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Why is the USA waging war on Iran? It's not just because of Israel. Washington wants to control the oil of the Middle East (West Asia) to maintain the petrodollar system. The Trump admin fears the dedollarization movement's challenge to the global reserve currency, which is the US empire's most powerful tool. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcXrvKVsPV8
Topics
0:00 Iran war, US & Israel
0:32 World War I analogy
1:47 Middle East wars
2:56 Oil reserves
3:51 (CLIP) Trump wants Venezuela's oil
4:14 Oil blockade of Cuba
4:59 Strait of Hormuz
5:40 Trump admin targets Iran's oil
6:06 (CLIP) US wants "to get all of the oil"
6:30 USA is top oil producer
7:11 Dollar as global reserve currency
7:55 Sanctions and financial system
9:00 Dedollarization
9:50 (CLIP) Trump fears dedollarization
10:07 Iran joins BRICS
10:22 Iran promotes dedollarization
11:08 Resistance groups
11:38 Petrodollar system
13:14 US oil deal with Saudi Arabia
15:06 Oil is (mostly) sold in US dollars
16:38 China buys Iranian oil with yuan
17:05 Venezuela sold oil in renminbi
17:26 Petrodollar and Venezuela
18:19 Trump official: Iran war for oil
19:44 USA targets China
20:44 Exorbitant privilege of US dollar
22:26 Commodities priced in USD
23:19 Financial elites benefit
24:17 US stock market: 60% of world
24:54 Global elites hold US assets
26:57 Gold standard to oil standard
28:11 Richest 10% hold 90% of stocks
28:43 Dedollarization grows
29:21 Rise of China (and India)
30:01 China buys oil with yuan
31:20 Iraq sold oil for euro, not USD
32:19 USA controls Iraq's oil revenues
33:30 Venezuela's oil revenues
34:19 Trump fears de-dollarization
35:00 UAE sells China LNG in RMB
36:01 Saudi Arabia considers yuan
36:51 Saudi BRICS invitation
37:15 UAE joined BRICS
37:44 War among BRICS members
38:29 US provokes Saudi-Iran conflict
39:10 China brokers Saudi-Iran deal
39:39 Petrodollar war
40:52 Israel and lobbying
43:34 Israel: US aircraft carrier
44:20 (CLIP) Biden: Israel "investment"
44:36 Israel and petrodollar
45:11 The tail does not wag the dog
46:05 Suez crisis of 1956
47:28 Origins of US-Saudi alliance
48:30 US-Israel alliance is recent
49:58 Bigger picture of US imperialism
51:55 Outro
After the US and Israel attacked Iran, Tehran's strategy of asymmetric warfare is clear: it closed the Strait of Hormuz and is attacking energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, causing global oil and natural gas prices to skyrocket, crashing stock markets, fueling inflation, and provoking an economic crisis that will hurt the USA and its allies.
The conflict has also become a battle of attrition. Iran is using cheap missiles and drones to deplete the defense interceptors of neighboring countries, which will be very difficult to replace, due to deindustrialization, despite Trump administration efforts to boost production.
Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAc9mgZrE6E
Topics
0:00 Iran conflict becomes war of attrition
1:10 US strategy: "punch them while they're down"
1:45 US military vs Iranian military
2:25 Asymmetric warfare
3:30 Decentralized mosaic defense doctrine
4:13 Guerrilla economic warfare
5:08 Oil price skyrockets to over $100
5:30 Strait of Hormuz closed
6:00 Energy infrastructure hit in Persian Gulf
7:19 Economic crisis on horizon
7:54 Trump: it's a "small price to pay"
8:46 Inflation fuels inequality
9:47 US midterm election coming soon
10:46 Donald Trump's approval rating
11:08 Fertilizer supply chain breakdown
11:28 Food price shock
12:33 Dubai airport shut down
12:54 Gulf monarchy reputation crisis
14:06 Iranian drones vs expensive missiles
15:15 Iran's Shahed 136 drone
16:56 Missile math in asymmetric war
18:47 Military-industrial complex profits
19:24 Gulf runs out of interceptor missiles
20:29 USA prioritizes Israel over GCC
23:26 What does victory look like?
