Liechtenstein and the Super Secret Global Elite

I couldn't find much on ATS as far as the connections Liechtenstein has to power and wealth, but I assure you, it's worth discussion.

I have been digging deeper and deeper (for years now) into the history of European and global finance when I discovered that Liechtenstein, a tiny German-speaking country nestled in the Alps, is a tax haven. The nation's banks operate similarly to some of the better-known Swiss banks, providing a secret storehouse for gobs of wealth for the global elite.

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Vaduz Castle Liechtenstein


A few fun facts:

Relatively low business taxes—the maximum tax rate is 20%[23]—as well as easy Rules of Incorporation have induced about 73,700 holding (or so-called 'letter box') companies to establish registered offices in Liechtenstein. This provides about 30% of Liechtenstein's state revenue. Liechtenstein also generates revenue from Stiftungen ("foundations"), which are financial entities created to increase the privacy of nonresident foreigners' financial holdings. The foundation is registered in the name of a Liechtensteiner, often a lawyer.

source

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However, Liechtenstein only has a population of 35,000 people. This means there are more than two companies for every citizen of the country. And this isn't counting the private foundations.

Hitler and the Nazis cancelled their plan to invade Liechtenstein after Hitler's astronomer saw a "change in the stars."
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Sure, the alpine landscape of Liechtenstein would be somewhat of a logistical nightmare to invade and many historians would have you believe that Liechtenstein had nothing to offer the Nazi regime. However...

Snow-bearded, 84-year-old Prince Franz Paul I, ruler of the 65-square-mile principality of Liechtenstein... has not visited his tiny nation for five years. He has run his Government by long-distance from Vienna and his Czechoslovakian estates... His wife, whom he married in 1929, is a wealthy Viennese Jewess and local Liechtenstein Nazis have already singled her out as their anti-Semitic "problem."

What's more...

Should Adolf Hitler desire to absorb Liechtenstein, he could meet little resistance, for the country has no army, no defenses and no military alliances. It sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, but its 81 soldiers did not reach the front in time to fight.

TIME 1938

Neglectful leadership and no military nor allies? Good will on the part of neighboring Switzerland would've been the only hope for Liechtenstein's defense.

Also, I do remember Hitler being somewhat interested in accumulating wealth, and Liechtenstein was not a poor country.

" Hitler liked money, both for the luxuries it bought him and the loyalties it ensured, and he amassed a lot of it."

Hitler was greedy

Today, its GDP is about $4.16 billion (2007). That means its per capita purchasing power parity was $118,000 in 2007, the highest in the world. The United States per capita purchasing power is $47,275.

Liechtenstein shares a national anthem with the UK and the historical anthem of the US.


The Prince of Wales' motto is "Ich Dien," German for "I Serve". Why British royalty would have a motto in German and not English or at least Latin is curious, to say the least.

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Nationalism is certainly a very important thing to rulers, and Germany is a centuries-old competitor to British Imperialism. Using the language of a competitor as a royal motto would be...in poor taste.

Here you can see Prince Alois of Liechtenstein stumbling through the English language.



Now, you don't have to be multilingual to lead, but as a wealthy ruler of a 1st world European country, you would think he would have a stronger grasp on the international language of business. But if his family holds as much power as I'm hypothesizing, his subjects would be obliged to cater to them in German.

So, no grief from England or Germany...

The Princely House of Liechtenstein has held monarchical rulership in Europe since at least 1140AD (and you thought the Bush family had overstayed its welcome.)
source
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The Liechtenstein coat of arms. I won't bore you with an uneducated attempt at interpretation, but it is chock-full of regal symbology.
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It also bears a resemblance to the historical coat of arms of Egypt. Though I'm not claiming any direct connection, just keeping your wheels turning.

Further, the Flag of Liechtenstein is interesting.
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It did not always include the crown. The crown was added in 1937 after it was discovered that the flag then in use was identical to the flag of Haiti. Some way to differentiate... It may seem trivial, but as many of us know, the elite are VERY concerned with symbology, and a crown is a symbol of supreme authority. It takes a bit of confidence for a dinky little nation to stick that symbol on their flag. It is the only national flag in the world to bear this symbol.

According to www.celebritynetworth.com (surprisingly reliable, yet tends to align with mainstream numbers), Prince Alois is worth $3.5 billion. For some perspective, Jay Rockefeller's net worth is claimed to be $200 million (I'm sure none of us believe that, seeing as great grandpa John was worth over $200 BILLION in today's terms. The super rich tend to get richer.)

Liechtenstein is a member of the Council of Europe and the United Nations. Its relations with the EU are as follows:

EU's relations with Liechtenstein are based on the EEA (European Economic Area) Agreement, and there are very few issues that are not covered by this Agreement. However, Liechtenstein also has a customs and monetary union with Switzerland since 1924 and is strongly integrated in the Swiss economy in addition to its participation in the European Economic Area. In addition to the EEA Agreement, the EU has bilateral agreements with Liechtenstein on subjects such as taxation of savings . Liechtenstein will also be part of the Schengen/Dublin co-operation. Negotiations on EU-Liechtenstein co-operation on combating fraud and exchange of information on tax matters are expected to be concluded in the near future.

source

So, no grief from the EU and a friendly relationship with the financiers of Switzerland.

