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US President Donald Trump claimed he would "un-unite" Russia and China, but the divide-and-conquer strategy failed. Instead, Moscow and Beijing are closer than ever, and they are at the heart of a Global South-led movement to build a new multipolar world order, challenging Western hegemony and imperialism. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-bq4347Z18
US attacks blow back, uniting China, India, Russia, Iran; encouraging dedollarization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsFGCUtzzQ8
Topics
0:00 China and Russia: close partners
0:59 USA fears "near-peer" competitors
1:51 (CLIP) Trump: divide Russia and China
2:06 US divide-and-conquer strategy
2:31 (CLIP) Marco Rubio: "partner with the Russians"
3:04 Marco Rubio, top US war hawk
3:33 (CLIP) Marco Rubio: China is top "threat"
4:16 China and Russia's political ties
5:33 China's trade with Russia
6:28 US and Russia: economic competitors
7:37 Trump doesn't have anything to offer
8:23 Global South leaders meet in China
9:41 USA failed to divide India and China
10:28 China's 80th anniversary WWII victory parade
12:09 Trump laments China-Russia-India ties
13:02 Xi-Putin meeting in Beijing
14:19 USSR and China in WWII
18:21 Dedollarization of China-Russia trade
19:44 Power of Siberia 2 pipeline
21:44 Russia integrates with Eurasia
22:19 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
22:44 BRICS
23:33 Neocolonial financial system
25:30 Russia deepens ties with Global South
27:34 New multipolar world order
28:37 Outro
The US government has long tried to divide China, India, and Russia, but Washington's aggressive actions have only brought them together. Donald Trump's tariffs, in particular, angered Indian PM Modi, who visited the Chinese city Tianjin for the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where the Eurasian countries deepened their relations. Ben Norton analyzes the important results of this historic meeting, and how the US empire's aggression has blown back.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsFGCUtzzQ8
Topics
0:00 US imperial overstretch
1:25 China, Russia, India unite
3:38 Shanghai Cooperation Org (SCO) summit
4:48 Global Governance Initiative
6:50 New multipolar order
8:08 Members of SCO
9:29 Population of SCO
10:07 Economy of SCO
11:01 US empire seeks to divide Eurasia
12:49 Trump attacks India
13:37 Donald Trump's tariffs
14:52 India moves closer to China
16:23 Views India and China share
18:59 Modi meets with Xi Jinping
21:33 US war hawks are furious
22:02 (CLIP) John Bolton on India-China ties
23:20 US war hawks are furious
24:05 (CLIP) Jake Sullivan on India-China ties
25:17 USA alienates its "allies"
25:53 Trump makes China great again (川建国 Chuan Jianguo)
26:50 Trump accelerates US imperial decline
29:09 Dedollarization
30:48 CBDCs
32:42 Dedollarization
33:30 China proposes SCO development bank
33:48 SCO Tianjin Declaration
35:51 Need for UN reform
40:20 Multipolarity
41:07 International financial system
42:53 Xi Jinping's speech
46:43 Open-source artificial intelligence (AI) tech
47:38 Oppose the new cold war
48:15 Global South vision of multipolar world
50:45 Outro
The US government has a long history of supporting corrupt, drug-dealing, right-wing oligarchs in Latin America. The Donald Trump administration is threatening to attack Venezuela, accusing leftist President Nicolás Maduro, without any evidence, of leading a cartel, while Marco Rubio defends Colombia's drug-trafficking former leader Álvaro Uribe. Ben Norton documents Washington's imperial hypocrisy.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwCducQ8HHw
Topics
0:00 Hypocritical US meddling in Latin America
1:41 Colombia's ex President Álvaro Uribe
4:52 (CLIP) CIA director: "We lie, cheat, steal"
5:09 Drug cartels linked to Colombian leader
6:49 Paramilitaries linked to Colombian leader
9:16 False positives scandal
11:36 Plan Colombia
12:37 Left-wing President Gustavo Petro
14:55 US interventions in Latin America
15:39 Honduran dictator Juan Orlando Hernández (JOH)
16:48 US-backed coup in Honduras in 2009
18:27 US support for dictators
19:41 Drug trafficking in Honduras
22:36 US foreign policy in Latin America
22:59 CIA-backed Nicaraguan Contras