25:25 US allies need more munitions
26:25 Deindustrialization
28:08 Trump meets with weapons CEOs
29:16 Corruption in Pentagon
30:49 Wall Street wins
31:45 US empire underestimates rivals
32:28 Iran destroys radar system
33:07 Iran hits energy infrastructure
33:32 Hotels hosting US military officials
34:54 US military uses civilian ports
36:10 Gulf monarchies are not neutral
37:08 Top oil producers, by country
37:35 Top oil exporters, by country
38:24 Top natural gas producers
38:39 Top LNG exporters
39:11 Strait of Hormuz alternatives
40:10 Saudi alternative oil pipeline
41:11 Iraq and Kurdish fighters
42:31 Insurance companies avoid region
43:13 Trump Hormuz US Navy proposal
44:15 China in talks with Iran
44:58 Asia imports most Gulf energy
45:38 China stockpiles commodities
47:58 China renewable energy strategy
49:23 India wants Russian oil
49:57 India's ties with USA & Israel
51:39 South Korea hurt by oil crisis
52:12 Europe faces new inflation shock
52:39 EU wants Russian oil
53:17 Ukraine backs Gulf dictatorships
54:08 Geopolitical reality
54:53 Gulf monarchy propaganda
56:00 Foreign nationals in GCC countries
56:34 Migrant workers in Persian Gulf
58:32 Asymmetric warfare results
59:59 End of "strategic patience" doctrine
1:00:55 Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei
1:01:57 Nuclear weapons
1:03:29 Clear losers of Iran war
1:04:42 Outro
The US and Israel are bombing schools and hospitals in Iran. This is not an accident. War Secretary Pete Hegseth admitted they want to unleash as much "death and destruction" as possible. Their goal is total collapse of Iran's state and society. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dAY9J6aAr0
Topics
0:00 (CLIP) US secretary of war on Iran
0:27 Schools & hospitals bombed in Iran
2:14 US-Israeli war violates international law
3:45 Iran was NOT preparing to attack USA
4:30 (CLIP) IAEA chief on nuclear weapons
4:53 Trump admin boasts of "unfair fight"
5:22 (CLIP) "Punching them while they're down"
5:49 Sadistic rhetoric
6:18 (CLIP) "Death and destruction... all day"
6:49 Operation Epic Epstein Fury
7:39 (CLIP) Comparing Iran to Iraq invasion
8:09 Pete Hegseth, extremist "crusader"
9:09 US military promotes "holy war"
9:42 Anti-woke? Pro-war crimes
10:47 (CLIP) Hegseth promotes war crimes
11:40 US torpedoes Iranian ship near India
12:32 The cruelty is the point
13:12 What is goal of USA & Israel?
13:43 Ali Khamenei
14:10 "Decapitation" of Iranian leaders
15:45 USA & Israel want state collapse
16:57 Israeli admits: it seeks chaos
19:48 Imperialist war of extermination
20:47 Outro
After launching a war of aggression against Iran, Trump and Netanyahu are attacking more countries. Israel invaded Lebanon and besieged Gaza. US soldiers are fighting in Ecuador and shooting Pakistani protesters. Trump even threatened an embargo on Spain, demanding to use its military bases. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3mU2qgYUcE
Check out our related video - The US-Israeli war on Iran is based on lies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_xGgeV_9rw
Topics
0:00 US-Israeli war on Iran expands
0:36 Iran hits US bases in Middle East
0:54 Oil price & Strait of Hormuz
1:24 US State Dep't orders evacuations
1:59 CIA plans to arm Kurdish militants
4:02 Trump vowed to end wars
4:22 Israel invades Lebanon
5:06 Israel besieges Gaza
5:31 USA shoots Pakistani protesters
5:49 US troops fight in Ecuador
6:31 US oil blockade of Cuba
7:23 Many wars happening at once
8:16 Trump, the "peace president"
8:29 (CLIP) Trump promised peace
8:43 Trump's "Board of Peace"
9:04 Trump has bombed 10 countries
10:15 Trump attacks Spain
10:39 Spain opposes war on Iran
11:21 Trump wants embargo of Spain
12:33 (CLIP) Trump threatens Spain
13:56 Trump floats invading Spain
14:48 NATO military spending 5% of GDP
15:33 Spain supports Palestine
17:04 Spain moves closer to China
18:08 Germany backs US attack on Spain
19:20 (CLIP) Germany condemns Spain
20:06 Myth of European solidarity
20:40 Friedrich Merz, BlackRock boy
21:34 Kissinger on US "friends"
22:03 France admits war is illegal
23:12 Germany, France, UK join war
23:56 European vassals of US empire
24:27 (CLIP) Trump criticizes UK
24:39 UK lets US use its military bases
25:20 (CLIP) Mark Rutte: Trump is "daddy"
25:52 Canada's hypocritical position
28:16 Iran wanted negotiations
29:45 Outro
