Saudi Arabia Joins SCO! Another Big Blow to the US!!

Hello everybody and welcome to Geo Political Trends live stream. So good to be with you as always. Well, we got an interesting topic to talk about today. So first of all, I want to make sure that you guys can hear me. If you can just type on a chat room that you are hearing me here. So I want to make sure, uh, yeah, then we're gonna be chatting about all this today. So, uh, let's, let's start first of all with Uh, I'd like to thank the members as always for their continued support. So, uh, we, uh, we set up a, a Q&A for the members, so, uh, nobody showed up, but maybe next time you guys can, uh, uh, we'll do it again next week. Thank you so much, Yan, because I had to try to make sure that everybody can hear me. So Uh, like I said, uh, I will be doing this for the, the members on Q&A just for them because it's only fair and right. It's the right thing to do. Uh, and, and, uh, once in a while I will, I will be doing, but I'm still going to be doing live stream for you all. So, so I just want to thank everybody out. So here is what we're going to be talking about today, just to put things in perspective, the talking points we're going to be covering. We're going to be talking about the SCO, this Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Why does it matter? You know, how significant now is for Saudi Arabia to join that organization? And the third element, or third question, that we're going to be just discussing here is the geo-economic and strategic implications of this. That is how very, very crucial and important that is. But so before I'll do all this, like I always do, guys, with you, you all know I'm gonna be doing a quick tour around the world just to highlight to you where things are so you know what's going on. So let me share some images with you here so you know what— here we go. This one has to do with the governor, you want to call her president, you know, governor, president of Taiwan, Tsai. She's in New York and she's gonna be— she's passing through the US for for a 10-day trip to Latin America. So, but it's going to make stop in LA. And the concern now with her is that, uh, the Speaker of the House, uh, McCarthy, says that he might be meeting with her. China has already issued a warning for that because it's problematic. So the second thing that I want to share with you has to do with this, which is not a surprise to me because I did a video for you guys about this. If you go back about 4 months ago or so, I did a video and talked about this exact thing, that now China is ready to work with Russia militarily, and the US, the US has admit now that it can't. Yeah, it can't fight, uh, uh, two countries at the same time. So this is what I'm seeing, why the tension in the Taiwan Strait for. We're just ratcheting up the tensions. Like, for example, the, the Speaker of the House, who is third in line for the presidency, meeting with the Governor Tsai or President Tsai, whatever title you want to use. You're entitled to, uh, uh, use whatever you feel comfortable with. So I feel comfortable with using the term governor because that's how I see looking at the, the whole situation. The, a lot— the other thing that I want to share with you here has to do with None other than— and you guys gets it right— Brazil. Brazil and China now decided to dump the US dollar because they reached an agreement to abandon the US dollar altogether in their bilateral trade. And once again, and I tweeted on it, if you guys take a look at my— if you follow me on Twitter, uh, I'm @D Oualaalou, you can just check it out there. Uh, to me, that's the writing on the wall. It's as clear as daylight, you know. It's just for us in the West, in the US here— I can't speak for the West entirely— but for us here in the US, we are in denial of this reality. And this is exactly what is happening. And that's why I decided to come on the air today to talk to you about the significance of the big picture of this SEO and why so Saudi Arabia is joining that one. But before I'll do this, like I always like to take a look quickly, see who are you— where— I'm sorry, where are you joining me from? I always like to— oh, I just saw, here he is, uh, Hailey. No, no, no, not this one. Here, here he is. Here you are. Hi, Hailey. Hailey is a channel member here, so I want to say hi, hi to you. So thank you so much for your continued support. Uh, let me, uh, as I said, if you can, uh, Johan Kor, here he is. Johan Kor, thank you very much for, for being here. So, uh, yeah, if you get a chance just to type in— hi, Jack Robert, good to see you as always. Hello to you as well. Um, if you can just type in quickly where you joining me from. Ronald from, uh, London. Good to have you here as always. I appreciate it. So, all right, let me move on here because we got a lot to cover, and I still have to give you guys the health segment tip, you know. Well, the health tip for today had nothing to do with spices. It has to do with sleep. Yeah, you might take sleep for, for granted. Don't, because of the importance of it. Well, here is few, you know, we can't spend too much