Geopolitical Economy Report

Economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss de-dollarization, the global drive to drop the US dollar, and the transition away from financialized neoliberalism toward a new economic system. VIDEO (with slides): https://youtube.com/watch?v=0Jxl4LRpIpw Transcript here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/29/de-dollarization-neoliberalism-radhika-desai-michael-hudson This is their program Geopolitical Economy Hour. Check out other episodes here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

As the war drags on, Ukraine is selling off state assets in a big privatization spree. US fossil fuel corporations like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Halliburton are in discussions to take over the country's energy industry. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=LXXk0e-nbvg Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/28/us-corporations-ukraine-oil-gas 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: privatization, deregulation, slashing worker protections: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/07/28/west-neoliberal-recovery-conference

Political economist Radhika Desai discusses the inherent contradictions in the capitalist mode of production: crises of overproduction, the tendency of the rate of profit to fall, and a trend toward monopolies and financialization. She also explains the difference between classical political economy and neoclassical economics. This is a discussion of chapter 2, "Capitalism as Contradictory Value Production", of Radhika's book "Capitalism, Coronavirus and War: A Geopolitical Economy". VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=AlQfmjLd978 You can download Radhika's book for free here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/17/capitalism-coronavirus-war-geopolitical-economy-radhika-desai Other episodes in the series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNZoKp0XsLFwSxxlMQu6ye8 Check out Radhika's show with Michael Hudson, Geopolitical Economy Hour: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

Facebook censored a report by the world's most famous investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh, on the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline between Russia and Germany. Facebook (a US government contractor) instead forces users to read a website funded and partially owned by NATO member Norway. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NXGUTcHgI8g Links to all sources here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/24/facebook-censor-seymour-hersh-nord-stream/ More information about the Nord Stream sabotage here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/08/us-nord-stream-pipelines-seymour-hersh

"The dollar suffered a stunning collapse in 2022 in its market share as a reserve currency, presumably due to [the US government's] muscular use of sanctions", warn prominent financial analysts, as countries in the Global South create economic alternatives in an increasingly multipolar world. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9HnUpKal9A0 BRICS Bank de-dollarizing, promises 30% of loans in local currencies, new chief Dilma Rousseff says: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/15/brics-bank-dollar-local-currencies-dilma Countries worldwide are dropping the US dollar: De-dollarization in China, Russia, Brazil, ASEAN: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/06/dedollarization-china-russia-brazil-asean

The president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, gave a speech acknowledging "the tectonic plates of geopolitics are shifting faster" and "we may see the world becoming more multipolar", with the crisis of imperialism, decline of dollar hegemony, and rise of China. Ben Norton is joined by geopolitical economist Radhika Desai to discuss the massive changes happening in this increasingly multipolar world. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=0cQak6RWT6o Check out Radhika's show with Michael Hudson, Geopolitical Economy Hour: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP France’s Macron opposes US cold war on China, wants independent Europe – but is it just rhetoric?: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/11/france-macron-us-china-independent-europe

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted to CNN that Washington’s unilateral sanctions on countries around the world “could undermine the hegemony of the dollar”. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ser-BHLOkvk Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/17/sanctions-hegemony-dollar-us-treasury-yellen BRICS Bank de-dollarizing, promises 30% of loans in local currencies, new chief Dilma Rousseff says: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/15/brics-bank-dollar-local-currencies-dilma Countries worldwide are dropping the US dollar: De-dollarization in China, Russia, Brazil, ASEAN: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/06/dedollarization-china-russia-brazil-asean

The new chief of the BRICS bloc’s New Development Bank, Brazil’s leftist ex-President Dilma Rousseff, revealed they are gradually moving away from the US dollar, promising at least 30% of loans in local currencies of members, to help countries in the Global South build infrastructure and fight poverty. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OkBK2vcNFJE Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/15/brics-bank-dollar-local-currencies-dilma BRICS challenges US ‘dollar dominance’, Saudi considers selling oil in other currencies: New multipolar economic order: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/21/brics-us-dollar-saudi-oil-currency-multipolar Brazil’s Lula travels to China and calls to end US dollar dominance: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/15/brazil-lula-china-us-dollar-dominance