Here is a video that is an excellent collection of information on Liechtenstein. Believe me, I'm not one to recommend a half hour monologue from a hippie lady on YouTube as a solid source, but this video is incredibly well-organized, and she has all the sources to back her up. If you want to look further into the information I've presented, start here.


Take this information for what it's worth, I claim nothing conclusive. It's simply something that struck me as fascinating, plausible and even likely. Perhaps there is more hiding behind that royal curtain the family sports upon its crest than we know. I hope you enjoy the thought.

Very interesting...

2 business's per citizen... nothing fishy there! not

The Prince of Wales' motto is "Ich Dien," German for "I Serve". Why British royalty would have a motto in German and not English or at least Latin is curious, to say the least.

Not really since the current royal family has German ancestry.

Members of the royal family belong to, either by birth or marriage, the House of Windsor, since 1917, when George V changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This decision was primarily taken because Britain and her Empire were at war with Germany and given the British Royal Family's strong German ancestry, it was felt that its public image could be improved by choosing a more British house name.

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by TheComte

...it was felt that its public image could be improved by choosing a more British house name.

en.wikipedia.org...

edit on 29-6-2011 by TheComte because: (no reason given)

Valid point. Although choosing an English motto would've also helped public image.

Originally posted by whitl103

Originally posted by TheComte

...it was felt that its public image could be improved by choosing a more British house name.

en.wikipedia.org...

edit on 29-6-2011 by TheComte because: (no reason given)

Valid point. Although choosing an English motto would've also helped public image.

I guess they decided they didn't need that much help. Just changing the family name would be enough to appease the people.

reply to post by whitl103


Further to your question about Ich Dien as the motto of the Prince of Wales and the question it raises about divided loyalties. Castlemartin in Wales was a tank training area that trained visiting Bundeswehr post WWII. I also have been unable to chase up something I saw many years ago about somewhere in Wales, Cardiff Castle I thought I remembered it as, being the only foreign country German troops had a permanent base in in the post war period.
Just seems to hint at the symbolic a little. No doubt they were training to be part of NATO. However just another little hmm.

You are definitely on to something here. I doubt most people could find Lichtenstein on a map, no less spell it. Very curious indeed that their borders have remained sacrosanct while at least 3 major European conflagrations around it killed millions.
Wasn't a Bilderburg meeting held there recently?
Anyways, out of sight - out of mind. Lichtenstein has done a great job of staying under the radar and for a very good reason which I believe you have given us the answer for.
S&F

Very interesting indeed. The Free Market Capitalist in me thinks that this is just a small country doing what it can to attract investment and business, which is a good thing. In that regard, the United States should take some notes and follow suit. The cynic is me thinks this is nothing more than the Delaware of Europe. This is also very similar to this thread here... except this is on an international level.

It makes you wonder... could this tiny little country just be a shell corporation for the elitists of the world?

Originally posted by goldentorch
reply to post by whitl103

 

Further to your question about Ich Dien as the motto of the Prince of Wales and the question it raises about divided loyalties.

Thanks for that info, I didn't know that. I drummed up a Welsh source.

It was the Cold War and the beginning of European unity, which brought the German army to Pembrokeshire in 1961.

At first the arrival of their tanks was greeted with protests by some, who objected to the presence of German troops on British soil just 16 years after the end of the World War II, and in particular the Luftwaffe bombing of nearby Pembroke Dock.

Most welcomed the troops and the prospect of civilian jobs on the nearby tank range, which they brought with them. Within less than two years the controversy had all but disappeared as the German soldiers settled into making the western corner of Wales a home from home.

Over 35 years 84,000 soldiers passed through Castlemartin and Pembrokeshire people got used to their presence.

source
They helped to create "unity" among the nations of Europe.

I just watched a very interesting interview with the old Prince.



He has some very good ideas of small government and power to the people.

He wrote a book about it.

From his perspective as a ruling monarch, Prince Hans-Adam affirms the centrality of democracy in the modern nation-state and makes the case for limited government: "[The United States and Europe] have to free the state from all the unnecessary tasks and burdens with which it has been loaded during the last hundred years, which have distracted it from its two main tasks: maintenance of the rule of law and foreign policy." Using the examples of China and Russia to illustrate the difficulty of transitioning from dictatorships to democracy, he asserts the primacy of establishing economic freedom. Finally, he speaks to the importance of America maintaining its preeminent role in world affairs.

Originally posted by EartOccupant
I just watched a very interesting interview with the old Prince.

He has some very good ideas of small government and power to the people.

He wrote a book about it.

