Loyalties Will Be Broken". At last weekend's Fina World Swimming Championships at in Berlin, Germany, a "No Laughing Matter" was issued by the swim teams in protest of recent statements made by Russian swimmers regarding a boycott. The U.S. swim teams stated: "Loyalties will be broken. People will lose friendships, teammates and support. It is our responsibility as members of this team to honor our commitments and not sacrifice any of our values." In a recent interview with the Russian national newspaper Sport Express, members of the Russian national team discussed the fact that many of the Russian athletes have their own personal sponsors. For some of the athletes, their sponsors have ties to the current regime. Some sponsors were cited as being "Putin's friends." In a statement, Russian Track & Field coach Mikhail Dovgal said, "What I said about Putin is not nice. I'm sorry. I'm going to apologize to him personally," Dovgal added. "I didn't want to offend anyone, but I didn't really realize what it meant to offend anyone in the sports community." The fact that it was even necessary to issue this statement is a huge red flag. You can be sure that Russian sports officials have their own agenda. The fact that officials are willing to go to great lengths to issue threats and ultimatums in order to be appeased says volumes about where power lies within the Russian government. How much of a threat did the U.S. pose? One could reasonably argue that the threats and ultimatums issued by the U.S. swimming team are part of an overall Russian strategy to force the U.S. to give in to their demands. The fact that Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for Physical Culture, Sport, Youth, Tourism and Resorts, and Sport, has come out in support of the U.S. swim teams' decision to go ahead with the boycott is telling. The fact that it is reported in the Russian news that "Kozak hopes the Americans will give in to [Russia's] demands." (Russian news source Sport Express) Kozak and Russia have a vested interest in pushing this message that the U.S. did anything to cause the boycott in the first place. For now, the US swim team will have to carry out its threat. Let's look at this statement for what it is: ultimatums and threats. We can expect this statement will be followed by other strong-worded statements from various departments of US and Russian government. "When you are in a hole, stop digging." In response to the ongoing sanctions and other US actions Russia has taken, Putin has dug himself deeper into a quagmire of his own making. Russia needs to show that it is able to cooperate on nuclear security issues, not only to its benefit but for the world as a whole. If Russia continues to escalate, the world will realize that it cannot be trusted. The US has gone too far in what it is currently demanding from Russia, and Russia needs to pull back. It is time for Russia to stop escalating and instead take a realistic and pragmatic stance. The US continues to push hard. But, I can tell you this: Russia is not a banana republic. Russia is not going to fold under the pressure put upon it by the West. Russia is the number 1 country in the world, with a population of over 141 million. Russia has plenty of resources and the world's second largest military. Russia has a history of defending itself and its interests against great odds. The Cold War is over. It is time to accept that Russia has won and move forward. We need to put this Cold War behind us and stop escalating the conflict between the US and Russia. It's time to take things up a notch. You don't put a man in a hole, stop digging. Stop digging. Put a man in a hole. Stop digging. Then dig another hole. Russia is a big enough country that it needs to act wisely. The US is the bully on the block. The US gets away with saying things. Russia should start standing up and defending itself. When the US asks for a response, the time for Russia to respond is now. The US should consider changing its demands and tone, and begin taking Russia's perspective into account. To quote former U.S. president, Barack Obama: "The World is not a simple place." Time to stop this US-Russian Cold War, and start treating Russia like a global powerhouse. There are more and more countries that can get rid of their US dollar reserves and buy their currency instead. To buy Russian rubles with US dollars today is to buy rubles on which Russia would have to pay huge debt service costs for its foreign debt (debt that was created by the West in order to destroy Russia). The US dollar is already going to get replaced as the global reserve currency one way or another. It's also going to be replaced by the Renminbi as a reserve currency. Russia and China have a stake in this process. Russia and China know that an alternative to the US dollar needs to be provided soon, if not now, so that the world's countries do not have to be held captive to a financial prison. So, if the US is expecting the Russian ruble to collapse, this will not happen. Russia has been preparing for this. The Russian government and the Russian people have been preparing for this. Russia has been preparing for this for a long time. The US should watch the movie "The American Dreamer" and let Russia be. This has to end soon, before all of humanity loses money. Do you remember when the first Gulf War ended, or when Russia annexed Crimea? The consequences of war will be far worse than we imagine. In order to protect the financial interests of Wall Street, you need to think differently. In order to protect your financial interests, you need to start thinking and seeing more clearly. Russia needs to start becoming what it wants to be; a place where the rule of law is not a game of chance. A place where every person and every business is treated equally under the law, whether they have two cents or $100 billion in their pocket. A country that makes everyone equal. It's time for the Russian government to take on corruption, starting from the top. If it isn't going to be a level playing field for everyone, then no one will be happy. Let's hope that Russia is serious about getting rid of corruption. So, I would like to reiterate what I wrote a year ago, on December 28th of 2015: "It's time for Russia to join the club." I hope that Russia will choose to join the West. The global financial system is changing. Russia can adapt to this change, by changing with it, or by attempting to fight it. I wish Russia luck. This isn't a battle between the US and Russia, but a battle between the US and China. In a world filled with uncertainty, I hope Russia will show the way. I hope Russia can see that change is inevitable, and help guide this change. The US should lead this process. Russia doesn't need to change the world. It needs to keep its values, and not the values of Western Capitalism. You have to be a strong leader to face down the world, and this is what Russia needs to do. As a strong leader, you need to understand that you will be the focus of criticism. This criticism can be justified, but it can also be unjustified. Some people think that the only way to do business is to make war on your enemies and destroy them. But this isn't how you become the strongest. Instead of making war, you need to become friends with your enemies. Instead of making enemies, you should try to be nice to everyone. Russia is not a banana republic. It's time for Russia to start treating everyone equally under the law, whether they have two cents or $100 billion in their pocket. When it comes to business, and economics, the more you share, the more you win. Take a look at your favorite brands: McDonald's. Starbucks. Levi's. Adidas. Nike. L'Oreal. Coca-Cola. When these brands succeed, they don't make their customers pay as much as they could, if they had more say in the process. These brands want to work with the market. They want to be in the market for their customers. They understand that not only are they catering to their customers' demands, they are also making them happier. I can't think of a single US company that would share their wealth with their customers; these companies just want to make more and more money, no matter the cost to their customers. If we had a government that had the interests of the public in mind, rather than the interests of Wall Street, the military industrial complex, and the lobbyists, then we wouldn't have to keep going on this wild goose chase with Russia and it would be business