Geopolitical Economy Report

The Democrats won a majority in both chambers of Congress in the 2026 US midterm election, not because voters love them, but because the Republicans are even more unpopular. Ben Norton analyzes the results and explains how Donald Trump's war on Iran caused an energy crisis, fueling inflation, hurting living standards, and angering voters. Most Americans now oppose Israel and Big Tech corporations,...

The Donald Trump administration has refused to accept the victory of Brazil's left-wing President Lula da Silva in the election. The US government helped far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro flee to Miami, Florida, where he claimed to be the "true leader" in exile. Ben Norton explains Washington's plan to try to destabilize Brazil and control Latin America. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w...

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 presidentia...

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 Flá...

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, call...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.co...

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 s...

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 sanction...

Trump's attacks on BRICS have backfired, forcing China, India, and Russia closer together. The Global South-led organization held a summit in New Delhi, where leaders discussed plans to challenge the US dollar system, by connecting new payment systems using local currencies. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feQmxuMB2xw Topics 0:00 Rise of BRICS 1:04 BRICS summit in New D...

More and more US politicians are promoting crypto rug pull scams targeting their own supporters. Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, created a meme coin called the Laptop token, the price of which crashed by 99% an hour after launching. Donald Trump and his wife Melania also launched meme coins that immediately imploded, with fans losing their money while insiders cashed out. Ben...

The United States votes against the entire world in a United Nations General Assembly resolution that called for the UN to adopt a more accurate Equal Earth world map, replacing the colonial-era Mercator projection (of year 1569), which distorts the size of the West, making it look much larger, while Africa appears small. Ben Norton explains how the US empire opposes decolonization and is trying t...

Liberal feminist icon Gloria Steinem, a close ally of warmonger Hillary Clinton, has passed away at age 92. What many people don't know is that she was a CIA agent. Ben Norton explains how the CIA has cultivated a pro-imperialist, anti-communist "compatible left", who spread propaganda portraying the US empire as a "progressive" force, while the USA oppresses the Global South, waging nonstop wars...

Poll after poll shows that the world increasingly prefers China over the United States. So why are people in so many countries, especially the youth, "Chinamaxxing"? Ben Norton explains how China has developed a new political, economic, and technological model; promoted a non-interventionist foreign policy, which supports the sovereignty of the Global South; and built a socialist market economy, w...

An enormous scandal is unfolding in Latin America, which says everything about politics in the 21st century. Far-right Argentine election meddling specialist Fernando Cerimedo was arrested in Bolivia after hiring hitmen to try to assassinate his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Nadia Beller. They failed, and she is now revealing the truth. Cerimedo has deep links to the US government and Donald Trump's top...

Donald Trump has restarted his trade war with Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed that the US government made last-minute demands for control over Canada's trade deals, critical minerals, and French language policies, violating the country's sovereignty. Ben Norton explains how the trade war could blow back, given the USA's dependence on Canadian oil, exacerbating the global energy crisis...

Colombia's former President Gustavo Petro formally accused the USA and Israel of meddling in his country's election to put in power new far-right leader Abelardo de la Espriella, a US citizen and Trump ally who worked as a lawyer for years in Miami, Florida, defending drug traffickers. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rBhz7_rlg0 Check out our related video on the Sandin...

The US government quietly bailed out Japan. The Treasury intervened in the foreign exchange market to try to stabilize the yen, the Japanese currency. Ben Norton explains how this reflects a larger, structural problem with the dollar system. Japan is the largest holder of US Treasury securities (US government debt), and Washington doesn't want other countries to sell its bonds, fearing that yields...

Donald Trump administration insiders have been widely accused of corruption, insider trading, and market manipulation related to the US war on Iran. Ben Norton analyzes the evidence, showing why this may explain Washington's contradictory policies and flip-flopping between bombings and peace talks. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkg472Ia1Q Topics 0:00 Trump TACOs on Iran War 1:40 USA has...

The US government has no plan for the war that Donald Trump launched against Iran. The Pentagon is desperately asking analysts for ideas. Tehran won, but Washington refuses to admit it. Ben Norton explains what exactly is happening, and why the United States lost so badly. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25J1gdTCx_o Topics 0:00 Trump has no plan for Iran war 1:37 USA lost and Iran won 2:59...

The US war on Iran keeps expanding into a regional conflict, as more countries get involved. Reports show that Donald Trump is getting desperate, and he is frantically seeking an off-ramp. Washington announced a "pause" to the fighting, but it lasted just four days. Ben Norton explains the three main reasons why the United States is desperately seeking an exit: one, the Pentagon is running out of...

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