News Updates

MIDDLE EAST, GCC:

Which other countries could join the Turkiye-Saudi-Pakistan defence pact?

FMR QATAR PM: HOPE THAT ALL GCC MEMBER NATIONS JOIN

Al Jazeera, Aug 9, 2026 – Turkiye wants to expand its newly formed defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to include more countries, says Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan….
“Egypt may join only if the language protects its aid relationship with Washington, doesn’t undermine existing alliances and peace treaties, and maintains its own freedom to decide when and where it fights,” Karim Elgendy, associate fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, told Al Jazeera….
In a post on X, former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani expressed hope that all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) would “take the initiative to join” the pact. In addition to Saudi Arabia, the GCC includes Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Among the Gulf states, Elgendy said, “the names to watch first are Qatar and Kuwait.”

EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION & IRAN:

Iran Eyes Deeper EAEU Ties as Regional Integration Gains Momentum

Proposes EAEU central banks collaborate on developing CBDCs

SUPPORTS COMMON MARKET FOR OIL, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS WITHIN UNION
Financial Tribune, Aug 7, 2026 – Iran is positioning itself as a strategic partner within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), signaling a clear shift toward long-term economic integration as a buffer against external pressures and a pathway to regional stability.
Speaking at the second meeting of the EAEU’s Intergovernmental Council in Kyrgyzstan this week, Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade, Seyyed Mohammad Atabak, underscored Tehran’s commitment to deepening trade and investment ties with the union’s five member states….
Beyond trade in goods, Atabak raised a more ambitious goal: building a parallel financial architecture. He proposed that EAEU central banks collaborate on developing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and explore a new interbank messaging system to replace SWIFT.
“By relying on cultural and historical commonalities and geographical proximity, we can portray a successful model of regional integration,” he said, adding that Iran supports the creation of a common market for oil and petroleum products within the union.

GLOBAL TIMES (CHINA) OPINION:

‘Forced labor’ tariffs should not be tolerated regardless of rate

Global Times (China), August 8, 2026 – What deserves attention is that the US import bans based on “forced labor” differ significantly from international consensus, as they are imposed according to Washington’s own evaluation standards and rules, effectively exporting its own values and regulatory approach. For example, Article 2.33 of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade between the US and Indonesia specifically addresses enforcement of labor law. It requires Indonesia to strengthen training for officials in identifying products associated with forced labor and to enable them to conduct inspections of related goods in various scenarios, including those involving forced labor. Indonesia’s forced alignment with US enforcement concepts and assessment standards will inevitably alter the economic costs and expectations of its international trade participants.
The position of this writer is nonsense. It would never allow any penalty against “dealing in stolen merchandise,” if left to “consensus” with those who steal production from slaves.
It is not “consensus” that determines destructive, abusive practices, but one’s own God-given “conscience” and common-sense discernment, something that amoral “free traders” reject and suppress.
It was conscience that influenced Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s 1964 obscenity opinion, “I know it when I see it.” The same standard should apply to products made with forced labor.

NORTH AMERICA & THE NEW MERCANTILISM:

Kevin O’Leary Says ‘Fear of China, Not Politics’ Will Bring North America Together as AI, Energy and Critical Minerals Competition Intensifies

Benzinga, July 27, 2026 – Investor Kevin O’Leary said growing competition with China in artificial intelligence (AI), energy and critical infrastructure could push the U.S., Canada and Mexico toward deeper economic cooperation despite political differences….
He argued that the accelerating race for AI technology, energy resources and critical minerals would make cooperation between the three countries increasingly necessary.
He highlighted the different strengths of each country, saying Canada provides energy resources and critical minerals, the U.S. contributes technological innovation and economic scale and Mexico remains a key part of North America’s manufacturing and economic network.