The US-Israeli war on Iran is expanding into a global conflict. The European Union supports it. The UK is letting Trump use British bases. Germany and France are involved. Canada backs it. Tehran has retaliated, in self-defense, hitting US military bases in Gulf countries. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un25sqF6tnU
Topics
0:00 US-Israeli war on Iran expands
0:46 Pentagon admits war is based on lies
2:54 France, Germany, UK join war
3:36 USA is using British bases
4:44 Iran retaliates in self-defense
5:48 Iran hits US bases in Middle East
6:20 US casualties
6:42 CIA coup installed Iran's shah
7:22 USA wants hegemony
8:21 Iran closes Strait of Hormuz
9:23 US & Israel target Iranian leaders
11:19 Supreme leader Ali Khamenei
12:28 US & Israel bomb a school
13:38 Germany ignores international law
15:10 Friedrich Merz, BlackRock boy
16:27 Canada PM Mark Carney
17:48 (CLIP) Carney WEF Davos speech
18:45 West's hypocrisy
20:19 Trump's war unites the West
21:33 Canada supports US-Israeli war
22:11 Netanyahu ICC arrest warrant
22:49 Nuclear weapon negotiations
24:24 US surprise attacks on Iran
26:34 Myth of "rules-based order"
27:20 Germany supports war
28:39 Turning victim into aggressor
29:29 France supports war
31:07 EU supports war
32:10 Ursula von der Leyen hypocrisy
33:16 EU works with Israel
33:40 EU backs Gulf monarchies
35:22 EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas
36:51 UN Charter on use of force
37:37 UN Charter on self-defense
38:14 Western imperialism
39:15 Outro
The United States and Israel are waging a war of aggression against Iran. This is not about nuclear weapons; it's about imperialism. Trump and Netanyahu admitted they want regime change in Tehran. They want to overthrow the revolutionary government and put a puppet in power, like the former shah. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_xGgeV_9rw
Topics
0:00 USA & Israel bomb Iran
1:21 (CLIP) Trump threatens Iran's military
1:49 (CLIP) Trump calls for regime change
2:33 Iran retaliates, hitting US bases
3:26 Iran is not Venezuela, or Iraq
4:18 (CLIP) Trump fears US casualties
4:52 Israel's PM Netanyahu
6:08 US empire's plans for West Asia
7:39 (CLIP) Wesley Clark: 7 countries targeted
8:14 Nuclear weapons
9:15 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA)
10:31 Fake US "negotiations"
12:21 Oil & gas in Middle East (West Asia)
12:45 USA wants to cut off China's oil supplies
13:55 Trump's oil blockade of Cuba
14:25 Israel: US empire's aircraft carrier
15:26 CIA coup in Iran in 1953
16:04 US-backed dictator, the shah
16:54 Iranian Revolution
17:20 Iran-Iraq War
17:52 US puppet, "crown prince" Reza Pahlavi
19:56 US-backed regime change in Syria
21:01 Imperialism
21:24 Outro
Cold War Two is transforming the global political system. Two distinct visions are competing: The US seeks to revive colonialism and imperialist "spheres of influence", using force to restore Western hegemony. China wants a multipolar order based on peace, sovereign equality, and win-win cooperation. Ben Norton analyzes speeches by officials from both countries.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqhLXjvTRsw
Sources and links here: https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/us-unipolarity-china-multipolarity-vision-global-order
Topics
0:00 (CLIP) China proposes multipolar order
0:30 Cold War Two
1:13 Comparing visions of USA and China
2:49 (CLIP) Stephen Miller: Might makes right
3:39 US imperialist model
5:18 (CLIP) Marco Rubio's pro-colonialist speech
7:13 Speech by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
7:55 China opposes hegemony
8:45 (CLIP) Wang Yi explains China's vision
10:11 (CLIP) China opposes "law of the jungle"
10:24 Xi Jinping's global governance principles
10:53 United Nations
11:51 (CLIP) China defends UN system
12:33 Respect for small countries
13:56 (CLIP) US is destroying law-based system
14:40 Importance of sovereignty
15:38 (CLIP) Global South is rising
15:58 China's multipolarity vs US unipolarity
18:13 Outro
The Second Cold War that the United States is waging against China includes a trade war, tech war, and now a mineral war. In alliance with Silicon Valley Big Tech corporations, the US government is trying to recruit countries into Pax Silica, a coalition to create a new global supply chain for critical minerals that cuts out China. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHHeug0APxk
Topics
0:00 Cold War Two against China
0:30 (CLIP) Marco Rubio on China "threat"
1:33 Trade war
2:26 Why China won the trade war