From his perspective as a ruling monarch, Prince Hans-Adam affirms the centrality of democracy in the modern nation-state and makes the case for limited government: "[The United States and Europe] have to free the state from all the unnecessary tasks and burdens with which it has been loaded during the last hundred years, which have distracted it from its two main tasks: maintenance of the rule of law and foreign policy." Using the examples of China and Russia to illustrate the difficulty of transitioning from dictatorships to democracy, he asserts the primacy of establishing economic freedom. Finally, he speaks to the importance of America maintaining its preeminent role in world affairs.

edit on 29-6-2011 by EartOccupant because: (no reason given)

Perhaps he is in agreement with classical liberals like Frederic Bastiat. See the quote in my signature line.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
Wasn't a Bilderburg meeting held there recently?
Anyways, out of sight - out of mind. Lichtenstein has done a great job of staying under the radar and for a very good reason which I believe you have given us the answer for.
S&F

I haven't found any history of a meeting there, but there have been 5 in Switzerland, including the one this month.

Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, is a member of the Bilderberg group. If you don't know anything about Hans-Adam:

Liechtenstein's ruling prince won overwhelming support from his subjects (in 2003) to become Europe's only absolute monarch. The campaign, involving hate mail and intimidation of opponents with animal parts, divided families and friends. Under the new constitution, the prince wins the right to veto bills, sack the government and adopt emergency laws.
source

Prince Hans-Adam owns LGT banking group and has a personal fortune of £7.6 billion, making him one of the world's richest heads of state, and Europe's wealthiest monarch.

On 30 July 1967, at Vaduz, Liechtenstein, he married his second cousin, once removed.
source

Richest monarch in Europe, eh? The only absolute monarch? Animal parts? Good guy. At least his wife is a second cousin.

p.s. Don't forget that first "e" in Liechtenstein.

I remember looking into cryonics. Life Core was the name of the company, I think. I any event, they suggested moving all assets to Liechtenstein as it is the only nation on the planet that permits an individual to manage their estate from the grave.

I do not know if this is the case anymore.

Who knows how many of these companies are managed by dead people.

reply to post by OptimusSubprime


I think those views are much alike indeed.

The old lady in the youtube vid has lost a few screws too much in my humble opinion. I watched the same interview with the Prince, and she totally misunderstood the whole thing.

Originally posted by EartOccupant
I just watched a very interesting interview with the old Prince.

He has some very good ideas of small government and power to the people.

He wrote a book about it.

Can't wait to watch the video, but I must wait until my lunch break. However, my pre-video opinion is that his push for more power under a new Constitution supported some serious personal interests, even if it centered around small government.

An interview:

Ladislav Kahoun: Could you say what in your opinion are the advantages and disadvantages of monarchy against republic?

Prince Hans-Adam II: If you look at human history world-wide you see that through-out human history usually monarchies dominated as the form of government and not republics... a monarchy usually offers more political stability over longer periods of time and that the monarch has the tendency to think in generations and not about winning the next elections... the combination which we have here in Liechtenstein with a strong monarch, a direct democracy which goes further even than in Switzerland... could be a model for future monarchies.

For a little bit less than a hundred years we have lived now in a republican age, which is not very long if you look at human history, and I think sooner or later monarchies will come back.

Prince Hans-Adam II - I Want My Property Back

Not all bad, he even appears to support some real liberty for people and strong nation management. But I imagine he wants the Liechtenstein family to be that future monarch for the world.

reply to post by EartOccupant


Wow, that guy sounds like the monarchical version of Ron Paul.

Liechtenstein sounds and looks like an amazing country. Thanks for posting this OP

reply to post by whitl103


Not so fast.. He promotes the freedom of local communities too a very high level, he even tells that IF a village by referendum decides to leave to Principal it is free to go!

There is a price: Local communities can rule themselves, but they also have to take care of themselves, No state social welfare etc. That should be dealt with locally. In return low taxes.

Edit: I have to add that, although he is the reigning monarch, I do not know if all the things he say already in place in Liechtenstein, or just future taught projects from his book.

Excellent thread. I have only heard of Lichtenstein this year during my training when they were warning us of countries that are known to help money-launderers. Of course Lichtenstein was on there. You would think from the description from the anti-money laundering stuff that it would be some rinky-dink poor country with no rules but this truly opened my eyes. I'll have to research more into this myself when I have more time.

Originally posted by EartOccupant
reply to post by whitl103

 

Not so fast.. He promotes the freedom of local communities too a very high level, he even tells that IF a village by referendum decides to leave to Principal it is free to go!

As I said in the OP, I claim nothing conclusive. And the impression I'm getting of Prince Hans-Adam is that he and his family are really good at being successful monarchs. He knows how to make a nation function well. There are admirable qualities to his leadership. He's practically a Libertarian, except for the vast accumulation of personal wealth and power.

That's what I'm interested in. For better or worse, he appears to be a Super Secret Global Elitist who knows exactly how to profit while keeping his subjects happy.