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MOSCOW – The 14th Middle East Conference of the Valdai Club in Moscow was hit by a geopolitical bunker buster bomb right in the middle of the proceedings: the announcement, by US President Donald Trump himself, of some sort of future Trump Gaza Riviera Resort and Casino in Palestine.
Even before international outrage started to overspill, from the BRICS front to ASEAN to the Arab world (which sees it as Nakba 2.0), reaching even Trump-friendly Saudi Arabia and major US allies in Europe, perplexity set in at Valdai among most scholars and academics.
Two glaring exceptions were professor at the University of Tehran Mohammad Marandi and former British diplomat Alastair Crooke – always delicately nuanced analysts of West Asia. Both have long argued that as the US empire is being forced to retreat, it will become much more ruthless and take greater risks.
Marandi qualifies Trump as “a gift” to American global decline. Crooke, for his part, wonders whether Israel’s far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really trapped Trump in a quagmire – when it may be the other way around. Trump now seems to have Netanyahu – which he basically despises – exactly where he wants him: owing favors.
Trump made a lot of bombastic promises, which Netanyahu can sell as a major success to the Tel Aviv warmongers who compose his government. So his coalition will hold – for now. Yet, in return, Israel will still have to follow the next steps of the despised ceasefire project. And that would lead, in theory, to the end of the war. Netanyahu wants an Infinite War, with unlimited Eretz Israel expansion and annexation. That is not a done deal – by far.
As it stands, at face value, in one fell swoop, Trump normalized genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the reduction of the Gaza tragedy to a tawdry real estate deal in a “phenomenal location.” The accumulated effect of “the US will take over the Gaza strip,” “we will own it,” and “… level the site” not only opens the US to a shockingly illegal foreign annexation, but it’s the embarrassingly passe “there are no Palestinians” trope on steroids.
But this is far from “sheer lunacy,” as defined by US think tanks everywhere. It’s a natural extension of trying to buy Greenland, trying to annex Canada (in both cases, an increase to the US resource base), grabbing the Panama Canal, and rechristening the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
It’s about changing the subject and the predominant narrative instead of addressing the real threat to the Empire: the Russia–China strategic partnership.
In this case, the new Gaza Riviera built on a pyramid of skulls is not only endorsed but already envisioned by the genocidals in Tel Aviv in tandem with Trump’s billionaire donors, a key part of Israel’s lobby in the US.
Trump’s vision, according to New York insiders, came from his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who less than a year ago was already talking about the real estate gold represented by the Gaza seashore. Kushner is even more dangerous now that he’s acting behind the curtains in Trump’s second term: he’s the main influencer on POTUS when it comes to a possible, future US-sanctioned occupation of Gaza.
For the moment, we have a Deporting-Building-Selling reality show ethos applied to the most insoluble problem in West Asia. Marandi calls it the “US–Israel problem.” Taha Ozhan at the Ankara Institute qualifies it as “the Israeli-centered order” as well as “the American problem.”
Living under a ‘global regime change’
The discussions at Valdai, of course, extrapolated Trump’s Gaza bombshell. Ozhan focused on the “immense stress test” on West Asia – from the genocide in Gaza to “Assad must go” metastasizing into Al-Qaeda in suits ruling Damascus. He warns that the current global chaos may spawn new wars: We are now in a process of “global regime change,” where “sustainable instability is over.”
The Palestinian presence, via PLO Minister of Social Development Ahmad Majdalani, was not exactly heartening. He drummed up the usual talking points, such as the problem of “normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel with the backdrop of annexation of the West Bank,” while “other Muslim nations only watch from the sidelines.”
Majdalani also wondered whether “BRICS will be able to work as an effective counter-balance” to the “American problem,” as defined by Ozhan. But on the tortuous issue of Palestinian unity, he offered nothing new, and went on carping about the impossibility of “the Abraham Accords without the Palestinian people.”
The eminent Vitaly Naumkin, President of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, published an excellent report on Syria, co-authored with Vasily Kuznetsov, also from the Institute of Oriental Studies.
