Turkey Applies to Join BRICS!

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Excited to be with you as always, and I'm feeling better because I'm still drinking a lot of ginger with lemon, uh, lemon honey ginger and tea, of course green tea. So feels better. So it took me 48 hours to get over this stuff. So anyway, very excited to be with you. Got an interesting topic. I know it happened a few days ago. Again, I was aware of this development because I was overseas, but I couldn't do that, so I decided to wait till I get back home and, and address the issues here from here, uh, once I, you know, put together my own analysis and all that. So what today's topic is about: Turkey applying for to join BRICS. You know, the first question that had to come to your mind is, you know, is BRICS now open to NATO members? That is the first question you're gonna have to ask yourself. So first, let me— before we delve into all this, let me just say hi to everybody. Uh, Coach, good to see you. One KC, Timeline Dunkley, Yan Hakor, Ahmed City, Laval, good to see you. Laval, salut à tous, meaning he's speaking French here. Hi to everybody. Uh, who else? Alexi Rose, good to see you. Willie Homan, as always. Elisa Lewis from JB, Great Britain. Antonio Alexander. Brianna Olivia, good to see you. And UTU Zuper, good to see you. Dragon Boss, good to see you as always. So, so let me guys start with the, uh, with the questions. Because that's the key one we're gonna have to think in terms of why all of a sudden Turkey is of interest. I know there are some mainstream media in the West saying, oh, the West ain't concerned about it, NATO ain't concerned about it. No, no, they are livid about it, the US, the EU, and NATO. Well, when I say NATO, I'm referring to the US. So they are livid about it because Turkey now, this is the second time that did something against NATO altogether. Do you guys know what the first one was? Can anybody type in, in the chat box? It happened in about 2016 or so. Major thing that everybody was like, what? So now Turkey is doing the second one. So, so here's the question. First question: what's really at the heart of this decision? Turkey. So second question: is this Turkey's way of giving the, uh, middle finger to the EU. You all know the history there, right? Third question: what about NATO's disunity from within? Because this is a reflection of that. So, and I'm going to share with you, uh, some, uh, quote from some representatives in the EU and NATO and the US saying in a subtle way We are pissed at what Turkey is doing. Uh, let me, let me first see your answer if you guys get that one quickly. Oh, oh, Risky Boy, you got it! Karakulak, you got it! The purchase of the S-400 missile system, the Russian one, because that one goes in the opposite to what NATO standard. And the S-400 missile systems, by the way, if is able to— because the radar associated with that is able to pinpoint exactly the locations of the F-16s, that NATO standard. So that's the first one. So second one now is Turkey moving forward into all this. So, and this is what we're gonna be— I'm gonna be addressing today for you here. And by the way, guys, just prepare some question or two towards the end because I would like to answer some of your questions today. So I'm gonna do that. So here's the thing, uh, early September of this month, you know, uh, it was an individual by the name Yuriy Oshakov. Let me share a picture with you. I got some, a few pictures for you guys because I did the research on this for the last few days. So here's Yuriy Oshakov. Yuriy Oshakov is the vice president of Russia, that's one. And second, he's the chair country of BRICS. So what did he say? He said, and I quote, Turkey had applied for full membership and that BRICS countries would consider Ankara's request, end of quote. This is very major. The fact that Russia is going to be hosting, as you know, next month in October, uh, uh, and I'll try to cover that for you even though I am not going to be at home at that time, so I'll be in Asia, uh, uh, is going to be hosting the summit. So the timing of it is very, very interesting. And this is why you are looking at now NATO, uh, uh, NATO member Turkey that is now, while is still a NATO member, is now going to be in an alliance, a different one, that is headed by China and Russia. I mean, just, it, it's the message is loud and clear. But also you have to understand the background of all this, and that's exactly what I am going to get into this. So, so the statements came ahead, as I mentioned, of, uh, uh, the, uh, Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan participation in BRICS summit in Kazan in October. He's already confirmed that he will be attending that one. And he also announced previously his intention to join— here is the key, guy— the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or the SCO. What does he tell you right there? Where the shift is headed, and that Turkey doesn't want to be left behind given its strategic location, its role. Because the West will never— mark my word on this— no matter what happened They will never give up on Turkey, a very crucial location where Turkey is. So, so if, if you look at the, uh, I think I have one of the old maps here, if I may show it here. Yeah, right there. Look at where Turkey is, right dead center between the East and the West. So the West will be in no position to, to, to give it up. And this is where part of where the information about this one here. So, but the— and to understand, in that this discussion about Turkey's possible membership, uh, uh, to BRICS, it came on the background or on the heel of two main things. One is that the US, uh, intentions— no confirmation has been made yet— US intentions to authorize Ukraine to use striking, to use, to strike deep inside Russia. He was just thinking. As a matter of fact, Washington now is reluctant to move forward with that. Why? Because if Ukraine does that, it will be using NATO long-range weapons. There is a Shadow— it's called the Shadow missile, which is a joint venture between France and the UK. And those missiles are long-range and will be able to reach Moscow from Ukraine. So which means what? If that to move forward, that's going to bring now the two nuclear powers, Russia and China, Russia and the US— I'm sorry— into a confrontation. The second one has to do with the US preparation for war against China, you know, because there is no, no, no sugarcoating over that. We don't know where the planning is headed towards Asia. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Asia, to be ahead of that and warn about the possibility of the war. So because now the intense, uh, the relations is intensifying between, uh, on both ends, technological, trade, and of course because of the escalation of war, uh, mindset or thinking that is on part of the West. So, so, and under this kind of circumstances, you are left with to wonder, is Turkey trying to get ahead of it? Most likely the case, because remember, NATO— uh, Turkey is a NATO member. If NATO gets involved into any tensions with either or, or both, meaning Russia, China, or both, uh, and, and forced by NATO to participate or send troops or whatever, you know, you are a NATO member. So again, I, I'm sure Turkey could refuse that. But there is this, uh, big question mark on that, and this is why they are thinking ahead. They— Turkey, in this case, thinking ahead of, you know what, we better get in into BRICS before it's too late. For the record, guys, Turkey has yet to make an official statement. Official. There is no official statement from Ankara yet. On its, uh, on its possession, uh, uh, or application, that is to join BRICS. So, and that is very, very important. I had a chance to read an article by a name— by an author by the name Baris Demir. Very, very interesting and really spot on. And that is one of the— also, I'm reacting to that article as well. So, well, you need to understand that, uh, uh, uh, Turkey is thinking in terms of, uh, two main things: geopolitics and economics. This is the driving, the main driving force or element or reasons for why you want to go ahead with this one. So, so what the statements from the spokesperson for the president, Erdogan, that is, said, and I quote, our request on this issue is clear. This process is underway, meaning the process of joining BRICS, but there is no concrete developments in this regard, end of quote. So in other words, they just didn't want to move forward publicly till everything is in place, which is usually the smart thing to do. You don't want to put, uh, uh, uh, uh, all your eggs in one basket, as the saying goes. So Now it behooves us to know a little bit about, uh, uh, BRICS. I once again, guys, I don't assume everybody knows. I mean, you ask people here in the US what is BRICS, they'll, they'll be looking at you like you're speaking some foreign language. They won't even know what BRICS stands for. So, so I don't assume, and I like to just share the knowledge with you. So let's talk about the, uh, how BRICS came about. So the conversion of BRICS from an idea. It was just an idea way back in the early 2000s, you know. And this was coined by, uh, by, uh, by, uh, uh, in Goldman Sachs papers, in two papers. They were two white papers, uh, meaning analysis, that is, written by Goldman Sachs in early 2000s. And that's where the term BRIC— it was BRIC, it wasn't BRICS, it was BRIC, B-R-I-C. Started. So, uh, and this is where— when the meeting took place at that time between the leaders of China, Russia, and India. And who was representing those countries? And I have a picture of you for you guys here. So I would like you to participate in this conversation here. Now you tell me who this individual is. You should know. Let me see in the chat box if you guys can type in. Yeah, you wouldn't know, you don't know. That was a major figure. Uh, that is correct. Casual Walk, Hu Jun Tao, uh, Balance 88. Hey, by the way, I'm gonna have to give you a warning here, Balance 88. Please be respectful of the community, okay? So that is Hu Jintao, of course. Then you have— because that was the first meeting that took place between, as I said, China, Russia, and India. So Hu Jintao represented, uh, China, and it was, it was Mamohan Singh that represented India at that time. Okay, then of course it was the Russian president, the current president Vladimir Putin, who represented Russia at that time. So those three, they met, uh, uh, they were— that's why it was just BRICS at that time. So, and they met on the margins of the 2008 Group of Eight. Remember, you all remember the Group of Eight at that time? Because Russia was part of the G8, because it was G8, wasn't G7. And the meeting at that place took in, uh, place in St. Petersburg. In Russia, that is. Of course, what happened in 2014 when Russia took over Crimea, the G8 moved from G8 into G7, meaning they expelled Russia out of that. But it won't matter for that because we're not talking about that one here. So, so the following year, meaning the year of 2008, the following year, the first summit of BRICS countries, uh, excluding South Africa, because South Africa wasn't part took place in Russia in 2010. In 2010, at the foreign ministers meeting, the initial 4 agreed to invite African nation by the name of South Africa. This is why it became— that why you say the— why you see the letter S in BRICS, that stands for South Africa. So I just brief wanted to, uh, uh, highlight this to you. So, so the idea of BRICS of course, the original members— Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa— has its short existence rapidly now expanded beyond the economics. Now it's expanded into diplomatic activities. This is what's important, advocating now for a much global role and a voice, economic one, that is, and in the security forums as well. Of its members. And now only we are realizing that BRICS is also moving on the financial aspects as well. So, so the member countries now, all of them collectively, uh, they share a desire for the world to move