Geopolitical Economy Report

Colombia's former President Gustavo Petro formally accused the USA and Israel of meddling in his country's election to put in power new far-right leader Abelardo de la Espriella, a US citizen and Trump ally who worked as a lawyer for years in Miami, Florida, defending drug traffickers. Ben Norton explains.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rBhz7_rlg0

Check out our related video on the Sandinista Revolution and Nicaragua's resistance against US imperialism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIXMyFvMeMc

Topics
0:00 US & Israeli meddling in Colombian election
2:34 US-backed coups in Latin America
4:23 Abelardo de la Espriella, US citizen
6:36 De la Espriella defended drug traffickers
8:19 US govt supports drug traffickers
11:17 De la Espriella's business interests
12:14 De la Espriella's botox scandals
13:40 Far-right paramilitaries in Colombia
15:42 Sociopathy
16:23 Colombia's new right-wing regime
16:52 Marco Rubio
17:27 US military alliance with Colombia
18:27 US-backed narco leader Álvaro Uribe
19:58 Marco Rubio's extremist ties
20:34 War on Drugs 2.0
22:13 Ecuador's narco-dictator Daniel Noboa
23:38 Operation Condor 2.0
25:27 Colonialist Donroe Doctrine
26:53 Gustavo Petro cut ties with Israel
28:48 Israel's new alliance with Colombia
29:53 Colombia: the Israel of Latin America
31:08 Israel occupies Syria's Golan Heights
32:50 Morocco occupies Western Sahara
33:23 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
36:00 Morocco supports Israel
36:53 US backs Morocco in Western Sahara
38:09 Colombia's relations with China
39:39 US Cold War Two against China
40:22 US puppet regimes in Latin America
41:15 US National Security Strategy
42:45 Neocolonialism
43:56 Anti-imperialist resistance
45:23 Outro

The US government quietly bailed out Japan. The Treasury intervened in the foreign exchange market to try to stabilize the yen, the Japanese currency. Ben Norton explains how this reflects a larger, structural problem with the dollar system. Japan is the largest holder of US Treasury securities (US government debt), and Washington doesn't want other countries to sell its bonds, fearing that yields could rise and cause a debt crisis.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngGQrWxNdV4

Topics
0:00 USA bails out Japan
1:04 Japanese yen falls against USD
1:29 USA will "do whatever it takes"
2:21 Japan's holdings of US Treasuries
3:03 China de-dollarizes
3:31 US empire and Japan
4:26 Japan's role in dollar system
5:32 Carry trade
7:24 Wall Street benefits
8:24 Real reason for US intervention
9:39 US fears sales of its bonds
10:37 US bond yields rise
11:38 US government debt
12:14 Inflation in US
12:56 Foreign demand for US bonds
14:35 Seizure of Russian assets
16:06 Central banks buy gold
16:55 US bond market problems
17:58 US Treasury sells euro
19:37 Crisis in dollar system
22:07 Dollar dominance in decline
24:30 Why the yen is falling so much
24:51 Energy crisis and Iran War
26:57 Inflation in Japan
27:47 Interest rates in Japan
29:25 US govt backs carry trade
30:36 Economic stagnation in Japan
31:03 Enormous debt to GDP in Japan
33:10 US debt problems
33:44 Slow-motion financial crisis
34:46 Outro

Donald Trump administration insiders have been widely accused of corruption, insider trading, and market manipulation related to the US war on Iran. Ben Norton analyzes the evidence, showing why this may explain Washington's contradictory policies and flip-flopping between bombings and peace talks.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkg472Ia1Q

Topics
0:00 Trump TACOs on Iran War
1:40 USA has no clear strategy
2:49 Market manipulation
4:30 Oil market volatility
5:50 Options trading
6:49 Iran alleges US corruption
8:31 Steve Witkoff & Jared Kushner
9:56 Insider trading accusations
10:57 Shady trades on Wall Street
11:28 Corruption in US Congress
12:43 Trump sells early access
14:12 Big Oil sees record profits
14:42 USA is losing the war
15:22 Rich oligarchs are winning
17:27 Outro

The US government has no plan for the war that Donald Trump launched against Iran. The Pentagon is desperately asking analysts for ideas. Tehran won, but Washington refuses to admit it. Ben Norton explains what exactly is happening, and why the United States lost so badly.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25J1gdTCx_o

Topics
0:00 Trump has no plan for Iran war
1:37 USA lost and Iran won
2:59 Trump threatens Iran
3:53 USA bombed schools
5:15 Trump's empty rhetoric
7:54 US allies in Persian Gulf
10:28 Yemen and Saudi Arabia
12:01 US military runs out of missiles
14:37 Iran destroys US bases
15:38 Iran expels US troops
18:20 Iran has the leverage
19:05 Trump always chickens out (TACO)
20:32 Iran strengthened, USA weakened
22:34 Outro

The US war on Iran keeps expanding into a regional conflict, as more countries get involved. Reports show that Donald Trump is getting desperate, and he is frantically seeking an off-ramp. Washington announced a "pause" to the fighting, but it lasted just four days.

Ben Norton explains the three main reasons why the United States is desperately seeking an exit: one, the Pentagon is running out of missile interceptors; two, the number of casualties among American troops is steadily increasing; and three, Yemen joined the conflict, attacking Saudi oil infrastructure, exacerbating the energy crisis.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPBI8ukcA_4

Topics
0:00 Iran war expands
2:41 More countries join conflict
3:58 Trump is 'exasperated'
5:49 US 'pause' failed
6:19 Three main reasons
7:53 US violates agreements
9:53 USA lost & Iran won
10:40 US military running low on missiles
12:36 Gulf monarchies
13:38 Patriot interceptors
16:07 Pentagon orders old missiles
17:54 Preparing for war on China
18:47 China vs USA: industrial capacity
21:02 Pentagon hides US casualties
24:26 Yemen joins war
26:21 Blockade of Red Sea
27:45 Houthi attacks on Saudi oil
29:20 Energy crisis
30:14 Oil reserves running low
30:44 Iran has won
32:14 Outro