In this live‑stream, David Oualaalou examines the recent NATO Secretary‑General Jens Stoltenberg’s tour of East Asia and argues that NATO is actively shaping a new conflict zone in the region. He critiques Japan’s unprecedented 26.3% defense‑budget increase, questions the historical memory of Japan’s wartime aggression, and warns that Japan’s procurement of offensive weapons could make it a target. He speculates on a possible US‑backed nuclear presence in South Korea and the strategic fallout for North Korea and China. Oualaalou highlights the Philippines as the most vulnerable ASEAN member, noting the recent U.S. agreement granting access to four additional bases and the country’s ambiguous stance between the U.S. and China. He surveys the broader Indo‑Pacific strategy of the United States, Canada, and NATO, and contrasts it with the West’s limited capacity to manage simultaneous commitments in Africa. Throughout, he critiques Western political institutions, media complacency, and the corruption he perceives in U.S. politics, while emphasizing his channel’s interactive format that invites viewers to submit questions for deeper discussion. The session ends with a Q&A covering topics from Pakistan’s internal power dynamics to the impact of Indo‑Pacific policy on Africa.
Chapters
All right, hello everybody. I hope you can hear me this time. So I don't know what happened with this because the system was working fine yesterday, and I do know we have a— some sort of a snowstorm, but I'm hoping this works out. In any event, so I'm excited to be here. Uh, I know this comes unexpectedly And the reason why is because I wanted to address the, uh, the trip of the, uh, uh, Secretary General of NATO to Asia. So will Asia become the problem? So, hey, Lucio, good to have you back here. Uh, can you hear me? Okay, uh, good to see you as always. So I know I had some technical difficulties earlier, uh, so the sound wasn't working. So my apologies for all this. So I'll make sure next time everything, uh, good, good, good, good, good. So, and as I said earlier, Lucio, I used to— I know you're from Montreal. I used to live in Montreal in St. Catherine, uh, St. Catherine Boulevard. Downtown Montreal. So that's where I used to live. So let me see who is joining us, for what part of the world you're joining us from. So, uh, Michael, thank you, Michael, because I couldn't figure out why it was working fine yesterday. But in any event, this is going forward the way I am hoping, or I was hoping for. So anyway, what I wanted to talk to you today about is the idea of You know, is Asia going to become now the next conflict zone? I do have serious concern if that is the case, and it looks like to me that NATO is pushing that narrative now towards Asia. You know, uh, that is what prompted me to come on the air right away because I couldn't wait till the end of the month to share this with you. I wanted to share it with you right away and Speaking of sharing this with you, uh, moving forward, I am going to be posting my videos, of course, but in the video, I would like you to put your, your questions in the comment section, and I'll come live and answer those questions. So this way, we can expand on the topics even further by adding or exchanging, uh, uh, information because that's what the whole purpose of what this channel is all about. I don't want it to be one-way street, just information coming from me to you. I want it to always be from the other way, from you towards me, because I am learning from you as well. So, because that's how I, I believe the role of being educated, being intellectually aware, or whatever you call it. So we learn from each other. That's the whole reason for why uh, I decided to create the, the community here. So, so, uh, just start looking for the, for that change on Monday, because on Monday I'm going to start on, you know, posting the video for you and go live on a live stream 2 or 3 days after that one. So, and I will always post, uh, uh, the notes for you, and I'll make sure the sound is working good. So, so anyway, let's, let me see here, uh who is joining us from where. So, uh, SK Wong from London, good to have you here. So, uh, good day to you too. Hang Tua, good day to you as well. Uh, yes, I know, Cho, uh, finally it's working. So I, I kind of get frustrated with it, but hey, that's part of how technology is. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's not a problem at all. So So let me talk to you briefly about where I see the challenges that lies ahead for Asia moving forward. And what I'll do is I'll provide you my own assessments, and then I'll open the floor for you guys for your questions, and, and we'll just go from there. So, so, well, as you know, uh, for Japan, uh, Japan was the first, uh, country that the Secretary General of NATO went to actually— went to South Korea first, I'm sorry, South Korea, then Japan. But Japan apparently seems to be the— not seems, but it was— Japan was the first country to join the US-led economic sanctions against Russia, believe it or not. So And, and that begs the question, you know, why all of a sudden Japan, given its own imperialistic history, is embarking on following blindly? That's one. Second is, why will Japan— and I did the video for you guys— why will Japan increase its defense budget by 26.3%? That is a major increase. Usually most countries will increase their defense by about 2%, 4%, 5% max, but 26? And that becomes problematic. Problematic in a sense, given the history of Japan. You all know Japan's history, and I am digging into— I remember my conversation with Dr. Hammond when he came on the show for an interview. We kind of addressed the, uh, the, the islands, uh, regarding the tensions between China and Japan. Of course, China never forget what the Japanese did, or in a whole Asia for that matter, but that's not the point. I'm not talking about that one here. I am talking about how Japan, through its Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, uh, you know, it's kind of like following blindly doesn't realize or understand that by embarking on armament or arming the country— because even though Japan is saying, well, this is for defense, it is not for defense, this is for offensive type of weapons— and $315 billion, the third largest increase, is no small matter. And personally, for me, seeing where the trends are headed, I am growing concerned because I don't shy away from saying it. I'm seeing Asia as being the next conflict zone. I've been saying this because I've been following the trend since 2000, actually since 2011. I was still in Washington. The conversation was back then about, okay, How we gonna sort of, uh, manage the South China Sea, uh, tensions with China and so forth. And back then, the conversation start to evolve as to which countries can we elicit or include into creating some sort of a Pacific, uh, an Asian alliance beside Philippines, beside South Korea and Japan. So, but apparently to me it's look like Japan now has been given the bait and they took it. They taking it. I'm just wondering what the Japanese people is going to do. So, and when Japan talks about Russia's aggression in Europe, did Japan forget about its own aggressions in Asia? I mean, let's just call a spade a spade. The second thing is, did Japan come forward and apologize, you know, historical crimes or atrocities or mistakes, whatever you want to call them? Yeah, beside the point. It's