Geopolitical Economy Report

South Korea's US-backed President Yoon Suk Yeol launched a coup attempt, but failed. He tried to provoke war with North Korea by attacking with drones, hoping to justify imposing martial law, but the DPRK showed restraint. Ben Norton analyzes the geopolitics of the crisis, addressing NATO, China, Japan, and more. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGXKAkieFkY Topics 0:00 Intro 1:10 Yoon Suk Yeol, DC darling 2:11 Authoritarianism in South Korea & Japan 3:07 Washington's anti-China alliance 3:46 Yoon plotted war with North Korea 6:15 Yoon ordered military to assault lawmakers 7:51 South Korean opposition 9:00 Crazy coup plot 10:55 Coup planned in advance 11:39 Opposition warned of martial law 12:11 Yoon's corruption & unpopularity 14:01 Class war 15:02 Chaebols: corporate oligopolies 17:21 US military bases 18:49 South Korea: a US "client" 19:54 (CLIP) Yoon's speech to US Congress 22:23 Yoon blames "Chinese spies" 23:04 US cultivates anti-China assets 23:54 Lee Jae-myung opposes conflict with China 26:20 Japan 29:32 NATO 30:30 USA targets "Axis of Adversaries" 31:14 US nuclear threats 33:12 NYPD spends more than DPRK military 34:06 Korean War 34:43 USA killed 20% of North Korea's population 36:56 UK plans for world war 38:00 Outro

The Syrian government was overthrown, and Salafi-jihadist rebels led by a rebranded version of Al-Qaeda called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power in Damascus. US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu boasted of helping topple Bashar al-Assad. NATO member Turkey played a key role as well. Ben Norton explains how the West dealt a major blow to the Axis of Resistance and Iran. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8pZgwOdIuA Al-Qaeda-linked ‘rebels’ in Syria say they ‘love Israel’. USA gave them billions in weapons & support: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/12/06/al-qaeda-rebels-syria-israel-usa/ US troops are occupying Syria’s oil fields. Congress refuses to withdraw them: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/12/12/us-troops-occupy-syria-oil-congress-withdraw/ Topics 0:00 Syrian government is overthrown 3:17 Al-Qaeda leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani 4:39 AQ rebrands: Jabhat al-Nusra to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham to HTS 6:16 Western media whitewashed Osama bin Laden 7:53 Jake Sullivan: "AQ is on our side in Syria" 8:49 CIA spends billions arming Salafi-jihadists 10:06 Diplomat says HTS is US "asset" 11:33 HTS' medieval rule in Syria 12:44 Libya: where NATO brought back slavery 15:40 (CLIP) Biden takes credit for overthrowing Assad 16:58 Syrian Al-Qaeda got US weapons 17:24 Turkey backed Syrian assault 17:50 Ukraine's role in Syria 18:30 Israel boasts of Syria regime change 19:12 (CLIP) Netanyahu: Israel helped topple Assad 19:26 Israel supported Syrian rebels 20:38 Syrian rebels say they "love Israel" 22:09 Israel seizes more Syrian territory 23:15 Axis of Resistance is weakened 25:15 Syria's territorial integrity 26:41 US military occupies Syria's oil fields 27:19 (CLIP) Trump boasts: I took Syria's oil 27:46 Congress backs US military occupation of Syria 28:33 US starved Syria of oil revenue 29:43 Western sanctions suffocated Syria's economy 32:42 Inflation in Syria 33:35 This is not about "authoritarianism" 36:08 US strategy to collapse Syrian state 37:30 (CLIP) US official outlines Syria regime-change plan 39:46 Will Syria's borders be changed? 41:41 Iran: the ultimate US target 42:45 (CLIP) Wesley Clark: US planned to topple 7 governments 43:38 US collapsed 6 of 7 states on regime-change list 44:34 Will US war on Iran be next? 46:24 Outro

While the United States provokes conflicts across the world, China has promoted economic development, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, building infrastructure, and encouraging win-win cooperation. Political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson are joined by Beijing-based scholar Mick Dunford to discuss the significance of the 75th anniversary of the Chinese revolution. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuKG___qK-8 This is part of the show Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the program here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

The United States spent billions over years arming and training militants in Syria, many linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The extremist "rebels" who took over Aleppo (and rule Idlib) said they "love Israel". Ben Norton documents the Western dirty war on Syria, and how Washington is trying to divide and conquer the anti-colonial Axis of Resistance in West Asia (the Middle East). VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl-vX1RBapo Sources and links here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/12/06/al-qaeda-rebels-syria-israel-usa/ Topics 0:00 CIA armed & trained "rebels" in Syria 2:14 Rebranded Al-Qaeda (HTS) takes over Aleppo 4:54 Jake Sullivan: "AQ is on our side in Syria" 6:04 Syrian Al-Qaeda (Nusra Front) got US weapons 6:50 Israel supported Salafi-jihadist "rebels" in Syria 7:52 Syrian "rebels" say they "love Israel" 11:47 US demands Syria cut ties with Iran & Hezbollah 13:14 Israel violated Lebanon "ceasefire" 100 times in 1 week 14:09 USA tries to divide Axis of Resistance 15:31 Geopolitics of West Asia (Middle East) 16:23 Israel is US empire's unsinkable aircraft carrier 17:46 (CLIP) Biden: If Israel didn't exist, US would have to create it 18:11 USA uses Israel to crush anti-colonial resistance 19:59 ISIS got US weapons 22:05 (CLIP) Biden: US allies supported ISIS & Al-Qaeda in Syria 24:10 DIA memo shows Pentagon knew ISIS & AQ led Syrian opposition 29:21 NATO-backed Israeli think tank said ISIS was "useful tool" 31:30 US-led war on Syria continues 32:15 Outro

As the NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine escalates, the US Army is funding research on "the impacts of nuclear weapons on farm systems" in Eastern Europe. Numerous scientific studies warn that this would cause a nuclear winter that would starve billions and kill off the majority of the human population. Ben Norton discusses the extreme dangers. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV8rCGchY-k 94% of Americans want to end Ukraine war, but US rejects China peace deal, opposes talks with Russia: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/06/08/end-ukraine-war-us-china-peace-deal-russia/ Topics 0:00 Intro 0:27 Doomsday Clock is 90 seconds to midnight 2:09 US Army studies effects of nuclear weapons on agriculture 3:47 Scientists say nuclear war would kill billions 5:46 Nuclear winter 6:47 Escalation of Ukraine proxy war 7:48 Ukraine (and NATO) is losing 8:58 Most Americans want to end Ukraine war 10:03 US nuclear war strategy 11:37 USA spends trillions on nuclear weapons 14:39 Donald Trump tore up Russia arms treaties 17:37 Trump gave Ukraine lethal weapons 18:23 (CLIP) Trump boasts of Ukraine arms shipments 18:40 Trump is not anti-war 19:11 Bipartisan US war drive 20:19 Outro