Brazil's President Lula da Silva took a historic trip to China, where he signed many cooperation agreements and pledged to challenge the dominance of the US dollar. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yQJYevxPcYc Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/15/brazil-lula-china-us-dollar-dominance Countries worldwide are dropping the US dollar: De-dollarization in China, Russia, Brazil, ASEAN: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/06/dedollarization-china-russia-brazil-asean Brazil and Argentina preparing new Latin American currency to ‘reduce reliance on US dollar’: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/22/brazil-argentina-latin-american-currency-dollar

Economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss Russia's economic transition away from the neoliberal West and integration with what it calls the "World Majority" in the Global South. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cc-L7c2ISig Transcript here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/14/russia-neoliberal-west-world-majority This is their program Geopolitical Economy Hour. Check out other episodes here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP (We apologize, there was a technical problem with the audio, but we will have it resolved in the future.)

France’s President Emmanuel Macron told Xi Jinping that he opposes the US war drive against China and wants an independent Europe with “strategic autonomy”. But he has made comments like this before, yet failed to challenge Washington’s hegemony. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kseAIrInKcM Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/11/france-macron-us-china-independent-europe Ukraine’s Zelensky admits he sabotaged Minsk peace deal with Russia, West blocked negotiations: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/10/ukraine-zelensky-minsk-peace-russia/ US invites authoritarian far-right regimes to ‘Summit for Democracy’: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/01/us-authoritarian-summit-for-democracy/

Before it collapsed and its billionaire depositors were bailed out by the US government, Silicon Valley Bank successfully lobbied Congress to remove regulations on it. A senator admitted, “I understand why Americans are angry, even disgusted”. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-OwLg5odg5k Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/09/silicon-valley-bank-bailout-billionaires-corruption US government bailout of Silicon Valley and banks is $300B gift to rich oligarchs: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/19/fed-bailout-silicon-valley-banks Why 3 US banks collapsed in 1 week: Economist Michael Hudson explains: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/14/us-banks-collapsed-economist-michael-hudson

Historian Aaron Good discusses US President John F. Kennedy's economic policies and his clashes with US Steel and Wall Street, as well as the deaths of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld and oligarch Michael Rockefeller. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=H4HiC0Hxsrw This is from the Empire and the Deep State series that we are co-hosting with historian Aaron Good and producer Seamus McGuinness of the American Exception podcast. This is part 4 of our historical analysis of the JFK administration. PLAYLIST with past episodes in the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNArLl765PXe8tsTKmOciGL You can support American Exception at https://Patreon.com/AmericanException

The UN Human Rights Council voted overwhelmingly to condemn sanctions. The only countries that expressed support for unilateral coercive measures were the US, UK, EU member states, Georgia, and Ukraine. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=q8vQSpXHtmM Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/06/west-sanctions-un-human-rights-council

The global de-dollarization campaign is gaining momentum, challenging the hegemony of the US dollar. China and Russia are trading in their own currencies. Beijing and Brazil dropped the dollar in bilateral trade. The UAE is selling China its gas in yuan, through a French company. Southeast Asian nations in ASEAN are de-dollarizing their trade, promoting local payment systems. Kenya is buying Persian Gulf oil with its own currency. The Financial Times acknowledges that a "multipolar currency world" is emerging. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kz5UmwhQuiU Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/06/dedollarization-china-russia-brazil-asean China & Russia pledge ‘changes not seen in 100 years’: Xi & Putin take aim at US dollar hegemony: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/25/china-russia-xi-putin-dollar-economy Brazil and Argentina preparing new Latin American currency to ‘reduce reliance on US dollar’: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/22/brazil-argentina-latin-american-currency-dollar

