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Read the transcript of The Emerging Multipolar World – Silk Road Tug of War with the Saker 
“The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates a record 18.5 million barrels per day of sea-borne oil that passed through the Strait in 2016, a 9 percent increase on flows in 2015, which accounted for 30p percent of all sea-borne traded crude oil and other liquids during the year. Sea-borne crude and condensate flows transiting the Strait are estimated at around 17.2 million bpd in 2017 and around 17.4 million bpd in the first half of 2018, according to the oil analytics firm Vortexa. Most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq passes through it. It is also the route for nearly all the liquefied natural gas (LNG) from lead exporter Qatar. Japan, China, India and South Korea are the biggest buyers of
the energy trade passing through this chokepoint.”
~ Jawad Falak
By Catherine Austin Fitts
I am enjoying the European heat wave here in Italy as the power struggles along the Silk Road grow ever more fascinating.
The Silk Road connects a rising Asia with the European Union—the largest, wealthiest consumer market in the world. As China builds roads and railroad connections that dramatically shorten the distance between East and West, a rising land empire and Chinese naval investment in the South China Sea are supplanting the naval power that the Anglo-American Alliance has used to lead and dominate global trade for centuries.
These changes have challenged the future of Europe—and its relationship to the United States and United Kingdom. The shock of the Brexit vote in 2016 was followed by the Trump election and the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Agreement, the Iran agreement, and efforts to renegotiate NATO.
Now, new EU leadership has emerged. This includes Ursula von der Leyen (former German Defense Minister) as the new EU President and Christine Lagarde (former head of the IMF and former French Minister of three ministries—Economy, Finance and Industry; Agriculture and Fishing; and Commerce) as the new President of the European Central Bank.
Can European leadership play an important role in reasserting a rules-based system to support open markets and trade globally? Clearly von der Leyen and Lagarde have the experience and reputation as “adults in the room” to make a contribution going forward. You can watch von der Leyen’s acceptance speech here.
Further south, the rules-based system has flown out the window as Israel pushes aggressively for war (and, with its allies, control of the U.S. Congress and U.S. elections) and the U.S. and British navies play a dangerous game of drone and oil tanker chicken in the Straits of Hormuz.
Take a look at a map of Eurasia—Iran is smack in the middle of the rising land empire. It is not surprising that it is important to the flow of oil and resources, not to mention the equity positions along the Silk Road. This is why all eyes are on the shipping lanes through the Straits of Hormuz.
This coming week, the Saker returns for our quarterly report on the emerging multipolar world. We continue our discussion of whether or not the neocons can engineer a war with Iran. How do we get rid of the psychopathic elements in U.S. and global governance? We will touch on the hot spots that Saker and his community at the Vineyard of the Saker have been tracking around the world. We will also talk about his new book—The Essential Saker III—don’t miss it here.
In Let’s Go to the Movies, I will comment on the Netflix series Pine Gap, a fictional show about the “Five Eyes” earth station Pine Gap in the Australian Outback run jointly by the U.S. (CIA, NSA, NRO) and Australia. It is a window into the world of satellite technology and intelligence as well as the balance that Australia manages between the Anglo-American alliance and the growth of its trade relations with China.
After two marvelous weeks in Umbria, Italy, I will head to Zurich on Tuesday and will speak with you in Money & Markets on Thursday from there. Please e-mail your questions for Ask Catherine or post them at the Money & Markets commentary here.
Talk to you Thursday!
I always appreciate the guests you have on Solari. The exposure to their views is expansive and I usually learn something very valuable. The Sakers views on Trump seem to be extremely narrow and don’t take into account Trumps massive wins. Rather he takes the main stream’s view that he is an out of control moron who barely has a grasp on world geo-politics.
IF we accept that Mr Global is all powerful, can kill with impunity & immunity and they have effective control over banking, money, medicine, education and the media (as pointed out bu the phenomenal Jon Rappoport) then Trump has faced the STRONGEST headwinds of any President since (what?) Kennedy? And yet he’s pulled us out of TPP, passed massive tax cuts, is keeping China at bay,, calls global warming a hoax, controls the Federal Reserve, etc, etc, etc AND has stayed alive. Our world would be SO much different with ANY other candidate in the Oval Office.
Yet the Saker relegates Trump’s rants as the sum total of the man, Trumps results are unparalleled in modern times (going back 100 years!). Then he says that maybe Obama started out being a good guy who was turned to the Dark Side. Mmmmm ….Makes me question his other observation regarding our military abilities. I don’t think he sees the same world as I do.
While Trump may not be an Angel, he certainly is NOT an out of control moron. Saker seems to miss Trumps high points and massive forward movements while focusing on his well planned Tweets & tantrums. Trump IS the perfect disrupter for our times and is far more savvy than Saker recognizes.
My view anyway …. love Solari and the work you do!