To defend their colonialism in Gaza, the United States and Israel have attacked every single legal institution upholding international law, including the UN, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and more. Ben Norton explains how the imperial war on Palestine is a neocolonial assault on multilateralism and multipolarity. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EAAytPjQzc Check out our related video - US threatens ICC & allies over Netanyahu arrest warrant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqBtZxSYwaU Topics 0:00 Intro 0:40 US vetoes Gaza ceasefire in UN Security Council 2:24 Israel uses food as weapon in Gaza 4:19 Israel violates ICJ rulings 5:26 US attacks ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant 6:36 Washington Post: ICC is for Global South & Russia 7:59 Billionaire oligarch Jeff Bezos owns Washington Post 9:20 ICC was "built for Africa" & Russia 10:26 (CLIP) ICC prosecutor on Western pressure 10:51 Rules-Based International Order 12:47 UN Security Council 14:27 Wolfowitz Doctrine 15:35 US unipolarity 17:02 Western colonialism 18:23 Israeli colonialism 19:25 Israel is ethnically cleansing Gaza 20:45 Israeli minister Smotrich vows to annex West Bank 21:52 Israel attacks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres 23:42 Trump's UN ambassador pick Elise Stefanik 24:26 Trump withdrew US from UN Human Rights Council 25:15 Biden-Harris administration 25:54 UN experts warn Gaza war destroys international law 27:42 Outro

The Western alliance is divided over Israel, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, charging him with crimes against humanity in Gaza. The United States is threatening sanctions. Ben Norton discusses the severe political crisis in the "rules-based order". VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqBtZxSYwaU Sources and links here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/11/24/west-israel-us-threat-icc-netanyahu-arrest/ Here you can see the September 2024 UN vote demanding an end to Israel's illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/09/19/end-israel-occupation-palestine-un-vote/ Topics 0:00 ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu 0:25 West divides over Israel 0:57 US politicians threaten allies 1:35 UN accuses Israel of g-cide 3:03 Israel is ethnically cleansing Gaza 3:41 ICC tries to save its reputation 4:36 ICC delayed arrest warrants for 6 months 5:01 US sent Israel $18 billion in military aid in 1 year 5:25 US pressure on ICC 6:20 (CLIP) US Senator Lindsey Graham warns: "We're next!" 6:44 Biden attacks ICC 7:27 The "rules-based international order" 7:55 Senator Tom Cotton wants to invade the Hague 8:25 Hague Invasion Act 9:27 Trump officials threaten ICC 10:07 Trump sanctioned ICC personnel 11:23 House of Representatives calls to sanction ICC 12:14 Australia, Canada, UK support ICC 13:54 Senator Lindsey Graham threatens US allies 14:31 (CLIP) Lindsey Graham calls to sanction US allies 14:53 US threatens Western allies 15:27 EU backs ICC arrest warrants 16:32 France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland back ICC 16:51 UN vote on Israel-Palestine 17:33 Viktor Orbán's Hungary supports Israel, attacks ICC 18:24 Javier Milei's Argentina backs Netanyahu 19:17 Germany refuses to honor ICC warrant 19:48 West is split on Israel 20:49 Outro

US politicians and media outlets complain about China's growing global influence, but offer no alternatives to help countries develop. China has the world's largest economy, produces inexpensive manufactured goods everyone wants, invests trillions in infrastructure, and doesn't interfere in internal affairs of foreign nations. Ben Norton compares what Washington and Beijing have done in Latin America, especially Peru and Nicaragua. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRpe7W4vxHY Topics 0:00 US politicians fearmonger about China 1:32 Non-interventionist foreign policy vs US wars 2:21 China: world's largest economy & manufacturer 3:49 China: biggest trading partner of most countries 4:36 Latin America 6:48 Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) 9:19 US alternative: tariffs & privatized infrastructure 11:42 BlackRock plans to buy up infrastructure 12:39 BlackRock CEO Larry Fink at G7 summit 13:49 China builds Peru's Chancay mega-port 15:56 USA threatens Latin America over Chinese-built port 18:09 US-backed coup in Peru 19:47 USA sells Peru old trains from 1980s 21:31 What US offers vs what China offers 23:40 Nicaragua canal plans 25:04 US attacks on Nicaragua's Sandinista Revolution 26:10 Why China is winning influence 29:02 Outro

To run the US military in his second term, Donald Trump has nominated as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a neoconservative self-declared "crusader" who is eager for a Western civilizational war on China and Iran. Ben Norton reviews the extremely hawkish history of the Fox News host turned likely Pentagon chief. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9WBjcfVhu4 Topics 0:00 Trump's defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth 0:31 An "American Crusade" (against China & Iran) 1:53 Hegseth called on Trump to bomb Iran 4:44 Trying to divide China & Russia 5:39 Fearmongering about BRICS & de-dollarization 7:48 "Axis of Evil": neocon ideology 8:26 Neocolonialism in Latin America 9:47 Preparing for war with China 11:33 Outro

Donald Trump has appointed neoconservative Marco Rubio to oversee US foreign policy as secretary of state. Ben Norton reviews his extremely hawkish record pushing for war on China, Iran, and beyond, as well as the Florida senator's shady support for his drug lord brother-in-law, Orlando Cicilia, who was imprisoned for trafficking $15 million in cocaine. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ncw2VCsJFI Topics 0:00 Intro 0:32 China is threat to US unipolar dominance 1:21 Rubio loves Israel 1:55 Rubio wants "disproportionate" attack on Iran 2:25 Religious fundamentalism 3:47 China is "far more dangerous than the cold war" 4:33 Neocolonialism in Latin America 6:03 Rubio wants USA to invade Venezuela 6:25 Monroe Doctrine 7:42 China and Latin America 8:39 Scapegoating China 9:28 Chinagate: the new McCarthyism 10:55 Censorship 11:41 Rubio wants to censor "disinformation" 12:08 Threatening Mexico 13:05 Rubio's shady links to drug lord brother-in-law 14:02 Outro

Donald Trump has nominated warmongering neoconservatives to run his foreign policy, including Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor, Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, John Ratcliffe as CIA Director, and Elise Stefanik as UN Ambassador. Ben Norton reports on their extremely hawkish views. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsrUUkDBWg Topics 0:00 Trump's warmongering cabinet 3:54 Strategy: try to divide Russia & China 5:05 Summary of foreign policy of Trump's 1st term 8:31 Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor 12:49 Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary 19:52 Neocolonialism in Latin America 23:00 Marco Rubio, Secretary of State 29:20 John Ratcliffe, CIA Director 32:07 Elise Stefanik, UN Ambassador 34:53 Outro

How will the return of Donald Trump as US president affect the world? What will his foreign policy and economic strategy be? Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJQKIwe2BYo Topics 0:00 Intro 0:33 Summary of Trump's foreign policy 10:44 Neocons in Trump's cabinet 14:41 China 18:48 Tariffs & trade with China 24:47 US dollar & re-industrialization 29:39 Protectionism 37:01 Russia & Ukraine 42:23 Israel-Palestine 44:31 Iran 46:36 Middle East (West Asia): Yemen, Iraq, Syria 49:41 Latin America: Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia 53:17 Africa 54:32 Europe 56:11 Japan & South Korea 57:53 Outro

Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election in a landslide. Why did Kamala Harris lose so badly? Ben Norton explains the failure of the billionaire-funded Democratic Party to provide an economic alternative to the billionaire-funded Republicans' pseudo "populism", as working-class people suffer. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSBi0m5xCJs Topics 0:00 Donald Trump wins 2024 presidential election 1:07 Who really is Kamala Harris? Does anyone know? 4:42 DNC strategy: sacrifice workers for moderate Republicans in suburbs 5:48 Harris campaigns with neoconservative Cheney family 6:56 Harris had no democratic mandate 7:42 Out-trumping Trump on immigration? Really? 8:04 Hillary Clinton 2.0 10:05 Low Democrat turnout 11:12 The status quo loses 12:34 Dems' extreme pro-Israel stance lost swing state voters 16:01 Rashida Tlaib & Ilhan Omar won; Harris lost 17:37 "Never Trump Republicans" barely exist 18:30 It's the economy, stupid 20:09 US GDP growth is not benefiting workers 21:39 Wealth inequality 22:32 Poverty & hunger increased under Biden-Harris 23:33 Trump scapegoats 24:09 (CLIP) Trump vows: "We are going to take other countries' jobs" 24:58 Trump's false promises 25:27 Deindustrialization 26:22 Immigration 28:40 Trump's tax cuts help rich elites, hurt workers 31:12 Billionaires Elon Musk & Stephen Schwarzman funded Trump 32:11 Inflation, debt, deficits 35:11 Tariffs 35:40 Conclusion

Billionaire BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said it “really doesn’t matter” who wins the US presidential election, because both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will be good for Wall Street. Ben Norton shows how the United States is not a democracy but rather an oligarchy, in which big corporations buy politicians and lobbyists create policies. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPfp01rsD0 Topics 0:00 US election season 0:42 BlackRock CEO: it “really doesn’t matter” who wins US elections 2:20 The "Big Three" Wall Street asset managers 3:06 S&P 500 and Nasdaq bubbles 4:35 Richest 10% of Americans own 93% of stocks 5:30 Princeton study: USA is oligarchy, not democracy 6:26 Billions spent buying US elections 7:54 Money buys seats in Congress (90% of the time) 8:50 Crypto industry funds Republicans & Democrats 10:51 Biden promised rich donors "nothing would fundamentally change" 11:59 Extreme wealth & income inequality in USA 15:12 US wages stagnated while productivity soared 15:42 Financialization of US economy 17:09 Inflation & cost of living crisis 18:43 House prices grow much faster than wages 20:48 Blackstone: the world's largest landlord 22:49 Private equity 24:03 Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman funds Trump 24:28 Kamala Harris & Trump woo Wall Street 25:25 Trump tax cuts make rich much richer 27:19 BlackRock makes economic policy for Biden & Harris 28:10 USA is an oligarchy 29:41 Outro

For the 32nd year, the entire world voted at the UN General Assembly to demand an end to the illegal US embargo against Cuba. The USA and Israel opposed the international community in a vote of 187 to 2. Ben Norton explains why the US empire has waged such a vicious economic war on Cuba for six decades. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTX4zSfCQYM TOPICS 0:00 US economic war on Cuba 1:39 UN General Assembly vote against US blockade 2:06 Map of UN vote against US embargo of Cuba 3:25 Venezuela & Afghanistan lost UN voting rights due to US sanctions 5:15 Argentina's Milei fires foreign minister for voting with 97% of world 7:08 UN votes against US embargo in 2023 & 2022 8:41 Why the US empire wants to crush Cuba 10:29 Goal of US sanctions: "hunger, desperation, and overthrow" 13:39 Dedollarization & BRICS 15:40 Bipartisan barbarism: Biden continues Trump's war on Cuba 18:01 West votes against rest of world at UN 20:08 US imperialism is a global dictatorship 23:17 Outro

BRICS plans to transform the international monetary and financial system, and discussed policies at the 2024 summit in Kazan, Russia. Can it successfully challenge the dominance of the US dollar? Political economist Radhika Desai is joined by Ben Norton and former central banker Kathleen Tyson, author of the book "Multicurrency Mercantilism". VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7ejfZdPboo This is part of the show Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the program here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP You can follow Kathleen on Twitter/X here: https://x.com/kathleen_tyson_ Topics 0:00 Highlight 1:24 Intro: 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia 7:33 Evaluating BRICS proposal to improve financial system 16:47 De-dollarizing trade vs capital markets 24:50 Can a global currency solve the Triffin dilemma? 29:10 Investment flows from poor to rich 30:44 Capital controls 37:16 Could Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) be a new global reserve currency? 42:17 Can a currency backed by a basket of commodities help settle trade imbalances? 48:38 Financial deregulation, Glass-Steagall, and China 53:21 HSBC splits between West and East 55:18 How can central banks de-dollarize reserves? 1:02:35 Controlling finance 1:09:01 What can China do with its huge surplus? 1:16:11 Outro

BRICS held a summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024, where 13 new "partner nations" were accepted. This followed the 2023 meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, where several members were invited to join. Ben Norton analyzes the historic events, and shows how the Global South is building a more multipolar world. BRICS MEMBERSHIP (9 members + 13 partner countries) - 5 original members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. - 4 new members officially admitted in January 2024 are Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and UAE. (Saudi Arabia has not accepted. Argentina rejected the offer.) - 13 "partner countries" are Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Türkiye, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUdlzmk73Ns Check out our related report - BRICS plans ‘multi-currency system’ to challenge US dollar dominance: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/10/19/brics-russia-multi-currency-system-us-dollar/ Topics 0:00 BRICS expands 1:55 BRICS: 1/3rd of global GDP, 40% of population, 30% of oil production 2:40 Compare BRICS & G7 3:44 Saudi Arabia has not accepted offer; Argentina rejected 5:17 Leaders at 2024 summit in Kazan, Russia 6:48 China & India resolve border dispute 10:06 Unipolar domination vs multipolarity 11:04 Xi Jinping's speech 12:23 Plans to transform international monetary & financial system 13:24 Bretton Woods, US dollar, IMF, World Bank 15:19 BRICS grain exchange (commodities exchange) 17:17 Bolivia condemns "Western unipolarity & tyranny of the dollar" 20:19 Kazan declaration summary 25:49 Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Lebanon 27:16 Syria & Iran 28:27 Opposing nuclear weapons & space arms race 29:20 Outro

The US dollar is gradually losing its dominance, and foreign central banks are buying fewer Treasury securities, instead holding more gold in their reserves, warns Mohamed El-Erian, a mainstream American economist. Ben Norton discusses how countries are seeking financial alternatives, especially Global South nations around BRICS. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnMAit5MP-Y BRICS plans ‘multi-currency system’ to challenge US dollar dominance: Understanding Russia’s proposal - https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/10/19/brics-russia-multi-currency-system-us-dollar/ Topics 0:00 Western media cope on de-dollarization 2:53 Renowned US economist warns de-dollarization is happening 4:55 Gold price rises despite inflation falling 7:18 BRICS seeks alternatives to US dollar dominance 9:04 Sanctions, reserves freezes, weaponization of US dollar system 11:23 Holding gold in reserves is not bringing back gold standard 13:08 Central banks buy lots of gold 14:40 West's economic war on Russia failed 15:34 US-Israel wars in Middle East (West Asia) 17:18 "Erosion" of US dollar hegemony 18:56 US government debt and Treasury market 24:39 USA now spends more on debt interest than military 25:09 China dumps US Treasury securities 25:59 Europe, Canada, Taiwan buy US Treasury bonds 27:57 Outro

