Geopolitical Economy Report

He accidentally revealed the truth about the US strategy for Iran 06.07.2026 28min

What is the US strategy in its war against Iran? Is the Trump administration seriously committed to negotiations to make a deal? JD Vance accidentally exposed the USA's plan, to use the talks to buy time to refill oil reserves and stabilize the economy. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_BojBCeM6o Topics 0:00 US negotiations with Iran 0:56 Trump considers restarting war 1:46 Strait of Hormuz 3:37 Israel and Lebanon 5:02 JD Vance exposes US strategy 6:27 (CLIP) JD Vance on Iran 7:31 Oil market 8:22 Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) 10:24 (CLIP) Trump on oil reserves 10:52 US strategy 11:56 Iran's strategy 13:12 USA violates agreements 14:18 Iran's economic nuclear weapon 15:24 Oil price 16:14 Parallels to Ukraine war 21:41 New Iranian government 25:55 USA lost. The war backfired 28:00 Outro

This scandal says everything about the West's hypocrisy 02.07.2026 41min

The US-based right-wing Chinese billionaire Miles Guo (Guo Wengui), who worked closely with Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for committing $1 billion of fraud. Ben Norton explains how Western governments and media outlets support "dissidents" from countries they don't like, who are often corrupt grifters and con artists; and how fake "experts" make money by spreading absurd disinformation about China, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, etc. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSVBsyDz1ks Topics 0:00 Billionaire fraudster Miles Guo 1:03 Links to Trump, Steven Bannon 4:34 US DOJ prosecution 6:31 China's charges 8:06 US media whitewashing 12:25 Corrupt West-backed "dissidents" 15:23 US support for dictators 17:12 Pro-West Chinese "dissidents" 19:40 Soviet "dissidents" 21:07 North Korean defector Yeonmi Park 24:18 Yeonmi Park becomes a meme 25:36 (CLIP) Yeonmi Park on Joe Rogan 26:12 Absurd propaganda 26:53 Park jumps on the Trump train 27:47 Western media has no standards 28:56 Fake China "expert" Gordon G Chang 34:00 Ai Weiwei change of heart 39:16 Western imperialist hypocrisy 41:17 Outro

The real reason US Big Tech corporations fear China 27.06.2026 35min

US Big Tech corporations are paying influencers to spread anti-China, pro-AI disinformation on social media. Ben Norton explains why Silicon Valley fears Chinese competition and seeks to monopolize artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, to impose the global dominance of the USA in an imperialist unipolar order. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BLnM-gxj-o Topics 0:00 Silicon Valley spreads propaganda 2:08 US govt helps Elon Musk pollute 4:52 Scapegoating China 5:32 AI arms race 7:34 (CLIP) Ex Google CEO Eric Schmidt 7:52 Silicon Valley wants monopolies 10:02 (CLIP) Peter Thiel loves monopolies 10:20 Sam Altman lobbies US govt 12:40 OpenAI is losing lots of money 14:02 Pentagon works with Big Tech 15:54 Anthropic conflict with Trump admin 17:25 Dario Amodei backs Cold War Two 18:28 USA wants unipolar world 20:01 Palantir and techno-fascism 23:26 Totalitarian police state 26:10 Larry Ellison buys up US media 26:44 Surveillance Valley 30:58 Monopoly and hegemony 32:27 Imperialism and Big Tech 34:48 Outro