While they stress that the fall of former longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad represents a “window of opportunity” for Israel, Turkiye, and the Gulf monarchies, they qualify the nuances.
What is Israel really up to? “Establishing direct control over certain (which exactly?) territories or creating a wide buffer zone?”
On Turkiye, “Ankara’s interest in inflicting a strategic defeat on the Kurds and possibly creating a buffer zone along the Syrian–Turkish border is understandable.” What is unclear is “the extent of the [American] commitment to investing in the Kurds” under Trump.
On the Gulf monarchies, “they will strengthen their position primarily using economic leverage.” Yet “the interests of various GCC countries vary, and their alignment is not always clear.”
As for Iran, Naumkin and Kuznetsov realistically point out that if the formerly extremist, new Syrian setup “fail[s] to consolidate society” – and that’s a very strong possibility – “Iran may have another shot at restoring its influence.”
For Naumkin, the Russian bases in Syria “should stay” – a topic that is, incidentally, a source of fierce debate in Moscow’s corridors of power. He argues this position mostly because Russia “could balance the expansionist designs of some Turkiye factions in northern Syria.”
Corridor-mania
Even though the recently-signed Russia–Iran strategic partnership was not specifically discussed at Valdai, Marandi noted that “Iran is moving very fast on what needs to be built, because that will draw India much closer economically.”
The heart of the matter of the Russia–Iran deal is not military: it’s geoeconomic, and centered on the International North–South Transportation Corridor (INSTC), a key Eurasia/BRICS integration connectivity project.
The INSTC is a de facto accelerator of trade between top BRICS members Russia, Iran, and India, bound to increase settlements in their own currencies: that’s exactly the kind of mechanism that led Trump – erroneously – to “accuse” BRICS of trying to come up with their own currency. Russia and Iran, both heavily sanctioned, already trade heavily in rubles and rials.
On the wider geoeconomic front, arguably the most stimulating contribution at Valdai was offered by Elchin Aghajanov, the director of the Baku International Policy and Security Network. A breath of fresh air from the South Caucasus stood in sharp contrast with the gloomy geopolitical hurricanes threatening West Asia.
Aghajanov emphasized Azeri sovereignty – against hegemony, all the while acknowledging the “geostrategic aspirations of the west.” He described Azerbaijan as a “crossroads of transportation corridors”; at least 13 corridors, which led him to coin this beauty: Corridor-mania (italics mine). Across history, the South Caucasus has always been a key geoeconomic hub of Eurasia.
Corridor-mania encompasses every project from TRACECA to the Chinese Middle Corridor, the Trans-Caspian, and the INSTC, not to mention the hyper-controversial Zangezur corridor – supported by the west – which should run across 40 km of Armenian territory, on the border of Iran. Zangezur would be linked to branches of the New Silk Roads from Xinjiang and Central Asia to Turkiye and also connected to the Trans-Caspian.
Aghajanov was adamant that with Zangezur, Azerbaijan has no intention whatsoever to annex Armenian lands. Baku also wants its operation to go to Iran via an Iran–Armenia link. Tehran’s position is that as long as there’s no annexation – in this case, the better option would be underground – the corridor should go ahead. Aghajanov did refer to the Azerbaijan–Iran link across the Aras River: “The late [Iranian] president Ebrahim Raisi was a strong supporter.”
Aghajanov also emphasized that as much as Azerbaijan is “a natural ally of Turkiye and Pakistan,” the same should apply to Iran, where at least 13 million ethnic Azeris live.
He defines Russia as a “natural strategic partner.” He also praised a corridor way up north, the Northern Sea Route: “The shortest way from New York to China is via Murmansk. And the shortest way from Brazil to China is via St. Petersburg.”
As the dogs of war keep barking, Corridor-mania keeps on rolling. But first, West Asia really needs to bury the ridiculous Trumpian vision of a Gaza Riviera.