BRICS plans to challenge US dollar dominance and transform the international monetary and financial system by developing infrastructure for cross-border payments using local currencies. Russia made a detailed proposal for the October Kazan summit. Ben Norton analyzes the report, explaining how the US-dominated financial system benefits rich Western countries at the expense of the Global South -- which is why BRICS is pushing to change it. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pHr5yzLEHA Topics 0:00 US dollar hegemony 3:57 BRICS plan to transform international monetary & financial system 10:39 What are BRICS' goals? 13:22 New International Economic Order (NIEO) & G77 15:32 Dedollarization 20:02 Summary of BRICS report on financial system 31:59 West controls IMF & World Bank 36:34 Global economy has changed, but financial system hasn't 42:07 How rich countries drain capital from poor ones 45:16 Challenging the US dollar monopoly 47:29 Correspondent banks & SWIFT system 51:10 Central bank reserves & US Treasury securities 55:50 Triffin's Dilemma 57:54 Sanctions & US freezing countries' assets 1:00:18 Proposals for new cross-border payment architecture 1:03:15 Blockchain, DLT, & CBDCs (mBridge & Project Dunbar) 1:10:01 BRICS Cross-Border Payment Initiative (BCBPI) & BRICS Clear Platform 1:15:54 Dedollarizing foreign exchange reserves 1:18:22 New Development Bank (NDB) & BRICS Digital Investment Asset 1:20:10 Overview of Russian proposal 1:21:58 Will there be a BRICS currency? SDR (Special Drawing Rights) is a start 1:30:59 Conclusion

Countries across the Global South are denouncing Israel's Western-backed genocide in Gaza. Nicaragua's Sandinista government cut off diplomatic relations with Israel, condemning it as a "fascist" regime. Ben Norton discusses how Latin America is demonstrating solidarity with the Palestinian people, rebelling against the West's neocolonialism and imperialism. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeB2uuiWe4s Topics 0:00 Nicaragua ends diplomatic relations with Israel 1:56 UN expert: Israel is committing genocide 2:28 Israeli minister wants to starve all 2 million Gazans 3:34 Top Israeli newspaper says Netanyahu regime is fascist 5:14 International Court of Justice (ICJ) genocide case 7:53 Latin America's exemplary solidarity with Palestine 10:17 Nicaraguan National Assembly condemns Israel's genocide 13:51 Similar anti-imperialist struggles in Global South 16:28 Sandinistas' long history of support for Palestinians 17:38 ICJ: US owes reparations to Nicaragua 18:58 The West's "rules-based order" is just imperialism 20:44 Outro

Israel enjoys bipartisan support from both the Democratic and Republican Parties in Washington, as it brutally bombs Gaza, invades Lebanon, and attacks Iran, Syria, and Yemen. Ben Norton shows how Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, JD Vance, Tim Walz, and other US politicians facilitate Israel's war crimes, which are being investigated by the International Court of Justice. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAHrPkRum-Q Topics 0:00 Intro 2:08 USA & Israel wage war across Middle East 4:02 Hague investigates Israel for g*noc1de 4:57 Biden admin sends Israel $18 billion in military aid 5:24 Israel bombs civilian areas in Gaza with US weapons 6:04 US State Department approves Israeli war crimes 6:51 Gaza death toll: 186,000+ 9:45 International Criminal Court 11:12 Israel's colonialist goals 15:46 Israel invades Lebanon with US support 17:40 Iran responds to Israeli attacks 18:47 (CLIP) Kamala Harris defends Israel 19:17 Harris says a whole lot of nothing on Israel 20:09 (CLIP) Kamala Harris' Israeli word salad 20:29 Text of Harris' Israeli word salad 21:16 Joe Biden's support for Israel 21:50 (CLIP) Biden: If Israel didn't exist, US would create it 22:15 Biden threatens Iran's oil facilities 22:56 (CLIP) Trump calls to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities 23:48 Trump's anti-Palestinian bigotry 24:46 (CLIP) Trump calls Biden "Palestinian" as an insult 25:04 Harris-Trump debate 26:02 (CLIP) Kamala Harris vows to protect Israel 26:16 Harris' private meeting with Netanyahu 27:35 (CLIP) Trump claims Harris "hates" Israel 28:14 Biden-Harris administration arms Israel 28:40 Trump speech at Israeli American Council 29:00 (CLIP) Trump says Israel would not survive 2 years under Harris 29:41 (CLIP) Trump says he is candidate of "Western civilization" 30:07 (CLIP) Trump vows to deport people who oppose Israel 30:51 (CLIP) Trump attacks UN Human Rights Council & ICC 31:06 Trump boasts of his pro-Israel record 32:18 (CLIP) Trump: "I was the best friend Israel ever had" 32:47 Bipartisan support for Israel in US presidential election 33:34 Vice presidential debate: JD Vance & Tim Walz 34:40 (CLIP) Tim Walz vows to defend Israel 35:30 Israel must expand, insists Walz 36:03 JD Vance backs Israel 36:25 (CLIP) JD Vance supports anything Israel does 36:39 Did the Democrats "give" Iran $100 billion? 39:09 US war on Iran 41:00 (CLIP) Tim Walz sabre-rattles against Iran 41:41 Conflict started in 1948, not October 7, 2023 45:08 (CLIP) JD Vance: World should "fear" US 45:35 Bipartisan US imperialism 47:52 Outro

The United States and Israel are waging war across West Asia (the Middle East), attacking Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen -- all at once. Ben Norton analyzes the imperialist interests driving the violent chaos in the region. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO1UHJUCSCI You can find a back-up of our videos at https://rumble.com/GeopoliticalEconomy Subscribe to our newsletter at https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com Topics 0:00 Intro 0:42 Censorship & channel back-ups 2:08 Iran responds to Israel's attacks 4:01 USA claims Iran's counter-strike was "ineffective" 4:57 Contradictory US narratives on Iran & Israel 6:22 Western media propaganda 7:12 Israel's disproportionate attacks on Lebanon 8:07 History of Israel's invasions of Lebanon 10:10 US military sends more troops to Middle East 11:00 Pentagon supports Israel 12:26 USA & Israel plan attack on Iran's oil facilities 13:54 Oil price rises (weeks before elections) 15:37 Israel: US empire's unsinkable aircraft carrier 15:54 (Clip) Biden: If Israel didn't exist, US would create it 16:19 USA encourages Israel to expand wars 18:40 (Clip) US State Department opposes diplomacy with Hamas 19:16 US empire wants hegemony, not peace 21:25 CIA veterans say US should use Israel to attack Iran 23:11 US used Israel to arm right-wing dictatorships in Latin America 24:40 Israel: US empire's attack dog in West Asia 25:16 Israel kills PFLP leaders 26:32 Israel bombs Syria 27:22 Israel attacks near Russian military base 28:06 Israel bombs Yemen 28:54 US post-9/11 wars killed 4.5-4.7 MILLION people 29:39 Gulf monarchies call for neutrality, not backing USA 34:44 Outro

