mexiconewsdaily |Overall, the magazine highlighted
that, in a year characterized by economic struggles worldwide, some
previously weak performers – such as Mediterranean countries – had
proven surprisingly resilient in the face of geopolitical uncertainty
and global supply shocks.
President López Obrador highlighted
the result at his Wednesday morning press conference, boasting that
Mexico had come out ahead of Canada, Japan, France, Italy, Belgium,
Switzerland, Britain and eventhe United States.
“We’re doing well,” he said. “2023
will be better, much better, because we already have the momentum, and
in politics momentum counts for a lot… Mexico is on the list of
countries with the most advantages to invest.”
Both AMLO and his supporters on
social media took the opportunity to hit back at The Economist for past
statements critical of the president, including a May 2021cover story that described AMLO as a “false messiah” who “pursues ruinous policies by improper means.”
“[And now] we are in sixth place in the world in economic performance,” the president said, emphasizing that The Economist “is not sympathetic to us.”
Fact-checkers were quick to point out
that The Economist’s list does not include all the countries in the
world, but only 34 of the 38 countries that make up the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Furthermore, Mexico’s continued strong performance is far from guaranteed. Themost recent figures
from the national statistics agency (INEGI) show that Mexico’s economic
growth stagnated towards the end of 2022, with the Bank of Mexico now
forecasting 2.9% growth across the whole year.Growth predictions for 2023 have been revised downwards several times, with one recent analysis forecasting 1.1%.
nakedcapitalism | But you are unlikely to hear much about Mexico’s unconventional
economic success story in the mainstream media, whether in Mexico, the
US, Europe or other parts of Latin America. After all, it might
encourage others to follow suit.
Over the past four years, the mainstream media has consistently
derided or attacked the AMLO government’s reform agenda, including its
promotion of energy security, its rewriting of the rules for outsourcing
and its nationalization of lithium. Even today, most MSM coverage
attributes the lion’s share of Mexico’s economic success in 2022 to
“external factors”, such as increased consumer demand and investment
from the US.
Every time AMLO has tried to pursue policies that generally favor
Mexico’s broader economy, dire warnings erupt that investors, both
domestic and foreign, will stampede for the exits. A case in point: one
of AMLO’s first acts in government was to cancel a $13-billion airport
for the capital that was almost one-third finished, around $5 billion
over budget, mired in allegations of corruption and posed serious
environmental downsides. In effect, he took his presidential predecessor
Enrique Peña Nieto’s legacy infrastructure project and ripped it up,
for a slew of good reasons. And in doing so, he sent a clear signal to
Mexico’s business elite that the time for “business as usual” was over.
But he also made sure that the investors holding the bonds that had
financed the unfinished project were paid in due course. And contrary to
what many economists, bankers and media pundits had warned, investors
did not rush for the exits.
Nor was there a mad stampede when the AMLO government began strong-arming
domestic and global corporations into finally settling their
decades-long tax debts with the Mexican state. Until AMLO’s arrival, no
government had even bothered to try. Coca-Cola bottler Femsa, and brewer
Grupo Modelo, a division of the world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch
InBev, paid hundreds of millions of dollars in current taxes and back
taxes. So too did Walmart and a host of other companies.
As a result, the government was able to raise more tax funds in 2020
than in 2019, without raising taxes on the middle classes. Again, no
rush to the exits, though some companies, such as Canadian mining giant First Majestic Silver Corp, are still refusing to pay up.
In fact, Mexico is fast becoming a magnet for foreign investment, as
corporations, particularly from the US, shift their focus from China to a
production base that is similarly cheap but closer to home. In the
first three quarters of 2022 Mexico received record levels of foreign
direct investment, much of it from the US. According to research by the
McKinsey Global Institute, American investors poured more money into
Mexico than into China last year. As the NYTkindly pointed out, for American companies moving business to Mexico location is the main driver:
Shipping a container full of goods to the United States
from China generally requires a month — a time frame that doubled and
tripled during the worst disruptions of the pandemic. Yet factories in
Mexico and retailers in the United States can be bridged within two
weeks.
A coterie of Mexican business lobbies have even suggested
that Mexico could become a vast investment hub for the whole of the
American continent. If this happens, the biggest beneficiaries, of
course, will be transnational corporations, mainly from the US. For
Mexico, it will mean even closer integration with the US economy, which
already accounts for over 85% of Mexican exports.