like what Germany did. Germany stepped forward and apologized for its era under the, uh, back during World War I and World War II. Will Japan do the same? Apparently, so far it has not done so. Second concern that I have regarding this aspect is the increasing subtle tension between China and Japan. What Japan is forgetting is that China is not what it used to be 50 years ago. So that is where the challenge is. And when you hear the, uh, the, the NATO Secretary General, uh, Stoltenberg, saying that Well, it's because China is assertive in its escalating tensions near Taiwan. So Japan has to significantly step up the ties with NATO. But does Japan understand that they put a target on their back saying, "We are big targets." Because you all know where Japan is geographically. You all know what North Korea, how far is it from there? We don't know how far is China from there, so it's within range, shall we say. The same arguments could be made about South Korea. So, and this is where my concern— so, and because here is the thing, what I see coming, and what I see coming is this: the possibility that South Korea might be allowed to acquire a nuclear bomb. That nuclear bomb won't be, won't be South Korea's, but it will be US in on the South Korean territory. Now let's just, for the sake of argument, let's just assume this will happen. What do you think the reaction of North Korea is going to be? What do you think the reaction of China is going to be? You know, and I will talk about ASEAN countries as I proceed in my conversation here. So, and this is where I see the challenges that South Korea— both South Korea and Japan— it's almost like they are not thinking long term. They're not seeing far enough. It's almost like looking at the end of their nose, you know, because now NATO is pushing South Korea to send weapons to Ukraine, you know, creating more tension. Basically, it's not about creating tension, it's about sucking in South Korea into the conflict in Europe. 'Cause we all know, and let's state the fact as they are, the whole Ukraine saga or conflict, whatever you wanna call it, would not have happened had it not been for NATO's expansion eastward to Russia's doorsteps. That's the fact. That's what the West does not want to accept or admit. Even when they start doing this, and I recall because I was following this, I wrote a book about Russia, I did the research, I kind of remember all this. Even Russia provided the security request from the West, what could it be a security concern for Russia, and the West completely ignore that. So, and that becomes the question, because here is the thing, how it works with NATO. When NATO wants to sort of create a, a conflict zone or an area where a conflict will erupt, usually always states that according to the intelligence report. That is what the interesting aspects of it. So the— it says that the— according to the US intelligence report They're accusing North Korea of providing weapon to Russia. Okay, wasn't the same argument we made about Iraq when we said that Iraq was tied to, uh, uh, terrorism at some point? So, and this is why you have to really— the reason what prompts me to really suddenly this— I only decide on this about noon when I was doing some reading And he came to me that I said, you know, for you guys, I need to do this because that's, that's my responsibility. For if I am to share knowledge with you, I can't just wait for the proper time to do it. That's the role of an educator, because I'm here to share knowledge with you. That's the whole point. So I'm not gonna wait till the end of the month to do it. I know I did say that I'll do live streams at the end of the month, but I'm gonna be changing that one as we move forward because There are more questions than there are answers, and we need— you and I, we need to engage in a conversation to at least learn about this, be informed about this one, and understand and see where the trends are headed. So that's how I see it going. So, and that's back to the question: what should we expect now in Asia? Because was there any conflict in Asia? No, it was not. Yes, there are those who said there are tensions, and yes, there were tensions in South China Sea, but guess what? All those were managed by local governments there, you know, especially between Philippines and China. They were able to figure out a peaceful way to negotiate a peaceful settlement for it, and they were able to achieve that. So that is where I see the concern now, because If, if— this is a big if— if tensions or the conflict get out of control in Asia, it will be bad news for all parties involved. The second thing you need to think about with NATO move is this NATO's way of paving the way for the establishment of NATO in Asia? Because NATO is supposed to be confined to Europe, right? And it was for a reason back then during the Soviet Union era. The Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991. So what becomes of the role of NATO? None. And apparently, for it to justify its existence, it had to create a conflicts. It's plain and simple, and let's not, uh, sugarcoat it, as I always say, because it's the fact. And that is the reason why I want you guys to understand, because you're gonna be seeing or reading or hearing in the media, whatever, that now, uh, NATO is willing to assist, uh, Asian countries or allies, that is, in establishing military strength and so forth. You need to be ahead of it to understand where things are headed. And another example for you will be Australia, which you and I know Australia has no sovereignty because Australia surrendered its sovereignty to the US. Look at the fiasco of AUKUS, the Australia, UK, and US. You know, since when Australia was interested in having a billion-plus nuclear submarine? And if so, what that's going to do to Australia becoming a target? Because only 5 years ago, the economy of Australia was doing great because of the trade they had with China, you know. And we talk— I talk to people on the ground in Australia. A reality is different from what they are reporting on the news. That's why personally I lost faith in the news. No, I never did anyway. So I kind of do my own research and know where to look for the information. And this is where I say it becomes my responsibility now, you know, to share this knowledge with you. Because what is the point? I know in YouTube, you, you know, there are a lot of people after— I gotta have a million views and all this. I, I care less for that kind of stuff. I'm sure you know this by now. You know, because it's not about the sound bites, you know, it's not about the drama, it's not about— it's about the facts, it's about the content that matter to you to understand where you fit in into this big picture. That is the whole idea of it, you know. Sadly, and I say it, some of my fellow Americans are intellectually lazy. Yeah, let's just say it straightforward. That's why they would rather watch, you know, some silly stuff on YouTube, because this, something like this, will be too much for them to absorb. They are not equipped intellectually to handle something like this, let alone understanding it, when we have our own politicians that have no grasp, no understanding of what geopolitics is all about. What do you expect? I used to work in Washington. I understood how the game is played. You know, you got the president or the Secretary of State or whomever waiting on a report while he's sitting in