24:09 Trump admin attacks Venezuela (again)
25:50 Outro
The dominance of the US dollar as the global reserve currency has been gradually declining for years, but Donald Trump's policies could rapidly accelerate de-dollarization and the transition to a more multipolar international financial order, warn even mainstream American economists like Barry Eichengreen and Kenneth Rogoff. Political economist Ben Norton reviews the evidence.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utvD1JiIgCM
Our related article - "Trump advisor reveals tariff strategy: Force countries to pay tribute to maintain US empire": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/04/10/trump-advisor-miran-tariff-pay-us-empire/
Topics
0:00 Dedollarization
0:43 Trump's policies accelerate dedollarization
3:50 Economist Barry Eichengreen
5:25 (CLIP) Barry Eichengreen on dedollarization
6:54 Gradually, and then suddenly
7:49 Erosion of dollar dominance
9:18 Decline of US economy
11:36 Rise of China
12:50 Gold: why central banks keep buying it
15:42 Western sanctions
17:57 List of reasons driving dedollarization
18:42 Trump's tariffs & US trade deficit
20:10 Trump pressures Federal Reserve
22:58 Why Trump wants low interest rates
24:56 US Treasury market volatility
26:03 Fewer foreigners want US government debt
29:32 US economy: a financial house of cards
30:34 High corporate bond yields
32:26 Reasons driving dedollarization
32:56 Inflation
36:31 Trump fires BLS chief
37:40 Mar-a-Lago Accord plans
38:54 (CLIP) Trump economic advisor Stephen Miran
38:59 Plaza Accord redux
40:30 Century bonds: de facto US debt default
44:46 Private investors de-dollarize too
45:25 Post-US dollar world
47:14 Economist Kenneth Rogoff
48:09 Trump's own Nixon shock
48:51 Multipolar financial world
50:46 Outro
How do China's government, political system, and socialist market economy actually work? How does China see democracy, the USA, and Donald Trump's trade war? Renowned Chinese scholar Zhang Weiwei explains the China model in this interview with Ben Norton.
VIDEO with subtitles here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkVyYvWezI0
Topics
0:00 Highlights
1:30 Introduction to Zhang Weiwei
1:51 The China model
3:23 Civilization-state
4:13 Meritocracy
5:01 Socialist market economy
7:52 US capitalism vs Chinese socialism
9:36 Foreign investment in China
11:15 How China sees democracy
13:46 How laws are made in China
15:59 Economic planning
16:59 Debate with Francis Fukuyama
20:11 US trade war on China
23:36 Dedollarization of financial system
28:17 The multipolar future
29:36 Outro
One of the main goals of the US political and economic system is to protect corporate monopolies. Silicon Valley Big Tech corporations fear Chinese competitors, so the US government is trying to ban them. Political economist Ben Norton explains how imperialism works, and what drives Washington's Cold War Two against China.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EVwFJ7sM6c
Topics
0:00 US government seeks political monopoly
0:51 Billionaire Peter Thiel defends monopolies
2:53 (CLIP) Peter Thiel: "competition is for losers"
3:18 Cold War Two against China
4:49 Uber's monopolistic business model
9:18 Corporate lobbyists & donors
10:02 Trump admin opposes antitrust cases
12:12 Money buys US politics
13:42 Trump backs billionaire Big Tech oligarchs
15:45 Trump green-lights white collar crime
17:35 Trump promotes bribery & corruption
19:30 USA wants to control global infrastructure
20:03 (CLIP) Trump threatens Panama Canal
20:14 BlackRock buys Panama Canal ports
20:36 (CLIP) Trump boasts of BlackRock deal
21:00 Trump helps BlackRock buy up ports
21:58 Second Cold War on China
22:23 US Big Tech targets TikTok
24:14 DeepSeek & Chinese AI competitors
25:00 OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
26:14 US states ban DeepSeek
26:57 Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
27:29 US AI companies lobby to ban competitors
28:37 Silicon Valley seeks "unipolar world"
30:23 Biden's chip export restrictions on China
31:09 USA seeks to stop China's innovation
31:57 Biden's tariffs on China
33:55 How imperialism works
34:45 Global value chain (division of labor)
36:20 USA wanted China to stay subordinate