Just how much economic policy independence future Mexican governments
will have under such an arrangement remains to be seen, though the
answer is likely to be “not much”. The US and Canada are already locked
in a trade dispute with Mexico over AMLO’s energy reforms. It also means
that wherever the US economy goes — and signs are that it is heading
toward a recession — Mexico will quickly follow. And what was this year a
blessing could quickly become a curse.
kremlin.ru |President
of RussiaVladimirPutin: Citizens of Russia, friends,
The year
2022 is drawing to a close. It was a year of difficult but necessary decisions,
of important steps towards Russia's full sovereignty and a powerful consolidation
of our society.
It was a year that put many things in their place, and drew a clear line between courage
and heroism, on the one hand, and betrayal and cowardice on the other, showed us
that there is nothing stronger than love for our near and dear, loyalty to our friends
and comrades-in-arms, and devotion to our Fatherland.
It was a year of truly pivotal, even fateful events. They became the frontier where we
lay the foundation for our common future, our true independence.
This is
what we are fighting for today, protecting our people in our historical
territories in the new regions of the Russian Federation. Together, we are
building and creating.
Russia’s
future is what matters the most. Defending our Motherland is the sacred duty we
owe to our ancestors and descendants. The moral and historical truth is on our
side.
The outgoing
year has brought great and dramatic changes to our country
and to the world. It was filled with uncertainty, anxiety and worry.
But
our multiethnic
nation showed great courage and dignity as it had in every challenging
period
in Russian history, supported the defenders of our Fatherland, our
soldiers and officers, and all participants in the special military
operation, in both word
and deed.
We have
always known that Russia's sovereign, independent and secure future depends
only on us, on our strength and determination, and today, we have become
convinced of it once again.
For years,
Western elites hypocritically assured us of their peaceful intentions,
including to help resolve the serious conflict in Donbass. But in fact, they
encouraged the neo-Nazis in every possible way, who continued to take military
and overtly terrorist action against peaceful civilians in the people's
republics of Donbass.
The West
lied to us about peace while preparing for aggression, and today, they
no
longer hesitate to openly admit it and to cynically use Ukraine and its
people as a means to weaken and divide Russia. We have never allowed
anyone to do this
and we will not allow it now.
Russian
servicemen,
militiamen and volunteers are now fighting for their homeland, for truth
and justice, for reliable guarantees of peace and Russia’s security.
They are all
our heroes and they are shouldering the heaviest burden right now.
From
the bottom of my heart, I wish a very happy New Year to every
participant in the special military operation, to those who are here
next to me now, and who are
on the frontline, those getting ready for action at training centres,
those who
are in hospitals or already back home, having fulfilled their duty,
to all
those now on combat duty in strategic units, and all personnel
of the Russian Armed
Forces.
Comrades,
thank you
for your valiant service. Our entire vast country is proud of your fortitude, endurance
and courage. Millions of people are with you in their hearts and souls, and will
be raising a toast to you at their New Year's table.
Many
thanks
to everyone who provides ancillary support for military operations:
drivers and railway workers who deliver supplies to the front, doctors,
paramedics, and nurses who are fighting for soldiers’ lives and nursing
wounded civilians. I thank the workers and engineers at our military
and other plants who are
working today with great dedication, builders who are erecting civilian
facilities and defensive fortifications, and helping to restore
the destroyed
cities and villages in Donbass and Novorossiya.
Friends,
Russia has
been living under sanctions since the events in Crimea in 2014, but this year,
a full-blown sanctions war has been unleashed against us. Those who started it
expected our industry, finances and transport to collapse and never recover.
This
did
not happen, because together we created a reliable margin of safety. We
have
been taking steps and measures towards strengthening our sovereignty
in a vitally important field, in the economy. Our struggle for our
country, for our
interests and for our future undoubtedly serves as an inspiring example
for other states in their quest for a just multipolar world order.
I consider
it very important that in the outgoing year, such qualities as mercy,
solidarity and proactive empathy have become especially important in Russia.
More and more Russians feel the need to help others. They rally together and take initiative without any formal instructions.
I want
to thank you for being so considerate, responsible and kind, for your
active
involvement in the common cause regardless of age or income. You arrange
warehouses
and transport to deliver parcels to our fighters in the combat zone,
to the residents of affected cities and towns, and help organise
holidays for children
from the new constituent entities of the Federation.