Will Israel sabotage the Iran deal? Will Trump allow it? 22.06.2026 19min

The USA and Iran are holding negotiations to end the war, but Tehran condemned Washington for violating the agreement, because Israel keeps attacking Lebanon. US Vice President JD Vance appeared to criticize Israel, but Ben Norton explains the deep hypocrisy of the United States, which is still giving Netanyahu billions of dollars of weapons and military aid. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wogLemf3er4 Topics 0:00 Talks between USA & Iran 0:35 Iran says US violates agreement 1:50 Will Israel sabotage Iran deal? 2:58 Israel needs US military support 4:12 JD Vance: US is Israel's only ally 5:04 (CLIP) JD Vance: US military aid 5:47 (CLIP) JD Vance on Israel 7:57 Put up or shut up 8:40 Billions in US aid to Israel 9:42 Military-industrial complex 11:03 Unsinkable aircraft carrier 11:48 Tails don't wag dogs 12:36 Trump warns of oil shortages 13:25 (CLIP) Trump: 4 weeks of reserves 14:07 Trump threatens Iran again 14:33 (CLIP) Fox News on Trump threats 15:14 Iran has more leverage 16:08 Israel's goals in Lebanon 17:28 Israel takes over Gaza 18:40 US sends more weapons to Israel 19:14 Hypocrisy 19:45 Outro

It's official: Iran won the war, and the US lost. This is how 17.06.2026 28min

The US government has signed an agreement to end its war on Iran. It is now widely admitted that Washington lost, and Tehran won. Ben Norton explains why Donald Trump failed, and how this has massive geopolitical implications for the Global South. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NOUxBUSM64 Check out our related report on how Iran destroyed US military bases: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_wC4KuEcWI Topics 0:00 USA & Iran sign deal 0:53 US lost the war 2:21 US lifts oil sanctions 4:14 Details of US-Iran deal 7:25 Strait of Hormuz 8:56 US agrees to end sanctions 10:13 $300 billion investment fund 14:08 Frozen assets 14:36 Nuclear weapons 15:37 Previous nuclear deal, JCPOA 18:00 Why USA lost the war 21:33 Victory for Global South 25:35 Destroyed US military bases 26:43 Historic defeat of imperialism 27:46 Outro

Democracy is dead: Elon Musk becomes world's first TRILLIONAIRE with SpaceX IPO 13.06.2026 34min

Elon Musk has become the world's first trillionaire, with the IPO of his company SpaceX. He is a symbol of how the United States has become an oligarchy, where elections are bought by rich elites and large corporations, and extreme wealth is concentrated in a few hands. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj-hd3l4dSo Topics 0:00 Elon Musk, world's first trillionaire 0:50 Oligarchy 1:54 SpaceX IPO 3:06 SpaceX is losing lots of money 4:13 Wall Street changes the rules 5:39 Trump coin pump and dump 6:14 Reasons to avoid SpaceX 7:04 Musk: symbol of US oligarchy 8:45 Wealth concentration 9:55 Gilded Age & robber barons 11:13 Money wins US elections 13:06 Elon Musk funded Trump 14:52 Larry Ellison buys up media 17:14 Capitalist class 18:19 Progressive Era 19:27 Great Depression & New Deal 20:08 Golden Age of capitalism 20:59 Tax rates 22:08 Tax burden shifts onto workers 23:24 Billionaires avoid taxes 24:34 Neoliberalism 25:18 Financial crisis & QE 26:54 Neofeudalism / technofeudalism 28:27 Artificial intelligence (AI) 29:24 Universal basic income (UBI) 30:50 Nationalize Big Tech 33:04 China's alternative 33:58 Outro

Why countries are dropping the dollar - and buying gold 08.06.2026 20min

Gold has officially overtaken Treasury securities (US government debt) as the top asset held by global central banks, according to a report by the European Central Bank (ECB). Ben Norton explains how dedollarization is continuing, gradually and steadily. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmyWn2lrXBM Topics 0:00 Decline of US dollar dominance 0:55 Debasement trade 1:42 Central banks buy gold 3:59 Gold overtakes US Treasuries 5:36 Top countries buying gold 7:00 West's seizure of Russian assets 8:54 Alleged unofficial gold holdings 10:16 Falling dollar share of reserves 12:14 Reasons for fall in gold price 14:58 EU hypocrisy 16:26 China keeps buying gold 18:05 China calls for multipolar system 19:13 De-dollarization is continuing 20:32 Outro

Before the AI bubble pops, billionaires want to loot your retirement funds 04.06.2026 27min