37:50 VP JD Vance wants Global South on bottom
38:45 (CLIP) JD Vance on China & value chain
39:30 Industrial policy: Made in China 2025 plan
41:32 China enters commercial aircraft industry
42:14 US politicians lobby to ban China's Comac
43:58 How Boeing was destroyed by finance bros
45:47 How Jack Welch ran GE into the ground
46:39 Boeing attacked unions & skilled labor
47:56 Boeing CEO was Blackstone exec
48:51 Boeing prioritizes stock buybacks, not R&D
50:17 Private equity is "looting America"
51:22 Goal of Washington's new cold war
52:11 Outro
The US government has tried for years to recruit India for its new cold war on China, but Donald Trump's aggressive tariffs have backfired, encouraging New Delhi to improve its relations with Beijing, strengthening unity in BRICS. Political economist Ben Norton explains the complex history of the foreign relations of the US, India, China, and Russia.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BstijDvJT8Y
Topics
0:00 Donald Trump's contradictory policies
0:39 (CLIP) Trump threatens BRICS
1:05 Brazil pushes back
1:40 USA tries to use India against China
3:58 Goal of Trump's tariffs on India
5:34 (CLIP) EU chief on US trade deal
5:52 India buys Russian oil
7:46 Europe buys Russian oil - from India
9:10 India's trade surplus with USA
9:48 (CLIP) Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro
9:57 US trade with China
11:18 China restricts rare earth exports
12:03 US trade with India
13:35 India improves relations with China
15:41 Vietnam moves closer to China
16:35 BRICS expands to global majority
17:28 History of US-China relations
19:40 Kissinger's triangular diplomacy
20:47 Kissinger: divide Russia & China
21:21 (CLIP) Trump: divide Russia & China
21:37 Closest Russia-China relations ever
22:30 India-US-China relations
24:07 India: 3rd-largest economy on Earth
25:41 India & Non-Aligned Movement
27:03 India-USSR/Russia relations
28:39 India moves toward USA
29:50 Rise of Narendra Modi, BJP, RSS
31:22 US-India relations grow closer
32:59 Modi allies India with Israel
33:40 Modi: from banned to loved in USA
34:49 Trump's India policy
35:50 India's role in BRICS
37:59 India's foreign policy
38:52 India opposes dedollarization
42:21 BRICS' internal contradictions
45:05 Outro
Private equity funds and other Wall Street investors are buying up homes across the US and the West, driving up rent and the cost of living. Economist Michael Hudson explains how these corporate landlords are a result of the system of financialized capitalism, dominated by an unproductive rentier class. He is interviewed by host Ben Norton.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJd0d7Uda2M
Transcript: https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/corporate-landlords-rent-michael-hudson
Part 1 of this interview: https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/world-us-financial-colonialism-economist-michael-hudson
Read Michael's article "How the Global Majority can free itself from US financial colonialism": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/17/michael-hudson-global-majority-us-financial-colonialism/
Michael's website: https://michael-hudson.com/
Topics
0:00 Cost of living crisis in West
0:30 Blackstone: largest US landlord
1:07 Blackstone CEO is Trump donor
1:49 Investors buy up US homes
2:36 Wall Street buys single-family homes
3:54 Wall Street buys up neighborhoods
5:31 Homelessness rises in USA
6:06 Blackstone buys up homes in Spain
7:34 Introduction to Michael Hudson
9:12 Highlights
10:43 Interview starts
11:58 Feudalism, capitalism, & rentier class
16:58 Adam Smith, David Ricardo, & Karl Marx
19:10 Difference between value, price, & rent
21:33 Bankers, industrialists, & landlords
27:34 Theory of comparative advantage
28:20 Problems with economics education
30:57 Profits vs rent
32:48 Financialization and GDP
37:21 Adam Smith in Beijing
38:47 Peter Thiel defends monopolies
40:20 China's reform and opening up
43:06 China's public ownership of finance
44:25 Need to tax land rent
50:45 China's industrialization
53:54 Passive income (ie, rent seeking)
56:01 Mainstream "junk economics"
59:07 Outro
