Geopolitical Economy Report

By Ben NortonNews

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Geopolitical Economy Report episodes

October 26 Lula's reelection in Brazil is win for BRICS & Palestine, loss for US, Israel, & dollar
The historic re-election of President Lula da Silva in Brazil is a victory for BRICS, Palestine, Latin America, and the Global South, and a significant blow to the United States, Israel, and dollar hegemony. Ben Norton explains the major geopolitical and economic implications of Brazil's 2026 presidential election.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPszorpihmc
Topics
0:00 Brazil's presidential election
0:30 Importance of Brazil
0:55 Lula vs Bolsonaro
2:01 Global South cooperation
3:13 Jair Bolsonaro coup attempt
4:52 Bolsonaros flee to USA
6:25 Brazil's state-owned oil industry
7:25 Rare earths & critical minerals
9:03 Summary
9:32 Lula's background
10:29 Rich landlords fund Bolsonaros
11:52 BRICS
13:03 US dollar dominance
13:59 Lula proposed BRICS currency
15:37 Latin American currency idea
16:42 US imperialism in Latin America
17:15 Trump's tariffs
18:28 US Big Tech meddling in Brazil
19:29 AI propaganda
20:19 Lula supports Palestine
20:54 Bolsonaros love Israel
22:30 Victory for Global South
23:22 Rare earth minerals in Brazil
24:56 USA makes new supply chain
27:06 Donroe Doctrine
28:58 Conclusion
30 min
October 20 US Big Tech corporations are blatantly meddling in Brazil's election
US Big Tech corporations based in Silicon Valley are manipulating politics across the world. Meta and TikTok are censoring critics of Donald Trump and Elon Musk in the United States, while repressing protesters in Albania and blatantly meddling in Brazil's elections.
Ben Norton explains how Meta censored Brazil's left-wing President Lula da Silva, while promoting far-right, US-backed candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk3bc6ms_B4
Topics
0:00 US oligarchy
0:41 Big Tech meddles in Brazil election
1:22 Big Tech meddles in Albania
2:08 TikTok censors Elon Musk documentary
2:58 Elon Musk tries to buy US elections
3:28 Musk documentary
3:54 Billionaire Larry Ellison takes over TikTok
4:52 Skydance: Paramount buys Warner Bros
5:31 Meta censors No Kings on Instagram
6:15 USA is an oligarchy
6:55 Albanian protesters censored by Meta
8:44 Trump family backs Albanian criminals
9:44 Trump frees Honduran narco-dictator
10:25 USA meddles in Brazil's election
10:49 Meta censored Lula's accounts
12:12 Why the US opposes Lula
12:43 Lula & BRICS challenge US dollar
13:46 Trump hits Brazil with tariffs
14:18 Jair Bolsonaro coup attempt
16:19 Flavio & Eduardo Bolsonaro
17:49 Bolsonaristas ask Trump to bomb Brazil
18:35 US-backed coups in Latin America
19:22 Elon Musk: "We will coup whoever"
20:13 Flavio Bolsonaro's promises to Trump
20:40 Brazil's Pix payment system
21:55 Silicon Valley fears regulation
22:46 Meta censors pro-Lula accounts
23:14 Bolsonaro hires US AI company
24:33 AI fake social media accounts
27:51 US imperialism in Latin America
28:55 Donroe Doctrine
30:05 New era of AI coups
33 min
October 16 This is Israel's plan for PERMANENT war: Peace is 'weakness'
Global public opinion has rapidly shifted and polls show Israel is now the most unpopular country on Earth. So Israeli regime officials are becoming even more desperate and extreme. A top Israeli official who led the IDF's military intelligence directorate published a white paper outlining plans for never-ending war, in a "permanent Israeli-Arab conflict". The report explicitly opposes peace, calling it "weakness". It says a "peace agreement is unattainable" and insists "no solution is possible", only endless conflict and colonization. Ben Norton reports.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z5--p8bhp4