My friends,
you are providing great support to the families of the fighters who perished,
who gave their lives defending the lives of others.
I know how
difficult it is for their wives, sons and daughters, and for their parents, who
raised real heroes; I understand how they feel now, on New Year's Eve. We will make
every effort to help the families of our fallen comrades raise their children,
give them a good education, and get a profession.
With all my heart, I share your pain and ask you to accept my sincere words of support.
Friends,
Our
country
has always celebrated the start of the New Year, even during very
difficult times.
It has always been everyone’s favourite holiday, and has a magical power
to reveal the best in people, to heighten the importance of traditional
family
values, the energy of kindness, generosity and trust.
As we see
the New Year in, everyone strives to give joy to their loved ones, to show them
attention and warmth, to give them presents they have been dreaming of, to see
the delight in children’s eyes and parents’ touching gratitude for our
attention. The older generation knows how to appreciate such moments of happiness.
Friends,
now is the best moment to leave all personal grievances and misunderstandings
in the past, to tell our nearest and dearest how we feel, how much we love them,
how important it is to take care of each other – always, at any time.
Let these heartfelt
words and noble feelings give each of us immense strength and confidence that
together, we will overcome all the challenges and keep our country great and independent.
We will
only move forward, to fight for our families and for Russia, for the future of our only, beloved Motherland.
LATimes | From the roadside stand in this muggy stretch of southern Mexico
where Carmelo Morrugares sells coconuts for a living, the 45-year-old
father of three says he can see his country changing for the better.
There’s
his pay, which has doubled from $5 to $10 daily thanks to a series of
minimum-wage hikes. And there are the hefty welfare payments that his
elderly father and student daughter now receive from the government.
Then there’s the highway itself, repaved amid a boom of fresh investment across the impoverished south.
“He’s
a visionary,” said Morrugares, who cheered on the president recently as
he zipped past the coconut stand on his way to promote a refurbished
train line that will pass through this region. That the famously frugal
López Obrador traversed the dense tropical forest by car instead of
helicopter said it all.
“Presidents before would just fly over,” Morrugares said. “We’ve never had a leader so close to the people.”
That
sort of praise isn’t something you hear much in Mexico’s wealthier
enclaves, where criticism of López Obrador has reached a fever pitch.
Detractors, tens of thousands of whom marched in Mexico City last month,
hate everything about the president: his moralizing tone and his
ill-fitting suits, his disregard for democratic norms and his embrace of the military, his hypersensitivity to critique and his insistence that every problem can be blamed on a single enemy — the rich.
But
as they pen newspaper columns and fire off tweets insisting that Mexico
has never been worse off, his critics are speaking largely to
themselves.
López Obrador is one of the most popular leaders on Earth.
He
won in a landslide four years ago vowing to finally put the “poor
first” in a country that he said had been hijacked by a corrupt and
conservative elite. And despite a stagnating economy, staggering levels of violence and growing evidence that his efforts to reduce inequality have failed, his approval rating still tops 60%.
To
better grasp the breadth of that support, The Times traveled this month
across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a 140-mile wide strip of land that
spans two states — Veracruz and Oaxaca — and stretches from the Pacific
Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
Here in the hinterlands, far
from cosmopolitan Mexico City and the thriving industrial hubs in the
north, it quickly becomes clear why AMLO, as he is widely known, is so
beloved.
neuberger |These are the latest Twitter Files since the first two sets were released. They extend the list collected here and here. (Emphasis added below.)
Despite
promises to shut down covert state-run propaganda networks, Twitter
docs show that the social media giant directly assisted the U.S.
military’s influence operation. […]
The
files show the FBI acting as doorman to a vast program of social media
surveillance and censorship, encompassing agencies across the federal
government – from the State Department to the Pentagon to the CIA.
2.
The operation is far bigger than the reported 80 members of the Foreign
Influence Task Force (FITF), which also facilitates requests from a
wide array of smaller actors - from local cops to media to state
governments.
3. Twitter had so much contact with so many agencies that executives lost track. Is today the DOD, and tomorrow the FBI? Is it the weekly call, or the monthly meeting? It was dizzying. […]
2.
So far the Twitter Files have focused on evidence of Twitter’s secret
blacklists; how the company functioned as a kind of subsidiary of the
FBI; and how execs rewrote the platform’s rules to accommodate their own
political desires.