Economist Michael Hudson describes how the Western powers designed the international financial, legal, and political system in a way that benefits North American corporations at the expense of the countries of the Global South. He also proposes ways for the Global Majority to resist US neocolonialism, in this interview with host Ben Norton.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgBUbbTF5Sg
Transcript: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/08/06/world-us-financial-colonialism-economist-michael-hudson/
Read Michael's article "How the Global Majority can free itself from US financial colonialism": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/17/michael-hudson-global-majority-us-financial-colonialism/
Michael's website: https://michael-hudson.com/
The White House imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil and declared it a threat to US "national security". Donald Trump is blatantly meddling in internal Brazilian affairs, trying to undermine left-wing President Lula da Silva and help far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro. The USA's attacks also aim to divide BRICS and discourage more countries from joining. Political economist Ben Norton explains how the US empire is attacking the Global South's multipolar project.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niPNwB-0nQI
Topics
0:00 (CLIP) Lula condemns US meddling
1:06 Trump sanctions & tariffs Brazil
2:04 BRICS & Brazil
3:20 Lula resists US hegemony
4:39 (CLIP) Lula on US interference
8:41 Trump fears BRICS & dedollarization
9:56 (CLIP) Trump threatens tariffs on BRICS
10:24 Poll: Brazilians prefer BRICS over USA
11:42 Lula is leading 2026 election polls
12:33 Jair Bolsonaro, close US ally
13:25 Bolsonaro's failed coup attempt
14:35 Role of China
16:19 Bolsonaro fled to USA
18:02 Latin American right: US proxies
19:35 Trump declares Brazil a "threat"
20:50 Elon Musk & US Big Tech corporations
22:41 Trump imposes 50% tariff on Brazil
23:08 Lula defends Brazil's sovereignty
24:29 US coups in Latin America
26:33 Coups against Brazil's Lula & Dilma
29:06 USA has trade surplus with Brazil
29:55 Lula: Trade in other currencies, not dollar
31:00 China: Brazil's top trading partner
32:04 China: Latin America's top trading partner
33:07 China builds infrastructure in Latin America
33:50 China & Brazil plan transcontinental railroad
34:50 Brazil embraces multipolarity
36:46 Brazil boosts ties with Russia
37:14 Brazil & China peace proposal in Ukraine
37:50 Multipolarity & Latin America
39:40 Outro
The one-sided trade agreement that Donald Trump imposed on the EU illustrates how the US empire exploits its "allies" in Europe as vassals to benefit the American oil/gas industry, Big Tech corporations, and the military-industrial complex. This did not start with Trump, but he has accelerated the vassalization of the European Union. Political economist Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpf6ZeABP1I
Topics
0:00 Intro
1:04 US empire doesn't have allies, only vassals
2:14 US-EU trade deal & tariffs
5:19 China defended itself in trade war
6:19 Ursula von der Leyen on US energy
7:28 (CLIP) Trump on US-EU trade deal
7:54 USA benefits
8:15 (CLIP) Trump: "the biggest of all the deals"
8:28 Europe gets nothing
9:11 (CLIP) US makes no concessions to EU
9:57 (CLIP) Trump on US fossil fuel exports
10:20 US gets everything, EU gets nothing
11:02 Vassalization of Europe
12:27 BRICS expansion
13:22 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
14:03 (CLIP) NATO chief calls Trump "daddy"
14:17 Trump addresses "daddy" comment
14:42 (CLIP) Trump: I'm NATO's "daddy"
15:03 Trump leaks humiliating text messages
16:26 Failure of EU "strategic autonomy"
17:18 NATO demands military spending at 5% of GDP
18:42 US military-industrial complex benefits
20:14 Paying imperial tribute
20:48 Replacing welfare state with warfare state
21:44 EU spending on education
22:08 EU spending on healthcare
22:33 Trump & MAGA take off the mask
23:26 VP JD Vance attacks Europe
23:40 Kissinger: "to be America's friend is fatal"
24:20 Trump boasts of ending Nord Stream
25:39 (CLIP) Trump: "I ended Nord Stream 2"
25:59 US targets European infrastructure
26:26 (CLIP) Trump: US wants to sell oil/gas
26:53 US attacks European "allies"
27:27 Sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines
28:05 Who blew up Nord Stream?
