Michael Krieger On The Rebirth Of Barter

From small Black Markets to organized governments, barter as exchange is here, and gaining momentum.  Zero Hedge.  Excerpts:

One of the most important articles I have read this week comes from Forbes contributor Gordon Chang. In it he states that China is preparing to avoid U.S. sanctions on Iran by paying for oil with gold. Not only that but he also mentions that China has already been bartering with Iran to get a hold of petroleum. He states:

So how can Beijing keep both Iran’s ayatollahs and President Obama happy at the same time? Simple, the Chinese can avoid the U.S. sanctions through barter. China has already been trading its produce for Iran’s petroleum, but there is only so much gai lan and bok choy the Iranians can eat. That’s why Iran is also accepting, among other goods, Chinese washing machines, refrigerators, toys, clothes, cosmetics, and toiletries.
The barter trade works, but Iran needs cash too. As it is being cut off from the global financial system, the next best thing is gold. So we should not be surprised that in late February the Iranian central bank said it would accept that metal as payment for oil. Last year, China imported $21.7 billion in Iranian oil and exported $14.8 billion in goods and services. As the NDAA goes into effect, look for Beijing to ship gold to Iran to make up the difference.

Thus, the leadership in America in its infinite stupidity has actually accelerated the demise of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. (Author's emphasis)

Seems about right, doesn't it, considering the caliber of those exercising political control over economic matters..  And again, we return to the consideration of Unintended Consequences..  Seriously; doesn't this seem like the machinations of Universe "B," the "Murphy's Law" Universe?  Well, events are in motion;  Since we can't stop them, we might as well track 'em..