Geopolitics & Empire

Geopolitics & Empire · Marie-Hélène Caillol: Political Anticipation of Global Systemic Crisis #060 The president of the European Laboratory of Political Anticipation discusses their method of political forecasting, the global systemic crisis, the transition from petrodollar to petroyuan, Brexit, the Middle East and more. Show Notes Western Systemic Crisis 2017-2019 – The Almighty dollar against the Great Petro-Yuan Temptation 2019 / Brexit: Towards the reintegration of the new UK into a new Europe Website http://geab.eu/en http://www.leap2020.net/?lang=en About GEAB and LEAP The GEAB is a monthly, affordable, decision and analysis support instrument intended for all those for whom the understanding of future world developments examined from a truly European perspective constitutes a significant part of their work or project: advisors, consultants, financiers, economists, researchers, experts, heads of public institutions, research centres and international businesses, or major NGOs. GEAB is at the origin of the concept of ‘global systemic crisis’ As early as February 15th, the second issue of the GlobalEurope Anticipation Bulletin (GEAB N°2 announced that an international political, economic and monetary crisis was to be triggered in the course of the last week of March 2006. The public announcement summing up this position toured the world, raising virulent criticisms of course, but above all warm thanks and vivid gratefulness for having opened a debate considered a healthy one. A tribute: three years before he died on July 2nd 2009, French prospectivist Pierre Gonod analyzed LEAP’s work of anticipation “LEAP has anticipated a “Global Systemic Crisis”, its calendar and its steps. I haven’t come across any such strong positioning in the microcosm of forward studies for a long time. A brave attitude contrasting with the profession’s current pusillanimity. Years ago already, French forward studies have given up on global anticipation. Why? Probably because of the growing complexity of the world that a simplistic way of thinking cannot grasp. Maybe also because our time is invaded by political correctness and has become unable to envisage radical breaks. LEAP must be praised for changing this…. From January 2006 to October 2012 the GEAB was edited and coordinated by Franck Biancheri, LEAP’s director of studies and strategies and creator of the political anticipation method. Since Franck Biancheri’s death, each issue is edited by Marie-Hélène Caillol and coordinated by Sylvain Périfel, using our research teams to the full. Contents Global systemic crisis watch Analysis of topical political, economic and financial subjects Identification of relevant pointers, trend analysis, anticipating changes Monitoring the Dollar, the US economy, the global economy, financial markets,…; anticipating changes Monitoring the Euro, the European economy, developments in European governance…; anticipating changes Monitoring the BRICS countries’ emergence, economic indicators, global rebalancing, global governance…; anticipating changes Implications of the crisis for security and defence, politics, public opinion… Identifying promising future paths Strategic recommendations to directors and managers Investment advice and asset protection *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Geopolitics & Empire · Bahauddin Foizee: The Geopolitics of Asia-Pacific #059 Geopolitical analyst Bahauddin Foizee discusses the Rohingya conflict in Myanmar and its spillover into Bangladesh. He also discusses Bangladesh's role in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and how the US is seeking to undermine the New Silk Road by supporting India while Russia moves closer to Pakistan. Show Notes http://southasiajournal.net/trump-adds-intensity-to-obamas-policy-of-partnering-india-gradually-deserting http://www.atimes.com/bangladesh-showcases-readiness-security-threats https://bahauddinfoizee.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/quick-read-direct-us-china-or-us-russia-confrontation-is-unlikely http://www.atimes.com/irans-rising-influence-raises-saudi-eyebrows https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170401-shared-regional-agendas-are-stimulating-the-rapid-rise-of-turkey-qatar-cooperation http://thediplomat.com/2016/12/the-real-reason-bajwa-was-appointed-pakistans-chief-of-army-staff http://www.dw.com/en/opinion-the-gray-area-in-myanmars-rohingya-conflict/a-40384101 Website https://bahauddinfoizee.wordpress.com About Bahauddin Foizee Bahauddin Foizee is an international affairs columnist, and specializes in greater Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern geopolitics. His articles have appeared in many international outlets such as The Diplomat, Asia Times, Eurasia Review, Modern Diplomacy and leading Dhaka-based English papers, including The Independent, The Financial Express and Daily Observer. Also a legal practitioner, he holds a law degree from the University of London. