War

The European economy is struggling and the main engine Germany is suffering from a series of unforced errors. The Green Party in Germany came into power 20 years ago and convinced the people that wind and solar could replace fossil fuels. This was an emotional response to the threat of climate change. It happened quickly and the fact that the geography was not suited to the change didn't matter. They have limited wind and sun throughout the country. Next they decided to close down their 17 nuclear power plants and the last one closed in 2023. Next the war came and Germany decided to stop buying cheap natural gas from Russia and the price rose rapidly and this caused hardship for both homes and businesses. The price of natural gas in Germany is $12.78 per MMBtu and $2.87 in the USA. This has caused a recession over the past two years and now the biggest industries, the auto and chemical, are laying off employees. Meanwhile over in Ukraine an estimated 80,000 killed and 400,000 wounded and the country is in shambles. Polls show that a small majority(52%) of Ukrainians would be willing to trade land for peace. The support for the war in the US has been declining and is now at 52%. Reaching a peaceful settlement to the war would stop the carnage in Ukraine and save Europe from collapse. Here is the latest poll taken Feb 2024 Roughly 70% of Americans want the Biden administration to push Ukraine toward a negotiated peace with Russia as soon as possible, according to a new survey from the Harris Poll and the Quincy Institute, which publishes Responsible Statecraft.