Geopolitical Economy Report

Donald Trump has again paused the US war on Iran. Why? 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. Ben Norton explains.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bptw9_glRb8

Topics
0:00 Reasons why Trump paused war
1:58 USA violates agreements
3:58 The US lost. Iran won
4:44 US military running low on missiles
6:25 Gulf monarchies
7:26 Patriot interceptors
9:55 Pentagon orders old missiles
11:43 Preparing for war on China
12:36 China vs USA: industrial capacity
14:50 Pentagon hides US casualties
18:15 Yemen joins war
20:10 Blockade of Red Sea
21:42 Houthi attacks on Saudi oil
22:48 Energy crisis
24:03 Oil reserves running low
24:33 Iran has won
25:58 Outro

The US war against Iran is expanding into a larger regional conflict. After Trump sabotaged a diplomatic agreement, Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Now Yemen's Ansar Allah (known commonly as the Houthis) has declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, shutting down oil exports in the Red Sea. Ben Norton explains how this escalation could cause a severe crisis in the global energy market.

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

Topics
0:00 Trump restarts Iran war
1:26 Yemen joins the war
2:45 Red Sea blockade
3:28 Oil transit chokepoints
5:05 Saudi East-West Pipeline
5:55 China cuts oil imports
6:27 Saudi oil exports
6:59 Oil price skyrockets
7:55 Gasoline prices rise
9:17 Potential for oil crisis
10:31 Reserves running low
11:21 Yemen explainer
13:07 Ansar Allah (Houthis)
22:05 Axis of Resistance
23:58 Iran grows stronger
27:17 Outro

US global dominance is rapidly declining, as China rises. So Washington wants to forcibly impose its hegemony in Latin America, invoking the colonial Monroe Doctrine. However, people are fighting back. Nicaragua's Sandinista government is resisting US imperialism and continuing its revolution. Ben Norton reports.

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

Donald Trump violated the diplomatic agreement and restarted the war, bombing Iran and re-imposing a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Ben Norton explains why the US government will fail, because it has no plan and lacks leverage, whereas Tehran and its decentralized military have escalation dominance.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFHvtxgR5A8

Topics
0:00 Trump restarts war on Iran
0:36 USA violates agreements
1:49 USA won't accept defeat
3:07 Strait of Hormuz
5:37 Iran hits US allies in Gulf
7:20 Iran's decentralized military
8:43 Drones
10:25 Iran already won the war
10:56 Trump has no plan
13:13 Strait of Hormuz fees
13:51 (CLIP) Marco Rubio on fees
14:05 US fees vs Iran fees
14:52 Insanity of ground invasion
17:34 Scheme to seize Kharg Island
18:48 Oil and gasoline price
21:42 Strategic Petroleum Reserve
23:36 Global oil reserves running low
24:59 Danger of empire in decline
27:42 Outro

Many Western economists and media outlets claim that Americans are wealthier than Europeans, but this is not true; it's based on a misunderstanding of the difference between average wealth and median wealth. Ben Norton explains how the extreme inequality in the US make its average wealth misleadingly look high, and why GDP per capita is not a good measurement. He debunks the myth of "Europoors", which is often spread by Donald Trump supporters.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFUd8uj7pA

Topics
0:00 The myth that Americans are wealthy
1:15 Average wealth vs median wealth
3:50 Data on US median wealth
6:42 Wealth inequality (Gini coefficient)
9:31 Poverty and homelessness
10:19 USA vs Europe
12:02 Wealth concentration of US elites
13:28 Distribution of growth in income
15:01 GDP per capita is misleading
21:18 US GDP by sector
23:13 Imputed rent and GDP
25:05 Life expectancy, mortality, etc.
27:10 US healthcare system
28:40 US health system vs OECD
32:58 Ridiculous "Europoor" myth
33:32 Trump cuts taxes on rich
34:27 Trump family corruption
36:20 Insider trading
36:56 Myth of American dream
38:18 Outro