member of the European Parliament and niece of veteran right-wing politician Marine Le Pen, said France had become the “laughingstock of the world” over what she called the “ridiculous theft.” 

“This humiliation cannot go unanswered,” Marechal wrote on X on Monday, urging Culture Minister Rachida Dati to demand the immediate resignation of des Cars and Buffin, whom she accused of being appointed “as part of a feminization policy.” 

Marechal said the approach came “at the cost of forgoing competence and endangering the nation’s cultural heritage.” 

The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, has faced criticism for security lapses and modernization delays. A state audit had found security systems “old and inadequate” before the heist. Former Louvre director Pierre Rosenberg warned as early as 1998 that the museum’s security remained “fragile.” 

Investigators said they were pursuing several leads and had not ruled out an inside job, though early evidence pointed to organized crime. The Louvre remained closed to visitors on Monday as police reviewed CCTV footage.

https://www.rt.com/news/626769-france-louvre-heist-diversity-accusations/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

 

decay....

Another museum in France has suffered a break-in, Franceinfo reported on Wednesday. A day after a high-profile jewelry heist at the Louvre, nearly 2,000 prized coins were reportedly stolen from the Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment in the northeastern town of Langres.

The case adds to a series of major museum thefts in the country in recent months, prompting an outcry from opposition politicians over the government’s handling of cultural heritage security.

The gold and silver coins were reported stolen on Monday morning after museum staff discovered a broken front door and a shattered display case. The hoard reportedly included 1,633 silver and 319 gold coins from the 18th and 19th centuries, with an estimated value of around €90,000 ($104,000). The stolen items were part of the museum’s “treasure” collection, unearthed by construction workers during building renovations in 2011.

According to the local mayor’s office, as cited by the news outlet, the break-in appeared premeditated and targeted, with only selected valuables taken while other objects were left untouched. Local authorities have reportedly tasked a private security company with providing overnight surveillance of the site while the security system at the temporarily closed museum is being upgraded.

The Langres incident follows two other major museum thefts in France this month. On October 16, gold nuggets worth €1.5 million were stolen from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. On October 19, eight pieces of Napoleonic-era jewelry were taken in a daylight break-in at the Louvre.

The Louvre heist triggered sharp criticism of museum leadership. Director Laurence Des Cars faced accusations of prioritizing diversity over security experience in her staffing decisions.

Marion Marechal, a European Parliament member and niece of Marine Le Pen, said France had become the “laughingstock of the world” following the “ridiculous theft,” calling for the immediate resignation of Des Cars and the museum’s security chief Dominique Buffin, whom she claimed had been appointed as part of a feminization policy.

Jordan Bardella, the president of National Rally, branded the heist at the world’s most visited museum an “intolerable humiliation,” calling it reflective of “the decay of the state.”

https://www.rt.com/news/626809-denis-diderot-museum-robbed-france/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

heist....

The Louvre's cameras failed to detect burglars in time to prevent their audacious daylight heist of some of France's crown jewels, the museum's director has said.

The thieves used a crane and smashed an upstairs window before stealing jewels worth an estimated 88 million euros ($157 million).

They then escaped on motorbikes.

News of the theft, which occurred steps away from the Mona Lisa, reverberated around the world and prompted soul-searching in France over what some viewed as a national humiliation.

Louvre director Laurence des Cars told senators that she had offered her resignation, but it had been refused by Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who has also come under fire after the robbery.

"Despite our efforts, despite our hard work every day, we were defeated," Ms des Cars told a senate committee.

Many in France and around the world have been baffled as to how four hooded assailants were able to drive up to the world's most visited museum, smash a second-floor window and make off with a handsome booty without getting caught.

"We did not detect the thieves' arrival early enough," Ms des Cars said.

She said the exterior security cameras did not offer full coverage of the museum's facade and added that the window through which the thieves broke in was not monitored by CCTV.

Ms des Cars said she had repeatedly raised the issue of security at the centuries-old building.

"The warnings I had been sounding came horribly true last Sunday," she said.

Ms des Cars pledged to establish no-parking perimeters in areas around the Louvre, upgrade the CCTV network.

She said she would also ask the interior ministry to set up a police station inside the museum.

Gone in four minutes

According to authorities, the thieves spent less than four minutes inside the Louvre on Sunday morning before making their getaway.

Alarms had gone off, drawing agents to the gallery and forcing the intruders to bolt.

The Louvre, which has reopened, said that no uniformed police were posted in the corridors.

The day was fully booked and access was limited amid school holiday demand.

"I didn't notice extra security — guards as always, and no police inside," 29-year-old Madrid resident Tomás Álvarez said.

"It felt like a normal day."

The jewels remain missing and the thieves are still at large.

What was stolen?

The thieves made away with eight items, including a sapphire diadem, a necklace and a single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.

They also stole an emerald necklace and earrings linked to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife, as well as a reliquary brooch.

Empress Eugénie's diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch are also gone.

Eugénie's emerald-set imperial crown, encrusted with more than 1,300 diamonds, was later found outside the museum.

It was damaged but restoration should be achievable.

Paris is home to some of the world's best-known cultural institutions, including museums such as Orsay, Pompidou and Quai Branly.

At least four French museums have been robbed in the last two months, according to media reports.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-23/louvre-director-acknowledges-failure-after-jewellery-heist/105923584

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

BLAME MACRON....