3. What we have yet to cover is Covid. […]
5. Internal files at Twitter that I viewed while on assignment for @TheFP showed that both the Trump and Biden administrations directly pressed Twitter executives to moderate the platform’s pandemic content according to their wishes. […]
As
I’ve said many times about these reports, if you build a gun, anyone
can use it. Especially if its use is widely cheered. This is how we
repealed the Fourth Amendment — by both parties approving and
participating in its violation.
The next Republican president will
use every power bequeathed by the last two Democrats. And when
out-of-power Democrats complain, as they rightly should, much of the
public will say “So the shoe’s on the other foot.”
The public will be wrong in that. But only because no party should have these powers, not because one of them should.
antiwar | More than half of House Republicans didn’t attend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Wednesday night address to Congress, The Hill reported on Thursday.
How many Members of Congress refused to attend tonight's speech because they do not support Zelenskyy's Ukraine? Important to know this and why.
According to The Hill, 86 out of 213 House Republicans were
at the Capitol for Zelensky’s speech. While some of the absences could
be explained by lawmakers getting an early start on Christmas travel, as
about a third of House members had active letters to vote by proxy on
Wednesday, there is growing opposition to the policy of arming Ukraine
among Republicans.
Ahead of Zelensky’s address, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wrote on
Twitter that he would not be attending the speech of a “Ukrainian
lobbyist.” Some Republicans that attended the address were spotted
sitting during moments when the rest of Congress was giving Zelensky a
standing ovation, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Lauren Boebert
(R-CO).
For any Members of Congress who refused to clap for Zelenskyy, we need to know from them exactly why.
After the speech, Boebert said in a video posted on Twitter
that she wouldn’t support “sending additional money to this war” until
“Congress receives a full audit of where our money has already gone.”
Gaetz released a statement
that said Zelensky “should be commended for putting his country first,
but American politicians who indulge his requests are unwilling to do
the same for ours.” Gaetz said the speech did not change his stance on
“suspending” aid to Ukraine.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), who attended the address, said the
speech sent the wrong message. “We should be focused on trying to
contain the war, not expand the war. And this kind of sends the message
we’re kind of OK with expanding the war. And I think we should be
sending a different message,” he said.
Massie, Boebert, Gaetz, Davidson, and 53 other House Republicans all voted against
the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill that was passed back in May. Since
then, new aid for Ukraine has been rolled into other massive spending
bills, including the new $45 billion that was packed into the $1.7
trillion omnibus bill the Senate passed on Thursday.
While there is some dissent among Republicans, the majority of GOP
members in Congress still support arming Ukraine, and Republican
leadership is extremely hawkish on the issue. Rep. Michael McCaul, who
is expected to lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee next year, has
criticized President Biden for not sending Ukraine more advanced and longer-range weapons.
CTH | Joe Biden and Canada’s Justin Trudeau are in ideological alignment,
willing to destroy the entire North American economy as they construct
the new climate change energy systems for the U.S and Canada. However,
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador (AMLO) has already
indicated -including direct statements to Joe Biden at the White House–
that he is not willing to put the Mexican economy into collapse and try
to engineer an economic future on solar panels and windmills.
That puts Mexican President AMLO in the crosshairs of a unified
climate change agenda as outlined by the World Economic Forum and
western leadership under the guise of the Build Back Better agenda. In
essence, AMLO goes from socialist hero of the unionized left to becoming
a target. CTH has been saying we need to watch carefully how this
plays out because a great deal of the western economic agenda hangs in
the balance.
Now that AMLO has taken a pragmatic position on energy development {Go Deep}
his lack of alignment means the apparatus of the United States
government, the proverbial Eye of Sauron, will target him. Not
coincidentally, the public relations firm for the deepest part of the
interventionist intelligence apparatus, the Washington Post, now
outlines AMLO as the specific person responsible for the explosion in
fentanyl use.
(Washington Post)
– […] A new Mexican leader rejected the $3 billion anti-narcotics
agreement that had spanned three U.S. presidencies, known as the Mérida
Initiative. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a veteran leftist who took
office in December 2018, argued that the drug war strategy had sent
homicides spiraling in Mexico while failing to curb U.S. demand.
