geopol - Network

Somewhat hidden in a recent edition of the Swift RMB Tracker lies a venerable bombshell about the decline of the Euro in international...

Somewhat hidden in a recent edition of the Swift RMB Tracker lies a venerable bombshell about the decline of the Euro in international trade:

In July 2021, the EUR was used for ~39.5% of international payments outside of the Eurozone. Just 2 years later, in July 2023, that number has decreased to 13.61%. Most of it has shifted to USD, with the rest having been picked up by GBP, JPY, CAD, and CNY.

https://www.swift.com/swift-resource/252087/download

You have likely heard of the BRICS expansion already. The new group of countries will control some of the most important shipping routes on...

You have likely heard of the BRICS expansion already. The new group of countries will control some of the most important shipping routes on the planet:

* The Strait of Hormuz: a third of global LNG and close to 25% of total global oil consumption passes through here
* The Suez Canal: important choke point for most Asia/Europe shipping
* The Northern Sea Route: much shorter than the Southern route for Asia/Europe trade; will be used as an alternative for lowering costs and CO2 emissions

> while Peru may not form part of the Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), it does boast significant deposits of the white...

> while Peru may not form part of the Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), it does boast significant deposits of the white metal. By one estimate, it is home to the sixth largest deposits of hard-rock lithium in the world.

Why are US military personnel heading to Peru?> Peru is currently under the control of an unelected government that is heavily supported...

Why are US military personnel heading to Peru?

> Peru is currently under the control of an unelected government that is heavily supported by Washington but overwhelmingly rejected by the Peruvian people. The crackdown on protests in the south of the Peru by the country’s security forces — the same security forces that US military personnel will soon be joining — has led to dozens of deaths.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/05/why-are-us-troops-heading-to-peru.html

Now, for the first time in 25 years, a Saudi king has invited an Iranian president to visit the...

Now, for the first time in 25 years, a Saudi king has invited an Iranian president to visit the country:

https://www.dw.com/en/irans-president-to-visit-saudi-king-in-bid-to-thaw-ties/a-65041493

Big shifts happening in West Asia, with the PRC's efforts to integrate both Iran and Saudi Arabia into BRICS+, and creating a petroyuan...

Big shifts happening in West Asia, with the PRC's efforts to integrate both Iran and Saudi Arabia into BRICS+, and creating a petroyuan in the process, starting to publicly manifest.

> This reality was made evident during last week’s secret talks between Iranian and Saudi officials in Beijing, where, per the WSJ, “all parties agreed not to use English in the negotiations, with speeches and documents conducted in Arabic, Farsi or Mandarin.”

https://thecradle.co/article-view/22458/china-to-host-iran-gcc-summit-later-this-year-report

> 5 Reasons Why Much Of Global South Isn’t Automatically Supporting The West In...

> 5 Reasons Why Much Of Global South Isn’t Automatically Supporting The West In Ukraine

https://www.eurasiareview.com/24022023-5-reasons-why-much-of-global-south-isnt-automatically-supporting-the-west-in-ukraine-oped/

#ukraine #russia #china #europe

> The Iraqi central bank announced on 22 February that, for the first time, it plans to allow trade from China to be settled directly in...

> The Iraqi central bank announced on 22 February that, for the first time, it plans to allow trade from China to be settled directly in yuan instead of the US dollar to improve access to foreign currency.

> “It is the first time imports would be financed from China in yuan, as Iraqi imports from China have been financed in (US) dollars only,” the government’s economic adviser, Mudhir Salih, told Reuters on 22 February.

https://thecradle.co/article-view/21770/iraqi-central-bank-to-drop-dollar-for-yuan-in-trade-with-china

4 years ago, the UK government recognized Juan Guaidó (who never ran for president) as “interim president” of Venezuela, and...

4 years ago, the UK government recognized Juan Guaidó (who never ran for president) as “interim president” of Venezuela, and subsequently froze the ~2 billion USD worth of the country's gold that was held in London.