3:25 Critical mineral supply chain
4:10 Trump plans to restart trade war
4:47 Trump tariffs and SCOTUS ruling
6:15 Tech war against China
7:05 Chip war
8:32 AI chip supply chain
9:58 Military-industrial complex
11:28 Plans for new supply chain
12:14 Project Vault: US mineral stockpile
12:53 Japan deal with USA
13:35 Pax Silica
14:13 Critical minerals ministerial
14:57 Members of US-led Pax Silica
16:17 India
17:03 Other countries
18:04 US State Department narrative
19:41 China is the target
21:10 Big Tech corporations
21:30 Google
22:14 Public-private partnership
23:23 Under Secretary Jacob Helberg
24:32 US attacks on Iran target China
26:00 China oil imports
27:11 Geostrategic oil chokepoints
27:48 Strait of Hormuz
28:27 Strait of Malacca
29:27 Silicon Valley oligarchs
31:04 AI & crypto czar David Sacks
31:32 PayPal Mafia
32:41 Billionaires make US govt policy
33:19 AI race with China
34:57 Silicon Valley fears China
35:32 Billionaires run US government
36:46 India joins US-led Pax Silica
39:22 India's foreign policy
40:41 Non-Aligned Movement
41:23 New cold war
43:24 Outro
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered an overtly pro-colonialist speech at the Munich Security Conference in which he praised "the great Western empires" and said North America and Europe should unite to recolonize the Global South. Ben Norton reports on the increasing desperation of the imperialist West as its global dominance declines.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mWRy7A1cJI
Topics
0:00 (CLIP) Marco Rubio praises colonialism
1:13 From colonialism to decolonization
2:17 Western colonies today
3:24 USA wants to reverse decolonization
4:30 Marco Rubio's pro-colonialist speech
6:06 (CLIP) Rubio loves "great Western empires"
6:58 Demonizing anti-colonial movements
7:55 (CLIP) US plan to reverse West's decline
8:57 (CLIP) Erasing colonial crimes
9:32 Proud of colonialism
10:21 (CLIP) "Purported sins" of colonialism
10:37 Crimes of Western colonialism
11:39 (CLIP) Armies fight for "civilization"
11:49 EU leaders applaud colonialist speech
12:31 (CLIP) EU standing ovation for Rubio
12:40 Western media coverage
13:16 Munich Security Conference (MSC)
13:43 (CLIP) Europe's colonial "sigh of relief"
14:15 Defeat of European colonialism
14:57 US imperial message to Global South
15:58 (CLIP) "Western civilization"
16:30 Western civilization built on colonialism
17:00 (CLIP) Trump invites Europe to join
17:15 Rubio identifies as European, not Cuban
18:28 (CLIP) Rubio praises European colonizers
19:21 (CLIP) Rubio's ancestry in Italy & Spain
20:07 Capitalism vs anti-imperialist socialism
21:26 (CLIP) Anti-communism unites West
22:47 Cold War Two against China
23:42 New supply chain to cut out China
25:26 (CLIP) "Western supply chain"
25:49 US goal: reverse decolonization
26:19 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
27:05 China opposes imperialism
27:42 China's speech at MSC
28:38 Need to reform the UN
29:36 Equality for countries
30:20 China opposes new cold war
30:59 Multipolar world based on sovereignty
32:34 Global South is rising
33:13 US empire wants global dictatorship
33:49 USA vs China: polar opposites
35:18 Outro
The Donald Trump administration has imposed an extreme oil blockade to prevent Cuba from getting fuel from any country. Marco Rubio wants to collapse the economy, causing millions of civilians to starve and suffer in order to overthrow the revolutionary Cuban government. Ben Norton explains the monstrous history of US imperialism and its siege of Cuba.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ykeYsIRqKQ
Topics
0:00 US oil blockade of Cuba
1:09 USA starves Cuban women & children
2:23 Interview with Cuban mother
3:57 Far-right Miami Congress members
4:40 Shutting down Cuba's free universities
5:41 US blockade is illegal
6:06 Trump threatens tariffs on oil sellers
6:40 US empire attacks international law
7:48 US war on Cuban Revolution
8:08 Goal: "Hunger, desperation, & overthrow"
9:29 Trump's war on Cuba
10:25 (CLIP) Marco Rubio wants regime change
10:58 Marco Rubio, warmonger in chief
12:42 Miami Mafia wants to exploit Cuba
13:16 Narco Rubio's links to drugs
15:12 Trump admin attacks Cuba
16:13 Trump executive order on Cuba
17:05 Monroe to Donroe Doctrine
17:57 Russia vows to send Cuba oil
18:43 USA seizes oil tankers
19:26 (CLIP) Trump vows to steal oil tankers
20:09 China supports Cuba
21:30 US-China trade
22:01 Will Brazil help Cuba?