time on this. I just highlight to you, and I'll tell you guys based on my own experience, I go to bed at about 2100 hours. I don't stay up late anymore. You know, I'm not in my 20s. I used to be in my 20s a few decades ago. So I go to bed at 9 o'clock, 9 PM, you know, and I'm up at 0530, 06 somewhere. Well, why is sleep important? It is important because it helps with learning and formation of a long-term memory. That's why I pride myself— I'm not bragging here, but I pride myself in having a good memory because I remember names. That's why all the viewers, you guys, when you— I remember your name. So, and not getting enough sleep, you know, or not enough high-quality sleep can really lead to problems, uh, especially when it comes down to memory and thinking and so forth. You know, some of the issues that, uh, have Scientists found correlation between lack of sleep and health diseases, whatever. They found, for example, coronary heart disease that is linked to sort of disrupted sleep and not enough sleep, high blood pressure, obesity, of course, and strokes. So all those are elements to just for you to— I don't know your lifestyle, I don't know whatever you do, so Sleeping is very important. Young people usually used to say, well, I don't need sleep, I can operate or function on 3 hours. Doesn't matter what your age, your body still need about 8 hours of sleep, non-interrupted sleep. So, all right, let's move on to our topic because we need to cover a lot of stuff here. Uh, so Shanghai Cooperation Organization, known as SCO, so Uh, what is it? Because yeah, we have to provide just brief definition here. So it's an Euro, uh, Euro-Asian political, economic, and international security and defense organization. You know, it is the world largest— here is the key important about it— the world largest organization in terms of geography scope. Why? You know, geography and population. Why? Because it's covering about give or take about 60% of the area of Euro-Asia. That's how crucial that is. Then you think about the population, you're looking at a 40%, okay? Then you look at about its contribution to the global GDP, which is about 30%. So now you put the dots together, like I always say, guys, big picture. You put the dots together why Saudi Arabia agreed, the government that is approved for, for Saudi Arabia to join, uh, ACO. And by the way, it's not official. In other words, it's not a full member yet. And I'm gonna tell you how the process works for you to understand, but you have to look at the big picture with those numbers that I just gave you. Just imagine adding Saudi Arabia with its energy production. And what it will do. So, but here is the thing we all learn, especially in academia, as scholars will talk about the idea that history often operates silently, but history also strikes unnoticed, unexpectedly, like this event here. So, and the journey of those 6 countries, the 6 member countries of the SCO. Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Greekistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. I've been in Uzbekistan, I'm very familiar with Tashkent. So, uh, I, I have not visited the other countries there, so, but that's what it is. And why it is also known, believe it or not, I'm going to share something with you that in the international, uh, uh, uh, relations scholars. We sometimes use the term, is referred to as the orphans of the Cold War. Yeah, that's a terminology you won't hear much, but it is there. If you, you know, with academia, that's part of how sometimes it's referred to. But it's relatively quiet. You don't hear a lot about SCO, but it's steady. That is one of the key about the SCO. So, so the Five Group, the historical part of it was established in 1996, on April, if I'm not mistaken, April 1996, uh, back then with the signing of the Treaty of Deepening Military Trust in a border region in Shanghai. That's why you're reading the headlines about Saudis joining SCO, and there is one other expression that comes right after that headed by China, because China takes the lead on this, uh, on the, on the SCO. So, and in July 2015, and it was in Russia, in, uh, Ufa, Ufa in, in Russia, that's where the SCO decided to admit India and Pakistan as a full member. And there is a reason for that. And I'm going to share all this with you. On, on, uh, on June 2017, our summit at Astana, India and Pakistan officially joined ACU as a full member, which is exactly what's going to be happening to Saudi Arabia. For now, Saudi Arabia is just, uh, an observer, an observer, uh, uh, uh, player or a member. Then they're going to move into the, uh, full-time, uh, full membership, rather. So, and here is the important— here is the important geopolitical that I need you to understand, the important geopolitical, uh, uh, role, if I may use the term. When you look at the terrain of Euroasia and how it is, here is the important aspects of it. And the aspect is that for 3 decades Okay, you go back, and I did a little research when— not little— when I was writing the Russian book, I used to have to look at that part of the world and its connection to Russia and how