according, uh, to a much larger role for BRICS countries, and rightly so. In other words, they don't want the rest of the world to be dominated by the West. And time has come for that. So, and this is why you are seeing now the, uh, BRICS, uh, you know, to my knowledge now there are about plus over 30 countries, uh, have expressed interest in joining BRICS. And here is the interesting thing about when, uh, his name is Jim O'Neill. Jim O'Neill used to work at that time for, uh, Goldman Sachs. He was an analyst then. He's the one who coined the term BRIC— Brazil, Russia, India, and China— at that time. Back then, he argued, yeah, and he described that those four economies at that time— Brazil, Russia, India, and China— I do put question mark on India because its economy is not where— but back then, it was the conversation that those four economies, if the growth of those four economies is maintained You know what's going to be happening? They're going to dominate the global economy by 2050. That was back then when Jim O'Neill made the, the assertion. Now I say it's going to be before 2050, only in one condition: if this growth of those economies are on the same pace. Well, of course, where China is economically versus where India is economically are different. Where India is economically versus where Russia is economically is different. Where China is economically versus South Africa is different. So you got the idea. But nonetheless, that was the thinking at that time, and now it seems to be moving into that direction. This is why you are seeing BRICS now going into that direction, with why Turkey decided we better get on it right now because Turkey is also seeing what some Middle Eastern countries are doing, the likes of Iran, the likes of Saudi Arabia, the likes of United Arab Emirates, uh, in, in North Africa, Egypt for example, and they don't want to be left behind. And it's smart move, that is. So, so now we're gonna, as I mentioned earlier, you're gonna have to think about this application from Turkey's perspective based on two main aspects. One is geopolitical calculations and the other one is economics. So I'm gonna detail for you the geopolitical aspect, and I'll also detail to a degree the economic aspects, and, and, and we'll conclude this one here with answering some of your questions. So first of all, here is one key question, and I'm gonna ask you guys, you know, How would you, how would you categorize the relationship between the US and Turkey in one word or two words? So how would you categorize it in one word, the relationship between the US? Uh, fragile. Okay. Uh, subservient. I have to disagree on that, Hamad Sidi. I disagree with you, but good, good. At least, you know, I'm, I'm glad you expressed that one, but, but I, I don't see Again, my opinion. I don't see it that way. Jane Wan, two-faced. Okay, from each, uh, actually I was looking for one keyword and someone answered it right here, right here, guys. Yeah, transactionary. That is correct. The relationship between the US and Turkey is transactional, no more, no less. Turkey has no love for the Americans. And the Americans have no love for the Turkish— for the Turks. When I say Turks and Americans, governments, that's what I mean. So it's transactional, and you need to understand the importance of that to put it in perspective. So, because here's the thing, if you think about Turkey being a member of NATO, okay? And by the way, what year did NATO— did Turkey join NATO? Once again, just to get you in the conversation, guys. I like you to participate in the conversation. Why year did Turkey join NATO? And it was a reason why it was at that time. Uh, Karakolak, 1952. That is correct. Why is that important? Because it was right at the heart, at the beginning almost, of that division between the East and the West. And when you look at the map When you look at the map, and I'm going to bring it back up here for you guys to see, when you look at the map where Turkey is, that will be the decisive location that's going to really create that, that wall, if I may use the term, between the East and, and the West. Of course, the wall was in Berlin, as we found out later on, but for Turkey's possession makes perfect sense. And this is why the whole extension, the invitation rather, to Turkey was very early on, 1952. That's how early it goes back. So, and of course Turkey was also, uh, joined the Council of Europe, uh, since 1949. So it's almost like Turkey wanted to be affiliated with Europe, but Europe keeps kicking it back or kicking it out. As we found out with the EU, the European Union, uh, you all know how long Turkey been dragged into giving the lip service, oh, you will join, uh, the EU in due time. EU had no intentions of admitting Turkey, and I don't know why Turkey sort of kept, uh, uh, hoping for something that is like a mirage. Why? So, but anyway, That's their decision. So, and as I mentioned, Turkey is a longstanding candidate of the EU, you know. That just to me is pathetic that Turkey is still thinking that the EU is going to let it in. So, so, and what happened with all this is at that time when this happened, the former US ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake— Jeff Flake was a senator from Uh, he was a Republican from, uh, Arizona, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, Arizona, if I'm not mistaken. So, and he was nominated, by the way, by Biden, uh, to be ambassador in 2021, if I'm not mistaken, to Turkey, because he was a member of— they call them the Gang of Eight. Uh, those are senators that had to sign some immigration deal for Democrats and so forth. So anyway, as a reward, uh, they appointed him to, uh, to Turkey as ambassador. But anyway, what he said was that in an interview in June, recently, you know, that he hoped Turkey— and I quote here— would not join BRICS, and that he, meaning Flakes, believed Ankara was firmly anchored in the West. End of quote. So what the language is said, uh, it's being stated, uh, or uttered by Western officials or