Topics
0:00 Israel is most disliked country on Earth
1:06 Most Americans disapprove of Israel
2:10 International recognition of Palestine
2:29 Israel rejects a Palestinian state
3:11 Israel is an apartheid regime
3:38 Israeli colonialism
4:21 Israel lays out its plan
5:51 Israel calls for permanent war
6:47 Israel opposes peace
8:15 Israel seeks to destabilize Arab neighbors
9:52 Hypocrisy of settler-colonialism
10:58 Plan: "permanent Israeli-Arab conflict"
12:23 Official: "no solution is possible"
13:09 Israel wants to take more territory
14:45 Nuclear weapons threat
15:25 Israel openly opposes democracy
17:15 Neo-fascism
18:37 Declining US support
19:54 Israel can't fight without US weapons
21:56 Fall of apartheid South Africa
23:12 Poll: most Americans oppose Israel
24:29 Young Americans dislike Israel
25:22 Desperation of Israeli regime
27 min
October 12 'Western civilization' is a myth: USA demands global dominance, praises colonialism, erases history
The US government has called to revive Western domination of the planet. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech in Greece that openly praised colonialism and erased history. He claimed the West is "the greatest civilization in the world" and insisted it must "maintain its place at the head of the world".
Ben Norton explains how the idea of a unified "Western civilization" is a political myth used to justify imperialism. He fact-checks Rubio's remarks and provides important historical context that the Donald Trump administration refuses to acknowledge.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iPKlFKY_F8
Topics
0:00 (CLIP) Marco Rubio on Western civilization
0:33 USA wants West to dominate world
1:47 Marco Rubio speech in Athens
2:57 (CLIP) Rubio: West must dominate world
3:56 The "Clash of Civilizations" narrative
7:06 Trump admin erases history
7:51 Colonization of the Americas
9:05 (CLIP) Rubio praises colonialism
10:00 Native Americans erased by US govt
10:33 Double standards on imperialism
12:33 Rubio demonizes Iran
13:04 Greece is not "Western"
14:02 Christianity and East-West Schism
15:09 Russia, the West, and NATO
16:01 Western civilization is a political myth
17:42 Rearmament of Europe
18:17 (CLIP) Rubio on militarization of EU
18:44 Christian nationalism
19:55 Using Christianity to support imperialism
21:33 Religion in Ancient Greece
22:15 Church persecution of scientists
23:29 Christian attack on Ancient Greece/Rome
24:18 Islamic Golden Age
24:41 European book-burning
25:22 Western chauvinism is ridiculous
26:43 Rubio identifies with Spain, not Cuba
30:26 (CLIP) Rubio's pro-colonialist speech
32:06 Latin America's right-wing elites
33:33 What is the "West"? A political construct
35:09 Trump admin's extreme imperialism
35:52 (CLIP) Rubio condemns anti-colonialists
37:06 USA wants to reverse decolonization
38:32 Real goal of US foreign policy
40 min
October 09 Iran war expands: Why Saudi Arabia is attacking Yemen, with US support
The US war against Iran is expanding into a regional conflict. Saudi Arabia restarted its war in Yemen against the Houthis (officially known as Ansarallah), the political movement that governs 80% of the Yemeni population. Pakistan and Turkey (Türkiye) have joined the war. Syria supports it. Ben Norton explains how this crisis is growing, why the Donald Trump administration is fueling it, and how it is further destabilizing the oil market and global economy.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK9KxLbKuYk
Topics
0:00 War on Yemen starts again
0:22 Pakistan joins Saudi war
1:11 Turkey joins war
1:57 Syria backs war on Yemen
2:23 USA helps Saudi bomb Yemen
3:14 What is happening in Yemen?
3:37 Who are the Houthis (Ansarallah)?