or she's sitting in Washington, DC waiting for that. They have no clue. They've never been on the ground to see the reality of it. So they end up basing policy on a report written by somebody who just never been on the ground. And that is why, you know, I truly, and I mean it, I care less when people say, well, the channel is not big enough, whatever. There's nothing I can do about that stuff. That's useless to me. Those are minor stuff, minor. That's just so funny where the focus is, you know. I have to have a million views for Who gives a damn about that? Rather, I'd rather you guys understand, even if I have 15 minutes with you on the screen, that at least when you leave, when I turned off, whatever, you end up with more questions than when you came in first time to listen to what I have to share with you. Because to me, that's the point of what education is all about. That is the point of what exchanging ideas are all about. So, and this is why it prompted me to sort of— I gotta get on, on the air, and most likely I will be doing this because, yes, I know, again, waiting for a whole month till the end of the month to do livestream, uh, it's gonna put us behind as far as the conversation, and we need to keep up because events on the global stage are moving faster than we can keep track of or keep up with. And you need to have that understanding, at least of what's going on around you. It's very important. And to me, that's what I see my role and my responsibility. Like I always say, what is the point of you being educated or informed or whatever, and you are sitting on that knowledge instead of sharing it with people from around the world? I care less where you watching me from, in a sense, you know, but I do care about you learning something from Moshe. So this is where I see the problems now emerging, because like I always say, I, I, I, I'm a student of history and I kind of watch for the trend. I, I watch for the signs, and I am seeing— and I've been saying this before— I am seeing the signs And I said this on the record, that the next conflict, it's going to be in Asia. And I hope Western politicians or whomever think twice about this, because Asia is not— today's Asia is not what it used to be 50 years ago. Things have changed dramatically. It will be— pardon me— Any conflict will not be confined to Asia, is going to go outside Asia. And second, why create the turmoil when it has been consistent peace since World War II? Yes, you got a Vietnam War at that time, which by the way we couldn't even win, and the Vietnamese were able to drive the US out. Straightforward. So now what are we recreating, uh, uh, history again in Asia in a different time and a different setting? So that is one of the key questions that you're gonna have to keep in mind as we move forward with this. So the idea of the Secretary of NATO heading out there to, uh, to, uh, to sort of, uh, convince Japan and South Korea Basically, as I said earlier, giving them a bait, and if they take it, they are not as wise as I might have been thinking about the leadership. Maybe it's too late for that anyway. So, but the next question that we need to ask is, what will be the role of the ASEAN countries? What will be their position on this? They are watching. You know, I talked to some people They are watching and they are taking a step back just to see. It's almost like let it play out. So you got Indonesia, you know, there are 10 members in ASEAN, as you may know: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, and the Philippines. Now when we talk about the, uh, ASEAN countries. Not all of them. I have concern about one particular one country. Can anybody guess? Can you type the, the answer there? Can you guess which country we should be concerned about in, in, uh, in Asia that's gonna fall for the trap of NATO? Let me see if anybody can put an answer there. Which country do you think that is in ASEAN? Uh, let me see if there is any answer for that question. Uh, no, it's not there, so I'm gonna keep going here because, uh, the— oh, oh, you got it right! You got it right, Hanto! The Philippines! You got it right, indeed, the Philippines! You know, it's not— Japan is not part of the ASEAN, by the way. It's, it's the Philippines. You're absolutely correct. And here is why. Here is where my big concern as to why that is. You have now the US Secretary of State visiting Philippines as we speak. Okay, why is this important? It is important because Philippines, Manila just announced an expansion of America's military presence in Southeast Asian country as of yesterday. And now, with US forces granted access to 4 more military camps, basically what it means, it means now it's giving Washington a new ground to ramp up deterrence against China. That's why I will be concerned about Philippines more than any other country. Thailand will be fine, Singapore will be fine, Indonesia, Malaysia, all the Laos and all will be fine. Philippines is where I have the big concern. And to me, the reception that the Secretary of Defense received in Philippines and Marcos Jr., uh, they call him Bobo, right? You know, uh, the way he, you know, I kind of— he's playing both sides, you know, because here's the thing about the agreement between, uh, uh, US and Philippines, you know, it was made public. This, this, uh, this agreement about adding 4 military camps has been talked about few months ago. But it was not made public, and the reason why it was not made public, do you guys know why? Is because Philippines had to wait till Marcos Jr. visited China and returned back to Philippines. That's why he didn't want to announce anything during China's trip. That is the reason. So Secretary of Defense, US, that is, you know, he's now leading the effort to strengthen America's security alliances in Asia in the face of China. You all see where this is headed. That's again why I am very concerned, because if you think we're gonna be— hypothetically, if the conflict erupts in Asia, we're gonna be seeing the same thing as, as taking place in Ukraine— we all are mistaken. There will be a major one. So, and this is where I have my question mark about Philippines. Is Philippines playing both sides? Of course you have to think about the geography. Philippines is strategically located, and if they are now granting 4 more bases to the US, the question— the next question that becomes is, are we going to be seeing NATO enlargements in Asia? Sorry if you will be another mini version of NATO in Asia. You know, can we call it a NATO Asia Alliance? Who's going to be in it? I know there are three: Japan, South Korea, and Philippines. That is where my concern— where I see this is going, and it's not gonna bode well for Asia, of course, And it's not going to bode well for the West. Like I always said, the new geopolitical landscape that we are now in the midst of— and by the way, consider yourself lucky to be alive to witness it with your own eyes. I wasn't born after World War II, of course. I'm not that old yet. I will, uh, excuse me, I— so I didn't witness that. Now I am seeing it with my own eyes. I mean, I write about it and I kind of— it's a change, yes, for my country, because remember, it's my country. Yes, I criticize my country, of course, because that's what a responsible citizen does and you hold the government accountable, you know, but it's still my country. So let's not make a mistake here. So, but I also call a spade a spade. When