Venezuela’s leading opposition parties have now voted to oust Juan Guaidó as “interim president” and dissolve his parallel government. But access to the gold is still frozen.

https://declassifieduk.org/why-is-venezuelas-gold-still-frozen-in-the-bank-of-england/

The U.S. military is establishing yet another base in Syria, where they have been occupying oil and gas fields illegally for years...

The U.S. military is establishing yet another base in Syria, where they have been occupying oil and gas fields illegally for years already:

https://thecradle.co/Article/News/17924

Syria used to export oil and gas, but now has to rely on imports in order to be able to produce enough food. But sanctions (incl. on the oil industry) seriously curtail all Syrian production, so more than half the population is currently grappling with food insecurity, according to a U.N. envoy:

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-business-syria-civil-wars-bashar-assad-00832f11322da5be4947df261fd4dd8e

"In January 1982, President Ronald Reagan approved a CIA plan to sabotage the economy of the Soviet Union through covert transfers of...

"In January 1982, President Ronald Reagan approved a CIA plan to sabotage the economy of the Soviet Union through covert transfers of technology that contained hidden malfunctions, including software that later triggered a huge explosion in a Siberian natural gas pipeline, according to a new memoir by a Reagan White House official."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/02/27/reagan-approved-plan-to-sabotage-soviets/a9184eff-47fd-402e-beb2-63970851e130/

https://nitter.net/ABC/status/1490792461979078662

https://nitter.net/ABC/status/1490792461979078662

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were both disabled by critical leaks over the past 2 days, and the cause looks likely to be intentional...

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were both disabled by critical leaks over the past 2 days, and the cause looks likely to be intentional bombings:

https://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/ECE14441655/seismolog-eksplosioner-ramte-nord-stream/

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/quake-info/7054550/mag2quake-Sep-26-2022-Sweden-BALTIC-SEA.html

> Mapped: Which Countries Still Have a Monarchy?https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-countries-still-have-monarchy/

> Mapped: Which Countries Still Have a Monarchy?

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-countries-still-have-monarchy/

> Pope Francis Orders All Assets Be Deposited in Vatican Bank by Sept....

> Pope Francis Orders All Assets Be Deposited in Vatican Bank by Sept. 30.

https://marketrealist.com/global-politics/vatican-bank-september-30/

ArcelorMittal, the second-largest steel producer in the world, is shutting down two of its furnaces in Germany, due to the extreme rise in...

ArcelorMittal, the second-largest steel producer in the world, is shutting down two of its furnaces in Germany, due to the extreme rise in gas and electricity costs.

https://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/industrie/arcelormittal-produktion-in-hamburg-und-bremen-wird-voruebergehend-eingestellt-kurzarbeit-a-4c4b1ea9-8d6d-4e79-a52b-b790bad41629

> Solomon Islands Denying Port Calls To US Military Vessels As China Influence...

> Solomon Islands Denying Port Calls To US Military Vessels As China Influence Grows

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/solomons-islands-denying-port-calls-us-military-vessels-china-influence-grows

After spending almost a year in jail without trial, Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two and a researcher at Leeds University in Britain, has...

After spending almost a year in jail without trial, Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two and a researcher at Leeds University in Britain, has been sentenced to 34 years in prison, for retweeting the wrong posts to her mere ~2000 followers:

https://www.voanews.com/a/saudi-doctoral-student-gets-34-years-in-prison-for-tweets/6706707.html

In case you forgot, the U.S. military is still occupying oil fields in Eastern Syria. According to a recent statement by the Syrian Oil...

In case you forgot, the U.S. military is still occupying oil fields in Eastern Syria. According to a recent statement by the Syrian Oil Ministry, the U.S. are currently stealing more than 80% of Syria's entire oil production every day, shipping it out on trucks to Iraq.

https://thecradle.co/Article/News/14108

Another blow to the petrodollar:> The signing last week of a multi-pronged memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Saudi Arabian...

Another blow to the petrodollar:

> The signing last week of a multi-pronged memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Saudi Arabian Oil Company – formerly the Arabian American Oil Company - (Aramco) and the China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) is a critical step in China’s ongoing strategy to secure Saudi Arabia as a client state.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/China-And-Saudi-Arabia-Intensify-Energy-Cooperation-With-Critical-Deal.html