The AI bubble has caused the most concentrated and overvalued stock market in US history. The billionaire CEOs of Big Tech corporations fear it may pop soon, so they changed the rules on Wall Street so that, mere days after their IPOs, SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic will be given "fast track" inclusion in major index funds, despite the fact that they are losing tons of money. These corporate oligarchs want to use average retail investors as exit liquidity, looting pensions, 401(k)s, and other retirement funds, all so Elon Musk can become the world's first trillionaire. Ben Norton explains the scandal. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh3d8xO9NHg Topics 0:00 US stock market bubble 1:08 (CLIP) Ray Dalio on AI bubble 1:37 Comparisons to past bubbles 3:38 Market cap to GDP 4:50 Concentration of stock market 6:52 Magnificent 7 stocks 7:28 Monopolies eat the economy 8:37 Corporate profits break records 9:35 USA slashes corporate taxes 10:40 Plan to loot retirement funds 11:38 SpaceX is absurdly overvalued 12:32 SpaceX is losing money 13:51 SpaceX IPO is a trap 17:00 Elon Musk, first trillionaire 18:08 OpenAI's shady IPO scheme 19:32 Many IPOs at peaks of bubbles 21:51 Bogus Big Tech earnings reports 24:09 AI circular financing scheme 25:09 Animal spirits 25:49 Unregulated financial looting 26:54 Outro

Bombshell report: World sees USA as biggest threat, instead prefers China 31.05.2026 21min

A comprehensive global survey found that people in most countries see the United States as the biggest threat to the world, and they prefer China over the US. Ben Norton analyzes the results of the Democracy Perception Index. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UhHqPGFGos Topics 0:00 Shifting global political order 1:35 Democracy Perception Index 3:08 USA is biggest threat to world 4:25 US military bases unpopular 5:36 Negative perception of USA 6:25 China more popular than US 8:07 US war against Iran 9:06 Israel-Palestine 9:40 Ukraine war 10:14 Taiwan 11:14 Greenland 11:54 Countries progressing 13:15 Democracy 17:33 USA is an oligarchy 20:20 End of end of history 21:15 Outro

To fight China, USA literally plans to colonize its ally 27.05.2026 28min

The US government is desperate to create a new supply chain that cuts out China, through its Pax Silica initiative. To do so, the Trump administration plans to colonize the territory of the Philippines, a supposed "ally" run by corrupt leader Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, with a 99-year colonial concession. Ben Norton explains the controversy. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=302uQhql3kY Topics 0:00 Intro 0:35 Cold War Two 1:50 US-India critical minerals deal 2:55 Pax Silica 3:41 US meddling in Philippines 4:55 Corrupt Marcos dynasty 6:36 US military bases & missiles 8:38 US colonial plan 10:37 Colonial 99-year leases 12:11 US colonialism 13:31 China "threat" narrative 14:34 Exploiting natural resources 15:39 US official Jacob Helberg 16:16 Silicon Valley oligarchs 17:39 US official freaks out 19:57 Neocolonialism 23:58 Comprador leaders 25:21 Poverty & development 28:31 Outro

War hawks admit Iran defeated USA - and it will change the world 22.05.2026 24min

It has become so widely accepted that the US lost the war with Iran that now even American neoconservative hawks admit it. Ben Norton explains why major neocons like Robert Kagan and Bill Kristol have turned against the war. They lament that Iran's victory reflects the decline of the US empire and the transition to a more multipolar world order. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlXNHSCfoQ Topics 0:00 USA lost war with Iran 1:47 Poll: war is unpopular 2:42 Media admits USA lost 3:32 Iran still has most missiles 4:39 Iran withstands US blockade 5:21 Iran destroyed US bases 6:03 US hawks admit the truth 7:25 Neocons and PNAC 9:13 George W Bush admin 9:55 Neoconservatism 11:30 Rise of Donald Trump 12:00 Hillary Clinton 12:44 Victoria Nuland 13:41 Coup in Ukraine 15:29 (CLIP) US-backed coup 16:14 US "checkmate" in Iran 17:05 Decline of US hegemony 18:26 Iran has major leverage 19:22 US defeat 20:34 Neocons abandon ship 22:14 Poll: Americans oppose war 22:44 Poll: Americans say US lost 23:30 Crisis of US imperialism 23:57 Outro

