Geopolitics Archives

6Sep

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Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance

2023 Hottest Summer On Record

September 6, 2023—If you've been feeling especially warm this Summer and not quite able to cool down, there's a reason: It's been a hot one. In fact, the June through August Summer season, otherwise known as the "boreal summer," was the warmest on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union. Copernicus found that the average global temperature in June-July-August was 16.77°C, or 62.18°Fahrenheit. That's 0.66°C above average, the center says. (Note, that is a global average including the Southern Hemisphere, which is in the Winter season.) From January through August 2023 ranks the second warmest year on record, just shy of the hottest first eight-month average that happened in 2016. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reports th...

U.S. Stock Ownership Rises to 61 Percent

24Jul

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Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals

U.S. Stock Ownership Rises to 61 Percent

July 24, 2023—Individual stock ownership in the United States fell after the 2008 financial collapse from 62 percent in 2007 to a low of 52 percent in 2013 and 2016. But now Americans' ownership stake in capital markets is rising. According to a Gallup poll taken in April, 61 percent of respondents said they own individual stock, a mutual fund, or a self-directed 401(k) stock fund. Stock ownership is significant not only as an indication of personal savings but also in regard to empowering individuals. For example, proxy votes, like the one that Disney faced in April, give shareholders to have a say in company decisions. It is a key benefit of capitalism that supports sustainable finance.

Currency Wars: Dollar Dominance Here To Stay? Maybe. Maybe Not.

16May

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Globalization, Disintegration, Nationalism, Populism, Types of News: Brief

Currency Wars: Dollar Dominance Here To Stay? Maybe. Maybe Not.

China, India, and Others Vie For Status The United States has a significant economic advantage in having the U.S. dollar serve as the dominant form of global exchange. But several global leaders want to change that. China and Russia have long plotted to bring the dollar down. China wants its yuan to take over as the global currency leader. It's convincing trading partners like Argentina and Brazil to dump the dollar as a means for making trade and instead use the yuan. As Washington Post reporters Meaghan Tobin, Lyric Li, and David Feliba explained in an article today, Argentina's economy is in crisis, and its holdings of U.S. dollars are running thin. As a result, the government agreed last month to pay for $1 billion worth of Chinese imports with yuan. A New BRICS Currency ...

20 Years After The Iraq War, The Truth Still Suffers

29Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Geopolitics, Legal Battles, International Law, Justice, Types of News: Analysis, WAR: Dispatches & Dialogue

20 Years After The Iraq War, The Truth Still Suffers

Iraq today has competitive elections, but it is not "free." Its democratic governance is impeded by corruption, weak institutions, and militias. Iraq Lacks Key Freedoms, and No Redemption For U.S. War Hawks March 29, 2023—In the run-up to the 2003 Iraq war, the atmosphere in Washington, D.C. was like a giant groupthink exercise. Most people knew it was an illegal war and the Bush administration's claims about chemical weapons were shaky at best. But they dared not counter the president's position. President George W. Bush had a "freedom agenda," and that agenda made him susceptible to treachery and manipulation. His administration became convinced that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction, and they became determined to make that belief become a truth that needed to be corrected....

Tesla’s Interesting Timing On A New Factory In Mexico

28Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Communism, Dictatorship, authoritarian, Democracy, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

Tesla’s Interesting Timing On A New Factory In Mexico

AMLO Welcomes The Deal, Rails Against U.S. Government And Critics Of Electoral Law Feb. 28, 2023—Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced today that Tesla plans to build a new electric vehicle plant in Monterrey, Mexico, the second largest city in the country. He hailed the investment as something that would bring well-paid jobs to the region. The new Mexico-based factory will join a Tesla fleet of factories: four in the United States, one in China, and one in Germany. Furthermore, it will benefit from $369 billion worth of U.S. subsidies for clean energy that Congress included as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The company is likely to announce more details Wednesday during its planned "Investors Day." The news comes as countries and companies recalibrate...