representatives, whatever you want to call them, versus the reality suggests to you how livid, how livid the West is about Turkey now. That's why they didn't do it officially yet and publicly, and yet Turkey had to move forward into all this. And of course, these statements What's beneath it is the two main key issues is that Turkey purchased the S-400 missile systems from Russia, and the third thorny issue is the US support for the Kurds, which I will address, uh, to you in, in a second here. That is very problematic for Turkey. So, so approximately Because here is what a lot of people do not know about the makeup of the Turkish society, or for the Kurds in general, which we've been giving them lip service. I had a chance to spend about, I think, 2 weeks in Kurdistan. It was when I was still in the government, uh, in Washington, and I stayed at the— in, in Erbil, which is the capital of the Kurds, overlooking the mountains from Iran and so forth. Uh, nice place, laid back, very different than, than when you go to Baghdad or you go to Mosul and so forth. Uh, the Kurds, they have their own, uh, sort of flavor, uh, of, of, of Iraq, but they never wanted to be affiliated with Iraq. They always wanted to be as a Kurds. So, well, when you think about 32 million Kurds, 32 million Kurds in a whole region, when you take, uh, when you take the Middle East or West Asia, that is, I'm talking the whole region, there are about 32 million Kurds, but they are scattered. So primarily they are in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. And the Kurds comprise about one-fifth— here is the key— one-fifth of Turkey's population, or 79 million. You can see why Ankara, when it comes down to the Kurds, they have no love for that. So because of one particular party, and the party is called the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which was established by none other than this guy here. His name is Abdullah Öcalan. I was very familiar with his background and, and story when I was in DC, of course. This is, uh, you know, he's been jailed and he's in jail, I guess, still. Uh, Abdullah Oğalan. Now, Oğalan or Abdullah, what he did in 1978 has waged an insurgency war against the Turkish authorities. And why is that? For cultural and political rights inside Turkey. And of course, he had another objective in mind, and that objective is to establish an independent Kurdish state, which we have been giving lip service to the Kurds. You all remember what happened when Saddam attacked the Kurds. What did we tell the Kurds? Oh, we will protect you. Yeah, we had a no-fly zone for a period of time and we kind of let it go. And this is why the conflict that the PKK against the Turkish has led to about 40,000 deaths at that time. So when you look at Abdullah Öcalan himself, this individual here When you look at him himself, you know, Öcalan is known also, by the way, as Apple. Uh, he's now considered the political prisoner. Turkey doesn't see it that way, of course. And founding member of the, of the group Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK. Of course, the, the Turkey considered this party as a militant. So Öcalan, here is the interesting thing, Öcalan was not based in Turkey, which can was he based on? In? Let me just see your knowledge here on that. To those who are familiar with this particular issue, any idea which country he was based on or based in? I'm sorry, where was he based for a period of time? Karakulak, indeed, in Syria. He was in Syria. This is why you realized recently when the civil war in Syria got in and, and all the tensions between Russia and Turkey, okay, they worked out their differences. But just to highlight to you why, because the Turks wanted to target the Kurds in the north of, of Syria. That's what it is. So Öcalan was based in Syria from 1979 to 1998. And he helped found the PKK. And that's why I'm saying that led to the conflict of 1984 between the Kurds, Kurdish and Turkish, uh, uh, forces. So, and from that, from that time forward, they've been considered as a militant group. So, and, uh, uh, of course, Syria provided the sanctuary to PKK until late 1990s. And after being forced to leave Syria, Abdullah Öcalan was kidnapped and abducted by the intelligence services of the Turks in Nairobi, Kenya. That's where he was kidnapped. So in 1999, that's when he was kidnapped and of course imprisoned in Imrali Island. This Imrali Island is in Marmara sea. To those who are familiar with the geography, here is where the Sea of Marmara— it's called Marmara. Look how where Istanbul is, uh, that's Turkey on that side, Turkey on this side, and the Sea of Marmara. That's where he, uh, uh, of course, after a trial, he was sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code. However, interesting enough that the Turks didn't want to move forward with it. Uh, what they end up doing, it's, uh, uh, uh, because this penal code has to do with the formation of armed organization. However, the Ankara higher, uh, highest court made a decision to commute, uh, uh, his sentence to aggravated life imprisonment, which may be even worse. So And when Turkey abolished— because Turkey abolished death penalty, that's why he was, uh, so— and from 1999 until 2009, he was the sole— this is key, guys— the sole prisoner in Imrali Prison at the Sea of Marmara, uh, where he is still being held. So very, very fascinating, and again, very interesting for you to understand this background. Because without understanding the background, it won't make sense to you. Of course, for us, we using the Kurds as pressure point on Turkey. And this is why, if you all remember 2016, when the failed coup in Turkey— who, who do you think, and now who do you think was behind that coup? There are those who saying that it was Öcalan, uh, not Öcalan, the, uh, uh I forgot his name. He's, uh, he's, he resides right now in Pennsylvania. His, uh, uh, yeah, I forgot his name. He'll come to me. He wasn't— he was— the coup was orchestrated by NATO, the US. So, and it was a failed coup, and that's