I believe fear of China, not politics, will ultimately bring North America back together. As the race for AI, energy, and critical infrastructure accelerates, economic reality will outweigh political disagreements because the United States, Canada, and Mexico are stronger when… pic.twitter.com/Dp8PiJs1x8

— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) July 26, 2026

SE ASIA:

AI seen fueling ASEAN+3 resilience

China Daily, July 27, 2026 – The robust demand for semiconductors and products related to artificial intelligence will remain the key growth driver for the East Asian and Southeast Asian regions, keeping their economies resilient even amid the economic fallout from an escalating Middle East conflict, a regional think tank said.
The regional GDP growth of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and three East Asian economies [China, Japan, South Korea] is expected to grow by 4.1 percent in 2026….
AI-related demand has been central to this year’s economic performance of the ASEAN+3 and is one of the key factors that will shape the outlook ahead. This is because the region sits at the center of AI production globally and accounts for about half of global AI-related trade.

NORTH AMERICA & CUSTOMS UNION:

U.S. presses Mexico to match tariffs on Chinese steel, aluminum

Seeking Alpha, July 26, 2026 – The United States is urging Mexico to adopt tariffs similar to Washington’s Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum imports from outside North America, Bloomberg News reported Sunday….
The discussions are part of ongoing negotiations over the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), after Washington opted to pursue rolling talks rather than renew the pact in its current form.
The U.S. wants Mexico to preserve preferential treatment for steel produced within North America while applying a common external tariff on imports from countries outside the region, particularly China.

SE ASIA – ‘REGION-BUILDING’:

$2.5 Billion US Investment for ASEAN is ‘Not Charity’, Rubio Says

TO ADVANCE BLOC’S ‘AVIATION INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY SECURITY, AND SECURE SUPPLY CHAINS’

Jakarta Globe, July 22, 2026 – “We are investing because the development of ASEAN is also in the interest of the US. This is not charity. This is not something we’re doing because we are nice people, although I believe we are nice people.”
Rubio did not give the specifics on the $2.5 billion investments. However, he did say that the US government’s investment arm, the International Development Finance Corporation, had greenlit $1.5 billion to advance the region’s “aviation infrastructure, energy security, and secure supply chains”.

NORTH AMERICA – USMCA:

US trade chief Greer aiming for ‘interim arrangements’ on USMCA by year end

MEX AMBASSADOR EXPECTS USMCA DEAL BY END OF YEAR

July 23 (Reuters) – U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Wednesday said he hopes to strike some interim trade agreements ‌with Mexico and Canada this year while tackling thornier changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement such as stricter rules of origin in 2027.
“We are moving with all due speed on this,” Greer told the Senate Finance Committee in a hearing reviewing President Donald Trump’s trade agenda. Greer will leave Washington ​on Wednesday for Mexico City for USMCA talks with officials there, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum….
Mexico’s new ambassador to the U.S., Roberto ​Lazzeri, told Reuters on Friday that Mexico was expecting to reach a new deal on USMCA by the end of the year.

GCC, EU Condemn Iran Attacks, Defend Hormuz Freedom of Navigation

Qatar News Agency, July 19, 2026 – Brussels, July 19 (QNA) – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union have condemned the Iranian attacks on some countries of the region and vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in this international waterway….
Any claims of sovereignty or control over the Strait by any country are unacceptable, the two sides asserted, considering them illegitimate. They further opposed the imposition of any system of clearances, transit tolls, or exchanges of services for international traffic….
The two blocs reemphasized their full solidarity with the countries affected by these attacks, along with sailors from all nationalities who were exposed to danger, confirming that any attack on the security of one of the nations is a source of concern for parties that count on the safety of this critical waterway.

MIDDLE EAST OIL PRODUCTERS STEP UP PLANS TO BYPASS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Associated Press, July 23, 2026 – Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. Within a few years, much of that oil could bypass the strait.
As Iran’s chokehold over the strait drags on and oil prices surge, countries across the Gulf are planning to spend billions of dollars to build pipelines enabling them to redirect more supplies to ports on the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Mediterranean.

AFRICAN UNION:

How AI could unlock Africa’s critical minerals and save miners up to $390 billion a year

Business Insider, July 18, 2026 – Times are changing across Africa, with commercial interest shifting from traditional minerals such as gold and diamonds to rare and critical minerals that are becoming central to artificial intelligence, global energy, technology and defence industries.
Africa possesses around 30% of global critical mineral reserves, but receives just 10% of the world’s mineral exploration budget and often relies on outdated geological surveys.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to help Africa discover significant mineral deposits, reduce mining costs, and shift away from its traditional role as a raw-material exporter.