NATO Steps Up Support For Ukraine Sovereignty

14Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Geopolitics, Types of News: Brief

NATO Steps Up Support For Ukraine Sovereignty

NATO defense ministers met Feb. 14, 2023 in Brussels. February 14, 2023—As the war in Ukraine intensifies even beyond the intense fighting that has taken place to do, the NATO alliance and its members are amping up their support for Ukraine. NATO defense ministers and staff met in Brussels today to plan to provide more military support for Ukraine, increase the production of defense equipment, and strengthen and replenish members' own stocks of goods. Support for Ukraine includes training pilots, heavy weaponry, the modern air defence systems, the ammunition, and tanks. Asked by a reporter ahead of the meeting about the NATO's involvement in supplying equipment to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it is right to support Ukraine's fight to maintain its sover...

What Happens When China Buys Up Europe’s Ports?

2Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Europe, EU, Eurozone, and United Kingdom, Geopolitics, Global Trade, Globalization, Disintegration, Nationalism, Populism, Types of News: Analysis

What Happens When China Buys Up Europe’s Ports?

China's Xi Jinping has a stake in developing relations with Greece and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Photo: Li Xueren/Xinhua China's State-Owned Cosco To Buy Stake In Another European Port November 2, 2022—Greece may be a pioneer and champion of democracy, but in the business of trade it owes a great deal to communist China. In fact, its largest port, Piraeus, is owned by a Chinese state-owned shipping company called Cosco Shipping. That's the subject of a fine piece of reporting by Kaki Bali for Germany's DW, called "In Greece's Largest Port of Piraeus, China Is The Boss." Bali looks at the implications on trade and geopolitics as China's Cosco buys up ports in Greece, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and Brussels. Noting the modernization of the port and jobs, ...

A Week Before The Election, Biden Asks Big Oil To ‘Share The Wealth’

2Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

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

A Week Before The Election, Biden Asks Big Oil To ‘Share The Wealth’

November 1, 2022—A week away from the U.S. Midterm elections, inflation is grabbing the attention of voters and politicians alike. As Republicans play up the impact of rising prices and pin the blame on their opponents, Democrats point the finger at companies benefiting from higher prices. It doesn't take long for the focus to fall on energy companies, specifically those earning profit from the high price of oil on global markets. That's precisely the play President Joe Biden pulled from his playbook on Monday. "In a difficult time, Americans across the country have stepped up, and they — to do the right thing. But not everyone has stepped up," Biden said. "The oil industry has not — has not met its commitment to invest in America and support the American people. One by one, major o...

EU Advances Bosnia And Herzegovina Membership Request

14Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Europe, EU, Eurozone, and United Kingdom, Geopolitics, Human rights, Types of News: Brief

EU Advances Bosnia And Herzegovina Membership Request

European Commission Demands Candidate Countries Provide Stronger Human Rights Protections October 14, 2022—The European Commission gave the green light to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its candidacy to join the 27-member European Union. The decision, which comes with stipulations, moves to the European Council. EU leaders are aspiring to expand their bloc as a way to spread their perspective on the world stage. Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi called the enlargement policy a "geostrategic investment" in the continent's peace and stability. Candidates for the EU Line Up Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia are the latest countries to request membership. The bloc already has many countries waiting to get in, including Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo. "The Western Balkans are ...

Turkey And Russia Discuss Energy Deals, Trade in Food

13Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

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

Turkey And Russia Discuss Energy Deals, Trade in Food

October 13, 2022—On the sidelines of a conference in Kazakhstan, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders discussed trade of Russian grain and fertilizer and plans for Russia to run nuclear plans in Turkey. Energy Deals In addition to the nuclear deals in Turkey, they also discussed transporting Russian gas through Turkey via its ferry system. Putin said Turkey is "the most reliable route to deliver gas to the European Union," according to various news sources that quoted the Kremlin. He added that the hub in Turkey would be a "platform not only for supplies, but also for determining the price." Turkey To Transport Grain And Fertilizer Erdogan said facilitating trade of grain and fertilizer from Russia to other countries is of...