22:34 Mexico is in a tough spot
23:35 US attack on Venezuela
24:26 World opposes US embargo (UN votes)
26:12 US threatens secondary sanctions
27:28 How the embargo works
29:24 Gains of the Cuban Revolution
30:56 Extremist Miami Congress members
31:36 US politicians call to asphyxiate Cuba
32:06 US corporate colonization
33:33 US imperialism
34:24 Outro
The USA is waging a new cold war on China, and trying to recruit countries in the Asia-Pacific region to join it. Vietnam refuses, and is making plans for a potential second war with the United States. Ben Norton explains the complex geopolitics of Southeast Asia and the US empire's strategy.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NncakfDmrxU
Topics
0:00 Cold War Two against China
1:00 Vietnam's "bamboo diplomacy"
2:18 Vietnam prepares for new war with USA
4:07 US-Vietnam relations
5:38 Fears of US interventionism
7:22 US National Security Strategy
8:10 Monroe (Donroe) Doctrine
9:08 US "Indo-Pacific" strategy
10:55 US imperialism
12:51 China-Vietnam relations
13:38 Non-Aligned Movement
14:10 BRICS
14:49 Vietnam's economy: GDP
15:38 Incomes in Vietnam
16:54 Investment-led growth
17:44 Vietnam's manufacturing exports
18:18 Socialist market economy
19:30 Vietnam's "Four Nos" policy
20:51 Vietnam's "2nd US Invasion Plan"
23:48 US-backed "color revolution" fears
25:03 Shift in US imperial strategy
27:17 Divide and conquer
28:24 Trump, Biden, Obama
29:07 Vietnam & China share vision
30:02 China & Vietnam deepen ties
30:43 China-Vietnam conflict
32:21 ASEAN
33:28 Thailand foreign policy
34:41 Southeast Asian model
35:39 Outro
The United States is waging medieval economic war. Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran is "designed to collapse its already buckling economy", boasted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Ben Norton explains how the US is trying to suffocate Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba by collapsing their currencies and causing extreme inflation, using illegal sanctions and blockades.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AQWr6Rtybg
Topics
0:00 Economic war
1:02 USA has sanctioned 1/3rd of countries
1:40 Sanctions kill 560,000 people per year
2:46 US sanctions on Iran
3:54 Trump threatens to bomb Iran (again)
5:20 Map of US troops in Middle East
6:58 Economic war against Iran
8:21 (CLIP) Scott Bessent: "Collapse" Iran
10:17 (CLIP) Bessent: Crash Iran currency
11:13 (CLIP) Bessent: Stop Iran oil exports
11:34 Dollar hegemony & financial system
12:33 "Making Iran broke again"
13:09 Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman
14:20 Inflation & US sanctions on Iran
20:40 Goal: "hunger, desperation and overthrow"
22:25 "Make the economy scream"
23:15 More US sanctions
23:50 UN experts: US sanctions are illegal
25:25 How to help the Iranian people
26:29 Outro
Donald Trump's attacks on longtime US "allies" have forced Western leaders to admit their warmongering foreign policy was hypocritical. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said the truth in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos: the "rules-based order" was "false". Ben Norton explains how the global balance of power is shifting.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTH_rx1mpfE
Check out our related video on Europe improving its relations with China: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpngJ3tC7Xw
Topics
0:00 Hypocrisy of Western foreign policy
1:05 "Rules-based international order"
1:27 Donald Trump, arch-imperialist
3:00 Canada PM Mark Carney Davos speech
3:42 "Middle powers" fear US attacks
5:42 (CLIP) Multilateralism is under threat
6:04 Double standards on international law
6:35 (CLIP) "Rules-based order" was false
6:58 US unipolar domination
7:28 (CLIP) Defending "American hegemony"
7:41 Financial system & US dollar
8:34 (CLIP) Rupture, not transition
9:13 West's exploitation of Global South
9:36 Canada's complicity in imperialism
9:56 Gaza, Palestine, Israel
10:31 Canada sells weapons to Israel
11:54 Canada's whitewashed reputation