DEFINING MOMENT FOR MULTILATERALISM

CHINA IMPLEMENTS 100% ZERO-TARIFF POLICY FOR 53 AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Khmer Times, July 17, 2026 – The global trading system is undergoing a profound transformation. Economic growth continues to slow, geopolitical tensions persist and protectionist rhetoric increasingly shapes policy debates….
Against this backdrop, on May 1, China formally implemented a 100% zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations, without quota restrictions or political conditions. This milestone, achieved less than 18 months after China extended full tariff elimination to the 33 least-developed African nations with which it has diplomatic relations in December 2024, makes China the first major economy to unilaterally grant comprehensive zero-tariff treatment to all African diplomatic partners….
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the initiative during the 39th African Union Summit, urging all developed countries and major economies to follow suit. African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called China’s proactive openness “particularly crucial” for a continent bearing the brunt of global uncertainty.

NEW REGIONAL ORDER:

Xi Pitches China As Champion Of New Global AI Order

AI CO-OP CENTERS WITH BRICS, ASEAN, LATIN AMERICA, AFRICAN UNION

StratNews Global, July 17, 2026 – China ‘s President Xi Jinping on Friday cast Beijing as the champion of a new global AI order, using Chinese premier tech conference to promote open-source technology and challenge U.S. influence over the rules governing the fast-moving sector….
The speech pitched China’s AI coalition as a rival to the U.S.-led “Pax Silica” international initiative to secure global AI and critical mineral supply chains, though Xi avoided naming Washington….
China will also provide AI training and develop AI cooperation centres with BRICS, ASEAN, Latin American and African Union countries, Xi said, aligning China’s AI diplomacy initiatives with major Global South blocs where China already carries huge influence.

REGIONAL PROTECTIONISM:

Opinion | ‘Fortress North America’ isn’t protection — it’s surrender

‘“ALIGN” IS A EUPHEMISM FOR SUBMISSION’

Toronto Star, July 15, 2026 – But while Canadians have spent more than a year walking the talk on “elbows up” and “Buy Canadian,” some members of Canada’s leadership class have not shown the same resolve.They have embraced a “Fortress North America” model of coexistence with the U.S. and Mexico. It would bind the three members of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement even closer together.This more thoroughly co-ordinated grouping, led by the U.S. as its dominant economy, would then turn its back on the rest of the world.As Canada’s economic integration with the U.S. became even deeper in the Fortress North America model, Canada would be forced to align its foreign policy, including trade, with Washington. “Align” is a euphemism for submission.

ARAB GULF – GCC:

Bypassing Hormuz: India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor could threaten Iran

Jerusalem Post, July 12, 2026 – Iran’s ruling elite is showing growing concern over the rapid progress of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The IMEC project would provide a stable trade route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, creating an alternative for global trade and energy transmission.

SAUDI ARABIA EXPLORES IMEC ROUTE THROUGH SYRIA, SIDESTEEPING ISRAEL, SOURCES TELL ‘POST’

STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC INTEGRATION ACROSS THE REGION

Jerusalem Post, July 8, 2026 – Saudi Arabia would like a significant change in the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) to sideline Israel from the trade initiative, two people familiar with the matter have told The Jerusalem Post. It wants to reroute the corridor through Syria instead, they said….
The initiative envisioned a network of railways, ports, and shipping lanes, connecting India to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Greece. It would provide a faster alternative to traditional maritime routes while strengthening economic integration across the region.

REGIONAL PROTECTIONISM:

EU drafts ‘Buy European’ rules for public tenders to curb foreign dependence

SEEKS TO REDUCE CHINA’S DOMINANCE OF CRITICAL MATERIALS PRODUCTION

Reuters, July 9, 2026 – The measures stop short of a blanket “Buy European” requirement, but would allow European authorities to rule out bids for big public contracts that have less than 50% European content and favour EU companies in strategic sectors.
Although the draft document ​does not specifically name China, the European Commission has already put forward other Buy European policies as it seeks ​to reduce China’s dominance of critical materials production and narrow a trade gap that expanded by ⁠10% in the first four months of this year.

