China expansion, U.S. containment… Continuing the Strategic Demands’ Eurasia series, a few crucial ‘Great Game’ thoughts from Pepe Escobar via Asia Times. Moving pieces on an extremely complex – and dangerous – geopolitical chessboard
Eurasian Great Game; Eurasia Strategy; One Belt, One Road; New Silk Road — call it what you will. The eyes of the West are opening. Alternatives to and for the Eurodollar and Petrodollar are real, markets are shifting with new alliances. Yuan time. Next moves are strategic plays
AFP blip on the news screen today. Take notice. The arrival of a China-Iran container-carrier train is a first, inaugerating cross continental railway trade between China and Europe with Iran at the center of the New (old) Silk Road. Billions in development
“For nearly 30 years, China has bulked up by digesting tons of commodities from the world’s emerging markets and turned them into exports, and in the process has become a key creditor to the world’s largest consumer economy, the United States. All of that is changing now… how will it play out?”
Rising tensions between the US and Russia, and the US and China, are producing a gauntlet of consequences. New nuclear arms escalation, oil/gas and energy agreements, new alliances and old rivalries take on added dimension as a “Grand Strategy” in Eurasia gathers force
As the global community enters 2019, strategic challenges and demands are writ large. Conflicts are immediate, rising existential threats cross borders, rearmament and resurgent nationalism are growing grave. The relations of China, Russia, and the United States border on near crisis, a darkened horizon with glimpses of light
As the U.S. energy policy continues to focus on fossil fuels, we at Strategic Demands take a look at the data and consider crude oil proved reserves. It is an appropriate moment to consider the longer term, e.g., the longevity of the U.S. fracking upsurge… and consequences
It’s on. After back and forth negotiations, a deadline passes and what is being described as a “trade war” commences. What sort of trade war? The market’s collective judgment so far? Day one, the global markets shrug. We consider the negotiating strategies, risks, costs, and ripple effects. Go…
Energy Priorities, Geo-politics & Fracking in the US. As OPEC’s latest meeting concludes, let’s take a snapshot of worldwide oil/gas. The US has gone to the top of the heap and is exerting its muscle as the US president pleads for lower energy prices. Next chess move is from China-Russia with their Eurasia strategy
The historic meet up between North Korea and the US produced a page and a half ‘agreement’. This released result was all the public has been given to date. Behind the scenes, the world is assured, much is in the works. New meetings are planned. In North Korea, a campaign of politics with posters is […]
Will the US Dollar continue to be the world’s Exchange Currency? Let’s look closer at the question of Reserve Currency. Rivals to the U.S. have emerged. U.S. political turmoil promises less safe-haven and ongoing crises, conflict and war, threatened trade, environmental degradation and deeply damaged international relations. How much longer will the Dollar reign?
The Consequences Start Now / June 1 From Strategic Demands’ associate, GreenPolicy360, a scan of international reactions to the U.S. president’s decision to reject the global climate agreement as he speaks of climate change as “a hoax” and moves to cut off pro-active measures to build a global effort confronting global threats
Vice Admiral Joe Rixey, chief of Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency: It is “the largest single arms deal in American history.” House of Saud celebrates: Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman describes the weapons deal as a “turning point”
President Xi Jinping wrapped up an inaugural ‘world trade’ summit dedicated to his cornerstone diplomatic initiative for Chinese-style globalization with an invitation to world leaders to re-convene in 2019. The Eurasia and beyond infrastructure strategy moves forward with international agreements and system-changing investment
A Kennedy perspective — Syria: Another Pipeline War by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — and now a flashpoint in the making. S-300s roll in, the most advanced Russian missile defense system. Ask what could and most likely would happen if a no-fly zone proposal collapses and a US fighter is shot down
At the Brink … US – Russian cooperation breaks down as Russia again charges the US and US allies with supporting Islamic Salafi-Jihadi forces — and ups the ante after the US September 17th Deir Ezzor “accidental air attack” that killed and wounded 200 Syrian government troops
This past week the Democratic Party reeled from the release of an email “dump” from WikiLeaks. The thousands of emails were embarrasing at the minimum and at the maximum may have involved a foreign government ‘intrusion’. This week as the Democratic convention opens, the head of the Hillary Clinton campaign alleges ‘the Russians are involved‘ […]