Historian Aaron Good discusses US President John F. Kennedy's policies toward Africa, particularly Congo and its anti-colonial leader Patrice Lumumba, as well as Indonesia's leftist nationalist President Sukarno. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=V_h_3SYc0c8 This is the Empire and the Deep State series that Geopolitical Economy Report editor Ben Norton is co-hosting with Aaron Good and Seamus McGuinness of the American Exception podcast. This is part 3 of our historical analysis of the JFK administration. PLAYLIST with past episodes in the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNArLl765PXe8tsTKmOciGL You can support American Exception at https://Patreon.com/AmericanException

From inside Russia, economists Radhika Desai and Alan Freeman report on the impact of Western sanctions and the Ukraine war. They discuss Moscow's integration with Asia and move away from neoliberal economics. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=lxgiJj5FyYg Radhika and Alan are directors of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group: https://geopoliticaleconomy.org

The Joe Biden administration invited numerous authoritarian far-right leaders to the US State Department's so-called "Summit for Democracy", including Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, Poland's Andrzej Duda, India's Narendra Modi, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, and Pakistan's coup regime. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OK9F27WIcec Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/04/01/us-authoritarian-summit-for-democracy Mexico’s AMLO calls out US ‘oligarchy’ at Biden’s ‘democracy’ summit: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/30/mexico-amlo-us-oligarchy-democracy-summit

The US government threat to ban TikTok is part of a new cold war strategy to sabotage Chinese companies and ultimately all foreign competitors to Silicon Valley monopolies. Bills introduced in Congress endanger freedom of speech, while promising more sanctions. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=XoMnSxDeEUk TikTok bills could dangerously expand national security state: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/03/29/tik-tok-bills-could-dangerously-expand-national-security-state/

US troops have illegally occupied Syria's oil-rich territory for years, but a top United Nations official, Farhan Haq, falsely claimed "there's no US armed forces inside of Syria". Chinese reporter Edward Xu called out the UN's hypocrisy on Ukraine. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=wl4_2AqUORs

The US government imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, threatened prosecutors' family members, and passed a "Hague Invasion Act". But now that the ICC wants to arrest Russian President Putin, Washington praises the court (while still refusing to join it). VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=haVpdVyOtKs

Economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss the US banking crisis in this episode of their program Geopolitical Economy Hour. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=y1je89h1eIg Check out other episodes of Geopolitical Economy Hour here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

China's President Xi Jinping traveled to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin, where they pledged "changes the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years", agreeing to deepen economic integration and challenge the hegemony of the US dollar by promoting the use of the yuan and other currencies in international trade. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OddmSjjLgLY BRICS challenges US ‘dollar dominance’, Saudi considers selling oil in other currencies: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/21/brics-us-dollar-saudi-oil-currency-multipolar/ Geopolitical game changer: China’s Iran-Saudi peace deal is big blow to petrodollar and US economic hegemony: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/17/china-iran-saudi-peace-petrodollar Ukraine’s Zelensky admits he sabotaged Minsk peace deal with Russia, West blocked negotiations: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/10/ukraine-zelensky-minsk-peace-russia

The US Federal Reserve printed $300 billion in one week to save collapsing banks and bail out wealthy Silicon Valley oligarchs. 93% of Silicon Valley Bank's deposits were uninsured, over the FDIC limit of $250,000, but the government still paid them. 56% of SVB's loans went to venture capitalist and private equity firms. Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/19/fed-bailout-silicon-valley-banks VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=jyrj7gZwg3U US Federal Reserve says its goal is ‘to get wages down’: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/05/24/us-federal-reserve-wages-inflation

Honduras' leftist President Xiomara Castro announced her government will recognize China. Now only 12 UN member states have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan separatists. They have a combined population of less than 39 million, or 0.49% of the planet. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=KklV9438o1w Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/16/taiwan-honduras-china-12-countries US military plans for war on China, backing Taiwan separatists: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ODbrpimBgKo US-backed coup regimes trapped Honduras in unpayable odious debt, warns new President Xiomara Castro: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/01/31/coup-honduras-unpayable-odious-debt

