BRICS expands to majority of world population: Vietnam joins, USA fails to divide China & Vietnam

BRICS has expanded to 20 countries - 10 members and 10 partners - after adding Vietnam. BRICS+ now makes up 43.93% of world GDP (PPP) and 55.61% of the global population. Ben Norton explains how the US failed to divide China and Vietnam in the Second Cold War. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZUeShGMarI Sources, links, and downloadable charts here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/04/brics-expansion-population-gdp-vietnam Asia is uniting, creating a new post-West global order: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGkCw-Sqk0 Topics 0:00 Vietnam joins BRICS 0:42 History of BRICS expansion 1:01 BRICS membership 1:21 Map of BRICS+ 1:30 BRICS: 44% of global GDP (PPP) 1:50 BRICS: 56% of world population 2:26 Cold War and Non-Aligned Movement 3:33 USA tries to divide Vietnam & China 5:07 Vietnam's foreign policy is non-aligned 5:53 Timing of Vietnam's decision 6:47 Trump's tariffs 7:39 China improves relations with Vietnam 8:32 Complex history of China-Vietnam relations 10:47 Vietnam's "Four Nos" 11:48 China's non-alignment 12:17 Similarities of Chinese & Vietnamese socialist system 13:36 Vietnam's economic development 15:32 Incomes in Vietnam & China 16:40 Socialist market economy 17:22 Life expectancy in Vietnam & China 18:38 Popularity of Vietnamese & Chinese governments 19:34 Western capitalist oligarchy 21:11 Global South alternatives 21:57 The ASEAN Way 22:37 ASEAN-GCC-China Summit 23:16 Outro

Iran has used its status as a leading oil and gas producer to promote dedollarization, rejecting the US dollar and trading with China, Russia, India, and other BRICS members in their national currencies. Ben Norton explains the Western economic war on Iran, and Tehran's response. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ziGNmvOh6k US pressures Saudi Arabia to sell oil in dollars, not Chinese yuan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmYybJZo3fo The real reasons for the US-Israeli war on Iran, explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ Topics 0:00 US dollar's "exorbitant privilege" 0:50 Sanctions: weaponization of US dollar 1:33 De-dollarization 3:54 Economic warfare 5:15 History of US meddling in Iran 6:41 Geopolitics of oil 7:22 Iranian leaders promote de-dollarization 8:42 BRICS trade in national currencies 10:33 Iran's oil and gas production 10:51 Gulf flirts with petroyuan 11:34 History of petrodollar system 12:31 OPEC oil embargo 13:55 Saudi King Faisal 14:30 OPEC oil embargo 14:55 Nixon-Kissinger deal with Saudis 16:50 Super Imperialism 17:39 Oil backs US seigniorage 19:31 Saudi Arabia and petrodollar 20:20 US pressure on Saudi Arabia 21:44 War on Iran 22:27 Why USA wants regime change 23:47 Outro

War on Iran is part of the US empire's larger attempt to re-impose its unipolar dominance on the global political and financial system, argues economist Michael Hudson. Washington wants to preserve dollar hegemony and the petrodollar, while disrupting BRICS and Eurasian integration with China and Russia. He is interviewed by host Ben Norton. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DEXReFGb24 Transcript here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/06/27/war-iran-us-unipolarity-michael-hudson/ Michael Hudson's article - War on Iran is fight for US unipolar control of world: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/06/22/michael-hudson-war-iran-us-unipolar-control Michael Hudson's website: https://michael-hudson.com Topics 0:00 Intro: US war on Iran 3:45 Summary of US imperial strategy 8:15 Interview starts 9:00 History of US meddling in Iran 11:06 US divide-and-conquer plan 14:02 Israel: US empire's aircraft carrier 17:07 Geopolitics of Iran 18:56 China's Belt and Road Initiative 21:02 Attempt to encircle Russia & China 23:34 US aggression backfires on dollar 27:29 Oil and petrodollar 36:43 Super Imperialism 40:06 Sanctions & economic warfare 44:35 Military-Industrial Complex 51:33 Outro || Geopolitical Economy Report || Please consider supporting us at https://GeopoliticalEconomy.com/Support Subscribe to our newsletter: https://GeopoliticalEconomy.Report Join us at Patreon: https://Patreon.com/GeopoliticalEconomy