5:05 Revolution on 21 September 2014
5:30 Map of Yemen war territory
6:04 Saudi Arabia controls south Yemen
6:55 Yemen's Saudi puppet "presidents"
9:06 UAE loses proxy war with Saudi
10:53 War crimes
12:15 Goals of US-Saudi war on Yemen
12:49 Bab al-Mandab Strait
14:43 Strait of Hormuz
15:15 Largest oil crisis in history
16:21 Why Ansarallah blockaded Saudi
17:54 EU supports Saudi monarchy
19:36 Attack on Saudi oil pipeline
21:05 Oil prices skyrocket
22:09 Shipping costs break records
23:27 Heating oil price up 80%
25:02 US attacks on Yemen in 2025
26:59 USA could not defeat Ansarallah
28:48 US-Saudi war on Yemen (2015)
31:21 New war could help Ansarallah
32:49 This war affects entire world
34 min
October 05 Big Tech CEOs fear AI bubble could pop soon: US govt is protecting them
Why are executives of AI companies, like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, suddenly warning that artificial intelligence poses an "existential risk" to humanity? And why did Donald Trump invite Big Tech billionaire oligarchs to the White House for a "morally binding" agreement to "self-regulate"?
There are more and more signs that the AI bubble is getting dangerously large, and could pop soon. Corporate insiders want to cash out before it's too late -- and the US government is helping them. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsFHQ81nMHk
Topics
0:00 Does AI pose existential risk?
1:42 Trump meeting with Big Tech CEOs
3:19 AI is in biggest bubble in history
4:09 IPOs of Anthropic and OpenAI
5:28 China is now leading in AI
6:53 Silicon Valley wants to ban Chinese AI
8:30 Trump warns of AI race with China
9:09 Data centers push up electricity price
10:01 Anthropic is losing tons of money
10:57 OpenAI has huge losses
11:34 Only 2% of US households pay for AI
12:34 AI industry delusion: 9% of GDP
13:45 AI bubble is largest ever
14:29 US economy in recession, excluding AI
15:16 Circular financing of AI companies
16:27 Hyperscaler capex exceeds $1 trillion
17:25 Debt of AI companies is growing
17:59 US bond yields rise rapidly
19:00 AI companies taking on more debt
20:29 Michael Burry warns bubble may pop
21:38 US stock market concentration
24:13 Buffett Indicator: 235% of GDP
25:07 Anthropic's cynical marketing
26:06 Largest IPOs in history
27:47 SpaceX stock crashed after IPO
28:31 US government denies bubble
30 min
October 01 US official threatens: We can overthrow 'any country we want'
The CIA has organized coups d'etat in countries around the world. But this is not just history; it still happens today. US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top ally of Donald Trump (and former fiancée of his son), threatened a Greek minister by pointing to the collapse of Romania's government and saying, “We can do that to any country we want. We can do that here”. Her remarks recalled a comment from oligarch Elon Musk, who declared, "We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it". Ben Norton analyzes US imperialism.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW24Pp__UTA
Topics
0:00 US interventions and coups
1:39 US ambassador threatens Greece
4:56 Collapse of Romanian government
5:52 US-backed coup in Greece in 1967
6:48 Europe becomes US vassal
7:43 EU surrenders to Trump on trade
9:10 Trump demands EU buy US gas
10:26 Vertical gas corridor to Ukraine
11:48 EU imports of US LNG
12:40 Corruption and imperialism
14:13 Elon Musk vows more coups
15:43 US-backed coup in Bolivia in 2019
16:36 CIA coup in Chile in 1973
17:05 CIA coup in Guatemala in 1954
17:47 US coups in Brazil and Argentina
18:48 US coups in Venezuela
20:05 (CLIP) John Bolton boasts of coups
21:14 US coup in Honduras
22:13 Coup against Pakistan's Imran Khan
22:52 US blockade of Cuba
23:39 Global imperialist dictatorship
26 min
September 25 The real reason why Trump invited China's President Xi to Washington