Economist Michael Hudson analyzes the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Silvergate, and Signature Bank, explaining the similarities to the 2008 financial crash. He also addresses the US government bailout (which it isn't calling a bailout), the role of the Federal Reserve and Treasury, the factor of cryptocurrency, and the danger of derivatives. TRANSCRIPT: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/14/us-banks-collapsed-economist-michael-hudson VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=uvm9qrXhqf8 Check out the playlist for the show that Michael Hudson co-hosts here, Geopolitical Economy Hour: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP Michael's column "Why the US banking system is breaking up": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/12/michael-hudson-why-the-us-banking-system-is-breaking-up Michael's other article "Why the US bank crisis is not over": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/13/michael-hudson-us-bank-crisis

China sponsored peace talks that led Saudi Arabia and Iran to normalize diplomatic relations, in a big blow to the petrodollar. Both countries are major oil producers that have applied to join BRICS and are discussing selling energy in other currencies. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=DyAFerEouN0 BRICS challenges US ‘dollar dominance’, Saudi considers selling oil in other currencies: New multipolar economic order: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/21/brics-us-dollar-saudi-oil-currency-multipolar

Economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss the evolution of the US dollar system after it was taken off the gold standard in 1971. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dRlOfxWR-qE Check out other episodes of their show Geopolitical Economy Hour here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

Historian Aaron Good explains US President John F. Kennedy's policies on the wars on Vietnam and Laos, and JFK's conflict with the generals in the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=vkslqu9_q0w This is from the Empire and the Deep State series that Geopolitical Economy Report editor Ben Norton is co-hosting with Aaron Good and Seamus McGuinness of the American Exception podcast. This is part 2 of our historical analysis of the JFK administration. (This episode was recorded in November 2022.) PLAYLIST with past episodes in the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNArLl765PXe8tsTKmOciGL

President Xi Jinping denounced the US-led Western attempt to "contain, encircle, and suppress China". Foreign Minister Qin Gang condemned Washington's "hysterical neo-McCarthyism" and "malicious confrontation", opposing the "cold war mentality". VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4laXMaMhbPo Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/07/xi-us-containment-encirclement-china US ambassador arrogantly lectures China ‘threat’: ‘We’re the leader in this region (Asia)’!: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/04/us-ambassador-china-leader-region US admits weather pushed Chinese balloon off course, US shot down hobbyists’ $12 balloon in $2M missile attack: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/18/us-weather-chinese-balloon-hobbyist

In an interview with the Chamber of Commerce, US Ambassador Nicholas Burns referred to China as a “threat”, “great challenge”, and “very difficult government”, stating arrogantly, “The United States is staying in this region. We’re the leader in this [Indo-Pacific] region”. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BEqmQkKlcjo Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/03/04/us-ambassador-china-leader-region US admits weather pushed Chinese balloon off course, US shot down hobbyists’ $12 balloon in $2M missile attack: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/18/us-weather-chinese-balloon-hobbyist China report excoriates ‘US hegemony’, war crimes, CIA coups, 400 foreign interventions: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/22/china-report-us-hegemony-wars-coups-intervention

Economist Radhika Desai and Ben Norton analyze imperialism, the failure of neoliberalism, and the new cold war that the US is waging against China and Russia. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=RVIpyOwJRW4 This is part 2 in a series discussing Radhika's new book "Capitalism, Coronavirus and War: A Geopolitical Economy". You can download Radhika's book for free here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/17/capitalism-coronavirus-war-geopolitical-economy-radhika-desai Other episodes in the series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNZoKp0XsLFwSxxlMQu6ye8 Check out the International Manifesto Group at https://internationalmanifesto.org

Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said “the present war between Ukraine and Russia is caused by the Europeans’ love of war, of hegemony, of dominance”. He warned it “can be interpreted as the start of the Third World War”. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3zUJAvB56a4 Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/25/ukraine-europe-love-war-hegemony-malaysia