where the Turks sort of imprisoned so many, including some military, officers. So, all right, this is from the geopolitical aspect that you need to understand the ins and outs of all this. Now, if we look at Turkey's approach to this application, we also have to consider the economic aspect. Why is this important? The aspect— the economic aspect can start with the first thing, and the first thing is the financial aspect, where the world is moving into financially as far as the dollar. Okay, BRICS is aiming now— BRICS is determined to drop the dollar completely from all its transactions. Turkey wanted to embark on that. Why? For fear of— to avoid sanctions, basically, by the US. Because even if the US will impose sanctions on Turkey, Turkey won't care because they're gonna still transact in other currency beside the dollar. As a matter of fact, we did— pardon me— we did impose sanctions on Turkey when they bought the S-400 missile system by cutting them off from the training of the F-35 program. And I was very aware of this because I used to go to a location where we had the F-35s doing the testing and all that stuff. So this is why the, the Turks went ahead and, and sort of pivot to a degree as far as the purchase of weapons from, uh, from, uh, Russia. As a matter of fact, I just find out now, uh, Egypt, Egypt, Egypt now is interested in buying J-10, uh, fighter jets from China. They wanted to upgrade all their naval, their, uh, their, uh,, uh, um, fighter jets. So, uh, which is significant when you consider the— because Egypt still flying the F-15s. Who flies F-15s anymore? They do have some F-16s, but it's not much. So what Egypt is saying, heck with it, we're gonna move with purchasing from China. And how is that going to now change the balance of power? Because you need to consider Egypt is also part of BRICS. Could Turkey be thinking in those terms as well? The possibility is there. But NATO understand you cannot let Turkey go because it will be bad news for NATO because of Turkey's strategic locations. So from an economic perspective, you're gonna have also to think about it that way, that when you consider the changes to the financial, uh, glo— uh, to the global financial market and where things are headed, Turkey is calculating and saying, no, no, no, no, no, we can't be stuck with the West or depending on the West when the rest of the Global South is moving into that direction. And when you consider the population of BRICS, the GDP of BRICS, the numbers speak for themselves. And Turkey is smart enough to see between the two. Of course Turkey is going to be playing both sides. Now, do you blame them? Same thing India does. Do you blame them? No, I won't, I won't, because in the world of geopolitics you're gonna have to think about your national strategic interest. Simple as that. So, but the key thing we need to, to, uh, consider or ask is the same arguments that Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, made when he said, and I quote, 'The United States, if I recall correctly, has suggested that BRICS membership is incompatible with NATO affiliation,' end of quote. What do you think the reason Lavrov said this is? To highlight to the West how useless their statements are, because now you have a NATO member that is wanting to join BRICS. And that leads me to what I said at the beginning: is NATO open for membership in BRICS? Oh, I'm sorry, is BRICS open for NATO members to join in BRICS? It's bad news. This is where I use that third question, remember, at the beginning about the disunity inside NATO, because it does exist. My recent trip to Eastern Europe and the conversations that I have with people, you know, countries already, two main countries, uh, one of them is Hungary, that expressed they will not support NATO in case they go with some crazy thing by allowing Ukraine to target Russia. Because they know what they mean in Hungary, knows what Russia is going to do. And they said, we're not getting involved. Yeah, we are a NATO member. So what? Now there are those who are saying, well, maybe Hungary should leave NATO altogether. Yeah, the positive. I don't know what the procedure is. I do know, for example, in the case of the UK, when it left the EU, it was a nasty divorce, if I may use the term. Uh, but now some are saying we wish we didn't leave. Whatever. EU is useless. NATO is useless. And Turkey could be in those positions that, yeah, it's a NATO member, but they're going to say, no, we're not getting involved, you deal with it. So, well, here is what a representative from the EU stated. The European Commission stated, and I quote, a representative from the European Commission was more direct, stating that Turkey must understand that moving towards the European Union is incomparable with joining BRICS and vice versa. Uh, EU candidates are required to align with the unified foreign and security policy, which implies that Turkey would need to join anti-Russia sanctions if it wishes to pursue 'EU membership,' end of quote. That's— if this is not a lip service, I don't know what is, guys. I don't know what is, because that's what it is. They've been giving lip service to Turkey for 3 decades now. And Turkey, to me, I mean, why didn't they take a stand and say, 'Fuck you, we don't need you, we don't want you'? Because it's almost like they begging the EU to join the EU. And they— you're just giving them some. And when you consider this, and I'm going to give you a counterargument to this by statements by, uh, Mr. Lavrov. Lavrov said, and I quote, the growing number of countries expressing interest in cooperating with the association, meaning BRICS, now exceeds 30. This truly reflects the multipolar nature of the global landscape, end of quote. This is what Turkey is hedging its bet on. You know, you're looking at larger economies in BRICS, you're looking at a Global South, all of it wants to move into that direction financially and trade and so forth. And you're looking at Turkey itself does not want to lose or does not want to be left