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8npPSB90ZU&t=15s The founder of peace and conflict studies, Dr. Johan Galtung, discusses his predictions of the US Empire collapsing and becoming a dictatorship, before eventually rebuilding its democracy. Show Notes USA–Where Are You Heading? Pentagon Study Declares American Empire Is Collapsing DOD Risk Assessment in a Post-Primacy World US Power Will Decline Under Trump Says Futurist Who Predicted Soviet Collapse Websites https://www.transcend.org https://www.galtung-institut.de Books https://www.transcend.org/tup/index.php?book=5 About Johan Galtung Johan Galtung, dr, dr hc mult, a professor of peace studies, was born in 1930 in Oslo, Norway. He is a mathematician, sociologist, political scientist and the founder of the discipline of peace studies. He founded the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (1959), the world's first academic research center focused on peace studies, as well as the influential Journal of Peace Research (1964). He has helped found dozens of other peace centers around the world. He is currently the president of the Galtung-Institut for Peace Theory & Peace Practice. He has served as a professor for peace studies at universities all over the world, including Columbia (New York), Oslo, Berlin, Belgrade, Paris, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Sichuan, Ritsumeikan (Japan), Princeton, Hawai'i, Tromsoe, Bern, Alicante (Spain) and dozens of others on all continents. He has taught thousands of individuals and motivated them to dedicate their lives to the promotion of peace and the satisfaction of basic human needs. He has mediated in over 150 conflicts between states, nations, religions, civilizations, communities, and persons since 1957. His contributions to peace theory and practice include conceptualization of peace-building, conflict mediation, reconciliation, nonviolence, theory of structural violence, theorizing about negative vs. positive peace, peace education and peace journalism. Prof. Galtung's unique imprint on the study of conflict and peace stems from a combination of systematic scientific inquiry and a Gandhian ethics of peaceful means and harmony. [spoiler] Johan Galtung has conducted a great deal of research in many fields and made original contributions not only to peace studies but also, among others, human rights, basic needs, development strategies, a world economy that sustains life, macro-history, theory of civilizations, federalism, globalization, theory of discourse, social pathologies, deep culture, peace and religions, social science methodology, sociology, ecology, future studies. He is author or co-author of more than 1600 articles and over 160 books on peace and related issues, including Peace By Peaceful Means (1996), Macrohistory and Macrohistorians (with Sohail Inayatullah, 1997), Conflict Transformation By Peaceful Means (1998), Johan uten land (autobiography, 2000), Transcend & Transform: An Introduction to Conflict Work (2004, in 25 languages), 50 Years - 100 Peace and Conflict Perspectives (2008), Democracy - Peace - Development (with Paul Scott, 2008), 50 Years - 25 Intellectual Landscapes Explored (2008), Globalizing God (with Graeme MacQueen, 2008), The Fall of the US Empire - And Then What (2009), Peace Business (with Jack Santa Barbara and Fred Dubee, 2009), A Theory of Conflict (2010), A Theory of Development (2010), Reporting Conflict: New Directions in Peace Journalism (with Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick, 2010), Korea: The Twisting Roads to Unification (with Jae-Bong Lee, 2011), Reconciliation (with Joanna Santa Barbara and Diane Perlman, 2012), Peace Mathematics (with Dietrich Fischer, 2012), Peace Economics (2012), A Theory of Civilization (forthcoming 2013), and A Theory of Peace (forthcoming 2013). In 2008, he founded the TRANSCEND University Press. 36 of his books have been translated into 33 languages, for a total of 134 book translations. He is the weekly editorialist for TRANSCEND Media Serv...