it works geopolitically. So Central Asia, Central Asia has had a front row seat, believe it or not, for the rise and the fall of empires. That is why any empire throughout history that was able to expand its power had to do with Central Asia. If you are able to control Central Asia, you will be able to control other parts. If you lose control over Central Asia, it's over. This is why the US now is trying to push back against certain countries in that part of the world. So, because it just— it was a Secretary of State trip to if I'm not mistaken, Kazakhstan recently. So, so in 1991, of course, the Soviet, uh, the former Soviet republics in the region seceded one by one after the fall of the USSR, which we all know. And what that happened after that, it created a bulwark of newly independent states, and that sealing the end of the Cold War. That is why that, that region is so crucial. So, and what happened after 2001? Because you're gonna have to, uh, you're gonna have to always think in terms of, uh, uh, history. It's very crucial. This is one thing we are very, very bad, and I say it, I don't shy away from— we are— we— when I say we, I'm referring to us in the West, in general term, a poor reader of history. We are poor readers. We don't read history very well. It's because we never learn from it. You look just what's happening now with our— with the United States foreign policy. You will think we will learn from the lessons of history, but we're not committing the same mistake over and over. So, so what happened is that, uh, uh After 2001, the Central Asia became an arena for the US War on Terror. Remember? And this witnessing the firsthand limits of US power in the ultimately failure of occupying Afghanistan. That is where the issue is. Well, today, today those 5 countries, the 5 permanent— the members that established what it's known in the, in the, uh, in the, uh, literature as the Five Stans, because they all have that. Uh, for example, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, you know, are the first to now contend with the new era of anarchic geopolitical competition. Yeah, which is basically— it has replaced the old era because remember the world was divided into East and West, you know, the old era of the unchecked US hyperpower. You know, that time has changed. And even if you go back further to the 19th century, so, and what do you look for at the 19th century? It was known as the Great Game because that's what it is. Yeah, it's known as the Great Game. That's what it was. Uh, what's his name? Uh, he passed away. The former National Security Advisor Brzezinski, he did talk about this one at some point back then when they make the fatal mistake by going against the Soviet Union back then, led to Afghanistan, the, the, the Soviets being in Afghanistan. And just turned the US upside down. It's, it's, uh, but anyway, the Great Game of the dominance between Russia and Britain, and we're talking about 19th century here. So, and that's when the region, the Central Asia that is, witnessed what we call the seesawing fortunes of one hegemon after another. Now you see why I said any great power that has emerged that either rose or fall or failed for that matter, you know, any of them. You can rise and you can fail without ensuring the, the, I won't say the control of the Central Asia, but the role it plays into, into itself. And this leads me to now talk about the idea of why it is important to understand the role now Saudi Arabia is going to be doing. And by the way, just to highlight to you, there is one— I did some research on this this morning, uh, to make sure, uh, that there is— how SCO is divided now is between the permanent members, okay? Then you get the military personnel for it, okay? Like for example, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Then you got observer states like Afghanistan, believe it or not, uh, Belarus, Iran, which by the way Iran became a full member, and Mongolia. So I'm thinking, by the way, about doing a video about Mongolia. There's something going on there. Then there is a dialogue partner, uh, entries. You have Armenia, uh, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, here it is, and Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. That is why it's very, very important to understand. So from this stage on, the Saudis could switch— well, it's not they could, they will, you know. But that's not about that, it's about the geo-economic and geostrategic impact of something like this. And all this is aligned with where the world is shifting to. Moving from a unipolar to a multipolar. But what does Saudis bring to the table? You know, they bring massive access to energy. You know, Saudis sits on about 260 billion barrels of oil. So then you take into consideration China's BRI, the Belt and Road Initiative. Where does it cross? I wish I would have picked up a map for you guys to see the And I have one somewhere in my, you know, I wish I— anyway, I forgot. Uh, if you think about the— in terms of why China is doing what it's doing as far as BRI and why Central Asia is very crucial, you know, you all remember