This Brazilian investigative journalist and political analyst seems to be everywhere in the world and in media--other than mainstream media. Obviously, this is because his political analyses are widely respected. Operating from strictly a realpolitik framework, he has a very sound grasp of geopolitical issues--except for suggestions that Obama has some significant influence. As I have always argued, based on a lifetime of study, that Presidents since Kennedy have been used largely for public relations purposes. One exception was George Bush Jr. who was installed as president in a highly manipulated fashion in order for secret services to carry out unimpeded the 9/11 project.
The real government is an amorphous group of powerful people located in the big financial centers and on boards of major corporations and elite universities. They have several homes located on various continents in places like The Hamptons on Long Island, Davos (Switzerland), Dubai, London, and Monaco. They think globally, form friendships and marriages with powerful people based in other countries (like the old monarchies and aristocracies), and see themselves largely as specially endowed (elite) global citizens. They hang-out at the secret Bilderberg meetings; probably have served on the Council on Foreign Relations, associated with various think tanks, and have been educated at Harvard, Yale, or elite foreign universities like Oxford. In contrast to most other government offices, in recent decades members of the power elite have usually been appointed as Treasury Secretary allowing them direct access to the national treasury. Thus, this arrangement greatly facilitated the recent bank bailouts. During these early years of the 21st century we have seen our masters adopt NATO's army to enforce their foreign policies. The people who carry out their policies are usually referred to as political operatives. They are mostly located in the Pentagon, the National Security Staff, and secret services like the NSA and CIA.
In this piece he makes an excellent argument that there are very good reasons for a US accommodation with Iran, and that there are realistic ways of doing this. Yet, he doubts this will happen--also for very good reasons which he only hints at.
The Empire's political operatives are infected with the delusion of world power. They have been since WWII, and despite costly wars in Korea, Indochina and the Middle East, they find it very hard to quit this addiction. Without an effective peace movement here in the US, it appears to me that they will bring us to an apocalyptic end or economic collapse or both.
The ancient Silk Road was humanity’s first globalization highway centered on trade. Now, China in particular is pushing for its own ambitious version of a new Silk Road focused on tapping into energy -- oil and natural gas -- from Myanmar to Iran and Russia. It would, in the end, link no less than 17 countries via more than 8,000 kilometers of high-speed rail (on top of the 8,000 kilometers already built inside China). For Washington, this means one thing: an evolving Tehran-Beijing axis bent on ensuring that the U.S. strategic target of isolating Iran and forcing regime change on that country will be ever just out of reach.