without a piece of the pie, if I may use the term. So now Turkey is aware of what the US is doing. Another word, the use of the Kurdish nationalist forces, the YPG, you know, as its proxy force in the war for regime change, because that's what took place in 2011. In Syria, remember? So yeah, and this is why I was convinced back then, because I remember I was, uh, contacted by a TV station to do an interview about the coup, and I said, no, uh, this is not about the cleric, the Turkish cleric who lives in Pennsylvania. I forgot his name, guys, uh, if you remember, not Ojalal, anyway. Uh, I said no, it's NATO. And by the way, it was NATO that backed the attempt coup on July 15th, 2016. So, and, and you know, you know why Erdoğan end up buying the S-400 missile system? Because that was his response to the failed coup. That was his way of punishing NATO. So he went ahead and purchased that from the Russians despite the objection of the Russia— of, of the, of the Americans. So, and that's, that's part of where these dynamics are to be, uh, you have to understand this dynamics. So, so the other aspect has to do with the energy. While we're talking about economic briefly here, energy aspect, very crucial. Why is this? When you look at the map, uh, and I don't know Uh, maybe I should— Luf had a map for you guys to see this one, but nonetheless, it's not a big deal. Uh, when you look at the map here— yeah, it won't show up here, guys, not this one. But anyway, uh, I'm, I'm right here in the Mediterranean, in Mediterranean area. There were a massive gas field that have been discovered, okay? As a matter of fact, it was supposed to be a joint venture between Israel and Turkey regarding a gas pipeline. And the idea was, you know, because I, I know this because remember, I, I do consulting also for some entities. And when I was asked about where do you see this going, Dr. O, and I said, well, it's going to be in one way and one way only. If only Turkey and Israel can join forces and build a pipeline that's going to bring gas from the Mediterranean through Turkey, deliver it to Europe in case something happens with Russia. And that's exactly what end up happening. Now that the Europeans do not get any gas from Russia, Turkey is the wild card. This is why European have reached out to Algeria, asking Algeria. This is why Morocco went ahead and built a gas pipeline between Nigeria, I believe, from Nigeria all the way through Morocco, because the objective is to send it to Europe. Turkey is right there when you look at the map. And this is why the key to the BRI also, because the pipelines that's coming out of, out of Siberia, the joint venture between Russia and China, one of them is going to go to China and the other one's going to go to Turkey to deliver stuff to Europe. So, and that was the argument. So Turkey is thinking in terms of pre-possessing in itself, knowing full well that the shift of the geopolitical landscape has already— it's, it's a done deal, okay? It's done. There is no unipolar anymore, it's a multipolar order. And the economic aspects, as far as having Iran and Saudi Arabia, two main OPEC players and producers, already shifted their, their, their exports to two main countries or consumers, China and India, but mainly China, you know. Then in addition to Russia being also an OPEC+ member and a major oil producer, it's no-brainer. Turkey is thinking in terms of what Turkey now is going to have to be concerned about. Is what's going to be happening with the, you know, emergence of certain conflicts on its borders. That's what I see coming. Yeah, that's what I see coming. And, and we've seen the playbook of this. It's nothing new. This is— we all know how we— the American government— when I say American is government— how we operate regarding this. But, and this is one of the reasons why also Turkey wanted to consider joining the SCO as well, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. So, so they are seeing where things are headed. They are seeing, and of course, given what the, uh, the, the recent tensions in, uh, in the Red Sea and so forth, and Israel with the, with the Lebanon, and, you know, it's kind of, uh, it's no-brainer. It's no-brainer. So they are moving forward. Uh, it's just a matter of them making the application. This is a picture, by the way, an old picture from the meeting, uh, the summit rather, in South Africa. And if, uh, I— if you notice, uh, Recep Erdoğan was there, is right here near Modi, standing there. So that tells me the conversation has already been there, and, uh, it's just a fait accompli now that's, uh, moving forward with that one. So this is where I see it. So, all right guys, I am going to answer some of your questions, but I need to give you an update about the Asia trip. Uh, I want to let you know, here is where we are as far as fundraising. We are short about $1,500. Now here is the issue, guys. Uh, the issue is, uh, I have to have this completed by the 30th of this month. Otherwise, after that, it will be useless, if I may use the term. So, so to— once, once again, of course, I have to say thank you to all those who've been supporting the channels, to all those who've been supporting Asia trip. It is coming closer. I am waiting on finalizing this, this last leg of the fundraising here for $1,500. That's all it is, you know. I don't need more than that because that's what everything is capped. Uh, of course I'll break down everything once I am traveling and coming back, and you all know where the expenditure has been spent on, because that's how I do things. Transparency is very, very important. I still have to disagree with this person who said, uh, Dr. Oualaalou, you don't need to stay in a 5-star hotel. I don't have no intentions whatsoever of staying in a 5-star hotel. So, uh, uh, to those— let me just, uh, share the link with you here. For, uh, and by the way, once this trip is completed, whatever, I'm gonna take down this link here because it will be no trip to Asia. I'll— if I do Asia next time, whatever, that'll