The sniffer flights stopped. Águila
was sidelined and his battle-hardened commandos were reassigned. López
Obrador rebuffed U.S. offers for new drug-detection technology. Mexico
shut down a pivotal base where the special forces had worked with U.S.
agents. It even took away the parking spot for the DEA’s plane at an
airport outside Mexico City. (read more)
The Washington Post defining ALMO as “a veteran leftist” as
if that is against their interests is rather funny. The article walks
through AMLO, a devout Mexican nationalist, trying to remove the
influence of the U.S. government, and by extension contributing to the
explosion of cross-border drug trafficking.
To accept the ‘AMLO is the cause of U.S. drug deaths’ narrative is to
ignore the Biden administration effort to weaken the Southern U.S.
border, but that’s a mere detail when you are constructing a narrative
that has deeper intentions than appear on the surface. The bigger
picture is shaping a narrative intended to create AMLO as an enemy of
the American people.
Nice country you got there AMLO, it’d be a shame if something happened to it… Now, about that oil, coal and natural gas use…
Without a doubt this narrative building will escalate, step by step
until pressure mounts and AMLO acquiesces to join the economic model
demanded by the WEF as executed by the United States through Biden
energy policy. There are trillions at stake and multinational
corporate laundry operations to maintain.
Just keep watching… look for how the Biden administration specifically messages toward and around Mexico.
Mexico.
Mexico is in a position to get Brazil’d.
I’m fairly confident we are going to hear a lot more about Mexico very soon.
mexiconewsdaily | There is no shortage of reasons to
participate in a pro-government march to be held in Mexico City this
Sunday, President López Obrador declared on Tuesday.
AMLO last week called on his supporters to demonstrate in defense of the government’s proposed electoral reform, but said Tuesday that the purpose of the march had changed.
“It’s not about the electoral reform,
that’s already set out, it’s already in Congress,” he told reporters at
his regular news conference. He then proceeded to offer no less than 16
reasons why citizens should join him and march from the Angel of
Independence on Reforma Avenue to the zócalo, Mexico City’s central square.
The march, the president and leader of
what he calls Mexico’s “fourth transformation” said, is meant to
accomplish the following:
To celebrate that an oligarchy no longer dominates in Mexico.
To celebrate that corruption is not allowed.
To celebrate that tycoons now pay tax.
To celebrate that we have healthy public finances.
To say that 85% of Mexican homes now receive at least a small portion of the public budget (via social welfare programs).
To say that we feel very happy to be supporting the poorest people.
To say that we don’t want racism in Mexico and that we’re winning that battle.
To say that we don’t accept classism or discrimination.
To say that our strategy to attend to the root causes of violence is succeeding.
To say that peace is the fruit of justice.
To say that 12 million seniors now have a pension and they’ll get a 25% increase starting in January.
To say that workers’ salaries are going to continue going up.
To say that 11 million young students from poor families receive scholarships.
To say that we’re saving 50 billion pesos by not paying the media for advertising.
To say that there is hope and happiness among our people.
To say that, despite the pandemic and
other calamities, Mexico is moving forward and its prestige among the
nations of the world is growing.
“That’s why [we’re holding] the march,” López Obrador said.
“Everyone who wants to attend should wear the color of their choice and shoes, sneakers, [or traditional sandals called] huaraches.
Take your hat, your sombrero, because it will be sunny; and if you have
a guitar, take your guitar or accordion. … We’re going to celebrate
that we’re making progress in the transformation of the country, and
that we’re doing it without violence, peacefully, and that [the
transformation] is for the good of all,” he said.
On Wednesday, AMLO, who has participated
in countless protests over the years, said that Sunday’s march – which
will be held four days before he celebrates four years in office – might
be his last.
thesaker | The Special Military Operation (SMO), conceptually, is not about
conquering territory per se: it is, or it was, so far, about protection
of Russophone citizens in occupied territories, thus demilitarization
cum denazification.
That concept may be about to be tweaked. And that’s where the
tortuous, tricky debate on Russia mobilization fits in. Yet even a
partial mobilization may not be necessary: what’s needed are reserves to
properly allow allied forces to cover rear/defensive lines. Hardcore
fighters of the Kadyrov contingent kind would continue to play offense.
It’s undeniable that Russian troops lost a strategically important
node in Izyum. Without it, the complete liberation of Donbass becomes
significantly harder.