Trump's China trip was a failure. This is why 18.05.2026 22min

Donald Trump said his visit to China was a success, but he failed to pressure Beijing to make any significant concessions. Ben Norton fact-checks the claims of the White House, showing how Washington's trade war backfired, hard, on the US economy. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtuYVMrXmAM Topics 0:00 Trump's visit to China 0:41 US trade war 2:01 The trip was a failure 3:17 CEOs of US corporations 4:24 Iran & Strait of Hormuz 7:42 Trade & investment 9:14 Rare earth elements 11:58 Trade war failure 12:42 Boeing airplanes 13:52 Agricultural products 15:05 Nvidia & chips 18:19 USA failed 20:05 Trump's empty threats 20:35 Problems in US economy 22:38 Outro

This is the real reason for Trump's visit to China 14.05.2026 31min

Donald Trump took a trip to China to meet President Xi Jinping. He was joined by the CEOs of a dozen top US corporations, including billionaires Elon Musk, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Tim Cook of Apple, Larry Fink of BlackRock, and Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone. Ben Norton explains how Beijing won the trade war that was started by Washington, how China has significant leverage (in manufacturing, supply chains, critical minerals, and rare earths), and how the US economy is in a very bad state. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7MnTzKOANg Topics 0:00 Trump's visit to China 0:27 US trade war backfired 1:25 Trump joined by top CEOs 1:56 Elon Musk 2:20 Jensen Huang of Nvidia 2:47 Tim Cook of Apple 2:58 BlackRock and Blackstone 3:22 More CEOs with Trump 4:17 US CEOs meet Xi Jinping 5:31 USA is an oligarchy 6:23 China's massive market 6:57 Nvidia lost Chinese market 8:02 China's self-sufficiency drive 9:15 Manufacturing superpower 10:50 Tesla EVs made in Shanghai 11:25 US tariffs on Chinese EVs 12:21 China has the upper hand 13:00 US trade war 14:42 China-US trade 16:08 Rare earth elements 17:07 Critical minerals 18:18 New supply chain efforts 18:59 Pax Silica 19:41 Why US rhetoric changed 20:40 Iran war 22:51 US sanctions on China 24:20 Inflation in USA 25:41 Trump is very unpopular 26:33 K-shaped economy 27:25 Inequality 28:05 China exported deflation 29:31 US tariffs boost inflation 30:27 China in stronger position 31:07 Outro

Media admits: Iran destroyed US military bases, USA running out of missiles, war costs $1 TRILLION 10.05.2026 20min

Donald Trump claims Iran has been "militarily defeated", but many reports have come out showing this to be a lie. Tehran destroyed the majority of US military bases in West Asia (aka the Middle East), and Iran still maintains most of its missile capabilities. Meanwhile, experts estimate the USA's war against Iran will cost $1 trillion. Ben Norton reviews the evidence, showing how Washington is clearly losing this war that it started. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_wC4KuEcWI Topics 0:00 US government narrative 0:23 (CLIP) Trump: Iran is defeated 1:20 Reality: USA is losing the war 2:34 Reviewing the evidence 4:34 Iran destroyed US bases 5:37 US troops expelled from region 6:54 US military bases in rubble 7:37 Donald Trump lied 8:11 USA running out of missiles 9:33 War will cost $1 TRILLION 10:38 Iran still has most missiles 12:38 US government is lying 13:05 Saudi Arabia gets cold feet 14:00 Huge economic damage 15:44 Gulf "safe haven" myth 16:28 USA is losing the war 18:04 USA failed to achieve goals 19:57 Outro