Donald Trump has been a China hawk for years, and he waged a brutal trade war against the country. So why did the US leader invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington, DC for a summit? The White House dinner, featuring the CEOs of top corporations, helps explain why. Ben Norton analyzes the complex state of US-China relations following Trump's failed trade war.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueqdJ8vjInE
Topics
0:00 Xi Jinping visits USA
1:20 Cold War Two
2:07 Cold War One history
3:16 USA sees China as threat
4:48 Trump's trade war backfired
6:02 US-China economic integration
7:10 Trump's tariffs hurt manufacturing
8:05 Rare earths and critical minerals
9:52 Strategic stability meaning
11:26 Trump-Xi summit in Washington
12:16 Corporate CEOs attend dinner
15:53 Scott Bessent met at JPMorgan
16:33 China: largest consumer market
17:47 Trump's trip to Beijing
19:26 US corporations want market access
19:51 Windows loses market share
20:34 Apple faces restrictions in China
21:44 Tesla makes most cars in Shanghai
22:12 Google kicked out of China
22:43 Meta wants access to Chinese market
23:54 AI arms race
25:17 Trump: "Whoever wins AI, wins!"
26:31 Silicon Valley demonizes China
27:08 China's open-source AI models
28:26 Chip war
30:35 US attacks blow back
31:57 New cold war continues
34 min
September 21 Biggest oil crisis in history: The REAL reason why gasoline is so expensive
Gasoline prices are skyrocketing, breaking records, after the US war against Iran caused the biggest oil supply disruption in history. Ben Norton explains the geopolitical and economic reasons for the energy crisis, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disruption of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, sabotage of the Saudi East-West Pipeline, Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries and diesel storage depots, China's reduction of crude imports and renewable energy policies, and falling global oil reserves.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTSgA8qwIZ8
Topics
0:00 Largest oil crisis in history
1:30 Price of gasoline skyrockets
2:03 Diesel prices break records
3:07 US midterm election approaches
3:59 Inflation and Donald Trump
5:09 Fed raises interest rates
5:49 US bond market problems
7:13 Trump is unpopular, and desperate
8:19 Saudi oil pipeline attacked
10:59 Bab al-Mandab Strait
11:34 US-Saudi war on Yemen backfires
13:59 US deal with Houthis (Ansarallah)
14:45 Crisis in Saudi Arabia
16:11 Ukraine hits Russian oil facilities
17:37 China reduces crude oil imports
18:56 Chinese electric vehicles (EVs)
19:41 China's solar and wind power
20:33 China increases oil imports
21:39 Global oil reserves running low
22:27 US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)
23:23 Energy crisis will get worse
25:09 Outro
26 min
September 17 The dollar is a weapon: How the US controls countries with financial colonialism
The USA uses the dollar as a weapon to control countries, by imposing sanctions; cutting governments, banks, and companies out of the US-dominated financial system; and taking over the oil revenue of nations like Iraq and Venezuela. Ben Norton explains how US financial colonialism works.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkza5cRBuG4
Topics
0:00 US empire
1:16 CIA-backed coups
1:42 US sanctions one-third of world
2:23 Why sanctions are so destructive
4:23 US financial attacks blow back
4:49 BRICS seeks alternatives
5:56 Petrodollar system in crisis
7:02 How USA controls Iraq's oil revenue
10:26 USA threatens Iraq over Iran
12:12 Economic difficulties for Iraqis
13:34 US colonial scheme in Venezuela
14:39 China, world's biggest oil importer
15:18 Iraqi plans to sell oil in yuan
17:07 US attacks China-built schools
18:34 Trump attack on Iraq in 2020
20:08 US military occupation of Iraq
21:00 Iran attacks US military bases
21:49 Petrodollar system is breaking
25:30 US bond market problems
27:15 Iran war fuels inflation
27:50 US aggression is backfiring
29:16 Outro
30 min