29:20 West opposed UN investigation
30:06 Polish official said US blew up Nord Stream
30:47 Historical amnesia
31:17 Why Germany wanted Nord Stream
32:34 (CLIP) Trump: Europe must buy US oil/gas
32:48 Trump pressured Angela Merkel on Russia
33:15 (CLIP) Trump: Europe must cut Russia ties
34:12 Trump sanctioned Nord Stream
34:55 USA seeks to divide Europe & Russia
35:39 Biden threatened Nord Stream
36:02 (CLIP) Biden: We will end Nord Stream
36:36 Bipartisan vassalage
37:30 US energy exports to Europe
38:08 EU imports of oil
39:25 EU imports of natural gas
39:56 EU imports of LNG
40:45 Climate change catastrophe
41:20 Germany re-opens coal plants
42:00 Germany's pro-war "Greens"
43:19 US imperial strategy: divide Europe
44:56 Imperialist Mackinder's heartland theory
45:28 US fears of Europe-Russia alliance
46:23 NATO's goal: keep US on top
47:24 Deindustrialization of Europe
47:59 EU attacks top trading partner China
48:40 Why are EU leaders Atlanticists?
49:01 EU leaders are literally crying
49:26 EU elites invest in US financial assets
51:57 US Big Tech corporations
52:35 Comprador bourgeoisie
53:48 Western oligarchies
55:00 US empire fears Eurasian integration
56:15 Trump tries to divide Russia & China
56:33 Europe is at a geopolitical crossroads
58:36 Outro
As US president, Donald Trump's policies have served the interests of wealthy elites, while hurting average working people and splitting his own MAGA base. Geopolitical economist Radhika Desai discusses with economist Michael Hudson.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cUksS_aN_8
This is part of the program Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the show here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP
Radhika's website: https://RadhikaDesai.com
Michael's website: https://Michael-Hudson.com
China and Russia help formerly colonized countries in the Global South defend their sovereignty amid constant US meddling and aggression, argues Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, a Latin American country that has been invaded and militarily occupied by the USA multiple times. Ben Norton reports on the history of the Sandinista Revolution, and the struggle against Western imperialism.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-xjUmwZxQY
Topics
0:00 Global South is Global Majority
0:54 US interventions in Latin America
1:59 US imperialism in Nicaragua
3:12 CIA-backed Contras
5:18 Coup attempts in Nicaragua
6:03 China builds infrastructure
7:58 Nicaragua praises China & Russia
9:22 (CLIP) Daniel Ortega on China & Russia
10:11 46th anniversary of Sandinista Revolution
11:04 (CLIP) Ortega on European colonialism
11:33 US colonialist William Walker
13:19 (CLIP) Daniel Ortega on US imperialism
13:47 US military occupation & Sandino
14:32 Somoza dictatorship
15:22 US Contra war
16:29 (CLIP) Ortega on the Contras
17:54 ICJ case Nicaragua v USA
19:20 Inspirations for Sandinistas
20:17 (CLIP) Ortega on Haitian Revolution
21:43 Simón Bolívar on US imperialism
22:34 Algerian Revolution
23:00 Russian & Chinese Revolutions
23:13 (CLIP) Revolutions in Russia & China
23:46 USSR & China defeated fascism in WWII
25:13 Remilitarization of Europe
25:54 (CLIP) Ortega: West prepares for war
26:34 Fascism has roots in European colonialism
27:36 (CLIP) Ortega on fascism & colonialism
29:57 Palestine
31:07 (CLIP) Daniel Ortega on Palestine
32:01 Iran
32:23 UN is dominated by Western powers
32:59 United Nations & Miguel d'Escoto
34:19 UN can't stop illegal US wars