Trump boasts USA acts 'like pirates', as China challenges US sanctions on Iran 04.05.2026 21min

Donald Trump boasted that the US government acts "like pirates", seizing Iran's ships and oil. "It's a very profitable business", he said. Meanwhile, Beijing is openly resisting Washington's sanctions against Chinese companies for trading with Iran. China has ordered all domestic firms to ignore US sanctions. Ben Norton explains these geopolitical developments. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfB8xQEZolk Topics 0:00 (CLIP) Trump: "We're like pirates" 0:14 US blockade of Iran 1:11 (CLIP) Trump on US piracy 1:57 US seizure of Iranian ships 2:43 AI memes of Trump as pirate 3:01 Multiple acts of US piracy 4:09 Venezuela 5:06 (CLIP) Trump on stealing oil 5:30 Pirates of the Persian Gulf 6:31 US sanctions on China 8:42 Hengli plant in Dalian 9:23 China challenges US sanctions 10:49 Secondary sanctions threat 11:38 USA crossed China's red line 14:17 US sanctions 1/3rd of world 14:47 Map of US sanctions 15:00 Sanctions are very deadly 16:21 Blockade of Cuba 17:19 US empire's goal 17:59 New sanctions on Cuba 19:02 Chinese solar panels help Cuba 19:47 Blowback: US sanctions backfire 20:45 Outro

How the US uses oil as a geopolitical weapon 30.04.2026 37min

Oil has been at the center of the war on Iran. Ben Norton explains how the United States became the biggest oil producer on Earth, and how the US empire uses petroleum as a geopolitical and economic weapon, pushing for monopolistic Big Oil corporations to dominate the global market. Ben also discusses why Trump pressured the UAE to withdraw from OPEC, and he debunks the myth that the USA is "energy independent". VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh-E3q6tGEw Check out our related video on the biggest oil crisis in history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUdyPJM_rOw Topics 0:00 Iran war and oil 0:36 Petrodollar 1:52 USA is biggest oil producer 3:39 US oil exports increase 4:32 Oil price skyrockets 5:03 Corporate profits rise 5:37 Strait of Hormuz 6:30 UAE withdraws from OPEC 7:31 Abraham Accords 8:37 OPEC history 9:14 Seven Sisters: Big Oil 11:01 OPEC members 12:13 OPEC+ participants 13:18 Goal of OPEC 14:25 State-owned oil companies 15:12 Why USA dislikes OPEC 16:56 Oil is political 17:18 Venezuela economic war 19:06 Big Oil execs in US govt 20:55 Cuba oil blockade 22:29 Energy and food crisis 23:36 US "energy independence" 25:06 US oil imports 26:12 Types of crude oil 27:26 US oil refineries 28:47 US imports by country 30:36 Oil benchmarks 32:47 Oil futures market 33:53 Price predictions 36:04 Economic crisis fears 37:02 Outro

US-Israeli war on Iran caused biggest oil crisis in history, endangering world economy 25.04.2026 21min

The US-Israeli war on Iran has caused the largest oil supply shock in history, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Ben Norton explains how the attacks by Trump and Netanyahu, and the ensuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, have unleashed an energy crisis that could destabilize the global economy. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUdyPJM_rOw Topics 0:00 Intro 0:23 Schrödinger's ceasefire 1:24 Energy crisis 3:11 Strait of Hormuz 5:14 Petrodollar 6:45 Blockade 7:35 Impact on Asia 10:46 Europe 11:29 Food crisis 13:38 China 16:20 Renewable energy 18:24 Trump's claims 19:41 Stagflation fears 21:34 Outro

US economy is based on Ponzi scheme that could collapse, warns economist Michael Hudson 21.04.2026 34min