last time when it was some almost clashes, military clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Russians sent the military to settle the issue, and it was settled. You know, this is the same argument, and I keep repeating this because of how important that is. Is the same argument that I always make about China and India. They need to work out their differences as being a member of BRICS. They need to work out their differences regarding the border in Ladakh. That's, that's— they can't, they can't hide away from that. They can't keep pushing the can down the road. They have to sit down like mature adults and resolve that issue once for all, because if that division still exists, that tension still exists, BRICS will not be able to move at a full potential. It's no different than SCO, but SCO doesn't have this kind of tensions. Now, to put this in perspective for you again, You always, as I said, see the big picture. And the big picture is Iran became a full member of the SCO. What does Iran known for? You all know, massive energy. Iran sits on about 202— yeah, 202 billion barrels of oil, uh, and about 34, if I'm not mistaken, 34 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. So now you add Saudi Arabia to the SCO, you can just see, you know, economically speaking, because the organization without Saudi Arabia, without Iran contribution yet, it's already contributing at about 30% of global GDP. That is what I want you to understand, the implication of the geo-economic and geostrategic aspects of this. Because again, this kind of stuff, this kind of, uh, acquisition or involvement or admission into entities doesn't happen in a vacuum. And by the way, and, and I'm gonna bring your name in, Jack, here, because Jack mentioned to me in one of the comments, uh, which logical argument, Jack, you know, it happened too fast. No, it did not, guys. This has been talked about back, back last year in December when President Xi Jinping went to Saudi Arabia. That's when the conversation went. The Saudis stayed mum about it, quiet. And Saudis tends to do certain things quietly, like for example when they decide to move with the Chinese currency, dumping the US dollar and using the Chinese currency in their bilateral trade. They didn't say a word about it. They were quiet. It's no different. So that decision was made back then. This is no different than what you're gonna be hearing comes, uh, May— in May, which is 2, 3 months from now— March, April, May— 2 months from now, you know, when South Africa holds the, uh, the, uh, uh BRICS summit. That's when they're gonna be announcing the admission of some countries. And I will wait till that time before I— I, I don't want to spoil the surprise for you. So, so that is the reason why. So, so Saudis have already talked about that. But again, let's go back to our conversation about the geo-economic and geostrategic of the importance of this. And mind you, all this where SCO is located, the, the, the, uh geography of it, you know, hold that area of Central Asia. It's so crucial because it will impact Southwest Asia, and it will impact, as a matter of fact, the whole Asia for that matter. And given the rising tensions that exist, most Asian nations, especially now— and I've, uh, and I'm verifying one information for you guys, and if I confirm it, I might do a video on it. And it has to do with ASEAN. Yeah, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN are discussing behind closed doors dumping the US dollar from their trade because Singapore has been leading the charge quietly. And Singapore is very concerned about what— yes, Singapore has, uh, one of its ports that allows the 7th Fleet, US, to go fuel and all that stuff, which is nothing wrong with that. Hey, that, that's their country, they can do whatever. But Singapore is being very, very, very careful and very tactical into how to proceed when it comes down to all this. So that's the whole idea of why now the importance of, uh, Saudi Arabia joining SCO. Of course, what's going to be coming out of Washington, uh, mainly not from London, not from Frankfurt, Paris. Paris has his own problems, as you may know, which, by the way, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, demonstrations are not letting up. That's why I'm, I'm seeing different trajectory for all this. This is going to lead to something else. And I have family I talk to anyway. So the idea, what you're going to be hearing from Washington now is that no, no, no, no, no, no, no, there is nothing wrong with the US-Saudi relations. Everything is fine. And this, the Saudi joining SCO, it's normal. They still have the strong— they, Saudi Arabia and US, still have the strong ties. This is according to some analysis that's going to be coming up soon. To the purpose of it. You know what's the purpose of it? Is to reduce the impact, to minimize how important this development is, because this is a big blow to the United States, and let alone coming from a staunch ally like Saudi Arabia, you know. And as I said, what's going to be breaking The straw that's going to be breaking the camel's back in this case, it