The Western powers in NATO are desperately delusional on Russia, and getting more so on China, argue political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson. They are joined by scholar Glenn Diesen to discuss the war in Ukraine, disaster in Europe, and farewell speech by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkTAw4u5qN4 This is part of the show Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the program here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

Israel has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who defended Lebanon's sovereignty, helped to defeat ISIS and Al-Qaeda, protected Christians, and fought against Israeli colonialism and military occupation. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxYAn-Ci4jE Topics 0:00 Israeli colonialism in Lebanon & Palestine 1:10 Diplomats walk out of UN to protest Netanyahu speech 1:35 Few countries claim Hezbollah is "terrorist" org 2:07 Hezbollah's political arm is in Lebanon's parliament 2:25 Lebanese Christian leaders mourn Nasrallah's death 3:38 "Terrorism" claims 4:24 Hezbollah's alliance with Christians 4:41 US/Israeli links to ISIS & Al-Qaeda 7:24 Nasrallah condemned Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, 9/11 attacks 10:21 USA supported Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan 11:38 Not anti-Semitic: distinguishing Zionism from Judaism 12:57 Zionism: Western colonialism in Palestine 15:16 Hezbollah formed to fight Israeli occupation of Lebanon 16:29 Israel assassinates political leaders, but resistance continues 18:35 Outro

Israel is bombing Lebanon, with staunch US support. An Israeli minister vowed that "Lebanon will be annihilated". Ben Norton analyzes the colonial war, explains the origins of Hezbollah, and provides historical context. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoyuwuXFG2c Topics 0:00 Israel is waging war on Lebanon 1:19 ICC accuses Israeli officials of crimes against humanity 2:41 USA facilitates Israel's crimes 4:16 Israeli education minister vows "Lebanon as we know it will not exist" 4:35 (Clip) Israeli minister: "Lebanon will be annihilated" 4:52 Israeli media calls for g*noc1de against Palestinians 5:27 Israeli minister boasts of new Nakba in Gaza 6:00 Israeli minister says Lebanon, Syria, Iraq are not sovereign states 8:34 Zionism & Israel: European colonialism in Palestine 10:22 (Clip) Netanyahu applauded in US Congress 10:43 Israel is the aggressor in Lebanon 11:56 Which countries call Hezbollah a "t3rr*rist" group? 13:44 Hezbollah's origins in Israeli occupation of Lebanon 16:29 Hezbollah's alliance with Christians & religious minorities 19:02 ISIS, Al-Qaeda, & Syria War 23:08 Israel, ISIS, & Al-Qaeda 26:02 Lebanon's sovereignty & territorial integrity 27:25 Outro

Israel killed many people in Lebanon by putting explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies, in what was condemned internationally as a terrorist attack. This is already backfiring, hurting Western technology companies. Ben Norton discusses how this act of war will fragment supply chains, as Global South markets no longer trust tech made by the US and its allies. China's manufactured goods will increasingly be seen as a safer alternative. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGnVF55Eu0o Topics 0:00 Israel's pager attack in Lebanon 1:44 Ex CIA director admits it was terrorism 3:07 Russia blasts terrorism, China condemns Israel 3:58 Israel opened Pandora's box: global economy will fragment further 5:51 China gets more customers in Middle East / West Asia 6:44 China is largest trading partner of most countries 7:17 China is world's manufacturing superpower 9:52 How Israel made pagers into bombs (with Hungary & Taiwan links) 14:37 USA demonizes Chinese tech (Huawei) 15:45 US NSA spies on the entire world 18:39 Israel spies on other countries 20:56 USA fears Chinese role in supply chains 22:34 US role in Israeli plot 23:48 How US & Israel weaponize supply chains 29:28 Hezbollah 31:23 Outro

Cold War Two fervor is reaching fever pitch in Washington. In "China Week", the US House of Representatives approved 25 anti-Chinese laws, in bipartisan votes, including $1.6 billion in funding for anti-China propaganda worldwide. Ben Norton discusses how both the Republican and Democratic Parties are targeting China with information war, sanctions, tech restrictions, tariffs, even threats of military force. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tix5L5qDaNw Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/09/22/us-congress-25-anti-china-laws-week-fund-propaganda/ CIA director threatens China & Russia, says Ukraine war benefits US economy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDv4KsLXua8 How the US wages economic war on countries all around the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYUq_9XlQs0 US Secretary of State Blinken announces China containment policy: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/05/28/cold-war-blinken-china-containment/ Topics 0:00 US Congress escalates Cold War II on China 1:53 US House approves $1.6 billion for anti-China propaganda 2:46 Goal of new cold war: do to China what West did to post-Soviet Russia 3:44 Congress funds war, not social programs for Americans 5:20 Media notes US politicians are preparing for war 6:28 (Clip) Biden lies about Iraqi "WMDs" 6:45 Containment strategy toward China 7:45 (Clip) Blinken: USA "will shape the strategic environment around Beijing" 8:29 The "rules-based international order" 10:05 (Clip) CIA teaches how to "lie, cheat, and steal" 10:22 Pompeo's anti-China speech 12:11 (Clip) Pompeo: US must (regime) "change" China 13:00 CIA says China is biggest "threat" 15:29 US Congress' (Anti) "China Week" 17:22 Funding anti-China disinformation 17:42 Hong Kong 18:34 Taiwan 20:10 "Pacific Partnership" (for war) 20:34 Japan and South Korea 20:55 Economic warfare and sanctions 24:40 Electric vehicles (EVs) 27:03 Drones 27:53 Batteries 28:39 Biotech 29:08 Telecommunications 30:37 Chinese currency (renminbi/yuan) 31:45 Agriculture/land 32:14 Media 32:37 Scientific research 32:59 Confucius Institutes 33:36 USA restricts interchange with Chinese 35:00 Preparing for war 35:49 Outro

The vast majority of the world voted at the UN General Assembly to demand an end to Israel's unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory within 12 months, with 124 countries (64%) in favor, 14 (7%) against, and 43 (22%) abstentions. Ben Norton analyzes the geopolitics of the vote, and how the US and most of the West is violating international law. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK9dmK8p0n0 Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/09/19/end-israel-occupation-palestine-un-vote/ Topics 0:00 Intro 0:21 Chart of countries' votes at UN 1:00 UN resolution demands end to Israel's occupation 2:22 Map & analysis of countries' votes at UN 6:49 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling 8:28 West's "rules-based order" threatens international law 12:41 USA blocks full UN membership for Palestine 14:45 Why USA supports Israel, its "unsinkable aircraft carrier" 15:55 (Clips) Biden: US would create Israel if it didn't exist 16:20 US empire opposes peace, in Gaza and worldwide 18:12 Outro