Top US military officials have stated openly that Washington is preparing to wage war on China, supporting separatists on Taiwan island. Geopolitical Economy Report editor Ben Norton gave this presentation as part of the panel discussion "Will there be a war in the Taiwan Strait?", organized by the International Manifesto Group. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ODbrpimBgKo Watch the full panel here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=McRkNqd7waM

Historian Aaron Good explains the rise of US President John F. Kennedy, the First Cold War, his criticism of European colonialism, and how the CIA's Bay of Pigs attack would later reverberate in the 1963 JFK assassination. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=5N5bs1IGLQo This is from the Empire and the Deep State series that Geopolitical Economy Report editor Ben Norton is co-hosting with Aaron Good and Seamus McGuinness of the American Exception podcast. This is part 1 of our historical analysis of the JFK administration. (This episode was recorded in November 2022.) PLAYLIST with past episodes in the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNArLl765PXe8tsTKmOciGL

A study by the EU-funded European Council on Foreign Relations found that the West is increasingly out of touch politically with the rest of the world. Most people in China, India, and Türkiye see Russia as an important ally, and they want a multipolar world, not continued “American global supremacy”. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6onX5CKS3hM Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/25/west-rest-world-eu-study

Economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson explain the rise of the US dollar system, its central role in imperialism, and why it ultimately failed to accomplish Washington's hegemonic goals. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=q3q7p_IElpY Check out other episodes of their show Geopolitical Economy Hour here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

China’s Foreign Ministry published a lengthy report condemning “US hegemony” and its crimes around the world, including wars with millions of victims, coups and “regime change” against elected leaders, and 400 foreign military interventions. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=HTiBksEHGrU Read more here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/22/china-report-us-hegemony-wars-coups-intervention The Chinese Foreign Ministry's full report "US Hegemony and Its Perils": https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjbxw/202302/t20230220_11027664.html

German Member of Parliament Sevim Dağdelen, of the Left Party, Die Linke, condemns the NATO "proxy war" in Ukraine, saying the EU is acting as US "vassals". In this interview with Ben Norton, she also denounces the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines as a "terrorist attack" that "should have resulted in a huge outcry". VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NYn0ODIL0Qg TRANSCRIPT: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/22/germany-ukraine-nord-stream-sevim-dagdelen

The foreign ministers of the US, Germany, and Ukraine told the world at the Munich Security Conference, “Neutrality is not an option” in the West’s proxy war against Russia, implicitly criticizing the vast majority of Global South countries, which are independent. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UXjDazqxAPo Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/20/west-global-south-neutral-ukraine German foreign minister: ‘We are fighting a war against Russia’: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/26/german-foreign-minister-baerbock-war-russia 87% of world doesn’t support West’s new cold war on Russia: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/09/21/global-south-west-cold-war-russia

US officials acknowledged the Chinese balloon they shot down on February 4 had likely been blown off course by unexpected weather. The US Air Force later spent $2 million using missiles to blow up what appeared to be a $12 hobbyist balloon. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=mL9Jz-Qruho Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/18/us-weather-chinese-balloon-hobbyist Our report documenting how the US military is preparing for war on China - and soon: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Iy5FALVrULM

Economist Radhika Desai and Ben Norton discuss the neoliberal myth of "globalization", the contradictions of US hegemony, and the crisis of capitalism. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=GRKHCwVzvTs This is part 1 in a series discussing Radhika's new book "Capitalism, Coronavirus, and War: A Geopolitical Economy". You can download Radhika's book for free here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/17/capitalism-coronavirus-war-geopolitical-economy-radhika-desai Other episodes in the series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNZoKp0XsLFwSxxlMQu6ye8 You can get Radhika's previous book "Geopolitical Economy: After US Hegemony, Globalization, and Empire" here: https://plutobooks.com/9781849648400/geopolitical-economy