MADE IN NORTH AMERICA:

CAINTRA Sees USMCA Stability Through 2036, Expands SME Financing

‘TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE AGAINST ASIAN MANUFACTUARING’

Mexico Business, July 7, 2026 – The Chamber of the Transformation Industry of Nuevo Leon (CAINTRA) said USMCA provides long-term certainty for manufacturers despite growing public attention surrounding the treaty’s upcoming joint review, while announcing a new financing alliance with Santander México to strengthen SMEs across the state.
The industrial organization said the agreement remains legally in force through 2036, emphasizing that the review process should be viewed as a routine mechanism designed to strengthen North America’s competitiveness rather than a source of uncertainty for manufacturers and investors….
While expressing confidence in the agreement’s future, CAINTRA said North America must strengthen its productive integration to remain competitive against Asian manufacturing economies.

LATIN AMERICAN NATIONS URGE US TO EXCLUDE THEM FROM FORCED LABOR TARIFFS

IndexBox, July 8, 2026 – Mexico’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Ernesto Acevedo Fernandez, characterized the additional 10% tariff as an unjust penalty for thousands of compliant Mexican businesses, pointing out that no evidence exists of forced-labor goods entering the US through Mexico. The USTR’s proposal does include a tariff exemption for Mexican goods that comply with the USMCA trade agreement. Peru’s Director of Trade Negotiations, Jose Luis Castillo Mezarina, likewise requested that his country be removed from the list, as no harm to US trade has been demonstrated.

NORTH AMERICA – USMCA:

U.S. won’t renew USMCA, opening door for negotiations

CNBC, July 1, 2026 – The decision means the USMCA will stay in effect for another decade, provided no member tries to withdraw from it. But it also triggers yearly reviews that could result in the renegotiation of major parts of the treaty.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a statement released while the call was ongoing, said the Trump administration “will continue to engage with Mexico and Canada to address the Agreement’s shortcomings.”
US, CANADA AND MEXICO BEGIN BUMPY NEGOTIATIONS TO RENEW NORTH AMERICAN TRADE PACT
WRAL News, July 1, 2026 – Meantime, any USMCA country can pull out of the pact provided it gives its two partners six months’ notice — a red buzzer that Canada and Mexico, dependent on trade with the United States, fear Trump just might push.

Former top Republican sees ‘Fortress North America’ concept as a winner in USMCA trade talks

Globe and Mail (Canada), June 30, 2026 – Former Republican House leader Paul Ryan agrees with Canadian politicians like Doug Ford who are pushing the concept of building “Fortress North America” as a way to win U.S. President Donald Trump’s support for a new continental trade agreement….
Mr. Ryan, who describes himself as a “Ronald Reagan, free trade Republican,” frequently criticized Mr. Trump’s trade policies. In response, Mr. Trump took to social media to call him a “loser” and the “weakest & most incompetent Speaker of the House in its History.”

FROM THE ARCHIVES – VIDEO: Global Shakedown (2015): Paul Ryan voiced support for a Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) in 2009.

NORTH AMERICAN CUSTOMS UNION?

Harmonizing USMCA: Enhancing  customs to facilitate US-Mexico competitiveness

TASK FORCE RECOMMENDS: ALIGN EXTERNAL TARIFFS, HARMONIZE IMPORT/EXPORT STANDARDS, DEVELOP NORTH AMERICAN SECURITY PERIMETER

By the Binational Task Force on Economic Security and Competitiveness
Atlantic Council, June 24, 2026
….A growing share of illicit goods—fentanyl precursors, counterfeit components, and transshipped steel—enter North America through third-country seaports before reaching the land border. Addressing these flows requires extending bilateral cooperation to both countries’ perametric borders beyond land and including key Pacific and Gulf seaports. This means implementing joint inspection programs at Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas (Mexico’s busiest Pacific ports, through which Chinese-origin goods are the primary flow) and Long Beach/Los Angeles on the US side. It also means harmonizing import/export standards and requirements for goods arriving from countries outside of USMCA and aligning external tariff policies where feasible to limit arbitrage opportunities and other disloyal trade practices.
A customs union would be level two of the “Five levels of economic integration.”
SIX FORMER CIA DIRECTORS ARE ON THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ARAB GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL:

