Geopolitics Archives

U.S. Allies and China Respond to US Request for Help with the Strait of Hormuz

17Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Geopolitics, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Allies and China Respond to US Request for Help with the Strait of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz. Photo pulled from Vessel Finder March 17, 2026 March 17, 2026—As the US-Israel-Iran war impacted oil markets and a key shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump called on other countries for help. Here's what they had to say. Near Closure The narrow strait, which runs between Iran and the United Arab Emirates and Oman, reflected “a highly constrained operating environment, with vessel movements remaining selective and below average,” Marine Traffic reported on Monday. Geopolitics kept the strait nearly closed on Monday. Many ships remained anchored in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Reports indicated a continued uneven pattern of traffic, with ongoing attacks against some ships, while “sanctioned and shadow-fleet vessels supporting a...

Trump Lifts Certain Russia-Related Oil Sanctions

13Mar

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Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Types of News: Brief

Trump Lifts Certain Russia-Related Oil Sanctions

The License Allows Sales of Russian Oil Without Penalty Through Mid-April March 13, 2026—With oil supplies rocked by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, the Trump administration lifted sanctions this week, allowing Russia to sell oil and petroleum products through April 11, 2026. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the license issued would apply to “oil already in transit” and is intended to lower oil prices. “The temporary increase in oil prices is a short-term and temporary disruption that will result in a massive benefit to our nation and economy in the long-term,” he wrote on X. The General License 134 is available here: https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/935191/download?inline The U.S. government had already given India a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil. That waiver came a...

US, Israel’s Illegal ‘War of Choice’ Against Iran

3Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Geopolitics, Middle East, Types of News: Analysis

US, Israel’s Illegal ‘War of Choice’ Against Iran

March 3, 2026—In violation of international law, the United States and Israel started a war against Iran in the early hours of Saturday, February 28. The strikes targeted the compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killing him and members of his family, air defense capabilities, missile sites, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and an elementary school for girls. The Pentagon calls the attack, “Operation Epic Fury." Iran responded with missiles and drones targeting U.S. bases, Israel, and strategic sites throughout the region. Across the media spectrum, editorial boards, observers and others have called the actions by the United States and Israel as “a war of choice.” Death Toll To date as of March 3, the death toll includes at least 787 people in I...

India Proposes Shared Digital Currency for BRICS

1Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Types of News: Analysis

India Proposes Shared Digital Currency for BRICS

Will BRICS Emerge as a Geopolitical Bigwig in 2026? India is hosting the BRICS bloc this year. February 1, 2026—BRICS, an informal international organization of emerging market nations, lost some clout last year amid internal growing pains, external threats of tariffs from the world’s largest economy, and a dead-end attempt to offer an alternative to the U.S. dollar. Will this year be any different? The bloc includes major political players, such as its founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Last year, its membership grew to ten. The economic and geopolitical bloc now includes: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. If members unify around common objectives, BRICS could reemerge this year as a geopolitical player. How...

Gold Continued to Climb Amid Geopolitical Instability

23Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Global Economics, Types of News: Brief

Gold Continued to Climb Amid Geopolitical Instability

Gold is traditionally an asset of last resort. Photo by Peter Olexa. January 23, 2026—There was one clear winner amid the geopolitical tensions rocked by the U.S. encroachment into allies’ domains: Gold. The price of the precious metal climbed by 8 percent this week, from $4,600 a troy to $5,000. It was its biggest single week since the global financial crisis in 2008. It is notable because it could foreshadow economic instability and inflationary pressures for the average consumer. It could also indicate a weakening position of the United States. Asset of Last Resort Gold is traditionally an asset of last resort. Countries started moving off the gold standard in the 1930s to manage the Great Depression. The United States officially severed the link between the U.S. dollar and ...

Trump Wages a Trade War Against Allies over Greenland

18Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Geopolitics, Global Trade, Types of News: Analysis

Trump Wages a Trade War Against Allies over Greenland

US-EU Tariffs to Impact Transatlantic Relations January, 18, 2026—When U.S. President Donald Trump started talking about taking over Greenland on the 2024 campaign trail, his Republican colleagues and most of America did not take him seriously. Political allies like House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and others dismissed it as campaign rhetoric and declined to answer questions about it even as Trump carried on with the rhetoric from the White House. But Trump was clear as early as December 2024 when he announced his nomination of PayPal funder Ken Howery as ambassador to Denmark “that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” As early as January 2025, he talked about the possibility of using the U.S. military or economic coercion to seize the territory. ...

17Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Geopolitics, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Trump Negotiates US-Saudi Defense Deal

Middle East Moves Closer to Regional Military and Security Integration October 17, 2025—President Donald Trump is in talks with Saudi Arabia over a defense deal involving military and intelligence cooperation, the Financial Times reported today. The newspaper reported that a White House aide suggests the two leaders could sign something when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington next month. Regional Integration The two countries have long discussed security deals, many of which are related to the Abraham Accords. Details of such discussions are often muted and known to even officials serving on the House and Senate Foreign Policy Committees. On September 29, Trump announced via executive order the United States will provide NATO-life security guarantees for ...

Israel Bombs Syrian Capital of Damascus, Amid Sectarian Conflict

16Jul

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Geopolitics, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Israel Bombs Syrian Capital of Damascus, Amid Sectarian Conflict

Military Strikes Weaken Israel-Syrian Rapprochement Since Fall of Assad Image pulled from social media on X July 16, 2025—The Israeli government conducted military strikes against Syria today, hitting sites in the capital of Damascus and in the southern part of the country where sectarian clashes continue. The military strikes killed three people and injured 34 others, according to the Syrian government. The conflict weakens warming relations between Western countries, including the U.S. and European governments, with the new Syrian regime. They also suggest the rapprochement between Israel and Syria in the wake of the fall of the 24-year reign of the Bashar al-Assad regime may only be an illusion. The Assad regime fell to Israel and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels led...

Trump Seeks Payback from U.S. Bombing Campaign, Demanding Free Passage Through Suez Canal

29Apr

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Geopolitics, Global Trade, Middle East, Types of News: Analysis

Trump Seeks Payback from U.S. Bombing Campaign, Demanding Free Passage Through Suez Canal

Trump wants Egypt to give U.S. ships free passage through the Suez Canal April 29, 2025—In just three weeks alone this Spring, the United States spent nearly a billion dollars bombing Yemen. That doesn’t include the cost of the $70 million jet fighter that fell off the USS Harry S. Truman on Monday. Now, President Trump is looking for payback. In the Middle East, he’s demanding free passage for U.S. ships on Egypt’s Suez Canal that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. He wants the same free ride through the Panama Canal in the Americas. "Those Canals would not exist without the United States of America," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, adding that he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make it happen immediately. Typical fees for U.S. ships transporting t...

Trump’s Costly—And Possibly Criminal—Targeting Against Yemen

5Apr

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Geopolitics, Global Trade, Legal Battles, International Law, Justice, Middle East, Types of News: Analysis

Trump’s Costly—And Possibly Criminal—Targeting Against Yemen

Trump May Have Just Committed A War Crime April 5, 2025—Donald Trump, president of the United States, may have just committed a war crime. Late Friday night, he tweeted a video of a drone bomb attack against men gathering in a large circle in a desert. He wrote, “These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!” It’s not clear from the satellite footage what was happening on the ground, but logic suggests that it was more likely a tribal celebration than a war-planning meeting. The Eid Festival Eid al-Fitr is the first of the two main Muslim festivals that takes place in the Spring at the conclusion of Ramadan. Celebrations differ by country. Eid lasts anywhere from two to five days, commencing with the sighting of the new...