Thanks for your perspective, David; I couldn’t have put it more eloquently myself. I have many liberal friends, and I am continually broad-sided by this standard irrational view that Trump is somehow worse than the anti-Christ. Bush 43 committed far more heinous acts, as I keep trying to argue, but of course, they don’t want to hear it; all they care about is Trump’s surface “non-presidential” qualities (Twitter rants, his narcissism, etc.). When I try to get them to understand that they are likely being influenced by the Deep State run media which is pummeling Trump 24/7, then they REALLY blow their stack. I am automatically dumped in with the Q Anon crazies. You can’t win, so I give up.
Yes. I also see the world differently than Saker. He is looking at the world as a Closed Economy. I think it may be open. I also think that the high tech weaponry happening around this planet is far more “out there.” To judge Trump, we need to know his map. We don’t. I also believe that the only people with the power to decentralize control is us. The notion that anyone in the Oval Office can decentralize is illogical – especially after all the assassinations and assassination attempts we have seen on the President. The Secret Service guns turn both out and IN.
Thank you Catherine for your views here. Very much appreciated and well received. I DO believe the real issues and people are never publicly seen nor discussed – the Disney World analogy applies where The Show (the evil players, the heroes and kings)are what we see and the real players are stay hidden back stage.
I listened to your interview with the Saker. I have heard one other interview you had with him. He has some interesting insights such as what happens to societies when they collapse. I disagree with much he says also. Then he dropped a bombshell in my opinion. He did not believe that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Now there is a lot of disagreement about Iran in Washington but one thing all sides seem to agree on is that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Isn’t that what Obama spent so much energy on in his 2nd term to prevent Iran from making nuclear weapons?
If what Saker says about Iran and nukes is true then much of what he says makes more sense. I really have no way of gauging his statement though. I would have simply dismissed his ideas a few years ago. Now though I realize that we only “know” Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons because the CIA says so. So I end up completely confused and really do not know what to think about this.
Phillip:
I am with you – totally confused. I think there is a LOT more going on in the Middle East beyond conventional weapons, the oil market and the silk road. Question is what. I don’t know how to address without “high octane speculation.” I am going to dive into this with Joseph in news Quarterly Wrap Up.
I think there is weather warfare afoot, along with other high-tech weaponry and advanced dirty tricks, all keeping the US advantage up, in spite of Saker’s reasonable assessment of the conventional capabilities of our military. Not incidentally, here is some responsible testimony that the Russian climate change model is the only accurately predictive one among the 31 official methods. https://youtu.be/fA5sGtj7QKQ
I grant that the Cato institute, where the witness is employed, is conservative.
That’s a find. Thanks. I can not come up with an explanation for the financial patterns and the dollar as the reserve currency without weather warfare. Only logical explanation for about 20 major moments/events.
…Especially if humans are deliberately affecting the weather for war-making purposes, a passive-based model wouldn’t work, while a savvy military-intelligence-based model would be uncannily accurate!
I listened to your interview with the Saker. I have heard one other interview you had with him. He has some interesting insights such as what happens to societies when they collapse. I disagree with much he says also. Then he dropped a bombshell in my opinion. He did not believe that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Now there is a lot of disagreement about Iran in Washington but one thing all sides seem to agree on is that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Isn’t that what Obama spent so much energy on in his 2nd term to prevent Iran from making nuclear weapons?
If what Saker says about Iran and nukes is true then much of what he says makes more sense. I really have no way of gauging his statement though. I would have simply dismissed his ideas a few years ago. Now though I realize that we only “know” Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons because the CIA says so. So I end up completely confused and really do not know what to think about this.
Phillip:
I am with you – totally confused. I think there is a LOT more going on in the Middle East beyond conventional weapons, the oil market and the silk road. Question is what. I don’t know how to address without “high octane speculation.” I am going to dive into this with Joseph in news Quarterly Wrap Up.
I think there is weather warfare afoot, along with other high-tech weaponry and advanced dirty tricks, all keeping the US advantage up, in spite of Saker’s reasonable assessment of the conventional capabilities of our military. Not incidentally, here is some responsible testimony that the Russian climate change model is the only accurately predictive one among the 31 official methods. https://youtu.be/fA5sGtj7QKQ
I grant that the Cato institute, where the witness is employed, is conservative.
That’s a find. Thanks. I can not come up with an explanation for the financial patterns and the dollar as the reserve currency without weather warfare. Only logical explanation for about 20 major moments/events.
…Especially if humans are deliberately affecting the weather for war-making purposes, a passive-based model wouldn’t work, while a savvy military-intelligence-based model would be uncannily accurate!
I guess we could think of the annual Bohemian Grove thing as ‘Midianites at the Oasis.’
Indeed.
I couldn’t resist :-b
I guess we could think of the annual Bohemian Grove thing as ‘Midianites at the Oasis.’
Indeed.
I couldn’t resist :-b
Great interview: the first volume of the Essential Saker is extremely helpful for novice geopolitical analysts.
Yes, indeed!
Great interview: the first volume of the Essential Saker is extremely helpful for novice geopolitical analysts.
Yes, indeed!