Ukraine is "sitting on a trillion dollars worth of minerals that could be good to our economy", said US Senator Lindsey Graham as he stood next to Zelensky in Kiev. Ben Norton discusses how Western politicians and corporations want to exploit Ukrainian natural resources, to profit and to weaken the role of China and Russia in critical supply chains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XuJLV2kfcc Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/09/16/senator-lindsey-graham-ukraine-trillion-minerals/ Zelensky is literally selling Ukraine to US corporations on Wall Street: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/09/09/zelensky-selling-ukraine-wall-street/ West prepares to plunder post-war Ukraine with neoliberal shock therapy: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/07/28/west-neoliberal-recovery-conference/ Topics 0:00 US Senator Lindsey Graham wants Ukraine's minerals 4:19 Ukraine has tens of trillions of dollars worth of natural resources 5:34 China and critical minerals supply chain 7:10 USA wants Ukraine to replace China in minerals supply chain 8:03 Wall Street is buying up Ukraine 9:13 (Clip) Zelensky's love letter to Western corporations 10:58 NATO fights Russia to the last Ukrainian 11:46 Study: foreign intervention is 100 times more likely in country with oil 14:22 Geopolitics of NATO proxy war on Russia in Ukraine 17:58 Afghanistan's resources and $1 trillion of minerals 24:31 Outro

Donald Trump has threatened that, if he comes back as US president, he will impose 100% tariffs on countries that drop the dollar, trying to cut off their trade. Ben Norton discusses how this will accelerate the global dedollarization movement, incentivizing more nations to join China, Russia, and BRICS in seeking financial alternatives. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sYacRjSND4 Check out our related video "De-dollarization: China drops US Treasury bonds, instead buys gold, oil, metals": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-bnIrbZjaM Topics 0:00 (Clip) Trump threatens countries that drop US dollar 0:49 De-dollarization 2:06 (Clip) Trump pledges tariffs on nations that de-dollarize 2:24 Dollar system is not a "public good" 3:03 BRICS 3:49 BRICS Bank (New Development Bank) 4:33 Brazil's Lula calls to drop US dollar 5:10 China & Brazil de-dollarize trade 5:35 China & Russia de-dollarize trade 6:01 Russia & Iran de-dollarize trade 6:10 Southeast Asia (ASEAN) de-dollarizes 7:05 (Clip) Trump: "I would not allow countries to go off the dollar" 7:37 Trump's plans to punish independent countries 8:22 Dollar system and US imperial decline 10:00 China is biggest trading partner of most countries 11:11 BRICS GDP (PPP) is bigger than G7 12:27 Largest economies on Earth (Rise of Global South) 14:01 US imperialism is in crisis 16:27 China's share of global trade 16:40 China de-dollarizes its trade 20:10 China buys oil & gas in yuan/renminbi 21:56 De-dollarization of trade vs savings (investment & reserves) 22:40 China dumps US Treasury securities 25:11 China's central bank buys gold 25:56 JP Morgan report on dedollarization 27:07 Multipolar financial world 29:01 Outro

What are central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and why are banks on Wall Street lobbying against them? Could they be an alternative for average people, or would they create even more problems than they solve? Political economist Radhika Desai is joined by legal scholar Robert C. Hockett to discuss CBDCs, central banks, the Federal Reserve, and the banking system. This is part of Radhika's show Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the program here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

The same week France arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the "President of the Rich" Emmanuel Macron stole the 2024 election, refusing to allow the left-wing New Popular Front that won to form a new government, instead appointing a new prime minister from a right-wing party that got 6% of the vote. Ben Norton discusses how Western "democracies" are actually oligarchies. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbx43-U1h1o Topics 0:00 Western "democracy" is oligarchy 3:39 Emmanuel Macron: the "president of the rich" 6:11 Inequality in France 8:27 French billionaire oligarchs 12:48 France's 2024 election results 14:10 Macron appoints election loser Michel Barnier as PM 15:28 Leftist leader Mélenchon accuses Macron of electoral theft 17:04 52% of French want to impeach Macron 17:28 Western leaders praise undemocratic PM Michel Barnier 19:51 How Macron stole the election he lost 23:07 France is not a democracy 24:20 Arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov 25:57 US government wanted Telegram backdoor for spying 27:09 Russia, West, and Pavel Durov 28:18 Telegram and Belarus color revolution attempt 30:16 Western media's former love affair with Durov 31:19 West turns on Durov 33:45 Outro

A top Israeli military official admitted the war on Gaza is only possible thanks to US support and arms supplies. Ben Norton explains how Israel is an outpost of the US empire in a key geostrategic region. As Joe Biden said, "Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interest in the region". VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWewzp7lcE Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/09/04/israel-war-gaza-possible-us-support/ Why does the US support Israel? A geopolitical analysis with economist Michael Hudson: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/11/12/why-us-support-israel-geopolitics-michael-hudson/

Can the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, really stop inflation? Or is it more committed to inflating asset price bubbles for the rich? Political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss the Fed's monetary policy, and its implications for average working people. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAtx2vDJkM8 You can read the transcript here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/08/31/fed-inflation-radhika-desai-michael-hudson/ This is part of the show Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the program here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

The United States government has imposed sanctions on more than one-third of countries on Earth, including over 60% of poor countries. Ben Norton documents how Washington's economic warfare is deadly in nations like Venezuela, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. It is also fragmenting the global financial system, as China and Russia create alternatives. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYUq_9XlQs0 Topics 0:00 USA has sanctions on 1/3rd of world 1:44 "Targeted" sanctions are a myth 3:16 Washington Post admits US is waging economic warfare worldwide 8:56 100,000+ Venezuelans died from US sanctions 10:50 Goal of US sanctions: "hunger, desperation and overthrow of government" 13:39 US government compares itself to Darth Vader 14:46 OFAC director sings, "Every little thing we do is sanctions" 16:05 Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died from US-led Western sanctions 20:32 (CLIP) Madeleine Albright on Iraq mass deaths: "the price is worth it" 21:08 60% of poor countries face US sanctions 22:01 US dollar dictatorship and financial hegemony 24:13 Donald Trump's war on Venezuela 25:16 "Sanction everybody and their sister" 25:54 Boomerang of US sanctions: China, Russia, BRICS create alternatives 30:08 Russia re-industrializes, its economy grows rapidly 34:10 Too big to sanction - Is this the limit? 37:01 Outro

While EU leaders push to escalate the proxy war on Russia, and Ukraine invades Kursk region, polls show many Europeans want peace talks for a negotiated settlement, and oppose sending more weapons. Ben Norton looks at the evidence. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTVawAEUoDQ Topics 0:00 Intro 0:30 Ukraine is desperate 1:37 Ukraine invades Russia's Kursk region 4:11 People in US & EU want negotiated settlement 6:19 Most likely outcome of Ukraine war: compromise settlement 7:42 What should Europe do in Ukraine war? Peace deal 8:58 Europeans' view of Ukraine war, by country 10:00 Should Europe send arms & ammo to Ukraine? 11:18 Ukraine losing war would be "end of Western hegemony" 12:34 Outro