my country steps beyond and abuses its power, I gotta call it out because I'm a taxpayer. I have to know where the money that I'm paying in taxes, why it's not serving the country or the American people who are in need. I don't need to tell you that the poverty numbers are increasing, that the infrastructure is crumbling, that our tax system is broken beyond repair. The system is corrupted to the core. And this is why I'm saying, yes, I don't have a channel that has a million views or million subscribers because most of us Americans, this is too much for them to process. You don't develop an understanding, an intellectual capacity overnight, you know. You know, I'll give you just an example quickly of the psychologist Jordan Peterson. You know, the intellectual capability of understanding Because it's duty of an educator. You can't sit on a knowledge. If you don't share it with humanity, then it is useless. And when my time comes to check out, I will be asking the question, what have I done for humanity? Because that's a logical question to ask. That's why, that's why I did that talk about space. It's just to plant the seed for you to start to think outside the box, outside the norm of what I had for lunch today, or which vacation spot I'm going next year, and so forth. All this is irrelevant. Gotta think of the big picture. That is the whole reason why it prompts me to— and I am gonna be doing, as I said again, I'm gonna be doing, uh, those live streams to follow up on a conversation on the videos that I'm gonna be releasing soon. And I have the things in order. I'm just waiting till the beginning of next week and, and we get on schedule per se, because just FYI, guys, it takes me time to research the information. It takes me time to put it together. It takes me time to structure all this for you. No, this doesn't happen on the whim of just, uh, yeah, let's get on in front of a camera and talk. I don't do that. And if I don't have something of substance to share with you, you won't see me on the air because I look at it like a waste of your time, and I respect you enough not to waste your time. We never do that. If I have nothing of substance to share, you won't see my face on the screen. That's, that's the way I look at it. So, and, and, and it's just the reality of it. Uh, uh, Lover of the Russia, thank you very much for your super sticker. Speaking of super stickers, I did notice some of you put a super sticker during the comments, so I want to say thank you. Your support means a lot. Yes, like I said again, it is not a channel that has a million subscribers and all that. No, no. The day I made the decision— you all know I am on— I am the host of another channel, the Geopolitics in Conflict show. That's a separate thing. The reason I decided to do this, I was sitting in my office here one day, and I kid you not, and I was just sitting doing nothing. I was waiting on some phone call and it hits me, okay, well, here you are, you have to wait because the protocol is different for the big channel than it is for this. And I said, no, I'm gonna create a channel, okay, and just get on this, share the knowledge with people that need it ASAP, not a month from today. Not a year from today. And that's what I decided to do, and I am going to be following through. I only follow what I say, you know. Um, let me say thank you to Prison Memoir of Modern Anarchists. Thank you very much for your super sticker. You put a statement, says, keep up the good work, I value your insights. Thank you so much, and I respect you and all of you. Because I tell you this, guys, the audience that we have here, the community we are creating, it's not an average Joe or average Jane. You guys think outside the box. This is what I love the most about coming on the air and share the knowledge with you. And I am not saying it to be Mr. Nice. I think you figure out about me by now. I don't sugarcoat things. If I like you, I like you, and I will go a mile or like cross 10 miles for you. If I don't, I tell you so. So this way you know what to expect from me. So your support means a lot to me. And when you say keep up the good work, it's because of you. So I want to say thank you to all of you. I truly appreciate it. So yeah, who knows, one day the channel might grow that big. I care less for that. I, I can listen because I like simplicity. I like to come on the air, look at the camera, and talk to you, share the knowledge that whatever I acquired, whatever I learned about, you know. This is, again, you ask me, did I think 10 years ago like this? No, I didn't. Of course I was busy. I was just flying around the world because I was in Washington at that time. But, but as you grow older, as you start to ask yourself the question, you know, what is my role here? You know, is it just to go eat, sleep, and wake up and do the same thing the next day? What kind of existence is this? It's useless. But if you've been granted some gift of sort, you know, whatever, in this case will be knowledge, what do you do with it? You share it with your fellow humans. Doesn't matter. You share it with your fellow humans because that is the duty, that is the right thing to do. You know, I didn't acquire the PhD to be just called the doctor, so who cares for that? You know, yes, usually I use that title when I'm in Washington because that's how Washington works. The moment they see doctor before your name they'll treat you completely different. But I didn't do it for that. I did it because I wanted to learn, and I'm still learning. Do you guys know— I'm sure some of you graduated and all that— what do we call the graduation? What is the other word for graduation? Can anybody type it for me, please? Yeah, there is another word Uh, Jack Robert, good to see you, Jack Robert. Can anybody write another word for graduation just to put things in perspective for you? Okay, enlightenment, that's a good one. I'm gonna share it with you. It's a— by the way, guys, it takes too long for YouTube the way it works. Uh, it's very late, so Hung says acquire knowledge. Kasim Abbas says ceremony. Yeah, I have one word for you. It's called commencement. What does commencement mean? To commence something is to begin. So when you go to graduation— I remember when I went to my PhD, to the so-called commencement— that doesn't mean I'm done with learning. I am just beginning. And I kid you guys not, I kid you not, when they called my name and I was walking towards shaking the university president's hand to get my degree, whatever, I was asking myself so quick in that short distance, am I gonna be now part of the problem or part of the solution? I had to decide in that moment. Here you are now, you got your PhD, so are you gonna become now part of the problem or part of the solution. And that's how things evolved for me, that prompt me to do this. Like I said last time, there are those who spewing nonsense about geopolitics and all this. Now, more power to them, you know, they are entitled to do whatever, you know. But of course, I will call them on when they start saying nonsense. That's the whole point of it, guys. This is why I decided to— as I said again, just to remind you for those whom just joined me now, is that starting next week, starting Monday, uh, when I will post a video, I would like for you guys to put your questions in the comment section, and I will pull that out, put them in a spreadsheet or whatever. Then we'll go on a live