Geopolitics & Empire · Liz McIntyre: How Microchip Implants and Google Threaten Our Privacy #057 Privacy consultant Liz McIntyre discusses the new trend of biometric human microchip implants by corporations and governments provided to their employees as well as citizens who volunteer for implants. She explains the threats posed by implants as well as the current surveillance malpractices by tech-giants such as Google. Show Notes You WILL Get Microchipped Eventually Websites http://www.spychips.com https://twitter.com/LizMcIntyre Books Spychips: How Major Corporations And Government Plan To Track Your Every Purchase And Watch Your Every Move About Liz McIntyre Liz McIntyre is a consumer privacy expert and co-author of a series of books about the societal implications of microchip tracking technology, including Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Purchase and Watch Your Every Move. This explosive book reveals how organizations like Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, Gillette, and even the U.S. Government are deploying tiny computer chips that can keep close tabs on everyday objects—and even people. McIntyre is the former Communications Director for CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) and the master strategist for many of the organization's most successful media campaigns. Her eye-catching headlines and compelling stories have helped to make the technical topic of radio frequency identification interesting and accessible to the general public. New York Times reporter Barnaby Feder once commented on McIntyre's writing, saying, "I don't usually see such entertaining metaphors outside of the baseball blogs...where I go for escape reading." McIntyre now steps in from time to time to offer strategic advice and help create platform documents like the Position Paper on the Use of RFID in Schools. McIntyre has logged hundreds of hours as a guest expert because of her proven ability to captivate audiences and generate listener calls. She has shared her views on shows like Forbes, Allan Handelman, Thom Hartmann, Greg Allen, CBC Radio, Coast to Coast, BBC Radio, WBAI's "Law and Disorder," and Kiss FM's "Open Line." *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Geopolitics & Empire · John Rubino: Converging Crises Point to Global Financial Collapse #056 Author John Rubino gives a macro overview of economic indicators that point us toward a financial crash as early as 2018 or 2019 which even China won't escape. Show Notes High-Profile Sectors Start to Roll Over Dumb And Dumber - Money Keeps Pouring In The Perfect Crash Indicator is Flashing Red Websites Dollar Collapse Books The Money Bubble: What To Do Before It Pops The Collapse of the Dollar and How To Profit From It Clean Money: Picking Winners In The Green Tech Boom About John Rubino After earning a Finance MBA from New York University, he spent the 1980s on Wall Street, as a Eurodollar trader, equity analyst and junk bond analyst. During the 1990s he was a featured columnist with TheStreet.com and a frequent contributor to Individual Investor, Online Investor, and Consumers Digest, among many other publications. He currently writes for CFA Magazine. He is the co-author, with GoldMoney’s James Turk, of The Money Bubble (DollarCollapse Press, 2014) and The Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profit From It (Doubleday, 2007), and author of Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green-Tech Boom (Wiley, 2008), How to Profit from the Coming Real Estate Bust (Rodale, 2003) and Main Street, Not Wall Street (Morrow, 1998). *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHupmIlYoeY Investigative journalist Rick Sterling analyzes the Trump Administration's recent moves in Syria and Russia and whether they serve to restore relations or sow further discord. Show Notes President Trump Confirms Covert CIA Programme in Syria PBS' Anti-Russia Propaganda Series Websites https://twitter.com/ricksterling99 https://consortiumnews.com About Rick Sterling Rick Sterling is an investigative journalist based in northern California. He can be contacted at rsterling1@gmail.com *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmEOUWQ-MZU International Human Rights Lawyer Dr. Curtis F. J. Doebbler discusses the destruction of the Middle East by outside forces and how international law must be applied to resolve the precarious situation. Show Notes Why the United States’ Use of Force Against Syria Violates International Law American Hypocrisy on International Law Court asked to rule Saddam detention unconstitutional Websites http://doebbler.net https://twitter.com/cdoebbler Books http://cdpublishing.org About Dr. Curtis F. J. Doebbler Curtis F.J. Doebbler is an international human rights lawyer who since 1988 has been representing individuals before international human rights bodies in Africa, Europe, the Americas and before United Nations bodies. He is also an American lawyer authorized to practice before the courts of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC and several federal courts in the United States, including the Supreme Court of the United