Gulf Confederation: From Cooperation to a Shared Destiny

“A Gulf confederation should therefore be understood not as a loss of sovereignty, but as a framework for strategic alignment”

Middle East Council on Global Affairs, June 22, 2026 – With each consultative or coordination meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a recurring question resurfaces: when will these summits move beyond their traditional coordination frameworks and declaratory language?….
Gulf states possess substantial assets: natural resources, strategic geography, energy capacity, developmental experience, and cultural depth. However, these advantages can only reach their full potential through a transition from cooperation to a genuine shared destiny.
A Gulf confederation should therefore be understood not as a loss of sovereignty, but as a framework for strategic alignment — encompassing unified defense, coordinated economic policy, and collective resilience in areas such as food, water, and energy security.

GCC – REGIONAL-BLOC INFRASTRUCTURE:

Gulf ministers hold talks to speed up railway projects after Hormuz crisis

Türkiye Today, June 18, 2026 – Transport ministers from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries met Wednesday to discuss accelerating railway projects across the region after the Strait of Hormuz crisis exposed vulnerabilities in Gulf trade routes….
The discussions follow a decision by GCC leaders in April to fast-track a series of cross-border infrastructure projects, including the GCC Railway, electricity interconnection systems, oil and gas pipelines, water networks and strategic reserve facilities.
The GCC Railway is one of the region’s largest infrastructure projects, designed to link Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman through a unified rail network connecting major cities, industrial hubs and ports across the Gulf….

Iran and China to be part of any future regional blocs, Ghalibaf says

‘WHATEVER BLOC IS FORMED…IRAN AND CHINA IN THAT BLOC IS CERTAIN’

Eghtesad-online, June 18, 2026 – Iran’s special representative for China affairs, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says that Iran and China will be part of any regional or international blocs that emerge in the future, describing the two countries as strategic partners….
“Whatever bloc is formed, the presence of both Iran and China in that bloc is certain,” he said.
Ghalibaf also said that Iran and China would seriously pursue the establishment of blocs involving the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

‘FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA’:

Canada trade stance softens as U.S. envoy backs USMCA renewal push

Hoekstra: Ottawa working to make Canada part of broader ‘fortress North America’

Traders Union, June 11, 2026 – As reported by the Financial Times, U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says he is encouraged by what Washington sees as a pivot in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach to the bilateral relationship. Hoekstra tells the newspaper that recent comments from Carney, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and Ontario premier Doug Ford increasingly stress the importance of economic ties between the two countries.
Hoekstra says Ottawa is working to make Canada part of a broader “fortress North America” strategy, a message that aligns more closely with U.S. priorities after earlier Canadian criticism of tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium. He says Washington wants to see whether the softer rhetoric becomes a consistent position.

ARAB GULF, MIDDLE EAST:

How the Gulf will manage collective security after the Iran war ends

Conflict could revive plans for MENA-led regional security

Al Jazeera, June 12, 2026 – This US-Gulf nexus appeared to insulate states from conflicts engulfing other parts of the region, but over the past four months, Gulf states hosting US military facilities have been targeted by Iran.
“If there is a way to describe the prevailing security model in the region since the 1980s, the concept of security partnerships best encapsulates it,” said Mahjoub Al-Zuwairi, an academic and expert on Middle East politics….
Al-Zuwairi says that the conflict could revive plans for MENA-led regional security arrangements, as envisioned in the 2019 Hormuz Peace Initiative, which proposed a Gulf security framework involving Iran, Iraq and the six GCC states.