stream and explore that topic even further. Because I don't like to do videos that are, you know, livestream is different, but I don't like long videos and all that stuff. I like short, to the point, then we can elaborate on that even further. So let's go back to our topic briefly here before I, uh, I close it out here. So the idea of now you seeing NATO engaging or embarking on these policies It just became— because here's the problem, there's the question that I've been asking as an analyst. I've been asking, is NATO turning into a security concern? Yeah, yeah. I mean, even now, it was one, and it's not classified or whatever, I just got a hold of it today and it's not classified again because, as you all know, I can't share sensitive information. Uh, there was an assessment by the US in the Pentagon, you know, about Britain. If you guys follow me on Twitter @DavidOualaalou, you see me, I, I put the stuff there. So just make sure you follow me on Twitter and you see it. Basically what the statement, what the assessment said is that the UK military is so weak it won't be able to defend its own Yeah, despite what you hear, and I know this for a fact, you know, despite what you hear, and this is why I'm seeing when something like this comes up, then you're seeing NATO embarking on a trajectory that's leading to the creation of another conflict, this time in Asia. Makes me put the big question mark and, and, and put my geo, uh, geo, geopolitical analyst hat on and think about, okay, where are they approaching this from, why, and who's going to be involved? Yes, the argument is about containing China and North Korea. Well, hold on a second. If you are to contain North Korea, why didn't you contain North Korea 10 years ago? You know, and you know the answer to this, guys. Is because North Korea has the nukes. We don't want to admit to it, we don't want to accept it. And again, it's not classified if you know where to look. Usually you won't find this in a public domain, you have to know where to— but North Korea has the nuclear weapons. This is why since the early '90s, since Bill Clinton was in the admin— the president, the conversation back then was about How are we going to deal with North Korea? You can't attack North Korea. You got to be crazy to do so, especially when you have 54,000 soldiers within range of North Korea's medium-range missiles in South Korea. Do you think North Korea is going to be worrying about human loss? Let's just— stated the way it is. And yet NATO is ratcheting up the argument of how, because North Korea is providing weapons to Russia, and how we can contain China. Well, let me tell you a hard truth. If there is any politician from Washington watching this, but usually they won't because I don't fit the narrative, let me tell you something, guys. Is that it's too late for the containment of China. Straightforward. Give you two examples. The two examples are space, yeah, and microchips. What happened in space a year and a half ago? China launched the parts to build its own because of the bill that was passed in Congress in 2017, if I'm not mistaken, or even— no, no, before that, when Barack Obama used to be president, the Congress passed a bill preventing Chinese from entering into the ISS, the International Space Station. What did China do a year and a half ago? Prepared to start launching the modules. And what just happened? They completed Now China has its own space station. The second part is the microchips. What are we doing now? We're now pushing South Korea and, and the Netherlands. I did a video on it. Once again, for the American audience, they're not going to understand what I'm talking about. You know, I don't mean it in a degrading way. No, no, no, no, no. All I mean is that that's not subject they're gonna comprehend to put the pieces together of it. It's because they're spending more of their time watching basketball and football and silly stuff, kitties playing, and, and what do you expect? The microchip. What did China end up doing? And again, to those who argue that I talk bad about America or it's nonsense, You have— whoever this person is— you have no clue what I have done for this country. See that stuff behind me there? If you only know the history of it, because that's the weak argument. And to me, anybody with a weak argument is not worth my time or energy. And you will do us a favor if you are not on this channel at all. Because we moving up, not down, intellectually. This is again why I like interacting with you, because I want to learn from you. You have to teach me something as well. It go to both ways. So the microchip, what the US is doing, pulling TSMC— I know some say TSMK, there is an argument over it. To those who— man, I saw some comments about this a lot on the other channel. We call it here in the US TSMC because the C is a reference to the corporation. It's Taiwan Semiconductor Company. So we don't spell it with the K, we spell it with the C. That's why we say TSMC. So, but it won't matter anyway. So the US pulling TSMC or K, whatever you want to call it, to Arizona. Does the company understand what is embarking on? And all this is aimed at preventing the, the, the shipment of the microchip technology, whatever, to China. What, what did China do? Went ahead and built its own, the 5 nanometers. And I did a video on it, guys. So And again, if he was able to build 5 nanometers, what do you think will prevent China from building 4 nanometers or 3 nanometers? It's just a matter of time. And this is why I'm saying the containment of China, it's too late for the US, because China has learned throughout the history from what happened to the Soviet Union back then. And if you are a student of history, you will know that it's how the economy was set up— excuse me— how the economy was set up in the Soviet Union versus how it is or was in China. This is where I see the disconnect among those who couldn't understand or see or interpret the trends. And again, that's where I see my role and responsibility to share this with you, because I want to make it as clear as possible for you to see that connection. I will not reach a conclusion for you, I'll tell you straightforward, because you are independent. You can think, you can reach your own conclusion, and I will respect your opinion. That's why, that's why I read your comments. There are those who say, well, why are you spending time reading comments? That's my respect for you. Yes, it takes me for you times to do this. It's worth it. That's my way of saying to you how— or showing you how much I respect you. Of course you come across some silly comments, but what do you do? You just forgive. You just forgive. So that's what I see it going. So, so this is the reason why I wanted to come on the air and share this with you because you need to. You're gonna be seeing more conversation now, starting as a matter of fact, uh, on Saturday. You're gonna be seeing or hearing more conversation about NATO's expansion in Asia, not by establishing a military base. No, no, no, no, no. The establishment will be through some changes to the agreements already made in countries like Philippines like South Korea, like Japan. And again, I am wondering what will the Japanese people do when Japan's, uh, society is aging, population is aging beyond. Young Japanese people do not want to have kids, you know. That's why I said once, uh, I'm surprised that Japan opened up the immigration