12:22 Canada's hypocritical UN votes
13:47 West votes against rest of world
14:21 Canadian conservatives
15:03 Imperial hypocrisy
15:36 USA supports Canadian separatists
16:33 (CLIP) If not at table, on the menu
16:48 Partners in crime
17:34 Macron's message to Trump
18:38 New phase of imperialism
19:38 Sovereignty: Westphalian system
20:40 Decolonization
21:11 Neocolonialism
22:08 Mark Carney's trip to China
23:09 Trump threatens Canada over China
23:51 Canada's trade dependence on USA
24:26 Oil exports
24:59 Canada's oil pipelines
25:49 Chinese car industry investments
27:41 Reducing dependency
28:06 European leaders visit China
28:30 "Human rights" hypocrisy
29:07 EU relations with China
29:32 Outro
As Donald Trump hits the EU with tariffs and threatens to colonize Greenland (an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark), European leaders are improving relations with China and seeking new trade partners. Is this the end of the political West and the transatlantic alliance? Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpngJ3tC7Xw
Topics
0:00 Western alliance & US empire
0:59 NATO
2:04 Cold War One
2:42 Rise of China
4:20 Cold War Two
5:11 Europe's trade with China
5:33 Trump strategy: exploit Europe
6:55 Why Trump wants Greenland
8:18 Critical minerals & rare earths
9:37 End of NATO?
10:28 UK PM Keir Starmer visits China
11:07 Europe improves China relations
11:39 Trump threatens Europe over China
12:26 Splits with European Union
13:10 German industry
14:44 Would a Democrat repair EU ties?
15:46 EU trade deal with India
16:25 EU agreement with Mercosur
17:06 EU trade dependence on USA
17:50 UK trade dependence on USA
18:13 Canada trade dependence on USA
19:04 Canada PM Mark Carney visits China
19:33 US military presence in Europe
21:02 EU energy dependency
21:38 US oil exports to EU
22:06 US LNG exports to EU
23:41 EU dependence on US technology
25:52 Artificial intelligence (AI)
26:35 US Big Tech companies
27:05 EU card: ASML machines
28:09 Will EU dump US financial assets?
28:54 European holdings of US assets
29:56 US bond market vulnerability
30:58 Trump threatens "big retaliation"
32:30 INSTEX & US sanctions
34:12 Merkel & Macron promised EU army
35:02 Strategic autonomy?
35:37 Vassals of US empire
36:40 Change will be slow
37:33 Independence would be good
38:26 Outro
The Donald Trump administration is waging a war against all multilateral institutions and international law itself. He withdrew the US from most global organizations and created a "Board of Peace" as an alternative to the UN that is entirely controlled by the USA. Ben Norton explains the imperialist strategy to impose unipolar hegemony on the world.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3nGsmSI3EQ
Topics
0:00 New phase of imperialism
1:17 US war on international law
2:03 US colonial expansionism
3:05 USA withdraws from international orgs
4:30 Board of Peace: Trump's UN alternative
6:27 Board of Peace isn't about Gaza
7:39 Board members: US officials & oligarchs
9:10 Most countries reject invitation
10:04 Trump didn't invite Africa
11:10 China opposes US-led world order
12:08 Trump's US unipolar pay-to-play plan
13:25 USA attacks Canada over China deal
15:19 Importance of international law
17:20 UN Charter upholds sovereignty
18:27 Goal of US imperialism
19:34 Outro
So-called "peace president" Donald Trump has bombed 10 countries, more than any other US leader. He attacked 7 countries in 2025 alone. Now he wants to raise the USA's military budget to $1.5 trillion. Ben Norton explains how the self-declared "peacemaker" is waging war around the world.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Div95RNXX0M
Topics
0:00 Donald Trump's promises
0:13 (CLIP) Trump: I'm a "peacemaker"
0:50 Trump promises no new wars
1:14 (CLIP) "I'm going to stop wars"
1:27 Trump bombed 7 countries in 2025
1:50 Map of 10 countries Trump bombed
2:49 US presidents are war criminals
4:06 Post-9/11 US wars: 4.5 million deaths
5:01 Trump the "peace president"
5:51 Joe Biden, war criminal
6:09 Trump, war criminal
