© Getty Images



A security "ring of steel" is already in place at keys sites in Cardiff and in Newport - some 12 miles (20km) of fencing with pedestrian access points.



More than 150 heads of state and ministers including US President Barack Obama will attend the two-day summit.



Their entourage will include around 10,000 support staff, while 2,000 journalists are also expected to attend.



The man heading the security operation, which includes 1,500 officers from south Wales, has described it as "completely uncharted territory" for British policing and said "discreet" armed protection would also be used.



To mark the summit, the Royal Mint has struck a limited edition bronze commemorative "coin".



Although not legal tender, the 150 coins feature the Nato logo and the words Nato Summit Wales 2014 in English and Welsh.

9,500 police will be present.

7 NATO warships will be stationed off the Welsh coast.

12 miles of steel fencing has been erected.

The fencing will be 9 feet tall around Cardiff and Newport.

© Matt Cardy/Getty Images



© Matt Cardy/Getty Images



© Matt Cardy/Getty Images



Most of us woke up this morning to news that the UK had raised its terror threat level from "substantial" to "severe." Considering the competence and trustworthiness of the nation's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, there must be some specific threat they're concerned about to justify instilling fear in a population of 65 million. Nope.Although the new threat level rates the risk of an attack on the UK to "highly likely," Home Secretary Theresa May stated that "there was no evidence to suggest one was imminent." Well then.It makes you wonder if the the change in threat level is being used in part to justify the extraordinary $80 million sum spent on building a fortress around the Newport and Cardiff city centers in Wales, which many are describing as "similar to the Berlin Wall," or a "zoo," in an unprecedented display of protection for many of the world's most corrupt politicians.The BBC reports that:I'm sure glad they found time to create a commemorative coin amid all the imminent terror attacks.Now here's a quick cheat sheet . Recall that this is all for a 2-day summit:Now here are a few photos to give you a sense of what it looks like in the area:Care to take a walk in the park perhaps? Lovely view this time of year:So how do the bureaucrats justify such ridiculous spending? Terrorism, of course!For example, we know that MP Kim Howells, an ex-chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee chairman, made what appears to be an entirely unsubstantiated claim that "he believed terrorists could be planning something for the largest gathering of international leaders ever held in the UK."The much more likely reason is to keep the politicians away from the rabble. For example, 20,000 protesters are expected to be in the area, and heaven forbid these "leaders," which large percentages of their citizenry view as corrupt and thieving criminals, have to face any of the plebs.More significantly, you have to wonder whether world "leaders" are using this as conditioning to get the masses used to what life is going to be like in the decades ahead if they have their way. After all, this security spectacle seems particularly interesting in that it's happening 13 years AFTER 9/11.This is what neo-feudalism looks like.In Liberty,Michael Krieger