policy. You know, for the Philippines, uh, you know, I'm, I'm like left to wonder now, is the Philippines a sovereign state? Because it was a former colony of the US, you know, still with some here in Washington or here in the US still looking Philippines under the lenses of colonialism. But if Marcos Jr. One over all the way to China. Was that just a window dressing? Was he true to his word as to when he told the President Xi Jinping that they are willing to talk about resolving the miscommunication or misunderstanding about the South China Sea? Makes you just wonder. So, so, so this is what I see the importance of understanding uh, where the trend is headed with, with especially with NATO. And again, like I said last time, uh, if I am to put my geopolitical analyst hat, I would start to put the term, is NATO becoming a security threat? Because Europe— and by the way, I did see, uh, one question way at the beginning, I'm gonna get up to it right now. If I can get to it here. Yeah, the question was from previous, before I logged off, because I had to log off and, and get to the new one. Anyway, the question was what's going on with Europe. I, I forget the name of the person who put this in. So, so what's going on with Europe? Well, let me just tell you briefly what's going on with Europe. Europe is weak politically. I mean, I'm sure And Jack, you, you can, you, you can confirm what I'm going to be saying. Jack Robert, that is, because you will know the demonstrations that's taking place right now in England on a massive scale. You know, even university lecturer are demonstrating on the street. The last thing I read was about 300,000 people descended to the street. The assessment that the Pentagon, which was which was done without the British knowledge, that they give the assessment how weak the British army is. And yet Britain wants to send or consider sending the Apache helicopter, Apache helicopters to Ukraine. There's even some crazy talk right now about Ukraine asking for F-35s. You know, is the president comedian Zelensky delusional? Because the common question that comes after this will be, well, who's going to fly these planes? If we put our pilots, that's a clear— that's a clear declaration of war against the Russians. Do you think Russians going to be like, oh, let's talk to the Americans and tell them not to do that? So that's why you put the tanks within perspective. And this is where I see the concern. Yes, I will use the term concern about this move by Secretary— by a NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. You know, you all heard about Sweden. Now it's not going to be in NATO because Turkey is not going to allow it. Finland is reconsidering. Well, duh, it makes perfect sense. Both countries, both Nordic states, Sweden and Finland, have lived— and I said this before— have lived with the Soviet Union back then and Russia for over 50 years in peace at the height of the Cold War. So when you think about what's going on in Europe, Europe is weak politically. The leaders are useless. They have no grasp. They are just some sort of a form of nationalists. That's all they think about, the political career. And yet putting the European citizens in a dire strait, in economic struggle. Britain is your case right now, even though Britain is not a, a EU member. And you'll think, what's going on with Europe? Europe, Europe has— like I always say, you know, I, I know I've said this before and I will repeat it. Europe is like a child that never grows up and is always in constant need and discipline from its parent. But also there is a strategic move as to why we wanted to keep Europe the way it is. We created, uh, when NATO— basically NATO is US When the issue was created in Ukraine, it wasn't about the stability of Europe, it was about access to natural gas. It's because we didn't want Germany to get closer to Russia, Germany being the most advanced economy in Europe. That is the reason why. Well, let me tell you, something is coming up and I'm gonna release a video for you. I'll give you a heads up, uh, The video that I just did for you guys, and I will release it soon, it has to do with another area where natural gas now is abundant— the Mediterranean Sea. Now you see why Europe went ahead and wanted to cut a deal with Egypt. I argued this to one of my clients back then in 2016. I said, if your company wants to get in, you know, I'm a consultant, as you— I'm sure you noticed the link that I do, uh, and I do consult on the geopolitical aspects but also tied to economics and finance. Basically, I will advise companies whether to invest their $60 million in a project or not based on my understanding of geopolitical landscape, the security concerns and whether what lies ahead within next 5, 10 years, geopolitically speaking. So, and back then, 2016, I argued that if you want to get on, on this, you need to get on, on it now, because that country, Egypt in this case, with access to the Mediterranean natural gas, it can play a role of shipping gas from the Mediterranean through Egypt into Europe, will cost far less. But access to gas also can create geopolitical tensions because in the Mediterranean you have 3 other countries that have claim to that. As much as a matter of fact, 4. You got Lebanon, you got Israel, Egypt, and Cyprus. Turkey to a degree. So, and that's again why I need to understand this dynamics and for why personally with the just to go back to the last point about Finland and Sweden, I am convinced that they were pressured to do so because there is chaos in Sweden right now. There is chaos in Finland, economically speaking, not socially. No, I've been in Helsinki, I've been in Stockholm, wonderful people, nice country, very peaceful, very quiet, and so forth. But Economically, they're going some other directions that's going to backfire on them. So, so this is where I see, uh, things going now for Asia. Just for me to wrap this up before I open it for your questions, and I'll answer a few questions for you, uh, the way I see it moving forward is that, uh, you're gonna start seeing within 2-3 months some major changes to the military apparatus within countries like Philippines, like Japan, like South Korea. The other members of ASEAN, you take example of Singapore, nah, they keeping a, a foot back. Indonesia, Malaysia, no. Laos, Cambodia, all of them. Thailand, no, it's not going to work. Even though I do believe that the US will try to convince Thailand from behind the scenes, but it won't work. It won't work. And the interesting aspects of it is that because Japan, Japan was told to embark on this initiative by visiting the 5 members of the G7. Because like I mentioned in the video before, Japan will be hosting the summit in, in May of the G7. Basically, that was another way for, or another, uh, alternative, that is, to the US when they sort of include countries from Asia, it won't be because the US did it, but rather because Japan initiates that. But at the same time, the common logical question will become, who's gonna forget the atrocities of Japan? You know, it just— you can't erase that history. You can't. You know, most countries in Asia— and I'm already starting to see the signs of the pushback from ASEAN countries towards what Japan is doing, except for Philippines. Philippines still have, uh, uh, one foot on each side of the fence, because Philippines— if you know anything about Philippines, uh, Marcos Jr. has no