Geopolitical Roundup, 7/15/25

We’re living in the aftermath of Trump’s YUGE announcement on Russia yesterday—an announcement that, after the typical Trumpian buildup, Larry Johnson characterized as a “mouse fart.” As we saw, it amounted to scraping together a relative handful of Patriots from vassal states for shipment to Ukraine and threatening sanctions on Russia’s major energy customers—China and India, but only after 50 days. Most observers discount those sanctions ever going into effect because they would have crushing effects on the entire world economy. Predictably, Wall St. responded positively, probably because investors also discounted the likelihood of the sanctions being implemented, rather than kicked down the road a bit once again. Also predictably, the main targets reacted angrily, especially the Chinese. This seems to be SOP for Trump lately—threaten huge tariffs/sanctions and tick off major countries.

The Russians profess themselves to be unimpressed by Trump’s continued vague threats and bluster. Trump, moments ago, once again claimed that his war on Russia is actually still Biden’s war. He also—while doubling down on Biden’s policy, fueling genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, the author of the sneak attack on Iran, the failed war on Yemen, whose regime is threatening war on China—made the wildly improbable claim that he’s only “on the side of humanity.” Meanwhile the FT is claiming that Trump proposed to Zelensky that the US might provide missiles that would allow major attacks on Moscow and and St. Petersburg.

The major problem with all of this and more, is that—as Doug Macgregor just said—is that Trump’s foreign policy is utterly lacking in integrity and honesty. It’s true that Trump has now publicly stated that Ukraine shouldn’t target Moscow.

DD Geopolitics @DD_Geopolitics

Trump: Zelensky Shouldn't Target Moscow

Earlier today, the Financial Times claimed that Trump had encouraged Zelensky to strike inside Russia. However, the White House has denied these allegations.

https://x.com/i/status/1945180156810641507

What you’ll note in that brief video is that Trump doesn’t actually deny the report that the question was quite obviously based upon. He says nothing about the “totally fake media”. He simply blandly states that, no, Ukraine shouldn’t do that.

And that’s a real problem with Trump and America. Who can trust Trump’s word, given that he has repeatedly double crossed other nations and their leaders? Recall that Trump claimed to Putin that he didn’t know about the attack on Russia’s strategic bombers. Really? How probable was that? If Putin believed that line, do you think he may have reconsidered after Trump launched a sneak attack on Iran during negotiations—after assuring Iran that he wouldn’t do that? The Russians, says Mac, have given up on Trump—along with most of the rest of the world. And that’s the mild part of Mac’s remarks. Lavrov, as we noted above, more or less shrugged this all off:

DD Geopolitics @DD_Geopolitics

'It's not our profession to be worried, so we're not worried about anything' — Lavrov on Trump's threats against BRICS

Everyone — including Trump — understands that the process of de-dollarization 'cannot be stopped'

https://x.com/i/status/1945110363524972832

8:17 AM · Jul 15, 2025

Lavrov, of course, is hitting on what this is ultimately all about—what the war on Russia has devolved into. It’s about de-dollarization, which would mean the end of the Anglo-Zionist Empire as we have known it from the end of the Cold War to the beginning of the disastrous war on Russia. The tariff threats are ultimately intended to force the rest of the world to remain in the dollar strait jacket, but it’s not working. The prospect of de-dollarization appeared remote only a few years ago, now it’s a real threat.

Yesterday I quoted some remarks that Alastair Crooke made regarding the way that “Trump’s hubris” is heating up multiple hot spots around the world. Today Crooke followed up on those remarks in an article:

U.S. hubris-driven blunders transform the entire complexion of the wider war

Trump continues to be seized by the delusional view that his Israeli-centred vision could all be accomplished merely by ending the genocide in Gaza.

What Crooke focuses on is Trump’s Big Picture Plan to restore the fortunes of the American Empire (think, MAGA), while simultaneously breaking BRICS. This is the grand vision of the Abraham Accords. Crooke argues that Trump allowed himself to be talked into the Jewish Nationalist fantasy of “decapitating” Iran because he thought it would clear the deck for that grand vision. That foolish decision was one in a string of Trump blunders that threaten his ambitions. The reality is that Jewish Nationalist obsessions and fantasies of regional supremacy based on military power are at odds with Trump’s own fantasy of regional deal making. Instead, Netanyahu is leading Trump down the path to more war in the Middle East, which will put paid to any deals:

Implicit in his ‘In-Boom-Out & Ceasefire’ Iran approach is that Trump may imagine he has created the space to resume his primary objective – that of instituting a broader Israeli-centric order across the Middle East, devolving upon trade deals, economic ties, investment and connectivity, to create a business-led West Asia, centred on Tel Aviv (with Trump as its de facto ‘President’).