6:50 Victims of US attack on Venezuela
8:26 US Department of War
9:06 Pete Hegseth threatens China, Russia
9:36 Trump's $1.5 trillion military budget
10:25 Military spending by top countries
11:09 Share of world defense spending
12:13 US national debt
14:26 Cut taxes on rich, raise on poor
15:41 Elon Musk's DOGE
16:28 Food stamp cuts
16:58 Class war
17:21 Money buys US elections
17:54 (CLIP) Trump praises Big Tech oligarchs
18:17 Imperialism
18:48 Outro
When Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her Nobel "Peace" Prize to warmonger Donald Trump to thank him for bombing her country, it showed how the prize is a tool of war that serves Western foreign policy interests. The winner is very often a US-funded regime-change activist who tries to overthrow independent governments deemed "authoritarian" by NATO. Ben Norton reports.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ow1WRl0Axw
Topics
0:00 Trump gets prize from Venezuela's Machado
2:12 Trump has bombed 10 countries
3:01 Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite
3:52 Nobel Peace Prize serves US foreign policy
4:39 Henry Kissinger, war criminal
5:42 Barack Obama, war criminal & Nobel laureate
7:07 Nobel Peace Prize: regime-change tool
9:07 Prize money
9:46 National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
11:07 Philippines' pro-US "dissident"
12:54 Russian pro-US "dissident"
14:33 Ukraine & neocons
15:36 Anti-Russian groups
16:23 Anti-Soviet "dissident"
16:51 Belarusian pro-US "dissident"
18:09 Iranian pro-US "dissident"
19:26 Iranian pro-US, pro-war activist
22:07 War is peace: US empire über alles
22:54 Iranian Revolution & imperialism
23:19 USA supports protests in Iran
26:15 NED continues under Trump & Rubio
27:24 China targeted by USA
28:07 Chinese pro-US "dissident"
29:11 US gov't links to Human Rights Watch
30:02 "Color revolution" attempt
31:21 Pro-colonialist fanatic Liu Xiaobo
34:53 Far-right warmonger Solzhenitsyn
35:59 Jean-Paul Sartre rejected Nobel Prize
36:56 Dalai Lama & CIA support
38:22 Nobel "Peace" Prize for war
39:07 Outro
The US government is openly backing the violent protests in Iran. An Israeli media outlet admitted foreign powers are arming Iranian rioters with weapons to try to overthrow the government. Ben Norton explains the geopolitical context and why the USA has sought regime change ever since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS4_eu-TF68
Topics
0:00 (CLIP) Trump supports Iran protests
0:11 Riots in Iran
0:42 Israeli media on arming Iranian 'protesters'
1:49 US-backed regime change attempt
3:14 (CLIP) Trump pushes Iran regime change
3:41 Trump threatens to attack Iran (again)
5:15 CIA coup in Iran in 1953
5:56 Crimes of US-backed shah
6:50 Iranian Revolution
7:53 US imperialism: Wolfowitz Doctrine
8:43 Geopolitics of Middle East (West Asia)
10:12 Iran: BRICS, SCO, China, Russia
11:14 US plans to 'remake Middle East'
12:18 (CLIP) Wesley Clark: 7 countries in 5 years
12:56 Trump's threats against Iran
14:52 Trump spreads fake news
15:24 Trump threatens tariffs
16:21 Trump: "take over [Iranian] institutions"
17:23 US withdraws troops from Qatar
18:06 US plans to attack Iran
19:20 'Protesters' burn down buildings
21:22 Iran 'protesters' have weapons
22:58 Similarities to Syria & Libya
25:15 USA backs Iranian 'crown prince'
27:49 (CLIP) 'Crown prince': "This is a war"
29:31 Sacrifices to empire
30:24 Israel supports Iranian 'crown prince'
31:25 Mike Pompeo: Mossad supports protests
32:30 US boasts of 'maximum pressure'
33:06 US sanctions devastate Iranian economy
34:47 Outro
Donald Trump claims he will "run" Venezuela, after he bombed it and abducted President Nicolás Maduro. However, his plan makes no sense -- and will likely blow back on the USA. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is still independent, and not cutting off China. US sanctions devastated Venezuela's oil infrastructure, and its heavy crude is expensive to produce -- and US companies do not see it as profitable enough, amid a global supply glut. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbpdfPK8jVE
