Iceland Provides Precursor to EU Crisis
07/29/11 INSIIDE Track: Iceland, Greece… Italy?
The nation of Iceland – though relatively small and not a leader in global economic discussions – provides an excellent example of an overall concept I am continually addressing…
In September 2008, the financial crisis in Iceland went parabolic. It had, obviously, been deteriorating for years but it was then (late-September–early-October 2008) that all three of Iceland’s major commercial banks collapsed and were placed into receivership. Iceland’s stock market imploded & their currency plummeted over 90%.
However, it was what followed – in 2009 and right up to the present – that serves as a perfect validation of previous discussions…
In January 2009, one official declared the Krona dead. In March, a government report recommended adopting the Euro via EU membership. In July 2009, Iceland voted to apply for EU membership.
This is a classic example of what I discussed in recent months, concerning suspicions that the Euro – or at least certain countries within the Euro (PIIGS) – would have to suffer more dire consequences before opting to comply with (i.e. give up any pretense of national sovereignty and turn over control to a central government) the criteria for economic unity.
It is one thing for a government to sign treaties and agree to these criteria. It is an entirely different thing – as recently seen in Greece – for the general population to comply.
The other ‘consequence’ – if you can call it that – is validation of an ongoing hypothesis of mine. Simply put, this conjecture concludes that mass psychology – as witnessed by irrational social and/or economic behavior within a city, region or nation – is sometimes a precursor to massive earth changes (that are already underway).
Just as animals are thought to have a ‘6th sense’ about impending earthquakes, humans might not be much different. The only contrast is that humans are no longer grounded the way we once were… and are prone to so many distractions that it takes longer for the subtle changes and forces to be recognized.
So, we first ‘act out’ our responses to this growing instability – in irrational investing, social upheaval, risk-taking and other less obvious manners – and the link between the two is overlooked. As societies continue to devolve – and their cohesiveness and continuity become unglued – the intensity of the underlying instability increases.
Then, instead of easily-dismissed seismic activity, the earth-shaking grows a little stronger. And, then the social stability deteriorates further. And, then the real shaking (or erupting) begins.
Some ancient civilizations recognized subtle earth changes like these and chose to live underground for a period of time. While I am not recommending that behavior, it is another example of the link between earth instability (often directly linked to solar storms and the resulting geomagnetic disturbances) and dramatic changes in human behavior… whether it is acknowledged or not.
History is peppered with examples of this connection… often with dire consequences when the warning signs were ignored or simply missed. So, let’s take another look at Iceland…
Proportionately speaking, Iceland’s financial debacle and banking collapse was/is the largest in any country in all of history. That’s a pretty significant symbol of irrational behavior, so let’s see what transpired after this…
The first domino to fall was the eruption of the Eyjafjoll Volcano in March/April 2010 – causing the closure of numerous airports throughout Europe and the grounding of thousands of flights. The seismic activity actually began in late-2009 and then resumed in March 2010.
However, it was on April 14–20, 2010 (encompassing that momentous date of April 19/ 20th) that the worst activity took place, forcing 20 European countries to close their airspace.
Shortly after, Iceland officials warned that these eruptions were a forerunner to an impending eruption of a much larger (and nearby) volcano – Katla. Historically, this has repeatedly been the case so there is no reason to underestimate this threat. The connection?
I have stated it many times before (and documented it with various examples)… Just as technical analysis often reveals subtle changes in an underlying market before the general population becomes aware of the influencing fundamentals, the overall economy of a region or nation can reflect major geophysical instability in its early stages.
The second domino fell in May 2011, when the Grimsvotn Volcano began to erupt.
The third domino began to fall in early-July 2011, when a massive quantity of meltwater poured out of one of Iceland’s glaciers – stirring fears of an imminent eruption of the Katla Volcano… and the threat of resulting flooding in Iceland and nearby countries (there were similar fears in N. Europe in the late-1990’s after another eruption in Iceland).”
Iceland’s seismic shifts – economic & geologic – provide a harbinger of what is expected across the European landscape between now and 2018 (–2021) as the European Union is (expected to be) pushed to the brink of dissolution… before a new, significantly different union can take hold. 2017–2018= Acceleration phase of both of these cycles.