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let’s hope trump’s plans for annexing gaza are just more swamp draining, wall building promises, he never really intends to keep. i think this is really to project a powerful image as they attempt to distract the world from the impending collapse of the ukranazi proxy regime and to slowly turn our attention away from the embarrassing collapse of western supremacy along with it.
he will paint this, as his choice to return to our sphere of influence, when it is really, yet another humiliating defeat for the u.s., as all of their military adventurism of the 21st has ultimately turned out to be. this is why we have all the huffing and puffing and threats of blowing down houses, along with invoking the fossilized monroe doctrine (is there really even a western hemisphere?).
if he really intends to follow through on any of this jabberwocky, it is to ease the butthurt over the russians dictating terms in ukraine and ending up with the lions share of the resources, that zato intended to steal though a 1990’s russia style puppet oligarchy, in ukraine. the brits signing their 100 year defense agreement, shows their desire to protect their “investment” and invokes their glory days in hong kong, as trump demands those same resources of ukraine, to pay for all the ordinance used in destroying their former country. the u.k. signed an agreement with denmark, to supposedly receive the right of first refusal, in any sale of greenland but the yappy poodle would never dare to confront or anger the big bad dog, not that there will be any sale of greenland.
as far as gaza is concerned, i think any expecting trump to be playing bibi, are doomed to be disappointed. that disgusting speech he delivered in a lifeless monotone, was written by jared, who appears to be his handler and who’s criminal father (who was pardoned by trump), is a close and personal friend of netanyahu. perhaps that’s why bibi gave him the golden pager, just to remind him, who’s the boss.
Trump was on to something with the North Korean riviera. Gaza not so much.
I see another danger for the population citizenry in Trump’s clownish foreign policy hallucinations. By setting himself up to play the clown, promise and not deliver, and fix attention to the unlikely, he dilutes his influence and power to affect the LOCAL, intra-national problems we face. Without an economy that is healthy and productive, their is no foreign influence or projecting power abroad.
It’s the same as an engine without fuel. “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxzV5XoLpt
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they plan to solve that problem with their strategic bitcoin reserve. their whole solution to their unpayable 36 trillion dollar debt, is to simply destroy the value of the dollar, through purposeful hyperinflation they will make the dollar worth less and less, until it is completely worthless.
by destroying the dollar, their unimaginably large debt just disappears, along with the value of dollar and all other dollar denominated assets. retirement funds, insurance policies and bank accounts will be vacuumed clean, bankrupting millions, allowing their remaining assets to be scavenged by vulture capitalists, as the whole country is stolen out from under a disbelieving public. larry fink of blackrock is predicting $700,000 bitcoin, as the big boys protect their assets and get ready for the feast.
an economy based entirely on imaginary coins, it would be laughable if it weren’t already in process, since their covid 19 bioweapon attack on the world, 40% of the small businesses in this country, have been shuttered and they will continue to do so until the big boys have stolen everything they can get their hands on. precovid over half the people in this country worked for small businesses, soon everyone will work for them or at least this is the plan.
it’s sad that the criminals that destroyed our country, through their malfeasance, might end up with everything in the end. any thinking trump is their savior, need only to look to elon and bibi to understand whose agenda he really serves.
The French Revolution rides again!..”Remember Those Days Of Yesteryear….” The coiled spring is compressed more and more, and eventually released. The action will collapse the roof.
But by that time, Russia-China will be driving the World Bus, with India as standby and relief for lunch break. The Chews will suffer severe indigestion and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, with Acid Regurgitation Syndrome. With will prove that you can eat it, but you can’t seat it, no matter how you heat it.
All in this Reality is impermanent and always changing, with the “fin de siècle”, the era of degeneracy, decline, and detriment fading and changing to another age; hopefully rebuilt with lessons learned. New communities will be established to reflect the symphony of those with shared values, tastes, mores, etc, etc.
Crashing the dollar would have that effect, but if that is Trump’s goal wouldn’t it be frustrated by the US dollar remaining the world’s – something he has repeatedly stated he strongly supports?