will be when Saudis officially— yes, I repeat this— officially dump the US dollar from all energy transactions around the world. In other words, if you, Country A, wants to buy oil from Saudi Arabia, you pay in another currency beside the dollar. And that is where I see the really major challenges that lie ahead as these things move forward. So Saudis were very strategic in their decision to, uh, to decide, okay, let's agree first of all to becoming part of SCO because also we don't want to be left behind when that train of the multipolar system leaves the station. That is why. So, and, and no matter what you hear, no matter what you're going to be reading, assuming you follow up on, on, and you read on this stuff, you're going to be hearing, oh, the relations between US and Saudi Arabia is fine, there is nothing to worry about, they can do this. That's not true. That's not true. They, entities, think tanks, the government in Washington trying to minimize the impact of something like this. It's like what just happened now with Brazil and China. We're going to be thinking in terms now, okay, how can we pressure now Brazil not to move forward with such thing? But it's fait accompli. They are moving forward whether we like it or not. Not just them, meaning Brazil, is the entire world. Certain countries, of course, Europeans are the last to even do anything. Europe is so weak. Like I always say, it's like a child that never grows up and is always in need of directions and— in directions and also discipline. Yeah, because it, it just still shock me how European leaders couldn't see where things are headed. And speaking of European, there are those who argue that no, in France they could just, uh, uh, uh, uh, what, what's the word, rebalance their budgets and so forth. But that's not about that. It's about where the money is being spent. And where the money is spent, it's sent to Ukraine. And where, where is the, the change in Ukraine anyway? You look at certain areas in Ukraine are gone, like Bakhmut, for example. It's gone. And as a matter of fact, yesterday, if I'm not mistaken, yesterday the president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was giving a speech at the Austrian Parliament. Everybody— not everybody, I'll take this back, I'm sorry, not everybody— half of the members of the parliament walked out. In protest of this guy has nothing to offer, has nothing to say, and is coming to beg for more money. For what? Because more and more countries, slowly but surely, they are starting to see where this is headed. So, so that is the whole idea of needing to understand, uh, where this development is headed. And this is why Saudis made a calculation, a strategic one, Because Saudis also, I mean, let's, let's, uh, call a spade a spade. Uh, what do Saudis have to offer the global economy if it weren't for energy? You know, there's nothing there. If it weren't for energy, we won't even be talking about Saudi Arabia. Now that's just a fact. You know, I'm not putting the country down, I'm not pointing fingers, whatever. I'm just stating the facts. If it weren't for oil, we won't be talking about Saudi Arabia at all. So, but the contribution they're going to be making now to SCO moving forward, especially in that part of the world, Central Asia is very crucial, has always been throughout history. And as I mentioned to you here, go back to 19th century and just see what has happened back then and who was able to manage sort of— I won't say control over the world, it just influence, if I may use the term. Because of Central Asia, and that's where I see it going. So, uh, that is why I wanted to come over in the air. I'm gonna check the, uh, topic of the ASEAN to make sure, and if it is, that's gonna be very a seismic change also. Most countries are in Asia, that is, except Philippines. I'm now— that question mark, uh, uh, that I've placed on the Philippines, uh, soon I'm gonna have to not put that question mark anymore because it's becoming evident. And what am I referring to here? I'm referring to Philippines granting 4 more bases to the United States recently. So apparently it's becoming a little bit clear to me that Marcos Jr. is unable to stand on his feet and ensure the prosperity of the Filipino people. Because if I am to put my geopolitical analyst hat on and tell you what could lie ahead for Philippines if he moved forward with its policies of opening its territory, China could shut down the trade with the Philippines. And look no further than what just happened, or what, what has happened in Australia. You know, Aussies— and I had some, by the way, Some of, uh, my viewers here from Australia sent me some comments. Thank you so much for that. I truly appreciate it. And the, uh, oh, let me say thank you to, oh, Africa Caribbean. I want to say thank you for your super, super sticker. Let me put you up here so I'll put you on the screen here. Here you are, uh, Africa Caribbean. Thank you very much. I appreciate your super sticker. So And this is where the idea of understanding those dynamics, where they are headed. So once again, the whole objective, at least for me, for