The US military will "very likely" fight a three-way war with Iran, Russia, and China, predicted Palantir CEO Alex Karp in 2024. American imperial strategist Zbigniew Brzezinski warned back in the 1990s of this Eurasian "anti-hegemonic coalition" that could challenge US global dominance. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZJ0eKfWFM Topics 0:00 Trump bombs Iran 0:26 Iran hits US base in retaliation 1:21 A ceasefire? 1:53 US "peace talks" were a trap 2:07 Israel's fake Gaza "ceasefire" 2:53 Iran nuclear deal 3:40 Trump called for regime change 4:30 History of US coup, shah, & revolution 5:23 Geopolitical strategy 6:01 Palantir CEO predicted three-way war 6:41 Palantir's mass surveillance 7:05 CIA helped create Palantir 7:17 JD Vance and Peter Thiel 7:52 US calls for war on Iran 8:21 (CLIP) George Bush's "Axis of Evil" 8:44 John McCain wanted to bomb Iran 9:04 (CLIP) Senator McCain sings "bomb Iran" 9:11 John Bolton called to bomb Iran 9:45 Mike Pompeo wanted war on Iran 10:20 Trump backed war on Iran 10:49 Targets: Iran, Russia, and China 11:02 CRINK: new "Axis of Evil" rhetoric 11:42 Multipolarity challenges unipolar US empire 12:17 Rise of China 12:51 Brzezinski feared "anti-hegemonic coalition" 14:16 Palantir and US war plans 14:48 US-Israeli war on Iran 15:55 Iran fights back 16:50 Outro

To justify war on Iran, the Donald Trump administration is repeating the same disinformation used by George W. Bush to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, based on false claims it had "weapons of mass destruction" (WMDs). US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard went from condemning Trump as a warmonger and liar in 2020 to helping him manufacture consent for this war, even after admitting in March 2025 "that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon". Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_EsEQ-1yp8 The real reasons for the US-Israeli war on Iran, explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ Topics 0:00 Trump admin pushes for war on Iran 0:58 Reports: Trump approved attacks on Iran 1:50 USA wants regime change in Iran 3:10 Regurgitating Iraq War "WMD" propaganda 5:24 No evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons 6:36 (CLIP) Trump criticizes his own intel 6:53 US spy agencies: Iran not building nukes 7:41 Tulsi Gabbard helps Trump sell Iran war 9:11 (CLIP) "Iran is not building a nuclear weapon" 9:21 Tulsi Gabbard helps Trump sell Iran war 9:49 Trump White House pushes Iran war 12:00 When Tulsi Gabbard condemned Trump 13:14 (CLIPS) Gabbard: Trump wants Iran war 14:38 Gabbard: Trump wants regime change 16:24 Iran nuclear deal 18:44 Negotiations with Iran 20:02 Propaganda war 20:47 Déjà vu: George W Trump's war 21:09 Reasons for US-Israeli war on Iran 22:03 Outro

The war on Iran seeks "US global dominance" and to "weaken China", said Donald Trump's former national security advisor, General Michael Flynn. He admitted that the US is giving Israel intelligence, weapons, and training. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuNHt1-uWjE The real reasons for the US-Israeli war on Iran, explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ Topics 0:00 (CLIPS) US-Israeli war on Iran 0:41 Trump advisor Michael Flynn 1:56 Steve Bannon interview 2:43 (CLIP) US support for Israel 3:33 (CLIP) Fight for "Western civilization" 3:51 Mike Flynn's Christian nationalism 4:15 Pete Hegseth's "American crusade" 5:04 Germany: Israel does West's "dirty work" 5:48 Trump: US "controls" Iran's skies 6:22 Trump approved attack on Iran 6:38 Trump demands "surrender" 7:02 CIA coup in Iran in 1953 7:55 (CLIP) Install pro-US Iranian regime 8:13 Targeting China 8:28 (CLIP) To "focus on China" 8:42 Targeting China 8:57 (CLIP) Pivot to Asia 9:05 Pivot to Asia 9:33 (CLIP) "China, China, China" 10:33 Allying with India 11:05 (CLIP) India's role 11:47 Israel-India relations 13:04 Shanghai Cooperation Org (SCO) 14:42 US divide-and-conquer strategy 15:30 (CLIP) "US global dominance" 15:41 Goals of US-Israeli war on Iran 17:16 Outro

The United States and Israel are waging war on Iran, but why? What are their real goals? Ben Norton explains the imperial strategy to impose US hegemony on West Asia (aka the Middle East), destroy the Axis of Resistance, colonize Palestine, destabilize the revolutionary Iranian government, preserve the petrodollar system, prevent de-dollarization, divide BRICS, and break up the Iran-Russia-China partnership. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ How Israel's war on Iran was made in USA: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/06/14/israel-war-iran-us-trump-support/ US pressures Saudi Arabia to sell oil in dollars, not Chinese yuan: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/08/10/us-saudi-arabia-sell-oil-dollars-chinese-yuan/ Topics 0:00 US support for Israeli attacks 4:38 Goals of US-Israeli war on Iran 10:13 Israel: outpost of US empire 14:35 US imperial strategy 16:28 Geopolitics of West Asia (Middle East) 17:50 Oil and gas 21:11 Geostrategic chokepoints 24:53 Axis of Resistance 28:33 Syria: Fall of Assad government 31:44 US plan to overthrow 7 countries 33:54 Iranian Revolution 35:53 Anti-colonial movements 39:14 Dedollarization 41:49 Petrodollar and OPEC oil embargo 47:05 Super Imperialism 49:36 Petrodollar challenge 52:43 BRICS 55:55 Shanghai Cooperation Organization 58:53 Iran-Russia-China partnership 1:04:05 US divide-and-conquer strategy 1:06:03 Outro