power. Basically, it's the military that controlled the process. And that is where my concern with Philippines and So let me see if you have any questions, and I am, uh, I'm gonna answer some of your questions here. Uh, all right, if you will be kind, just put questions so I know, uh, that is question, and I will be happy to answer it for you. Russian hold the US without contempt. And I know the YouTube is, uh Uh, oh yeah, thank you, Jack Robert. Jack Robert is confirming here, 100,000 people from the government civil service went down too. Yeah, indeed, it is, it is very, very problematic as to what's going on in England. So, all right, let me see if there is question. I got a question, uh, Wander Us. Yes. So the question is, uh, I got a question. Why people like you don't run pres— don't run presidents? You are more qualified for the president of US than any, any one of this. Do you mean president? No. And in case if you are, no, I, I won't fit in in Washington, and I'll share it with you guys. I was asked to run for Congress and I just shook my head. Even with the good intentions, believe it or not, with the good intentions, you'll end up being corrupted within 8 months or so. Just, it's like, think of Congress like a club. So if you want to, uh, uh, be part of the club, you have to do what the club policies are, you know. And I am not willing to do that because I won't be able to sleep. I won't be able to sleep if I know that I have misled one of my constituents who voted for me. This is what I do in my teaching my students, and I'll share it with you. When I come home after I teach at the university, before I go to bed, I'll ask myself, you know, one key question. And the key question is, have I given all I have for my students today? Meaning, have I given 110% effort to my students for them to learn? Because if I am there just to stand and read the slides to them, it's useless. It's useless. I'm doing them a disservice. It's the same thing when I was asked to run. And the person who asked me is a good friend of mine, uh, and he said, you know, we'll take care of the finances and all that. And I said no. I'm not for sale, and, and it's not for me. It's not for me because the system is corrupted to the core. That's, that's why I will not run. So, uh, okay, uh, to run for public office requires a lot of money. That's true. And, and, and guess who do you have to thank this for? The US Supreme Court on its decision in 2010. That's why I say Supreme Court of the US is as corrupted as other institutions. You will think in America we have three separate branches. And by the way, I'm gonna do a course about the structure of US government privately, not on here, but I'll let you know when the time comes. So Supreme Court went ahead and argued that no, no, no, no, no, no, giving money the equivalency of speech, because speech, the freedom of speech doesn't take the form just of words. It can take a form of symbols, it can take a form of money. So those people who are giving money, that's basically expressing their freedom of speech. Well, okay, if I am to understand that argument, why aren't you not limiting the amount of money? Because when you have millionaires putting money, the average Joe or average Jane has no chance. So where is the, where is the, uh, the, the right for that individual who doesn't have the pockets for his or her concerns to be addressed in Congress that is supposed to address the welfare of Americans? Because most Americans do not understand, or any other country for that matter, that representatives in Congress are there on our behalf. In other words, they work for us, not the other way around. So thanks to the— you're absolutely correct, you need a lot of money here. Why? Again, that decision of the Supreme Court which allow unlimited amount of funding to go into political. And there is another kicker to this, is that the donors' names will remain anonymous. Now, if this is not a form of corruption, I don't know what is. So that's why I'm gonna do that course about— and I teach government, so, uh, I kind of have an understanding of what this is all about. Uh, all right, let me see if there are any other questions. I, I kind of scroll down. And, uh, Yan Hokor, thank you for your question. Are the Solomon Islands also another hotspot in the Asia Pacific for potential conflict. The Solomon Islands, yes, because they pushed back against what the US or Australia— for that, you remember when Australia sent their so-called advisers, you know, uh, uh, if, if there is anything, uh, if Solomon Islands will be pushed to cave in, it's going to be just for the purpose of using its territory as logistical hub. Solomon Islands not gonna get involved in anything, but I don't think so they will. So I don't see them doing that one. So, uh, so I don't— I'll see it more with the Philippines than I'll see it with Solomon Islands. Uh, okay, let me see. Oh, That's, that's a funny one here. Uh, Azhar Idris, you said, oh my gosh, some blue-collar people watching this, what a laugh. That's, that's a good one. So all right, let me see, uh, I'll, I'll do about 2 more questions, guys, and I'm gonna sign off here. So let me go back and, uh, okay, uh I had to go all the way. So, all right, question from David K. Uh, David, what about Pakistan? Pardon me. How much is CIA supported chaos? What happens to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal if Pakistan fractures, fractures into separate states? That is an interesting— I spent some times in that neighborhood, so Uh, there's a lot to be said about that one. We could have a whole live stream just about that. I don't know if you guys heard about the bomb, suicide bombing that just took place in Peshawar yesterday. So, and usually Pakistan, it's an interesting, uh, country for how the intricacies within the society, uh, uh, how it works. The government, when you hear the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, it's almost, I feel, uh, not I feel, but it is the truth, has no, no, no power. Who does have power in Pakistan is the ISI, the Inter-Service Intelligence. Well, the ISI works directly with the US, both Department of Defense and CIA. So we do approve, believe it or not, behind closed doors, who the next general of the army is going to be. Because general of the army has more say than a guy in the Air Force, uh, uh, uh, in Pakistan. So the current one, I don't know if he's still there or not, General Bajwa. Well, Bajwa, yeah, which by the way, he has some property, real estate in England. You know, how can a general like that acquire real estate Funny enough that most of the Pakistani leadership, some of them who got involved in corruption, end up fleeing to England. So it looks like England is the hub. Uh, so General Bajwa had a confrontation with Imran Khan, and the Imran Khan, uh, tensions with Bajwa was about who the next director is going to be. Remember, in ISI you have to have the military officer. In the other service, you You have to have a civilian guy. It's like for us here in the US, Department of Defense used to be run by a civilian, not a military. If you want to have it run by a military, Congress will have to approve that, which we did, except that the person who's going to serve will have to retire from the military. This is why we have the 4-star general, General Lloyd Austin, who by the way sits on the board of, uh, north of Graman, or— I'm sorry, Rethian. So, so in Pakistan, ISI, if