A strong dollar is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it helps makes the financing of annual budget deficits possible. This isn’t necessarily a good thing, but it’s where the US is now (and other countriesas well). Against that, a weaker dollar would make imports dearer and exports cheaper and reduce the balance of trade deficit – something he says he strongly supports.
The dollar is likely to remain the reserve currency for quite a while to come. The economics of the BRICS nations are too diverse for one currency to be to the advantage of all, and, in any case, the dollars that other countries use in their trade already exist, regardless of what the US does.
Regarding Trump’s comments on Gaza, it is hard to understand why he would throw away his political capital on something that isn’t going to happen.
Right now everything he says is newsworthy and the world pays attention. Two years from now, though, he might have a message he desperately wants to get across to people in America or overseas. I can just imagine Putin and Xi (or two blokes in the pub) nudging each other and saying: “Remember what he said about Gaza? Well, that never happened.”
trump’s tariffs will increase inflation in the u.s., as they are a tax on consumers, as it’s we who pay, not the countries exporting to us. now he says he wants a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum, that is guaranteed to raise prices across the board. goods are not worth more, the dollar is worth less and his policies seemed aimed at making it worth less and less, until it is completely worthless.
as the dollar decreases in value bitcoin increases in value, pumping up the value of their phony imaginary “currency” and when then change regulations, the big banks will get into it driving the price up astronomically, larry fink (apptly named) is predicting $700,000 bitcoin. this is how they can dump the dollar and profit on its destruction, while protecting the big boys from the ensuing engineered crash.
everything the man does is misdirection and his loyal trumptards applaud him as he picks their pockets clean. they will also clean out the stock market and this is why it’s so overvalued, their going to jump out at the top and plow it all into bitcoin, then clean up once it hits bottom, wash, rise and repeat.
This is not an area where I have much knowledge. However, a virtual currency, which reflects exchange rates at the instant could, it seems to me, be used as a payment medium, especially with the growth of computing advancement and knowledge. This would NOT be similar to the Euro structure.
I believe that the MOTIVATION and INCENTIVES to move away from all dollar transactions is immense and insatiable, among the Global South and more.
Would you shut up and start telling the truth about zionist Putin and fucking Russia, otherwise you are NOT welcome here. You should know some Persian, listen to the following to find out how gullible you have behaved to SAVE your traitor zionist fucking Putin. Putin and Turkey are in bed with Israel and the west against Iran. Putin SOLD Syria like Libya. Death to Russia and fuck zionist Putin and his gullible supporters. STOP supporting ZIONIST Putin, a servant of the jews. Death to traitors.
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For those of us who don’t understand Persian, can you summarize what evidence is presented in this video? I am particularly interested in what is said about Soleimani and his relationship with Putin.
Personally, I don’t view Putin as a Zionist since if push comes to shove and he is forced to make an existential choice between Iran and Israel, I believe he would side with Iran. There was a time when Putin thought he could steer Israel toward Russia and away from the United States (leveraging influence over the huge Russian population there, which includes many non-Jews) much as Stalin thought he could make Israel into a Soviet satellite, and ultimately weaponize Israel against the Americans, but that was when he also believed Russia had a chance to become a “partner” with the West.
Putin has since admitted that the attempts to join the West in partnership were naive and doomed to fail, since the West only wants countries to be their slaves, not “partners,” and the United States expects even its Western “allies” to be its slaves, as we can see most glaringly in its relations with Germany.
But in those talks, I don’t think he ever discussed “Israel” specifically. But as he is certainly aware that the Zionist entity is not an independent “country” but rather an extension of American hegemony which operates as its “attack dog” and regional enforcer, at this point there is no way he would ever side with the Zionists against Iran. There is a massive Zionist faction within the Russian government, especially in the Foreign Ministry, and of course throughout the media and entertainment establishment there, but Putin has demonstrated that he is personally at odds with these factions many times.
Soleimani was instrumental in getting Putin to help fight ISIS in Syria and protect Damascus. If he was against Iran, why would he listen to Soleimani, let alone grant him access to the inner corridors of the Russian military establishment? To this day Soleimani is very highly respected and admired in Russian military circles.