have to be on, on, on my own time per se. But I am thinking about some other locations around the world, and, and we'll talk about this one in due time. For now, that's where the focus is, is on the Asia trip. So once again, I just want to share for those who are— this is where we are as far as the fundraising. We are short $1,500, uh, and I hope to achieve this by the end of this month, by October 30th. So, all right, let me answer some questions from you guys, uh, and again, uh, by the way, guys, be on a lookout for a video I'm gonna release, uh, I think tomorrow, tomorrow or Sunday. I haven't decided yet, but I'm going to be releasing it, uh, somehow soon. So, uh, okay, let me take a question or two, guys, from you. Oh, Hamad City! Hamad City! Thank you so much, man. Ahmed's been an avid supporter for way back, so I'm very, very grateful. I'm very grateful, Ahmed City. I can't thank you enough, man. Uh, uh, you said have fun, Doc. Well, I will, except, you know, just for you guys to know why I'm going to Asia, it's because my big concern as to what's coming up, and I want to get ahead of it by maybe, maybe bringing, bringing the truth from over there to Western audience here. Maybe someone in Washington will be watching or listening to make sense of— to— it wouldn't be— it won't make sense to embark on another conflict in Asia. So basically, I want to prevent a war from happening. That's, that's my reason. Now you know why I'm going. Tourism— if I am to do tourism, I'll do it on my own dime, because it's not right for me to ask you for money to— for, for me to go on tourism. That, that's not right. It's not right, and I would not do that. So under no circumstances whatsoever. But what I want to do is I want to show you when I am there, through images, through pictures, through my life, through whatever, where things are in Asia as a whole, where things are economically, technologically, and why it matters to focus on, uh, you know, on infrastructure, on, on building bridges, on, on taking care of the people. Because that's how country move forward instead of focusing on, on, on conflicts and so forth. That is the objective why I wanted to do this one. So thank you very much, Hamad City, uh, Ninja. Let's get that trip going, doctor. Thank you so much for your super sticker. Truly, truly appreciate you. And, and of course, uh, everybody can support based on your capabilities. Please do not go out of your way. I won't feel good about it. You know, it was one of you guys, without naming this because I was asked not to disclose the name. You know, the, the individual put about $1,000 in support of this trip. You know, $1,000. So I was speechless to, to sit there. Did ask, please, Dr. O, I don't want my name because the objective was to support this Asia trip. Well, this individual happened to be in a position can afford the $1,000. So, so to whatever, whatever you can, you can afford, that's all you need to do, not beyond that. And I'm very grateful, uh, to all of you. So, all right, let me answer some questions from you. Uh, uh, Thunderbolt, when are you going to present us about the new development situation with Ethiopia and Somalia? In due time, in due time. There is a lot of moving parts that I have to consider given my upcoming Asia trip. There's There is a lot of moving parts, guys. You can't just pack and go. And I just had to come back from Eastern Europe, you know, had to, you know, when you, when you do, you know, when you do speaking engagements, when you do consulting, when you do YouTube, uh, I can only— there is only 24 hours a day, and I have to, you know, to the point I got sick. Usually I don't get sick with this kind of stuff, but it's my body was telling me, take it easy. It is it, but I feel better. But I will do that in due time, and, and I'll— like I mentioned to you earlier, guys, I was going to talk about, uh, Burkina Faso, and I did when that opportunity presents itself. Uh, uh, question, Matt, uh, do you see the future of Ukrainian nation and people to that of the Kurds? Uh, Poland, Romania having an eye on their Western land, do you see any similarities in the future of Ukraine. Uh, won't be similar to that, but the fragmentation of the Ukrainian society is a fait accompli. Ukraine would never come back to what it was. I'm telling you this. I was, I was in, I was in, in the eastern part of, uh, of, uh, uh, on the western part rather of, of Ukraine, which means in Poland, uh, and, and some neighboring countries. I even went up to the Baltic Sea region of that to talk to some, uh, uh, individuals there just to get an idea of where the truth is. So Ukraine is done for. Is Poland aiming at the certain western part of Ukraine? Yeah, but if you think about historical, uh, ties between Poland and, and Ukraine, uh, there are certain parts of Poland that belong to Poland, uh, certain parts of Ukraine that belong to Poland. Poland now, uh, this is why you see, uh, uh, Gregory Brown, the one who, uh, told Blinken, go home, we don't want your war. You know, it was the same day I left Poland. You know, that, that's to me speaks about him, because inside Poland people are unhappy with the government. They don't care for Duda. But now even Duda himself now Now he's shifting his interest to China. Surprising. And to me it's not. You know why? Because Duda is seeing what two main countries in Eastern Europe are getting. We're talking about Hungary and we're talking about Serbia. They're getting manufacturing, they're getting employment for their people, they're getting infrastructure. China's going to invest there. Poland is even well situated geographically to play much bigger role, but because they are under the thumb of the US. So, so for Ukraine, no, Ukraine is done for. Ukraine is done for. There is no— and those territories that the Russians took, they ain't coming back. It's done for. So, so for us now, it's just to drag, uh, the conflict even longer because of the, the hardware, the military hardware, the sale and so forth. Of course the deal