Ecuadorian economist Andrés Arauz, who came close to winning the 2021 presidential elections, explains Latin America's attempt to create a new currency and regional financial architecture, to challenge the "hegemonic, neo-colonial" US dollar-dominated system. (NOTE: Andrés' internet connection was a bit unstable in this interview, so some parts are hard to hear. Below you can find links to a transcript and a full video with subtitles.) VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MQ-LTmT3Zuc TRANSCRIPT: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/15/latin-america-currency-plan-ecuador-andres-arauz

Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky admitted he refused to implement the 2015 Minsk II peace deal with Russia. Germany and France said Kiev used the agreement to “buy time” to prepare for war. Israel's ex Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed the West "blocked" attempt to hold negotiations. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=QLJDROnssgA Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/10/ukraine-zelensky-minsk-peace-russia West killed peace proposal to end Ukraine war, Russia supported negotiated settlement: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/09/03/west-peace-proposal-ukraine-russia US, UK, France promised USSR not to expand NATO east of Germany, newly discovered document proves: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/02/20/us-uk-france-russia-expand-nato-east-germany US gov’t body plots to break up Russia in name of ‘decolonization’: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/06/23/us-government-decolonize-russia

A decade of proxy war and illegal US and EU sanctions have devastated Syria, and blocked some humanitarian aid after a crushing earthquake killed thousands of people. To save face, Washington agreed to a temporary suspension, but UN experts have demanded a permanent end to the “suffocating” sanctions, saying they “may amount to crimes against humanity”. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=mtiNw3PxRyY Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/09/us-sanctions-aid-syria-earthquake UN expert: ‘Outrageous’ Western sanctions are ‘suffocating’ Syria, may be crimes against humanity: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/11/12/un-expert-western-sanctions-syria

Economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson explain the relations between money and debt, their role in imperialism, and the rise of the US dollar system. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ew21FOlftkU TRANSCRIPT: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/10/money-dollar-system-radhika-desai-michael-hudson Check out other episodes of their show Geopolitical Economy Hour here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh reported the US government destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines that delivered Russian gas to Germany. The Biden administration approved the CIA operation, which used explosives and Navy divers, with help from NATO member Norway. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=bZ5VLdqac-0 Read Seymour Hersh's article: https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/08/us-nord-stream-pipelines-seymour-hersh Our report from back in October - "Who sabotaged Nord Stream pipelines? US boasts ‘tremendous opportunity’ to weaken Russia. CIA knew": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/10/06/sabotage-nord-stream-pipelines-us-russia-cia US now world’s top LNG exporter, as Europe boycotts cheaper Russian gas: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/04/us-lng-exporter-europe-russia-gas

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said sanctions on Venezuela “have exacerbated the economic crisis and hindered human rights”, calling for the unilateral coercive measures to be lifted. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=mSjCEKopBzo Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/02/un-human-rights-chief-sanctions-venezuela/

Historian Aaron Good explains the final years of the Dwight Eisenhower administration, including the start of the CIA's war on Cuba's revolutionary government and the coup against Congo's anti-colonialist leader Patrice Lumumba. This is PART 17 of the Empire and the Deep State series Geopolitical Economy Report editor Ben Norton is co-hosting with Aaron Good and Seamus McGuinness of the American Exception podcast. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7nuSZN2GU PLAYLIST with past episodes in the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hNArLl765PXe8tsTKmOciGL

Greece’s former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis explains the US system of “neo-imperialism” based on the dollar, an “IOU issued by the hegemon”, which finances a huge trade deficit by letting foreign capitalists “extract colossal surplus value from their workers and then stash it away in America’s rentier economy”. VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yohXMsuxzDA Sources and more information here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/02/03/us-imperialism-dollar-hegemony-yanis-varoufakis German lawmaker condemns ‘US-led proxy war against Russia’ and EU’s ‘servile vassals’: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/01/28/german-lawmaker-us-proxy-war-russia-ukraine-eu Varoufakis' full speech: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6MfuGSlDRsc