Category: GeoPolitics
The analysis published under this category are as follows.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
The Real Reason Why Obama Wants to Lift Sanctions on Iran / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Mike_Whitney
“It is essential to recognize that Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapons program, nor does it possess a nuclear weapon. On February 26, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Ayatollah Khomenei, the supreme leader of Iran, ended his country’s nuclear weapons program in 2003 and “as far as we know, he’s not made the decision to go for a nuclear weapon.” This repeats the “high-confidence” judgement of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) that was first made in November 2007.”
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Coming to Terms With the American Empire / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
George Friedman writes: "Empire" is a dirty word. Considering the behavior of many empires, that is not unreasonable. But empire is also simply a description of a condition, many times unplanned and rarely intended. It is a condition that arises from a massive imbalance of power. Indeed, the empires created on purpose, such as Napoleonic France and Nazi Germany, have rarely lasted. Most empires do not plan to become one. They become one and then realize what they are. Sometimes they do not realize what they are for a long time, and that failure to see reality can have massive consequences.
Thursday, April 09, 2015
Who Owns the North Pole? / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: MISES
Benjamin M. Wiegold writes: The battle for the North Pole is snowballing between national governments along the Arctic Circle, as they all have their eyes set on the vast natural resources residing in the Arctic region. Indeed, it’s estimated the Arctic Ocean floor contains 22 percent of all unused oil and natural gas in the world — the largest remaining untapped concentration.
From this year until 2017, the US will hold the chair of the Arctic Council (AC) — an international forum founded in 1996, comprised of member states Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the US.The purpose of the AC is to
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Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Middle East Balance of Power Matures / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
George Friedman writes: Last week, a coalition of predominantly Sunni Arab countries, primarily from the Arabian Peninsula and organized by Saudi Arabia, launched airstrikes in Yemen that have continued into this week. The airstrikes target Yemeni al-Houthis, a Shiite sect supported by Iran, and their Sunni partners, which include the majority of military forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. What made the strikes particularly interesting was what was lacking: U.S. aircraft. Although the United States provided intelligence and other support, it was a coalition of Arab states that launched the extended air campaign against the al-Houthis.
Sunday, March 08, 2015
How Putin Blocked the U.S. Pivot to Asia - Get Vlad! / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Mike_Whitney
Read full article... Read full article...“The collapse of the Soviet Union removed the only constraint on Washington’s power to act unilaterally abroad…. Suddenly the United States found itself to be the Uni-power, the ‘world’s only superpower.’ Neoconservatives proclaimed ‘the end of history.'”— Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury
“Don’t blame the mirror if your face is crooked.” — Russian proverb
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Europe - The Intersection of Three Crises / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
Reva Bhalla writes: Within the past two weeks, a temporary deal to keep Greece in the eurozone was reached in Brussels, a cease-fire roadmap was agreed to in Minsk and Iranian negotiators advanced a potential nuclear deal in Geneva. Squadrons of diplomats have forestalled one geopolitical crisis after another. Yet it would be premature, even reckless, to assume that the fault lines defining these issues are effectively stable. Understanding how these crises are inextricably linked is the first step toward assessing when and where the next flare-up is likely to occur.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Is Putin's Russia Ready For Total Economic War With the West? / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Ron_Holland
On February 18, 1943, German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels delivered a rousing speech at the Berlin Sportpalast, asking the German people, "Sind Sie bereit für totalen Krieg?" or "Are you ready for total War?" Germany had planned for Blitzkrieg and a short war and was unprepared for a world war as the combined military forces of the United States, England and the Soviet Union crushed the Reich relentlessly and systematically. Although the people and economy rallied in defense of Germany, total war only prolonged the horrors of war and delayed their inevitable defeat.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Minsk Summit Highlights A Shaky NATO Union – Russia Is Far From Isolated / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: GoldCore
- Merkel and Hollande to attend peace talks in Belarus to resolve Ukraine’s civil war today
- US and UK not invited
- Germany and US present united front but tensions ripple under the surface
- Foreign Minister of Greece, Nikolaos Kotzias, to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov today as the crucial Eurogroup of finance ministers meet to determine the fate of Greece and the Euro
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Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Washington's War on Russia / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
Washington’s attack on Russia has moved beyond the boundary of the absurd into the realm of insanity.
The New Chief of the US Broadcasting Board of Governors, Andrew Lack, has declared the Russian news service, RT, which broadcasts in multiple languages, to be a terrorist organization equivalent to Boko Haram and the Islamic State, and Standard and Poor’s just downgraded Russia’s credit rating to junk status.
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Sunday, January 04, 2015
Oil, Power and Psychopaths / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Raul_I_Meijer
Iran has a – very – long running dispute with the US about its nuclear technology. The US wants Assad (Bashar Al-Assad) out of Syria, while Iran and Russia support Assad (Russia’s sole proper base in the Middle East), who’s an Alawite (a Shi-ite branch), a people historically persecuted by Sunni’s. ISIS (or Daesh in the region) is Sunni. So are the Saudi’s. Iran is Shi’ite. Bahrain is ruled by Sunni but has a majority Shi’ite population. And I could go on for a while. A long while.
All this plays into the oil game, the falling oil prices. Blaming OPEC for the recent price fall is seeing the world from a child’s perspective. OPEC and its major voteholder, Saudi Arabia, are no more to blame for the plunge than the US, Russia or other non-OPEC producers. Everybody produces as if there’s no tomorrow, and the Saudi’s have merely concluded that their only choice is to do the same. It’s a race to the bottom.
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Friday, January 02, 2015
Where Have All the Statesmen Gone? / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Marin_Katusa
One of the most striking things about the Colder War—as I explore in my new book of the same name—has been the contrast between the peevish tone of the West’s leaders compared to the more grown-up and statesmanlike approach that Putin is taking in international affairs.
