The West has tried to outshine Beijing’s grand trade route multiple times, but can’t muster the will to do it
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit at the weekend, the United States and India unveiled proposals for what has been termed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) with the backing of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Jordan, as well as officials from the EU.
The project, billed as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), seeks to build a commercial route from India through to Europe via the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, and then the Mediterranean Sea. Unsurprisingly, the project’s significance was inflated by the press as “historic” and a “blindside” challenge to Beijing that would doom China’s own mega-infrastructure project.
But such conclusions are misleading, for many reasons. First, not every participant in this new initiative is squarely opposed to China and sees it, as the US does, as a zero-sum game. The Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan, are not anti-Beijing at all and are part of the BRI themselves. These countries, seeking to diversify their economies from dependency on oil revenue, are seeking new options to consolidate their wealth and thus courting large-scale foreign investments, including from China itself. They want to make themselves the “crossroads” of the world, they do not see such a project through the lens of containment or even geopolitical rivalry, but as creating more benefits for themselves. If Saudi Arabia can get Chinese and Indian cargo going through their country, that’s a double win – it never had to be an “either-or” arrangement for Riyadh......more below
https://www.rt.com/news/582912-us-alternative-china-belt-and-road/
eurofascism
The European Union is out of control and out of touch with reality. They announced a new round of sanctions on individuals and groups who refuse to drink the EU kool-aid on Ukriane. I was particularly shocked and angered by their decision to punish Colonel Jacques Baud:
Jacques Baud, a former Swiss army colonel and strategic analyst, is a regular guest on pro-Russian television and radio programmes. He acts as a mouthpiece for pro-Russian propaganda and makes conspiracy theories, for example accusing Ukraine of orchestrating its own invasion in order to join NATO.
Therefore, Jacques Baud is responsible for, implementing or supporting actions or policies attributable to the Government of the Russian Federation which undermine or threaten stability or security in a third country (Ukraine) by engaging in the use of information manipulation and interference.”
You know it is a serious matter of egregious abuse of power when Dr. Gilbert Doctorow and I are in firm agreement… Here ...
Volkswagen is shutting down its Dresden plant—the first closure in its 88-year history—due to skyrocketing energy costs, plummeting sales and geopolitical pressures. The "Transparent Factory" was once a symbol of VW's EV ambitions but failed commercially, producing fewer than 200,000 vehicles since 2001.
Up to 35,000 German jobs could be slashed by 2030, including thousands in R&D, as part of a brutal restructuring. Germany's economy is in a "structural crisis" due to disastrous energy policies (anti-Russia sanctions), rising production costs and collapsing competitiveness.
The European Union's rejection of Russian oil/gas crippled German industry, while China dominates EV sales and U.S. tariffs hurt exports. Analysts warn Volkswagen faces severe cash flow pressures by 2026, forcing cuts to gasoline R&D despite weak EV demand.
The Dresden plant will be repurposed into an AI, robotics and microchip research hub, aligning with the globalist agenda: Centralized control by elites, ...
Sanctions aimed at weakening Russia have backfired spectacularly, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told Corriere della Sera.
19 rounds of sanctions cobbled together in nearly four years have boomeranged, bringing the West’s economies “to their knees,” Matteo Salvini emphasized, adding that they sent Italian household energy bills “soaring.”
Salvini also urged caution amid Europe’s growing militarization, fueled by what he described as an alleged “phantom threat” from Russia.
After all, “if Hitler and Napoleon couldn’t conquer Moscow through military campaigns,” he noted, it’s "hardly likely" that people like European Commission Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, French President Macron, UK Prime Minister Starmer, or German Chancellor Merz would succeed either, Salvini added.....more below
