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Widely-read international journalist Pepe Escobar returns with astute offshore views on G7, Singapore Summit, N. Korea’s trove of minerals, and the Turkish election. Plus, the critical SCO summit that is blacked out in US media.Escobar is a star columnist for Asia Times. His report on the Singapore Summit is here, the article on the SCO summit is here, his exclusive on “sexy metal” is here and his report on Iran is here.
We open with Escobar’s description of the SCO meeting between China, Russia, India and Pakistan, and growing economic alliances with Turkey and Iran. As Trump is alienating allies and competitors both with his trade war, new coalitions are being formed that will leave the US isolated. China’s foreign investments are creating what Escobar calls the “new Silk Road” and demonstrate long-term plans to expand the power and influence of China and Russia, at America’s expense. As the American left is obsessed with Russiagate and Russophobia, Trump’s attack on the Iran deal leaves the US with few allies.
We talk about the summit between Trump and Kim Jong-un, which was scripted on the April agreement between North and South Korea. Escobar also details his scoop about North Korea having the second largest deposits of “rare earth elements” that are vital to modern warfare, and might earn Kim more hard currency than Trump condos on the beaches of North Korea.
Near the end, Escobar shares what he learned from recent trips to Iran and Turkey, and comments on Erdogan’s re-election on June 24.