why I decided to do this here, guys, is because I want you to be aware. We're a community, we're learning from each other, because that's how it's supposed to work. That's how it's supposed to work. So, and you need to always put things in perspective and, and connect the dots by understanding. So So the way I see it now, with Philippines embarking on this, with Japan, uh, recent statement by the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, uh, they issuing the three, uh, documents about the strategy, strategic documents they called, I forget the name of it, uh, but anyway, I had a chance to read it, but Japan is also being pushed into that direction. But we all know Japan, uh, doesn't have that kind of, uh, uh, uh, ability to say no. So that's where I see it going. So ASEAN countries, yeah, they're gonna be, uh, they're gonna be thinking twice. And this to me is a sign for where— because the way you're gonna interpret this is on twofolds. One, on an economic aspect, and the second, on geopolitical aspect. On the economic aspect is The message that is sending is we want to strengthen the relations within the association using our own currency. This way we don't have to rely on the transfers or the, the, uh, the, uh, the conversion of the, uh, uh, currency through the US dollar. That's one. On the geopolitical aspect, is sending a message to the US that we don't want to be part of this new, uh, uh, uh Asia-Pacific strategy for the West, for the United States, that is. Because interesting enough, that a statement came from Washington saying that this new strategy in Pacific region requires— get this, guys— the— requires the support of allies. Yeah, you just have to read between the lines. And right there, the wording is basically suggesting that you, allies, going to have to be part of this. We will drag you into this. That is how I see it. So, so I'm gonna— as I said, I am waiting on confirming certain information, and once I do, then I'll, I'll, I'll decide whether I do a video on it for you or not. So be on a lookout for, uh, there's a video coming up soon about, uh Again, uh, Saudi Arabia and China regarding some deals regarding the, uh, energy. Very, very, very interesting. I am not surprised at it because, uh, I was— this might surprise you guys, uh, part of this I was aware of it back in 2016. And even further than when I was still in Washington. So, so just be on the lookout for that. All right, I'm done talking here because if I don't have anything of substance, I shut my mouth. That's my rule. So let me go back and check on some of your questions and we'll just go from there. All right, let me go all the way back here, uh, if see if there is any question here. Okay, I couldn't read this one here. Uh, yeah, Crazy Madman, where, where— this is New Ireland. I, I couldn't— if you can please— oh, for saying what? Yeah, if you can please say, uh, hey, Amsterdam, of course, you know. Uh, hey, I never, I never shared this with you or anybody here. I have family in Holland, so, uh, in different locations. Without disclosing that. So they are in different locations. So, so I'm very familiar with the, with Amsterdam. So, uh, let me see if there's any question here. Uh, who's this? Jan Haukhor. Yes, I will agree, sleep is very, very important, and I'm speaking from experience. You know, back in the military, you know, I used to go— when I used to live in Washington, by the way, I used to go to bed at 8 30 PM, but I'd be up at about, uh, 4:45, 5 in the morning, do my physical routine stuff, training, and before I head out to the office. But back then, sleep is very important, very— I, I can't, I can't sort of, uh, uh, suggest that enough. I highly, highly recommend you really allocate sleep time. Keep your phone away from your bedroom. Yeah, because the emission of radiation and, and, and turn any light— darkness is good for your sleep because that's where your body rejuvenates itself. All right, let me see here for a few for question, and if not, I'm gonna— oh, uh, uh, Gigi, thank you so much for your kind words. Hi, Dr. O, I love your channel. All the best to you from Singapore. Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it. And by the way, guys, while I'm thinking about it, you remember when I said last time about that person that, uh, on, uh, you know, not to beat the dead horse here, but it's sending— send the comment and apologized? I really respect that person. I truly do, because it takes strength to say I'm sorry. I truly— I tip my hat to you. I truly respect the person. You know, some of us think there's this ego thing when we make— when we do wrong, we can't say I'm sorry. That's why— this is why I like you guys, all of you. It's because this is the type of community we want to have. And that is why my objective of growing this channel— and I am even thinking once this channel grew a little bit bigger I might end up doing some other very different creative stuff for interaction besides just lives. So that's what I'm thinking. So, so I just want to say to that particular individual, thank you so much, and I truly appreciate you for that. So, all