States. Doebbler was born in 1961 in Buffalo, New York, and has American, Palestinian, and Dutch nationality. He is known for his outspoken opposition to human rights violations by the U.S. government and his support of individuals in countries that have been subject to armed attacks by the United States. He has worked almost two decades in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East teaching international human rights law and representing individuals in human rights cases. In the case of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Doebbler argued before the Iraqi Special Tribunal that the court was illegal and did not respect human rights. He has made representations before the UN Human Rights Council and at numerous side-events of the Council calling for an impartial, fair and equal application of international human rights law and an end the selective punishment of human rights violators, especially by taking steps to end the impunity of powerful countries. He has advised governments, including the Palestinian National Authority and the Hamas government. He is currently Research Professor of Law at the University of Makeni, Department of Law in Sierra Leone and a visiting professor at Webster University in Geneva. Interview Transcript G & E Podcast:   Dr. Curtis Doebbler is an international human rights lawyer who has represented governments, heads of state, and millions of refugees or displaced persons. He is also a professor who researches and teaches at a number of universities. He's constantly traveling between the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. We've currently caught up to him at the UN in New York. It's great to have you on the podcast Dr. Doebbler. Dr. Doebbler:     Nice to speak with you. G & E Podcast:   The Middle East has been in crisis since time and memorial, but there seems to be a renewal of tensions given the Syrian war of intervention, the Israeli/Palestine crisis, and the latest temple mount incident, the Saudi sponsored war in Yemen, and now fallout between GCC countries and Qatar due to what some say is Qatar's pursuit of more independent policies and desire to work with Iran. For the first part of this interview, I wanted you, somebody with great authority on this subject and who has skin in the game so to speak, who's on the ground, to give an overview of what you consider to be the main sources of chaos in the Middle East, who's destroying the Middle East? Is it US/EU intervention, Russian meddling, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the struggle between  Wahhabism Sunni-Islam? What do you consider are the main driving forces behind the chaos and the human rights violations? Dr. Doebbler:     I think it's probably all of those that you've mentioned and maybe a few more. The Middle East, as many parts of the world, but particularly perhaps the Middle East because of it's geopolitical status over the last at least 100 years, perhaps the most complex geopolitical status of anywhere on the globe. It's been subject to a lot of forces and I would say mai...

Geopolitics & Empire · Tom Secker: How the Pentagon Controls Hollywood #053 Writer Tom Secker discusses his latest book "National Security Cinema" and how the Pentagon uses Hollywood as a "gigantic engine of propaganda" and a "weapon of psychological warfare". Show Notes Documents Expose How Hollywood Promotes War on Behalf of the Pentagon, CIA and NSA The Civilianization of Movie Scripts Websites Spy Culture Spy Culture Patreon Books National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in Hollywood About Tom Secker Tom Secker is a private researcher who runs spyculture.com—the world’s premier online archive about government involvement in the entertainment industry. He has used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain unique government documents since 2010, which has been reported on by Russia Today, Salon, Techdirt, The Mirror, The Express and other outlets. He has authored and co-authored articles for Critical Sociology and the American Journal of Economics and Sociology and hosts the popular ClandesTime podcast. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN67XITvut4 Investigative reporter Trevor Aaronson discusses his book "Terror Factory" and how the FBI manufactures terror using 15,000 informants in order to satisfy a $3 billion budget. Show Notes http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2017/07/03/lawyers-seek-release-man-charged-16-months-ago-plotting-foiled-machine-gun-attack-milwaukee/424399001 https://www.rt.com/usa/395923-ohio-plea-terrorism-hitman Websites https://trevoraaronson.com Book "The Terror Factory: How the FBI Manufactures Terrorism" https://www.amazon.com/Trevor-Aaronson/e/B008Y3PQQ8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1499900251&sr=8-1 About Trever Aaronson Trevor Aaronson is the executive director of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and a contributing writer at First Look Media’s The Intercept. He is also author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism. He co-founded the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, which