the PM, the prime minister, does not get along with the ISI, he will be toast. And this is exactly what happened to Imran Khan. In his case also, there is another aspects to it, and the other aspect has to do with him publicly turning down the United States, not allowing the US to establish a military installation on Pakistani soil for the US to use drones over Afghanistan. So he said no, and that's why they toppled him. And, and, and you all know the rest of it. So, so just FYI, for Pakistan, it's a very, very intricate and complicated country, uh, to understand it. But I must tell you, as one who's been around, I enjoyed eating prata. If any Pakistani here will know what I'm talking about. So let me do two more questions, guys, and I'm gonna leave, uh, signed off here. Uh, uh, thank you, David Oualaalou. David K, you are most welcome. Rana Austin, yes. Yeah, that's, that's about it. So I thought it will be another one more question, but, uh, uh Oh, question from Jack Robert. I just saw it, and, and I'll do one more after these guys and I'll sign off here. Jack Robert's question: how is the Indo-Pacific policy affecting Africa? That's an interesting question, uh, Jack. And the reason I say it's, it's interesting because I did two other videos for you guys. That's why I, I I am working on resetting the schedule for it on YouTube. And I'll tell you, I'll share it with you. I did one about the naval exercises coming up in South Africa, and I did another one about the Treasury— US Treasury Secretary tour in Africa for 10 days. All this is part of, okay, if we are not going to influence what's going on in Asia, we better focus on Africa also, because Russia and China expansion in Africa is growing. So Basically, the way I see it is that the Indo-Pacific, which I found it very interesting, you take 3 countries, not 3 countries, 2 countries and 1 entity. The 2 countries are Canada and the US. The 1 entity is NATO. Well, of course, when you say NATO, you say the US, you know. And if you read their strategic report, all of them, it's almost not word for word, but the content is similar. All we— and I'm paraphrasing here— all we have to do is to devote our focus on the Indo-Pacific and cement the West's presence there to counter China. You know, I looked at the, uh, the report by Canada, which, by the way, Canada is going to devote about $115 billion or something something like that, uh, the US strategic, uh, uh, uh, report by the Pentagon, which is strategy towards the, the Pacific, and NATO, which was released last year. So they're all of them aiming at that. And this is why— and I'm glad you brought this up, uh, Jack— this is why I'm saying you have to, all of you guys, you have to look at— you don't just focus on, well, the Secretary of NATO is in Asia, that's it. You have to look at the other parts that can form that big picture, and the other parts are the indications from, for example, the like of Canada, you know, with their strategic report, then the Pentagon, of course, and so forth. All an indication for what lies ahead. And this is why you can ask— you, you, you can think about it in terms of, okay, if they are doing this, is Philippines And Japan's going to be at the front because that's what it's going to be, you know. Because here's the thing, if you think there is a conflict, who do you think is going to be at the front line? Americans? I don't think so. I don't think so. So, so yeah, because they are trying— actually, the US and West, whatever collective West, if you trying to play both sides, and they won't be able to manage that. They can't be focusing their strategy on the Indo-Pacific and at the same time focusing on Africa. They can't do that. That's like fighting a war. Can the US fight two-front wars? No way. No way. And the challenge for in Africa is that most African countries are like, you know, we, we can't sort of trust the US anymore because All of a sudden we're showing up in Africa. We weren't there some 15, 20 years. As a matter of fact, US foreign policy towards Africa, it's just a rumble, no more, no less, just gibberish. Because all we want Africa for is its resources. And you look at throughout the history, this is why African now are kicking the French out in Burkina Faso. By the end of this month, French troops will be out of the country completely. You know, and this is why I don't see, uh, I don't see the collective West will be able to manage two front, uh, two fronts, uh, militarily, ideologically, whatever way you want to call it. So the either this or that, but even though I am leaning more towards the Indo-Pacific than towards Africa, because that's where— because remember, East or Asia for that matter The wealth has already shifted from the West to the East. Asia is the economic hub of the world, and the new multipolar system is based on economic blocks, not directed or based on ideology anymore. That's why a country like Japan and a country like South Korea, and to a degree a country like, uh, Philippines, we really have to take a step back and reconsider What are they doing? You know, Filipino people or Japanese people or South Korean people, uh, it's a, you know, I'm not a citizen of this country, so I can't, but I can only talk about what I can see and observe and understand as to where I see the whole thing is going. So, all right, one more question and I'm gonna call it off because I gotta go. Do some other stuff I need to do. Okay, uh, why— okay, yeah, I don't see anything here, so— oh, oh, question quick here from Cho. I hope I pronounce it correctly. Do you think Imran Khan will come back? Uh, it's hard to tell at this point. But I don't see that happening. The reason being because then a new person who was elected in Punjab, some sort of from a different party, and that usually gives an indication. Maybe later on, because the system in Pakistan is slightly different. That doesn't mean Imran Khan cannot come back unless he is neutralized, which that's the history in that country. Or remember what happened to Benazir Bhutto. You know, sad reality, but the possibility is there. So, so, well, I am gonna want to say thank you for being patient with me because the, the sound system didn't work first and we had to log off and log back in. So I truly appreciate you coming on here, join me for this conversation. It's wonderful to exchange ideas with you guys. So, and again, I am learning from you as much as you guys learning from me, and that's the whole objective of it all. So like I said, uh, just be on a lookout for the new format, and starting on Monday, I believe— and it won't matter because I will be releasing the videos— and that's where I would like for you guys to put your questions in the comment section, and we'll address them. I am also going to do some changes to the members and, and the supporters and all that. I'm I'll— you'll, you'll hear about all this from me because that's the reason why they're supporting the channel to begin with. So you're gonna have to be fair and also, uh, do something for the members. And, and I am very, very grateful to all of you, so it means a lot. So I wish you guys a good, uh, good day, good evening, whatever, uh, whatever part of the world you're in. And truly, truly appreciate you taking the time to join me. Till next time, guys, and And as always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys. Bye-bye.
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