Topics
0:00 US attack on Venezuela
0:49 (CLIP) Trump: USA will "run the country"
1:31 Two main US demands for Venezuela
2:20 Chavista government is intact
3:21 Oil corporations are skeptical
4:57 Trump's oil deal with Venezuela
7:44 US oil industry benefits rich elites
8:27 China, Russia, Iran, Cuba ties
10:08 USA wants heavy crude
10:46 Economic war
11:53 Marco Rubio targets Cuba
12:24 China and Venezuelan oil
13:02 Pete Hegseth threatens China & Russia
13:44 US seizes Russian-flagged tanker
14:16 Trump wants $1.5 trillion military budget
14:58 Trump bombed 7 countries in 2025
15:20 China's oil imports by country
17:43 Imperialist Monroe/Donroe Doctrine
18:21 Desperation of declining US empire
19:12 International law & UN Charter
20:19 China: South America's top trading partner
21:17 Forcing Venezuela to buy US products
22:07 Latin America exports
23:56 US is trade competitor with Latin America
25:24 US National Security Strategy
26:03 Pressure to cut ties with China
27:30 Geopolitics vs trade
28:45 USA threatens Venezuelan officials
30:30 Opposition leader María Corina Machado
32:56 Acting President Delcy Rodríguez
35:03 Delcy Rodríguez reaffirms China support
36:02 Trump will not have a US colony
37:40 Chevron deal in Venezuela
40:38 Sanctions exemptions in oil sector
41:53 US sanctions devastated oil industry
44:02 US purchases of Venezuelan oil
45:14 US imports heavy crude
46:25 US oil refineries want heavy crude
47:50 Oil companies say it's "uninvestable"
48:37 Oil deal possible, but not colonialism
49:42 High cost of Venezuelan crude
52:34 Global oil supply glut
53:34 US oil companies want gov't benefits
54:13 Destructive US interventions
56:47 Outro
To justify bombing Venezuela and abducting President Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump falsely accused him of leading the so-called "Cartel de los Soles". But the US Department of Justice was forced to admit that this "Suns Cartel" doesn't exist. The USA lied -- while the CIA actually has trafficked drugs in Latin America. Ben Norton reports.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44c0jf5ygyE
Topics
0:00 US attacks Venezuela
0:21 (CLIP) Trump wants Venezuela's oil
1:12 Trump's colonial war on Venezuela
2:08 US DOJ admits it lied about Maduro
3:25 92-year-old judge oversees show trial
3:53 "Cartel de los Soles" doesn't exist
5:05 WMD lie
5:46 Venezuela does NOT produce fentanyl
6:28 Cocaine-producing countries
7:12 (CLIP) Biden official admits truth
8:21 CIA trafficked drugs in Venezuela
11:01 (CLIP) 60 Minutes on CIA drug trafficking
11:42 DEA agent accuses CIA of trafficking
12:58 CIA, cocaine, Nicaraguan Contras
14:47 Trump pardoned Hondura drug trafficker
16:13 (CLIP) Juan Orlando Hernández
16:39 Ecuador's drug-linked President Noboa
17:42 Colombia's drug lord Álvaro Uribe
18:50 USA armed Mexican cartels
19:34 US allies in Mexico are narcos
20:23 Drug links to Argentina's Javier Milei
20:43 Marco Rubio's links to cocaine trafficking
22:52 US Special Forces links to drugs
23:55 Trump attacks Colombia President Petro
24:37 Afghanistan opium production
25:59 Opioid epidemic in USA
26:34 Purdue Pharma and Sackler family
28:55 US imperialism based on lies
29:42 Outro
























I mean the title speaks for itself! lol
Another banger episode from my favorite podcast series. Thank you.
Modi being too out of control even for the US is hilarious
Ben is one of the finest independent journalists in the world. Thank you for your amazing work.
the critical point of the history of is coming... USA will be down listen to this episode for understanding i talk about what
any body think Putin is a f** dictator or in this particular subject Moscow beginning the war should listen this episode!
Terrible guest, should look up the dictionary to understand meaning of propaganda. Also, calling Dems the left is a scandal for a 'socialist' podcast... Couldn't finish the episode.
good luck Ben!you are honest,wise ,brave and real left icon.take care bro!from iran