34:56 (CLIP) Ortega: We need a new UN
36:03 Global South perspectives
37:21 Outro
Western governments claim to be models of democracy, and demonize their geopolitical adversaries as "authoritarian", but empirical evidence shows that the USA and European countries are oligarchies dominated by economic elites and large corporations. Billionaire Donald Trump is the perfect symbol of this, but he's by no means the only one. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BONnmHRmp_M
Topics
0:00 Narrative of Western "democracies"
0:26 (CLIP) Joe Biden on "democracy vs autocracy"
0:37 Western governments are oligarchies
1:54 Summary of oligarchic Western leaders
2:54 Scientific research shows USA is an oligarchy
4:29 US public opinion on healthcare
5:20 Money buys 80-90% of seats in US Congress
6:27 Citizens United ruling
7:21 Donald Trump: perfect symbol of US oligarchy
7:57 Robber barons
8:44 One Big Beautiful Bill: class war by the rich
9:49 Billionaires pay lower tax rate than most Americans
10:42 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
11:35 Ex US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin
12:16 Steve Bannon worked for Goldman Sachs
12:58 US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
13:07 Crypto was taken over by Wall Street
14:08 Trump is the symptom, not the cause
15:07 Biden promised nothing would change
16:07 Barack Obama: funded by Wall Street
17:53 Mitt Romney: servant of Wall Street
18:48 Super PACs
19:32 Bloomberg funded Biden's 2020 race
19:56 Billionaires funded Trump's 2024 race
20:35 Elon Musk donated $288 million for Trump
20:57 (CLIP) Elon Musk bought 2024 US election
21:11 World's richest man buys US politics
21:34 Wall Street wages war on Zohran Mamdani
22:46 Democratic Party sabotaged Bernie Sanders
24:34 UK Labour Party sabotaged Jeremy Corbyn
26:18 British spy agencies sabotaged Jeremy Corbyn
28:15 Symbol of UK oligarchy: Rishi Sunak
31:37 Neoliberal Keir Starmer: Tony Blair reincarnated
32:35 France's President of the rich: Emmanuel Macron
36:04 BlackRock's man in Germany: Friedrich Merz
37:40 Goldman Sachs' man in Italy: Mario Draghi
39:10 Goldman Sachs' man in Canada: Mark Carney
40:22 Summary of oligarchic Western leaders
41:35 Western governments are not democracies
42:45 Outro
The New York Times finally admitted Israel is carrying out a genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, in an article by an Israeli scholar who studies the Holocaust. A United Nations report detailed how US corporations are profiting from these crimes, although the Trump administration responded by imposing sanctions on the UN expert who exposed it, Francesca Albanese. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb082pTy-Nw
Topics
0:00 US media whitewashes Israel's crimes
0:43 NY Times admits: Israel is committing genocide
3:43 Evidence of genocidal intent
5:24 NYT's pro-Israel propaganda
6:26 NY Times spread Iraq "WMDs" lies
7:17 No longer possible to deny reality
8:01 Ex EU foreign policy chief admits truth
9:42 (CLIP) Josep Borrell "garden" & "jungle" rant
9:55 Fears of justice
10:39 Nakba: History of colonialism in Palestine
11:37 Ex Israeli PM warns of concentration camps
12:28 Israeli genocide impossible without US support
13:01 Trump & Biden give Israel billions in weapons
13:42 US military-industrial complex benefits
14:24 UN report: US corporations profit from Gaza genocide
15:06 Big Tech monopolies in "Magnificent 7"
15:33 Palantir profits
16:29 IBM profits from Holocaust
17:18 Trump admin sanctions UN expert