CONTINENTAL ID:

Brazil’s new ID card can replace passports in 8 countries

REGIONAL MOBILITY AROSS CONTINENT

FTN News, June 1, 2026 – Brazil’s new National Identity Card, known as the CIN (Carteira de Identidade Nacional), has been formally recognised as a valid travel document for entry into eight South American countries under a new Mercosur agreement, marking a significant step toward easier regional mobility across the continent.
The agreement applies to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru….
The card includes a QR code and a machine-readable zone (MRZ), features designed to comply with international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). These features are intended to speed up identity checks at border posts and airports.

COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS:

A Conversation With Ambassador Jamieson Greer

“FROM NORTH AMERICA. THAT’S WHERE WE WANT TO HAVE IT.”

“…more aligned with, you know, our type of external trade policy…”

CFR PRESIDENT MICHAEL FROMAN: Do you see this as the beginning of a platform, where you bring together a number of different countries to have a common set of rules, vis-à-vis China?
….
GREER: ….I mean, ultimately, at the end of the day, frankly, for national security reasons, I want to be—I want to have our supply chain sourced from this hemisphere, right? From North America. That’s where we want to have it.
I mean, just imagine—I mean, we all lived through COVID. And we couldn’t get certain things from Asia, right? We couldn’t get chips. And so we couldn’t sell the cars. We couldn’t make the cars. These are all serious problems. So whether it’s a pandemic, or a conflict, or other kinds of things….So, regardless of that, we want to have supply chains here as much as possible. And so that does mean that if we can have a group of countries that are more aligned with, you know, our type of external trade policy, it’s much easier to say, all right….
So I think that there is a world where that happens, whether it’s really formal or something that organically develops with our trade policy.

EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION:

Eurasia Emerges as Iran’s New Trade Frontier

Financial Tribune, June 1, 2026 – As geopolitical tensions and regional security risks continue to reshape trade flows, Iran is increasingly looking north. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has emerged as a key pillar of Tehran’s strategy to diversify export markets, strengthen economic resilience and reduce dependence on vulnerable trade routes. The recent participation of Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak in the EAEU summit in Astana underscored the growing importance of the bloc in Iran’s regional economic vision.

“This organization is dying”: Lukashenka demands greater EAEU integration while partners stay indifferent

Belsat, June 1, 2026 – “But let’s be honest, key issues—regulating the common financial market, trade barriers, electronic digital signatures, and others—have been postponed. We’re talking about artificial intelligence, but practical issues like digital signatures have been put aside,” said Alyaksandr Lukashenka….
“No one will say, ‘We really don’t want to integrate more broadly; it’s dangerous for us.’ So, other leaders will simply remain silent, as always. They don’t react to Lukashenka’s attacks because they understand that closer integration truly threatens the independence of these countries. In fact, they are ignoring many decisions of similar post-Soviet institutions dominated by Russia,” Vital Tsyhankou emphasizes.

See older article links, summaries in NEWS ARCHIVE

VIDEO: GLOBAL SHAKEDOWN (2015)
The world’s developing and projected regional blocs. (Excerpt @ 20:15 of 27:33)

NORTH AMERICAN CUSTOMS UNION?

Terminate USMCA

The 2020 ratification of the USMCA “free trade” agreement,” scheduled for review in 2026, created a “problem”:…China and others have been circumventing U.S. customs protection via import dumping into Mexico and Canada.
But the “solution” currently being offered by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is even further integration, by “enhancing economic security alignment on tariffs.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also favors tariff alignment into a vast “Fortress North America” economic security bloc.
Incredibly, this incremental regionalism/ globalism is being perceived as an assertion of Trumpian U.S. nationalism across the continent.
But a fully aligned, common-external-tariff structure among North American nations would constitute a “customs union”:

That would be level two of the “five levels of economic integration,” being taught and promoted in international business and other programs at universities throughout the world. The USMCA “free trade” agreement is level one.
This would take North America another step down the same incremental, Hegelian-dialectic, crisis-creating path upon which Jean Monnet pushed European nations to bring about the European Union.
In that regard, the “five levels of economic integration” is a misnomer. The more accurate label is “five steps to political union,” in which national sovereignty would be incrementally surrendered – via “free trade” – to the world’s multinational, regional blocs.
USMCA doesn’t need to be renegotiated. It needs to be terminated.