There are growing signs that the United States may be on the verge of another major financial crisis, one that could start in the $3 trillion private credit market, which is already seeing significant turmoil, before spreading to other sectors. Geopolitical Economy Report editor Ben Norton interviewed economist Michael Hudson to discuss the serious problems on Wall Street. Hudson warned that the US economy is built on a Ponzi scheme that depends on continuing to pour money into a bloated, bubbly financial system based on unsustainable speculation, not industrial production. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blv49u3Q230 Check out our related short video about the private credit crisis on Wall Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1cx9Zk6WZk Topics 0:00 Introduction 1:37 Highlights of Michael Hudson 3:29 Interview starts 4:18 2008 financial crisis 5:04 Zero interest-rate policy (ZIRP) 7:31 Private equity 9:17 Lack of investment 10:34 Wealth inequality 12:08 Debt defaults 14:10 Depression fears 16:12 US govt supports Wall Street 19:07 Ponzi schemes 23:51 US economic problems 27:35 Iran war impact 30:16 Financialization of economy 33:46 Outro

Why is Trump blockading Iran's blockade? This is the crazy, and dangerous, US strategy 17.04.2026 27min

The peace talks held between the US and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan failed. Despite a temporary, two-week ceasefire Donald Trump announced a naval blockade of the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Ben Norton explains the USA's strategy, and how it is targeting China and Asian economies that import oil, natural gas, and other important commodities from the Persian Gulf. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDH5qMZSPm4 Topics 0:00 Peace talks in Pakistan fail 1:07 Trump blockades the blockade 2:53 Iran trolls the US 3:45 Trump's contradictory posts 6:12 Ceasefire 6:51 Israeli attack on Lebanon 8:17 Trump threatens Iran 9:45 Trump targets Cuba 10:38 Strait of Hormuz 11:41 Iran toll challenges petrodollar 13:12 Logic behind US blockade 14:01 Scott Bessent threatens China 15:31 USA targets China's oil supply 16:29 China condemns US blockade 17:06 Dangers of escalation 18:38 Chinese tankers 20:37 China's oil reserves 21:11 China's supply chain shocks 22:59 Trump wants leverage 24:09 The US is losing the war 26:25 Iran's message to Trump 27:45 Outro

China just prevented a war over Taiwan. This is how 13.04.2026 36min

The US government has pushed for years for a war with China, selling billions of dollars of weapons to separatists in Taiwan. However, those plans are falling apart, after the leader of the KMT, the Nationalist Party based in Taipei, took a historic trip to the mainland, promoting peace. Ben Norton explains the importance of Cheng Li-wun's meeting with Xi Jinping, and the complex political history of Taiwan. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiDtfdBYHBQ Topics 0:00 KMT leader visits Beijing 1:28 US "prickly porcupine" strategy 2:09 KMT, Chinese Nationalist Party 2:48 Taiwan's ruling party DPP 3:27 Nancy Pelosi visit 4:17 Taiwan's DPP supports Israel 4:42 Fears of new Ukraine 5:22 US war plans 6:22 US arms sales to Taiwan 7:09 USA uses Taiwan as proxy 8:12 (CLIP) KMT leader on Ukraine 9:08 Is Taiwan the next Ukraine? 9:28 Elections results in 2024 10:12 Lai Ching-te is unpopular 10:54 Iran war hurts Taiwan 11:48 Energy crisis 12:27 TSMC and advanced chips 13:45 Neoliberalism 14:10 Developmental state 14:54 Economic insecurity 15:14 Trump tariff threats 15:48 Beijing does not want war 17:12 Beijing opposes separatism 18:06 UN: Taiwan is part of China 18:50 One China policy 19:46 Map of Taiwan recognition 20:05 List of Taiwan recognition 20:45 Cross-strait relations 22:19 Rising trade 23:13 One country, two systems 24:31 US military bases 24:58 Peaceful reunification 25:27 Poll: Taiwan independence 26:09 Future leader of Taiwan? 26:48 Divisions within KMT 27:27 Modern history of Taiwan 29:05 Chiang Kai-shek 29:41 Democracy? 30:46 Cold War One propaganda 31:39 Sun Yat-sen 34:40 Historic step for peace 36:14 Outro