Israel attacked Iran in an aggressive act of war. The US government supported the strikes, providing intelligence and planning with Netanyahu. Donald Trump cynically used nuclear negotiations with Tehran as cover, as he oversaw the joint US-Israeli operation. Ben Norton reviews the evidence. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0s7O8RU9V0 Topics 0:00 USA supported Israeli attacks 1:38 Trump's fake "peace talks" with Iran 3:13 USA provided Israel intelligence 3:49 Trump gave Israel green light 5:07 US military helped Israel 6:01 Marco Rubio's lies 6:40 Israel: unsinkable US aircraft carrier 7:15 Netanyahu is an American 8:07 USA arms Israel 8:45 USA protects Israel at UN 9:37 ICC charges Netanyahu 10:34 Trump threatens Iran 12:41 Trump's 60 day deadline 13:37 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) 15:24 Lessons from Libya 17:24 Israel's nuclear weapons 18:37 Nuclear weapon free zone 19:20 Alliance with apartheid South Africa 20:26 Germany condemns Iran 21:37 Western neo-colonialism 22:20 France's Macron criticizes Iran 23:07 Iranian civilian victims 24:11 Human shields 27:29 US & Israel: imperial bullies 28:44 Iran hits back 29:13 US military aid to Israel 29:55 Outro

Donald Trump deployed the US military to repress protesters in Los Angeles, California, as people flooded the streets to denounce the abuse of immigrants by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Ben Norton discusses how the oppressive tactics used by the empire eventually return home. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYcRBkB2KCw Topics 0:00 LA protests 0:28 California government rebukes Trump 1:10 Police shoot journalists 1:48 Empire's tactics come home 2:11 Militarization of US police 2:59 Private prison corporations 3:43 Trump wages war inside his country 4:43 Foreign flags and Israel 5:27 Trump deports pro-Palestine protesters 6:13 Mahmoud Khalil, political prisoner 7:05 Lawlessness of ICE 8:26 ICE targets children 8:50 ICE's criminal behavior 12:54 ICE targets migrants with tattoos 14:11 Trump's police state budget 15:24 Scapegoating immigrants 16:26 Unemployment 17:14 Essential workers 18:03 Taxes 18:47 Crime rates 19:34 US imperial hypocrisy 19:46 Hong Kong riots 21:02 US coups in Latin America 22:18 US guns in Mexico 23:38 Obama, Biden, and Trump 24:12 Imperial boomerang 24:38 Outro

Everywhere you look, you can see the decline of Western hegemony, as the world is increasingly multipolar. Ben Norton analyzes the rise of China, development of Global South economies, and increasing unity in Asia. A symbol of this was the historic ASEAN-GCC-China Summit held in Malaysia, which supplements BRICS in pursuit of dedollarization, South-South economic integration, and infrastructure construction. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGkCw-Sqk0 Topics 0:00 Weakening US dominance 0:22 Industrial production 0:46 China is world's largest economy 1:22 Decline of Western hegemony 1:53 Rise of Global South 2:45 Global South is Global Majority 3:44 Trump is accelerating US decline 4:28 BRICS expansion 5:46 ASEAN-GCC-China Summit 7:21 ASEAN 7:41 Southeast Asia's population 8:54 Southeast Asia's economy 9:41 GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) 10:50 ASEAN-GCC-China Summit joint statement 11:26 ASEAN's trade with China 11:47 RCEP 12:22 Palestine 12:54 Opposition to Trump's tariffs 13:44 De-dollarization 14:57 Petroyuan challenges petrodollar 16:09 Infrastructure 16:32 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) 16:57 New Silk Road 17:32 Railroads linking China to SE Asia 18:59 Energy 19:54 China: world leader in renewable energy 20:08 China's solar power capacity 20:44 China's affordable green energy tech 24:38 Nuclear power 27:16 Other issues discussed 27:55 Multipolarity 28:41 The ASEAN Way 29:35 Cautious optimism 30:31 Global South-led alternatives 31:05 Outro