right, let me see, uh, all right, I want to say thank you to Esu. Thank you so much for your super sticker. I truly appreciate it. Uh, hi Boone! Boone is, is— Boone is a member on both channels. I truly appreciate his support as always. So question from Boone: how could Philippines say no to US? There are many army bases there. You're absolutely correct, but at the same time, Marcos Jr. will have to think about the welfare of the average citizen. This is where always my big concern, you know, as politician One will have to think about the— you can be, you can be a politician, go to bed and not knowing that you gave 110%. To me, that just— you don't serve any purpose whatsoever because now you put in your welfare first before that of your constituents. That's how I used to look at it, and I still look at it when I teach, you know, at the university with my students. The moment I enter the room, the classroom that is, the welfare of my students come first. And I will challenge anybody because that's how. And I did challenge an administration from one other university that I used to work for without naming names here when they want to shortchange the welfare of my students. And I said, no, I won't have it. And I will quit. And they thought I was bluffing, and I said, I don't bluff, because that students, maybe 20 years from today, they will remember, said, yeah, I remember that Dr. O, he stood for something for our welfare. It's the same thing with politicians, and politicians don't seem to really put this in front of their eyes to realize that's what their job is. Is to serve their constituents. So Marcos will have to think— Marcos Jr., that is— will have to think hard about where his loyalty lies. That's the bottom line to it. So, oh, Brandon, I want to say thank you. Brandon Seattle, thank you so much for your super sticker. I truly appreciate it. Thank you so much. All right, let me do one more run here and I'm gonna head out here because I have to go, uh, prepare some other videos for you guys and also prepare, uh, for, uh, rather confirm some information that I did before. So, so let me see here, uh, oh, Boon! Here's Boon. Question, uh, what would your strategy suggest for small countries that are between the superpowers, you know. Well, superpowers don't have to line up with one another. You stay neutral. Of course you look after your own interest. In the case of like ASEAN countries, you know, you look at— I'll give the example of Singapore, you know. I'll give the example of, uh, Indonesia to a degree, Malaysia to a degree as well, Cambodia to a degree. I mean, do you hear anything about Cambodia opening its territory for US military bases? No, it's because they kind of made it clear. Because a savvy politician, one who has an in-depth understanding of what diplomacy is all about, what global affairs are all about, we know how to negotiate those kind of, uh, aspects. So Philippines, to me, Marcos Jr., you know, I don't know him personally, of course, But I don't know how savvy is he in understanding how to translate the global dynamics that's taking place. Because when he was running, and I know his family background, when his dad, uh, even before when Corazon Aquino used to be back, back, I was back then, I was like, you know, I still remember. So, but when he won the election, my first word was I wonder how Marcos Jr. is gonna now balance two opposite ends, because it's like, you know, you have the wealth, the economic welfare of your nation, and you have the security of your nation. You're gonna have to figure it out because you're running for office. You know, being a president, it's not just a title, it's a responsibility. If you are not apt to the task don't do it. Simple as it is, you know. This is why I kind of like straightforward. If you don't, uh, uh, if you don't hold that responsibility, uh, sort of, uh, religiously, that is, then don't do it. So he's gonna have to figure out. But just to, to me, and I speak for myself, Boone, for me, I'm starting to see in the signs that, that question mark, I'm gonna have to remove it. About on the Philippines that— because I'm starting to see more and more it's leaning towards the US side, and I can only see the consequences that's going to be happening for, for them. So, well, once again, guys, I want to thank you all for your, uh, super stickers, for your support. And, uh, let me see here. Oh, Ramzi, where is Ramzi? I gotta see Ramzi here because I like to display your name here, Ramzi. Ramzi on the screen. Ramzi Abdurrahman, thank you so much. And I don't know where you're joining me from, Ramzi, so I want to say thank you so much for your Super Sticker. It means a lot and I truly appreciate it. So to all of you guys, so I wish you a good day. And who's to say, maybe I might do another live stream on Saturday, not sure yet, uh, but I have to go verify some other information on other videos that I'm working on for next week. It takes me time to research and confirm the information. I just want you to know that. I wish you guys a good day, and as always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys. Bye-bye.