18:13 (CLIP) UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese
18:53 USA attacks UN human rights experts
20:22 Bush family & US corporations profited from Holocaust
21:09 Andrew Feinstein's powerful words
22:04 Fascism is colonialism turned inward
24:40 Imperialism: true face of Western "democracies"
25:43 Israel's genocidal intent was always clear
27:08 Don't erase history
28:01 Outro
Close Donald Trump allies like Steve Bannon say "the president is pissed every time he looks at the BRICS de-dollarization effort". The US government fears the Global South's challenge to the exorbitant privilege of the dollar. Trump is trying to make an example out of Brazil, threatening high tariffs to punish Lula da Silva, who promotes a multipolar world and a new global reserve currency. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MguxV2HZWVk
As Trump threatens BRICS, it grows stronger, resisting US dollar and Western imperialism: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/10/trump-threat-brics-us-dollar-western-imperialism/
Topics
0:00 (CLIP) Trump: "The dollar is king"
0:17 Western imperialists fear BRICS
1:20 Trump threatens tariffs on BRICS
1:37 Dedollarization enrages Trump
3:21 (CLIP) Trump's angry rant against BRICS
4:43 Schrödinger's BRICS
5:24 US officials demonize BRICS
6:00 Non-Aligned Movement
7:18 US divide-and-conquer strategy
7:58 (CLIP) Trump: divide Russia and China
8:16 US empire is failing
9:00 Trump attacks Brazil
10:07 Brazilian President Lula da Silva
10:52 Jair Bolsonaro, Trump ally
11:26 Bolsonaro's failed coup attempt
12:07 Elon Musk meddles in Brazil
13:00 US-sponsored coups in Latin America
14:29 Elon Musk: "We will coup whoever we want"
15:27 US-backed coups in Brazil
18:01 Brazil pushes back against US meddling
19:52 Multipolarity
20:35 Dedollarization
21:08 Gold
22:30 US empire's main weapon: the dollar
24:06 Sanctions: economic warfare
24:53 BRICS develops alternatives
25:30 End of US dollar's exorbitant privilege
27:29 Why Trump is afraid
28:46 Outro
US President Donald Trump has threatened heavy tariffs on BRICS, claiming the organization is "dead", but it is actually growing in size and influence. 10 members and 10 partners participated in the 2025 BRICS summit in Brazil, where they discussed plans for dedollarization, trade and investment in national currencies, and how to create a more multipolar global order. Ben Norton explains.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmR03QFdhfs
Topics
0:00 Trump attacks BRICS
0:25 (CLIP) Trump claims "BRICS is dead"
1:16 BRICS is growing
1:49 BRICS: 10 members & 10 partners
2:26 BRICS: 44% of global GDP (PPP)
2:41 BRICS: 56% of world population
2:55 Vietnam joins BRICS
3:27 Cuba joins BRICS
4:11 Mexico attends BRICS summit
4:58 Trump threatens tariffs on BRICS
6:07 Trump doesn't understand BRICS
6:21 (CLIP) Trump claims Spain is in BRICS
6:58 Lula: World doesn't want an "emperor"
8:03 Dedollarization
8:31 (CLIP) Trump threats to save US dollar
8:48 BRICS promotes dedollarization
9:54 Brazil challenges US dollar dominance
10:44 New Development Bank (NDB)
11:03 US meddling in Colombia
11:50 US-backed coup in Bolivia
13:01 US-backed judicial coup in Brazil
13:40 BRICS trade in local currencies
14:38 Dedollarization: slow and steady
15:29 Dedollarization in BRICS declaration
17:32 IMF alternative: Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA)
20:29 New international financial system
21:27 Vladimir Putin's speech
21:48 Why the absence of Xi Jinping and Putin?