has already been made with the BlackRock that they're going to rebuild Ukraine. It will be no rebuilding, so it's just lip service. Uh, okay, let me take another question. Oh, Alim, thank you so much for your super sticker. Alim also has been an avid supporter. I remember Alim from way back. So he's from Canada. Good to have you, Alim, as always. And, and thank you for your continued support. It means a lot to me, and I am very grateful. Uh, uh, Francis Tango, as always. Uh, no, Francis, please don't say that. Please don't say that. Don't say that. Uh, You know, it's, it's, it's the gesture that counts. That's why I'm saying, guys, do not— and I mean it— do not go out of your way just because you want to support this Asia trip, because I won't feel good about it if I find out. You know, you only do what you can. You know, your kindness, your kindness, your kind word means also a lot. Not everything is measured in terms of dollars. This is our problem here in America. We only measure things in terms of money, in terms of materials, materialistic stuff, you know. What happened to kindness, you know? Yeah, don't say that, Francis. Your support means a lot. The fact that you sent me, uh, you communicated with me via LinkedIn asking about me because you didn't hear from me for a while because I wasn't online says a lot to me. You won't believe how grateful I was. To see that message from you. So I'm very, very grateful. Thank you very much, Francis. Okay, let me, uh, see another question from you guys. And I'm noticing some conversations here that some are getting a little bit, uh, uh, do I use the term he, uh, heated conversation? So please keep it civil. I would appreciate it. You're entitled to express yourself, but, but I— it's my community here. Usually I don't like to say my, it's ours, but this is my community and I will defend it by any means. So I will greatly appreciate it, guys. All right, let me see if there's question here. Uh, Abel Malcolm, good to see you. All right, into Hong Ruan. Good to see you, Hong Ruan. Doctor, what is your opinion on the reduction of interest rate from the Biden administration? It was expected. I mean, I remember last time I had a conversation with Lior Ganz. I don't know if you remember on the other channel, and he did, he did mention that probably in September, that, and someone he knows what he's talking about, so So the, the question is, even with this interest rate and interest rate cut, it won't translate much to the average person here, you know. Uh, you know, look at the conditions in California now. I mean, I saw some images now. Oh my gosh, you would think that that's not America. So, so it's, it's, uh, uh, it's bad. It's very, very bad. So I don't see it's going to translate much because Uh, when you consider 65% here in the US are renters, 65% of society are renters, that's bad. That's, that's very, very, very bad. So, all right, let me see, uh, if there is another question. Uh, I'll be back. How does exploding pager change the world situation in Lebanon? Very, very— as a matter of fact, guys, uh, speaking of that, there were two companies. One of them is Japanese and one of them is from Taiwan. The Japanese company called ICOM, uh, ICOM, ICOM, I'm sorry, ICOM, ICOM. And this one, the company announced that, uh, it is now currently investigating, uh, if any of its radio transmitters, uh, that exploded in Lebanon were manufactured by their organization. So that's just, uh, the other one, which is a, a company in Taiwan, it's called Gold Apollo. Gold Apollo was the manufacturer of the pagers that exploded in Lebanon. So, uh, basically now what's going to be happening is that the, the trust in the Western devices is gonna now— yeah, there will be no trust into that. Uh, while it was a sort of— it's clever move, but it, it's, it's gonna backfire. It's gonna backfire. So that's the way I see it. And, uh, uh, the company is gonna suffer big time, the companies who produces, uh, this kind of stuff. Francis Tango. Doctor always was a joke, but was wealth. If you are not happy, I say better poor but happy than rich and unhappy. Good one. I, I, I just, you know, that's how my— that's how I trust my community. But I just— I am aware of, uh, even some members that have, uh, their, their membership has been canceled because their economic conditions have changed and and so forth. So yeah, the wealth is not into the material, the wealth is in the heart. So I, I, I couldn't agree more, Francis Tango, I couldn't agree more. And thank you again for your super sticker, truly appreciate you, man, appreciate you. All right, let me do one more here, guys, before I sign out, because I need to go work on some stuff for you for next week. So And once again, just be on the lookout for a video I'm gonna be releasing, and, uh, uh, you might like it. So never know. You know me, I don't follow the trend. I don't, you know, I, I share with you what I feel it will be of, of importance to you. So that's fine. And since I feel better now, I'm gonna go this afternoon and work on a garden because time to plant., uh, the veggies for the fall and so forth. So once again, guys, thank you all for your kind support. Uh, thank you for your kindness. I appreciate you keeping the conversation civil here on, on the chat box. I know some of you, you know, that's why I kind of had to say a word, and, and I don't like to do that and start removing people. I can do it, but I don't like to because some Sometimes we just want to express our opinions, which is fine, you know, as, as long as, uh, uh, uh, the, the, uh, the, uh, sort of the respect for the community. It's, it's— that's how it's supposed to be. G Gas, thank you, Dr. O. Try to get Lena Petrova on. Uh, who is she? Yeah, yeah, so I'll, I'll, I'll check it out. All right guys, I wish you, uh, I wish you good afternoon, uh, good evening, rest of the day, whatever you are. Be safe, and I look forward to seeing you next time. As always, remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time guys, bye-bye.