Well sorry to falsely accuse you then, Putin. I don't peruse through all the threads, so I only know from our interactions.
The UAE announced that deal back in 2012, and that was only that they would accept Yuan from China. It hasn't exactly shaken up the currency markets or the oil markets. The Yuan is still traded less than the Norwegian krone, and the fickleness of Beijing will scare institutions away for a long time.
I think you also mistake me for a rah-rah American type. The EU will not break up. I knew as much back in 2012. What will happen, I fear, is that they will slip into the "Japan model" I'll call it. Little to no growth and persistently low inflation. As it is now, the periphery countries are making a strong comeback, but core nations are faltering, especially France (whom I'm covering right now).
And 7.5% may seem like a lot compared to advanced economies, but the slowdown has been enough to send commodity markets crashing. Just check the price of iron. Yes, US monetary policy hit EM's hard in January, but the collapse in commodity prices due to China's slowdown has hit them harder. What I was referring to when I said "the US is the only thing keeping the global economy going" are several projected forecasts from economic firms I've seen (Oxford Economics, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley) which show the world going into recession should the US lapse into even a modest one.
Regardless, you're right in that I've effectively sidetracked this conversation beyond measure. Back on topic.
I will say yes and no to your charge that the US would not accept fines like this on a bank of ours - say Citibank. If it were a country such as Russia or China, we'd most likely blow them off. But were it Japan or the UK that did it, I would venture to say that the bank would go through and pay the fine. That's just a government reaction. No matter what, if the bank does business in that country, they'll pay the fine for business sake.