And, via this ‘Business Super Highway’, to strike further beyond – with the Gulf States penetrating into BRICS’ south Asian heartland to disrupt BRICS connectivity and corridors.

The sine qua non for any jump start to a putative ‘Abraham Accords 2.0 of course – as Trump clearly understands – is an end to the Gaza War; the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza; and the Strip’s re-construction (none of which seems to be in realistic reach).

The truth is that Trump’s grand vision was probably never realistic, due to the obsessive Jewish Nationalist drive for regional hegemony. Trump foolishly thought he could accommodate that drive with the rest of the region:

… Israel chose to bet all on a surprise ‘shock and awe’ strike. One that would overturn the Islamic Republic at a stroke. It didn’t work: the strategic objective failed, and it produced the opposite outcome. ...

This White House misreading of the Iran reality signals that the Trump Team allowed themselves to be deceived by Israeli hubris ...

This was a fundamental error – in a pattern of similar errors: ...

What these U.S. blunders speak to – apart from a consistent divorce from geo-political realities – is western weakness masked behind hubris and bluster. The U.S. Establishment clings to its fading primacy; but in doing it so ineffectually, it has instead accelerated the formation of a potent geo-strategic alliance intent on defying the U.S.

The consequence has been the wake up call to other States occasioned by the western slide towards stratagems of outright lies and deceit: [Trump’s multiple blunders and reliance on threats and deception] have increased the will-to-resist by China, Russian and Iran particularly, but more generally it is felt across the Global South.

The entire complexion of this war to retain America’s dollar primacy has been irreversibly altered.

That reckless gamble on war with Iran was years in the making—what was lacking to pull it off was a president and an administration that was foolish enough to throw the dice. The lost gamble exposed Anglo-Zionist vulnerabilities and put Russia, China, and Iran on notice both of Trump’s intentions as well as reinforcing the impossibility of trusting Trump. The Eurasian powers and their partners are accordingly preparing for any renewal of Trump’s wars—very bad news for the Anglo-Zionists. Perhaps as a result of these blunders, Trump has fallen back on financial threats, but those threats aren’t getting results. Trump’s famous deadlines keep getting pushed back, as the rest of the world refuses to line up to kiss Trump’s ass.

The ability to financially punish people for not doing what the U.S. says is drawing to a close. The alternative to the dollar network exists. And it is not a ‘new reserve currency’.

The alternative is the solution envisaged by China: a fusion of Fintech retail payment platforms with banking and Central Banking digital frameworks, based on block-chain and other digital technologies. (The U.S. cannot replicate this approach – as Silicon Valley and Wall Street are at war with each other, and won’t co-operate).

And there’s lots more at the link.

Also yesterday, we followed up on the Trump regime’s efforts to arm twist Australia and Japan into committing to a US war on China. As we noted, Australia—clearly alarmed by that prospect—decisively pushed back, refusing to commit to something that they would have no control over. Today we read about Aussie PM Anthony Albanese’s visit to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. It was a cautious love fest, illustrating the increasing difficulty the Anglo-Zionists are experiencing in holding a global coalition together:

China’s Xi says Australia ties have ‘turned around’ as he hosts Albanese
Al Jazeera ^ | July 15, 2025

Chinese President Xi Jinping says relations with Australia have “turned around” as the two countries stress dialogue and seek to stabilise trade in the face of global tensions.

Xi made the remarks as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.

The six-day visit by Albanese – his second as prime minister – aims to boost economic cooperation with Beijing, Australia’s top trading partner.

Six day visit? That’s serious!

“No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,” Xi said, acknowledging that China-Australia ties had “risen from the setbacks”.

Relations between Beijing and Canberra have charted a bumpy course over the past decade, a period marked by repeated disagreements over national security and competing interests across the vast Pacific region.

...

Albanese said he welcomed “the opportunity to set out Australia’s views and interests” and stressed that “dialogue” must be at the heart of the ties between the two countries.

“Australia values our relationship with China and will continue to approach it in a calm and consistent manner, guided by our national interest,” Albanese, the leader of Australia’s centre-left Labor government, said.

“It’s important we have these direct discussions on issues that matter to us and to the stability and prosperity of our region. As you and I have agreed previously, dialogue needs to be at the centre of our relationship,” he said.

Dialogue has not been at the center of US - China relations, and I very much doubt that Trump or his minions welcome Australian - China dialogue. Both Australia and Japan are coming to the realization that US interests do not necessarily coincide with their own. The world order is changing, and wariness of American hegemony is growing.

Here are links to two videos I listened to today. Both of the featured guests—John Mearsheimer and Doug Macgregor—were absolutely scathing in their critique of Trump’s flailing, seat of the pants, winging it, approach to foreign policy:

Prof. John Mearsheimer: US Escalates the Ukraine War

Col Doug Macgregor: Trump's Threats Aren't Stopping Russia's Bombs