US Big Tech corporations are like the feudal landlords of Medieval Europe. These Silicon Valley monopolies own the digital land that the global economy is built on, and are charging higher and higher rents to use their privatized infrastructure. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf1wQ9QeaKM Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/08/19/us-big-tech-monopolies-neo-feudalism/ Topics 0:00 Neo-feudalism 1:36 Amazon's monopoly 3:57 Google's monopoly 4:54 Amazon takes 50% of sellers' revenue 6:30 How Amazon sets prices: the Buy Box 9:01 Technofeudalism, by Yanis Varoufakis 9:42 Cloud infrastructure 10:44 New cold war on China 11:35 China: only alternative to US Big Tech monopolies 14:55 Chinese socialism 19:33 Monopoly capitalism & imperialism 21:51 Feudalism & capitalism 23:54 Utilities 26:37 Privatized digital infrastructure 29:29 Uber & Silicon Valley's monopolistic business model 34:28 Apple wages war on Chinese competitors 35:37 Apple's outrageous 30% Patreon fee 39:44 Outro

The US government supported protests that overthrew Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. New interim leader Muhammad Yunus has been cultivated by Washington for decades. Ben Norton discusses the geopolitical reasons for the regime change; the roles of India, China, and Russia; and the Pentagon's desire to build a strategic military base on Saint Martin's Island. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irlrT3zvsqQ Topics 0:00 Interim leader Muhammad Yunus: Made in USA 5:09 Overthrow of Sheikh Hasina 7:44 US military base on St. Martin's Island? 8:57 Myanmar 10:33 China's reliance on Strait of Malacca for oil imports 13:34 Bangladesh-China relations 14:47 BRICS 15:36 US pressure to join Quad 17:47 Russia warned of color revolution in Bangladesh 19:06 Arab Spring 19:58 Was Hasina's undelivered resignation speech fabricated? 22:26 Hasina: "White man" demanded military base in Bay of Bengal 23:58 Hasina: USA "can overthrow the government in any country" 25:36 US-backed 1975 coup against Sheikh Mujib 28:33 US-backed 2022 coup against Pakistan PM Imran Khan 31:00 US support for protests in Bangladesh 31:22 NED funding for Bangladeshi opposition 31:41 NED funding of opposition media outlet Netra News 34:13 Historical context: Partition, India, Pakistan, 1971 liberation war 38:40 Reasons for protests 41:13 US-backed color revolutions 46:21 US State Department pressure on Bangladesh 47:36 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, & extremism 54:12 Outro

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the US has allowed athletes in international competitions, including the Olympics, to use prohibited drugs, recruiting them as informants to spy on others. Ben Norton discusses the geopolitics of sports and the blatant hypocrisy of the US agency USADA, which constantly criticizes Russia and China. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOHR37Pd6PU Sources and links here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/08/10/usa-athletes-cheat-steroids-russia-china-doping/ Topics 0:00 US doping scandal exposed 1:05 Hypocrisy on Russia's ban 1:20 Chinese athletes harassed at Olympics 2:09 US accusations of corruption 2:46 Will US host 2028 Olympics? 3:26 US government funds USADA 3:59 WADA exposes US doping scandal 8:46 WADA is investigating US 10:14 US new cold war on China 11:20 China says US athletes are under-tested 11:49 US Congress threatens WADA 12:16 The "rules-based international order" 12:51 Russia banned over Ukraine War 14:07 US not banned over wars on Iraq et al. 15:52 Israel not banned despite crimes in Gaza 17:22 West makes rules in "rules-based order" 17:58 International Olympic Committee (IOC) dominated by West 20:38 Imperialism 22:06 Outro

The stock market crashed on August 5, in a new "Black Monday". What caused it? Is the USA on the verge of a new financial crisis? Ben Norton is joined by economist Michael Hudson to discuss the extreme volatility, AI / Big Tech bubble, Japanese yen carry trade unwind, Chinese economy, and geopolitical dangers. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stgBVvz5RIM Check out Geopolitical Economy Hour, the program Michael Hudson hosts with Radhika Desai, here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP His website: https://michael-hudson.com Topics 0:00 Teaser 0:54 Why did the stock market crash? 8:19 Is the US economy entering a recession? 12:36 Japan and the yen carry trade unwind 27:14 China's economy 32:41 Popping of the AI / Big Tech bubble? 46:05 Geopolitics: Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran 54:19 Re-inflating the bubble? 1:03:51 Can't the debt be rolled over? 1:07:27 Asset price inflation vs consumer price inflation 1:11:29 Capital gains grow faster than the economy 1:13:12 What is missing from most economic analysis? 1:26:05 Outro

How does the structure of the international financial system cause a drain of wealth from the poor to the rich? Political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss the politics of debt. VIDEO (with the charts): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bu9dHGRpmE Read the transcript (with the charts) here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/debt-politics-wealth-flow-poor-rich This is part of the show Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the program here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

As part of a new coup attempt in Venezuela, the US has recognized opposition leader Edmundo González as supposed president, after Trump tried to impose puppet Juan Guaidó in 2019. The State Department cited only US government-funded sources to accuse President Maduro of "electoral fraud". Ben Norton shows how misleading - and hypocritical - Washington's claims are. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KCDj-alHbg USA backs another coup attempt in Venezuela - with Elon Musk's help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NglJ4J2rMEA Why is USA obsessed with overthrowing Venezuela? Is it oil, China, Russia, socialism, multipolarity?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ViMqMXGGs US gov’t-linked firm is source of exit poll claiming Venezuelan opposition won election: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/07/29/us-government-edison-poll-venezuela-election/ Topics 0:00 US recognizes Venezuelan opposition leader as "president" 1:53 Hypocrisy: US supports dictatorships, wars, coups against democracies 3:39 Why Washington hates Venezuela 4:48 2002 US-backed coup in Venezuela 6:57 Latin America is divided on Venezuela 9:18 OAS: tool of US meddling 10:33 Mexico condemns OAS "interventionism" 12:34 China, Russia, Iran support Venezuela 13:08 Peru's dictatorship backs Venezuelan opposition 14:00 Oligarchs like Elon Musk 14:44 USAID operative hints at invasion 16:14 Fake news 17:28 Mercenary Erik Prince threatens Maduro 19:29 State Dep't cites US gov't-funded groups to allege "fraud" 19:59 Carter Center: funded by US, UK, EU, Gulf monarchies 23:39 Exit polls 25:36 CIA-linked firm's shady polling 28:58 María Corina Machado: US government-backed fanatic 29:51 Geopolitical changes: Multipolarity vs unipolarity 31:59 Possible US military intervention? 33:28 Outro