23:31 Why Iran's president did not attend
24:22 China's view of BRICS
26:15 Goals of BRICS
27:03 Financial imperialism: the "reverse Marshall Plan"
30:28 Billionaire oligarchs
31:58 Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim
32:22 Non-Aligned Movement
33:37 (CLIP) BRICS inspired by Non-Aligned Movement
35:02 (CLIP) Malaysia PM on de-dollarization
35:44 Bandung Conference
36:46 (CLIP) Malaysia PM: BRICS follows Bandung
37:27 Decolonization and multipolarity
39:57 NATO militarization and warmongering
40:32 Climate change
41:17 Palestine and Iran
41:57 Multilateralism under attack by USA
42:50 Imperialism vs democracy
43:27 Capitalist oligarchy
43:43 Trump: symbol of US imperialism
44:28 Meaning of BRICS
45:14 Outro
BRICS has expanded to 20 countries - 10 members and 10 partners - after adding Vietnam. BRICS+ now makes up 43.93% of world GDP (PPP) and 55.61% of the global population. Ben Norton explains how the US failed to divide China and Vietnam in the Second Cold War.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZUeShGMarI
Sources, links, and downloadable charts here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/04/brics-expansion-population-gdp-vietnam
Asia is uniting, creating a new post-West global order: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGkCw-Sqk0
Topics
0:00 Vietnam joins BRICS
0:42 History of BRICS expansion
1:01 BRICS membership
1:21 Map of BRICS+
1:30 BRICS: 44% of global GDP (PPP)
1:50 BRICS: 56% of world population
2:26 Cold War and Non-Aligned Movement
3:33 USA tries to divide Vietnam & China
5:07 Vietnam's foreign policy is non-aligned
5:53 Timing of Vietnam's decision
6:47 Trump's tariffs
7:39 China improves relations with Vietnam
8:32 Complex history of China-Vietnam relations
10:47 Vietnam's "Four Nos"
11:48 China's non-alignment
12:17 Similarities of Chinese & Vietnamese socialist system
13:36 Vietnam's economic development
15:32 Incomes in Vietnam & China
16:40 Socialist market economy
17:22 Life expectancy in Vietnam & China
18:38 Popularity of Vietnamese & Chinese governments
19:34 Western capitalist oligarchy
21:11 Global South alternatives
21:57 The ASEAN Way
22:37 ASEAN-GCC-China Summit
23:16 Outro
Iran has used its status as a leading oil and gas producer to promote dedollarization, rejecting the US dollar and trading with China, Russia, India, and other BRICS members in their national currencies. Ben Norton explains the Western economic war on Iran, and Tehran's response.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ziGNmvOh6k
US pressures Saudi Arabia to sell oil in dollars, not Chinese yuan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmYybJZo3fo
The real reasons for the US-Israeli war on Iran, explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ
Topics
0:00 US dollar's "exorbitant privilege"
0:50 Sanctions: weaponization of US dollar
1:33 De-dollarization
3:54 Economic warfare
5:15 History of US meddling in Iran
6:41 Geopolitics of oil
7:22 Iranian leaders promote de-dollarization
8:42 BRICS trade in national currencies
10:33 Iran's oil and gas production
10:51 Gulf flirts with petroyuan
11:34 History of petrodollar system
12:31 OPEC oil embargo
13:55 Saudi King Faisal
14:30 OPEC oil embargo
14:55 Nixon-Kissinger deal with Saudis
16:50 Super Imperialism
17:39 Oil backs US seigniorage
19:31 Saudi Arabia and petrodollar
20:20 US pressure on Saudi Arabia
21:44 War on Iran
22:27 Why USA wants regime change
23:47 Outro
War on Iran is part of the US empire's larger attempt to re-impose its unipolar dominance on the global political and financial system, argues economist Michael Hudson. Washington wants to preserve dollar hegemony and the petrodollar, while disrupting BRICS and Eurasian integration with China and Russia. He is interviewed by host Ben Norton.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DEXReFGb24
Transcript here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/06/27/war-iran-us-unipolarity-michael-hudson/
Michael Hudson's article - War on Iran is fight for US unipolar control of world: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/06/22/michael-hudson-war-iran-us-unipolar-control
Michael Hudson's website: https://michael-hudson.com
Topics
0:00 Intro: US war on Iran
3:45 Summary of US imperial strategy
8:15 Interview starts
9:00 History of US meddling in Iran
11:06 US divide-and-conquer plan
14:02 Israel: US empire's aircraft carrier
17:07 Geopolitics of Iran
18:56 China's Belt and Road Initiative
21:02 Attempt to encircle Russia & China
23:34 US aggression backfires on dollar
27:29 Oil and petrodollar
36:43 Super Imperialism
40:06 Sanctions & economic warfare
44:35 Military-Industrial Complex
51:33 Outro
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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