has won national and regional journalism awards under his leadership. Aaronson reported and produced a one-hour documentary for Al Jazeera Media Network, “Informants,” about the FBI’s counterterrorism program. Aaronson was a 2010-11 fellow at the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, Aaronson was an investigative reporter and editor for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, where his stories ranged from local government investigations to reporting in Asia, Africa and South America. He was also formerly a staff writer for Miami New Times and New Times Broward-Palm Beach. A two-time finalist for the Livingston Awards, Aaronson has won more than two dozen national and regional awards, including the Molly National Journalism Prize, the international Data Journalism Award and the John Jay College/Harry Frank Guggenheim Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Award. Aaronson has been featured on CBS This Morning, NPR’s All Things Considered, MSNBC, This American Life, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, WNYC’s On the Media and The Leonard Lopate Show, among others. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Geopolitics & Empire · Stephen Kinzer: The True Flag of American Empire #051 Award-winning journalist, academic and author Stephen Kinzer discusses his latest book The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire. Show Notes https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/05/13/new-allies-for-new-world/xVbB3usL9CPF7vvPDliTNM/story.html https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/06/10/saudi-arabia-destabilizing-world/ivMeb7TWGk1fQaVjZWWKGP/story.html https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2017/05/27/foreign-policy-mixtape/3UEjCooruAmF3uHoJXQb8O/story.html Websites http://stephenkinzer.com https://twitter.com/stephenkinzer Books https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Kinzer/e/B00455F1NC/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 About Stephen Kinzer Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents. His articles and books have led the Washington Post to place him “among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling.” Kinzer’s most recent book is “The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War.” The novelist John le Carré called it “a secret history, enriched and calmly retold; a shocking account of the misuse of American corporate, political and media power; a shaming reflection on the moral manners of post imperial Europe; and an essential allegory for our own times.” Kinzer’s previous book was “Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America’s Future.” “Stephen Kinzer is a journalist of a certain cheeky fearlessness and exquisite timing,” The Huffington Post said in its review. “This book is a bold exercise in reimagining the United States’ big links in the Middle East.” In 2006 Kinzer published “Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq.” It recounts the 14 times the United States has overthrown foreign governments. Kinzer seeks to explain why these interventions were carried out and what their long-term effects have been. He is also the author of “All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror.” It tells how the CIA overthrew Iran’s nationalist government in 1953. Kinzer spent more than 20 years working for the New York Times, most of it as a foreign correspondent. His foreign postings placed him at the center of historic events and, at times, in the line of fire. While covering world events, he has been shot at, jailed, beaten by police, tear-gassed and bombed from the air. From 1983 to 1989, Kinzer was the Times bureau chief in Nicaragua. In that post he covered war and upheaval in Central America. He also wrote two books about the region. One of them, co-authored with Stephen Schlesinger, is “Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala.” The other one, “Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua,” is a social and political portrait that The New Yorker called “impressive for the refinement of its writing and also the breadth of its subject matter.” In 1988 Columbia University awarded Kinzer its Maria Moors Cabot prize for outstanding coverage of Latin America. From 1990 to 1996 Kinzer was posted in Germany. From his post as chief of the New York Times bureau in Berlin, he covered the emergence of post-Communist Europe, including wars in the former Yugoslavia. In 1996 Kinzer was named chief of the newly opened New York Times bureau in Istanbul, Turkey. He spent four years there, traveling widely in Turkey and in the new nations of Central Asia and the Caucasus. After completing this assignment, Kinzer published “Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds.” He has also worked in Africa, and written “A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa called this book “a fascinating account of a near-miracle unfolding before our very eyes.” Before joining the New York Times, Kinzer was Latin America correspondent for the Boston Globe. He is now a visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at B...