The USA and its allies in Latin America have refused to recognize the results of Venezuela's elections, as far-right opposition extremists try to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, with the help of billionaire oligarch Elon Musk. Ben Norton documents the many US-backed coups since Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez came to power and launched the Bolivarian Revolution. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NglJ4J2rMEA Our investigation: "US gov’t-linked firm is source of exit poll claiming Venezuelan opposition won election" - https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/07/29/us-government-edison-poll-venezuela-election/ Check out our related video: "Why is USA obsessed with overthrowing Venezuela?" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ViMqMXGGs Topics 0:00 US supports coup attempt in Venezuela 1:41 Elon Musk: "We will coup whoever we want!" 3:35 Electoral "fraud" allegations 5:52 Observers say vote was fair 8:05 Argentina's leader Javier Milei 9:06 CIA & Israeli Mossad 9:50 Venezuelan opposition loves Israel 10:38 Maduro supports Palestine 11:07 China, Russia, Iran 11:52 Why USA is obsessed with overthrowing Venezuela 12:57 Oil 13:36 CLIP Donald Trump wanted to "take over" Venezuela (and its oil) 14:07 CLIP John Bolton: US corporations want Venezuela's oil 15:18 CLIP Bolton boasts Venezuela coup attempt was "a lot of work" 15:49 From Juan Guaidó to María Corina Machado 17:55 US-backed coup in Venezuela in 2002 19:25 Venezuelan opposition's long history of crying "fraud" 19:48 Guarimbas 21:35 What "dictatorship"? 22:13 Obama declares Venezuela a "national security threat" 23:38 Economic war, sanctions, & embargo 30:15 Venezuela's oligarchy vs. working class 32:12 Inflation 33:08 Sanctions 35:39 West steals Venezuela's foreign assets 36:46 Failed CIA-backed invasion of Venezuela 37:36 No evidence for "fraud" claims 39:36 Outro

Why has the US constantly tried to overthrow Venezuela's leftist government, backing coup attempts against Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro? Ben Norton analyzes the role of Venezuela's large oil reserves and natural resources; socialist system; anti-imperialist foreign policy; partnership with China, Russia, and Iran; and key role in building a multipolar world. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ViMqMXGGs Topics 0:00 Intro 0:14 Oil 1:58 Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution 5:45 Multipolarity 9:49 China 14:09 US sanctions 17:28 Russia & Iran 18:22 Washington says China is biggest threat to US hegemony 19:31 US coups & regime change 20:44 US economic blockade 23:18 BRICS 24:24 De-dollarization 26:29 Latin American regional integration 29:25 US-backed coup attempts 30:24 Natural resources 31:52 Monroe Doctrine: US neocolonialism in Latin America 33:09 Venezuela's key role in challenging US imperialism

While the US and Europe have invaded and colonized countries around the world, China and Russia have helped the Global South develop and resist Western imperialism, argues Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinista Revolution. Ben Norton reports. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8waJIQTKD4

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega blasted Western support for Israel in its war on Gaza and asked, if a state of Palestine is not allowed to exist, why should the US be allowed to exist? He was joined at the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution by Palestinian ex guerrilla Leila Khaled, who denounced imperialism and neocolonialism. Ben Norton reports. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1wKlRUyFg Read our related article - US legally owes Nicaragua reparations, but still refuses to honor 1986 Int’l Court of Justice ruling: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/06/28/us-owes-nicaragua-reparations-1986-icj/

European Union foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell admitted the West has hypocritical "double standards" on international law, the Russia-Ukraine-NATO war, Israel's brutal bombing of Gaza, the US-led invasion of Iraq, and climate change. Ben Norton analyzes the revealing comments of the top EU diplomat. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQuUbBf6snA Sources and links here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/07/18/eu-borrell-hypocrisy-double-standards-israel-ukraine-iraq/ EU confesses ‘our prosperity was based on China & Russia’: cheap energy, low-paid labor, big market: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/10/18/eu-prosperity-china-russia-energy-market/ ‘Western dominance has ended’, EU foreign-policy chief admits, warning of ‘West against the Rest’ geopolitics: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/02/26/western-dominance-ended-eu-josep-borrell/ Topics 0:00 Intro 1:56 (Clip) EU foreign policy chief on West's "double standards" 4:25 (Clip) West values lives of Ukrainians more than Palestinians 5:06 (Clip) Hypocrisy on Israel's violations of UN resolutions 6:19 Historical carbon emissions by region 7:17 (Clip) Western hypocrisy on climate change 8:46 Who is Josep Borrell? 10:02 (Clip) West is prolonging Ukraine war 10:42 "Western dominance has ended" 11:55 (Clip) USA has lost its hegemony 12:11 China's economic rise 12:54 (Clip) China challenges Western dominance 14:21 Multipolarity 15:01 (Clip) "The world is much more multipolar" 15:54 "Democracy vs autocracy"? 16:33 (Clip) "On our side, there are a lot of authoritarian regimes" 17:00 How West relied on China & Russia 17:40 (Clip) "Our prosperity was based on China & Russia" 19:15 Borrell's racist "garden vs jungle" rant 21:30 (Clip) European exceptionalism 22:11 Outro

Following a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump's supporters have portrayed him as a so-called "threat to the US deep state". But in reality, Trump was a warmonger as president, and appointed top CIA officials and neoconservatives to run his foreign policy. Ben Norton reviews Trump's support for Israel and Ukraine and his aggressive policies against China, Russia, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wwm4OiYY5M Topics 0:00 (Clips) Trump on Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine 0:32 US politics & bipartisan war crimes 3:29 Alleged assassination attempt against Trump 7:13 Trump's warmongering foreign policy: a summary 11:35 Israel - Palestine 16:56 Trump proposed bombing Russia & China 17:27 Russiagate 18:01 Trump tore up 2 arms treaties with Russia 18:55 Ukraine 20:33 (Clip) Trump boasts of arming Ukraine 20:56 Trump vs Obama on Ukraine weapons 23:02 NATO 24:24 "We're at war with China" 26:24 Trade war & new cold war on China 28:44 Democrats vs Republicans on Russia & China 29:48 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) 30:44 Assassination of Qasem Soleimani 31:20 Trump's war on Iraq 32:48 US hypocrisy on "political violence" 34:31 Syria 35:00 (Clip) Trump brags of taking Syria's oil 35:27 Afghanistan war & minerals 37:06 Trump wanted to take oil from Libya & Iraq too 38:15 Yemen 39:24 Trump plans to attack Mexico 41:06 Bolivia coup 41:54 Elon Musk & Bolivia's lithium 43:24 Venezuela 44:06 (Clip) Trump on "taking over" Venezuela 44:18 Venezuela coup attempt 46:00 Nicaragua coup attempt 46:37 Elliott Abrams 47:53 Cuba blockade & sanctions 50:09 Tax cuts for the rich 51:54 Billionaires for fellow billionaire Trump 53:16 Outro

In response to the NATO summit in Washington, political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss how Western governments are losing elections and ignoring their own people in order to expand the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and beyond, while seeking to impose control over the majority of humanity in the Global South. Read the transcript here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/07/12/nato-west-war-democracy-global-south VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXIYInJUYp8 This is part of the show Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the program here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

The UK's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer is a pro-war, neoliberal Blairite who is closely linked to British intelligence and the US government. He was backed by big business interests after the corporate media destroyed popular left-wing, anti-imperialist Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Ben Norton discusses how Britain is an oligarchy, not a democracy. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7YDNrYsV8 Topics 0:00 UK PM Keir Starmer is Tony Blair 2.0 3:26 Biden & Starmer discuss new cold war on Russia & China 5:00 Keir Starmer's shady US government ties 7:13 CIA-linked Trilateral Commission 11:09 Neoliberalism: a class war 13:13 The coup against Jeremy Corbyn 19:12 Outro