Geopolitical Economy Report Ben Norton

Western governments invited billionaire BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to the G7 summit in Italy to speak about "public-private partnerships" and why oligarchs should buy up global infrastructure (to compete with China's state-led Belt and Road Initiative). Ben Norton discusses how capitalism is becoming so extremely monopolized and unequal that it is devolving into neo-feudalism.

(One correction: At 26:17, I meant to say "over 90%", well above 60%.)

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88VU1JjmEps

How Wall Street buys US elections: Blackstone funds Trump, BlackRock backs Biden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJaJ4BST6Nc

Topics
0:00 Global inequality
0:56 G7 summit in Italy
1:57 BlackRock CEO invited to G7 summit
2:32 What is BlackRock?
4:45 PGI: US' corporate alternative to China's Belt & Road
7:50 (Clip) BlackRock CEO Larry Fink speaks at G7 summit
8:44 Wall Street vulture funds
10:51 BlackRock buys up infrastructure
14:40 BlackRock buys Malaysia's airports
15:34 BlackRock veterans run Biden's Treasury
16:00 Blackstone CEO funds Trump campaign
17:53 Investment companies buy up houses
18:40 BlackRock runs world's largest Bitcoin fund
19:58 Privatization of infrastructure
23:34 WEF: "You'll own nothing. And you'll be happy"
25:56 Home ownership under socialism vs. capitalism
26:17 Correction: over 90%* (I misspoke)
26:21 Home ownership under socialism vs. capitalism
28:38 World Economic Forum
29:33 Return on capital exceeds economic growth
31:20 Outro

Ukraine is a "gold mine" with $12 trillion worth of critical minerals, US Senator Lindsey Graham insisted in a TV interview. Ben Norton discusses how Western companies want these resources, and how Washington hopes to block China's access to them to hurt its technology industries.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TRPk3N8FyQ

Zelensky is literally selling Ukraine to US corporations on Wall Street: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/09/09/zelensky-selling-ukraine-wall-street/

Topics
0:00 Intro
1:35 Clip: US Senator Lindsey Graham wants Ukraine's minerals
2:24 Ukraine war has nothing to do with democracy
5:44 US also wants to 'weaken' Russia in Ukraine
6:21 Wall Street buys up Ukraine
8:08 Military-industrial complex profits
10:07 Washington Post on Ukraine's 'battle for minerals'
11:55 Russia
12:48 US seeks to block China's access to minerals
15:44 Multiple reasons for Ukraine war
17:10 Trump wanted to take Venezuela's oil
19:16 Exxon CEO ran US State Department
20:29 US plan to seize Russia's $300B in FX reserves
21:20 Clip: Lindsey Graham calls to seize Russia's reserves
21:43 Debate over Russia's central bank reserves
23:07 De-dollarization
24:38 Outro

Polling shows that the vast majority of people in the US and Western Europe want a negotiated settlement to end the war in Ukraine, but NATO opposes a peace proposal made by China and Brazil, while refusing to invite Russia to a so-called "peace conference" in Switzerland. Ben Norton explains.

VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=l5eQd1E_Huo

Topics
0:00 Intro
1:30 Biden authorizes attacks inside Russia
2:12 France plans to send military forces to Ukraine
3:52 US discusses increased nuclear weapon deployments
4:57 Poll: most people in US & W Europe want peace
7:04 China & Brazil propose peace plan
9:38 West's "peace conference" didn't invite Russia
11:26 China wants peace in Ukraine
15:45 Nicaragua backs China-Brazil peace plan
16:05 Outro

In Mexico, a new independent left-wing movement has defeated the country's elites. Following current President AMLO, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum and their Morena party won the 2024 election in a landslide. Ben Norton is joined by journalist José Luis Granados Ceja to discuss what their "Fourth Transformation" (4T) means for the US, China, Russia, Latin America, and the global economy.

VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=M0k0WU7JKgM

Check out Soberanía, the Mexican Politics Podcast: https://youtube.com/@SoberaniaPodcast
Follow José Luis on Twitter: https://x.com/GranadosCeja
Mexico Solidarity Media website: https://mexicosolidarity.com

Our related video "Mexico's AMLO has 80% approval, despite media lies & US meddling": https://youtube.com/watch?v=-2PQPJUn6KU

Topics
0:00 Claudia Sheinbaum wins election
1:36 Geopolitics: Mexico, US, China, Russia
3:19 AMLO boosts minimum wage, reduces poverty
3:45 Economy & natural resources
6:09 US corporations are angry
7:34 Introducing guest
8:18 Why Sheinbaum's victory is historic
13:01 AMLO & 4th Transformation
21:43 Morena & defeat of PRI-PAN-PRD establishment
32:38 Mexico's economy
44:24 Geopolitics: US new cold war on China & Russia
53:28 Latin American regional integration
1:01:02 Everyday life in Mexico
1:08:21 Outro

While BlackRock veterans run Joe Biden's Treasury, Donald Trump's presidential campaign is financed by Wall Street's highest-paid CEO, of Blackstone, the world's largest commercial landlord. Ben Norton explains how Wall Street investment companies, asset managers, and banks essentially buy US elections.

VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZJaJ4BST6Nc

Check out our related video - "How the dollar's 'exorbitant privilege' enriches the USA (and global elites)": https://youtube.com/watch?v=jYkiMcR1Rj8

TOPICS
0:00 Wall Street always wins US elections
0:57 Blackstone CEO funds Trump
2:58 BlackRock backs Biden
3:48 BlackRock vs Blackstone - What's the difference?
7:30 Wall Street's highest paid CEO, Stephen Schwarzman
10:15 Oil & gas industry moguls fund Trump
10:53 Fossil fuel profits tripled under Biden
13:15 Oligarchs back fellow billionaire Trump
15:14 Biden promised: "Nothing would fundamentally change"
15:54 10% of Americans own 93% of stocks & 67% of all wealth
17:23 USA is not a democracy; it's an oligarchy
18:43 Wall Street funded Barack Obama
19:20 Wall Street funded Mitt Romney
20:07 US government represents Wall Street
21:54 BlackRock veterans run Biden's Treasury
25:08 Goldman Sachs veterans ran Trump's Treasury
27:16 Blackstone: the largest landlord in the US (& on Earth)
30:53 De-industrialization & financialization
32:25 Private equity destroyed Toys“R”Us
33:11 Private equity firms buy up retirement homes, hospitals, vets
34:53 2008 crisis & subprime mortgages
37:22 Financial parasites
38:39 Outro

As Israel bombs Rafah with US support, both are blatantly defying the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC). Ben Norton documents the hypocrisy of the Biden administration's claims to uphold the "rules-based international order" as it sponsors Netanyahu's crimes against humanity in Gaza.

VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q2B6wkbO6vw

Check out our related video - "US threatens ICC, warning 'If they [prosecute] Israel, we're next!'": https://youtube.com/watch?v=ChZZ3GKiNE0

Topics
0:00 Intro
1:30 ICJ orders Israel to stop attacking Rafah
2:38 Israel bombs tent camp in Rafah
3:51 US & UK help Israel violate ICJ rulings
4:34 UN expert calls for sanctions on Israel
6:28 Netanyahu: "Nobody will stop us - not the Hague"
7:19 US threatens to sanction ICC
8:19 Israeli spy chief threatened ICC
9:23 Trump & Biden attack ICC
9:50 Hypocrisy of "rules-based order"
13:02 US House Speaker Mike Johnson threatens ICC
13:48 US "rules-based order" vs. international law-based order
14:40 UK PM Rishi Sunak praises "rules-based order"
15:00 Germany's hypocrisy on Israel
17:55 Western neocolonialism
23:58 China defends international law
26:16 Outro