It's not about who own's what, it's about who owns who. The reason it's hard to identify whos in charge is because it's not a hierarchy. It's a set of interlocking agendas, informal and formal organizations that work together sometimes officially, and sometimes casually, alternating between competition and cooperation. Much of revelations describes the same scenario, like someone who didn't have the scientific language at the time to describe particular geopolitical processes and situations. So, like much of the writing of the time, it is coached in the language of symbol and metaphor. It's the good ol' beast system. Group psychology is one tough fucker to crack. You ever been in the middle of a herd of cattle right as something spooks them? I haven't but I imagine thats what the current national and international mood would feel like. They're either overconfident or terrified, and theres no middle ground for whoever 'they' are or happen to be. Theres definitely a transition of somesort going on though. Might explain why people over at ZH have been whining on about "the large sucking sound" they keep hearing. It's the economy? Politics? Something else? Anyone's guess because hindsight is 20/20, unlike foresight which rarely is. Discovering the future is like walking forwards, while facing backwards, and becoming aware of the dangers and opportunities by tripping over everything that you come across until you split your fucking head open in the process. If you want to know what the future holds watch what the 1% do. Pay attention to the hedge funds or other financial institutions more lightfooted than your typical bank Finally pay attention to military investment. You can lie about politics. You can lie about civil society. You can lie about religion. But the money and the military will always betray what leadership and bankers are thinking. And they are the ones steering the world.