Western leaders and their unquestioning media propagandists appear to believe that diplomatic relations are some kind of reward for good behavior. But it’s actually more important to establish a constructive dialogue with your enemies or rivals than your friends, because that’s where you need to find common ground. Indeed, it’s been the basis for diplomacy since time immemorial.
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Thursday, January 01, 2015
2014 in 5 Narratives - 2014 in 5 Narratives - Ukraine, EU, Oil, North Korea and U.S Dollar / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Raul_I_Meijer
Let’s see, how do we close this year in a proper manner? I already wrote that 2014 for me has been The Year Propaganda Came Of Age. Likewise, looking forward, I said that The Biggest Economic Story Going Into 2015 Is Not Oil. Moreover, I talked about things that need to be done next year in Things To Do In 2015 When You’re Not Yet Dead.
So what else is left? I thought I’d make a list of narratives that painted the past year, and look at what’s real about them versus what we’re being told they are about. Nothing comprehensive about them, mind you, just train of thought.
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Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Top Five Geopolitical Events in 2014 / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
George Friedman writes: 'Tis the season to make lists, and a list shall be made. We tend to see each year as extraordinary, and in some senses, each year is. But in a broader sense, 2014 was merely another year in a long chain of human triumph and misery. Wars have been waged, marvelous things have been invented, disease has broken out, and people have fallen in love. Nonetheless, lists are called for, and this is my list of the five most important events of 2014.
Monday, December 29, 2014
The Real Meaning of the 1914 Christmas Truce / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
One hundred years ago last week, on Christmas Eve, 1914, German and British soldiers emerged from the horrors of World War One trench warfare to greet each other, exchange food and gifts, and to wish each other a Merry Christmas. What we remember now as the "Christmas Truce" began with soldiers singing Christmas carols together from in the trenches. Eventually the two sides climbed out of the trenches and met in person. In the course of this two day truce, which lasted until December 26, 1914, the two sides also exchanged prisoners, buried their dead, and even played soccer with each other.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Oil Prices And The Waziristan Republic - BEWARE OF THE AKOND OF SWOT / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Andrew_McKillop
Does He Beat His Wife With a Gold-topped Cane?
When she lets the gooseberries grow too ripe – or rot? The rot accelerated in royal (or caliph) fashion on 16th of December. Financial markets were in something of a profitable tizwas for short sellers of oil futures and Russian rouble futures – a money now AKA as Russian Rubble – but the sheer horror of the Pakistani school atrocity trumped the financial massacre.
Sunday, December 07, 2014
Putin Gobsmacks Obama and Euro-Leaders with Surprise Natural Gas Deal / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Mike_Whitney
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin clinched a groundbreaking deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that will strengthen economic ties between the two nations and make Turkey the major hub for Russian gas in the region. Under the terms of the agreement, Russia will pump additional natural gas to locations in central Turkey and to a “hub at the Turkish-Greek border” which will eventually provide Putin with backdoor access to the lucrative EU market, although Turkey will serve as the critical intermediary. The move creates a de facto Russo-Turkey alliance that could shift the regional balance of power decisively in Moscow’s favor, thus creating another formidable hurtle for Washington’s “pivot to Asia” strategy. While the media is characterizing the change in plans (Putin has abandoned the South Stream pipeline project that would have transported gas to southern Europe) as a “diplomatic defeat” for Russia, the opposite appears to be the case. Putin has once again outmaneuvered the US on both the energy and geopolitical fronts adding to his long list of policy triumphs. Here’s a brief summary from Andrew Korybko at Sputnik News:
Sunday, December 07, 2014
Dangerous Slope – Anti-Russian Propaganda At Record Heights / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Andrew_McKillop
The Wounded Russian Bear
Russians themselves are not particularly fascinated by bears, and like Americans feature eagles in their animal iconology – but for western pap-news journalists and broadcasters bears always figure in the output of their anti-Russian propaganda cottage industry. But not polar bears, of course.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Russia and China Rapprochement Akin to Porcupines Mating / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Casey_Research
That was how the slow and careful rapprochement between Russia and China has been described by Eric Margolis, one of my favorite geopolitical writers.
US shenanigans in Eastern Europe and the East China Sea—fomenting so-called colored revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia (both on Russia’s periphery) and egging on China’s neighbors to make aggressive territorial claims—have pushed the Russian bear and Chinese dragon together. In May, the two uneasy neighbors reached a de facto alliance represented by a 20-year, $400 billion deal for Russia to supply China with natural gas.
Friday, November 21, 2014
That G20 Meeting / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Alasdair_Macleod
G20 gatherings of world leaders on the surface are all the same: they conclude with a meaningless anodyne statement that everyone can agree with. But these meetings do serve a purpose: they allow the world leaders to meet informally and exchange views.
Since the last G20 in St Petersburg in 2013 when there was a high degree of conviction that economic growth would return, the global economic outlook has instead deteriorated significantly. Instead of last time's mutual bonhomie over the prospect of their collective success, the world's leaders this time are almost certainly worried. They would have learned about the failure of monetary policy everywhere. They would have had this first-hand from Japan's delegation, which is on its way to financial and currency destruction. The despair in the European delegations would have been obvious as well.
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Wednesday, November 19, 2014
G20 and BRICS Great Schism / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: BATR
Global trade relationships and agreements are moving in very different directions. The public relations press releases hide the undercurrents that are driving the formations of alternative economic alliances. While the G 20, markets its all inclusive umbrella policy forums, the mere formation of a BRICS counterweight forecasts deep and fundamental differences. So what is really behind the creation of a different approach to the post WWII dominate U.S. lead model? A clue can be found in an attempt to modify the operations and direction of IMF functions.