Yet for the collective West, whose carcass slouches inside a vast
simulacra bubble, it’s the pysops that matters much more than a minor
military advance: thus all that gloating on Ukraine being able to drive
the Russians out of the whole of Kharkov in only four days – while they
had 6 months to liberate Donbass, and didn’t.
So, across the West, the reigning perception – frantically fomented by psyops experts – is that the Russian military were hit by that “hammer blow” and will hardly recover.
Kharkov was preciously timed – as General Winter is around the
corner; the Ukraine issue was already suffering from public opinion
fatigue; and the propaganda machine needed a boost to turbo-lubricate
the multi-billion dollar weaponizing rat line.
Yet Kharkov may have forced Moscow’s hand to increase the pain dial.
That came via a few well-placed Mr. Khinzals leaving the Black Sea and
the Caspian to present their business cards to the largest thermal power
plants in northeast and central Ukraine (most of the energy
infrastructure is in the southeast).
Half of Ukraine suddenly lost power and water. Trains came to a halt.
If Moscow decides to take out all major Ukraine substations at once,
all it takes is a few missiles to totally smash the Ukrainian energy
grid – adding a new meaning to “decommunization”: de-energization.
According to an expert
analysis, “if transformers of 110-330 kV are damaged, then it
will almost never be possible to put it into operation (…) And if this
happens at least at 5 substations at the same time, then everything is
kaput. Stone age forever.”
Russian government official Marat Bashirov was way more colorful:
“Ukraine is being plunged into the 19th century. If there is no energy
system, there will be no Ukrainian army. The matter of fact is that
General Volt came to the war, followed by General Moroz (“frost”).
And that’s how we might be finally entering “real war” territory – as
in Putin’s notorious quip that “we haven’t even started anything yet.”
A definitive response will come from the RSG in the next few days.
Once again, a fiery debate rages on what Russia will do next (the RGS, after all, is inscrutable, except for Yoda Patrushev).
The RGS may opt for a serious strategic strike of the decapitating
kind elsewhere – as in changing the subject for the worse (for NATO).
It may opt for sending more troops to protect the front line (without partial mobilization).
And most of all it may enlarge the SMO mandate – going to total
destruction of Ukrainian transport/energy infrastructure, from gas
fields to thermal power plants, substations, and shutting down nuclear
power plants.
Well, it could always be a mix of all of the above: a Russian version
of Shock and Awe – generating an unprecedented socio-economic
catastrophe. That has already been telegraphed by Moscow: we can revert
you to the Stone Age at any time and in a matter of hours (italics mine). Your cities will greet General Winter with zero heating, freezing water, power outages and no connectivity.
mid.ru | On the eve of my visits to several African countries, I would like to
share my reflections on the prospects for Russia-Africa relations in
the current geopolitical context with esteemed readers.
Today, African
states play an increasingly important role in the global politics and
economy, take an active part in solving key modern-day problems. Their
solidarity voice sounds more and more harmoniously in world affairs.
Russia has
consistently advocated Africa’s strengthened position in the multipolar
architecture of a world order which should be based on the principles of
the UN Charter and take the world’s cultural and civilizational
diversity into account. In this context, we welcome the successful
development of such integration structures as, for example, the African
Union, East African Community, Southern African Development Community,
Economic Community of Central African States, Economic Community of West
African States and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
We consider the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area as an
important step towards the true economic independence of the continent,
its final liberation from any manifestations of discrimination and
coercion.
Russia-Africa
ties are based on the time-tested bonds of friendship and cooperation.
Our country who has not stained itself with the bloody crimes of
colonialism, has always sincerely supported Africans in their struggle
for liberation from colonial oppression, provided practical and often
gratuitous assistance to the peoples of the continent in the formation
of their statehood, creation of the foundations of national economies,
defense capabilities build up, and training of qualified personnel.
Today we stand in solidarity with the African demands to complete the
process of decolonization and support relevant initiatives on the UN
platform.
The development
of a comprehensive partnership with African countries remains among the
top priorities of Russia's foreign policy. We are willing to contribute
to its further growth - in line with the strategic decisions taken in
late October 2019 at the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi.
At the same
time, I would specially emphasize: our country does not impose anything
on anyone or tells others how to live. We treat with great respect the
sovereignty of the States of Africa, and their inalienable right to
determine the path of their development for themselves. We are firmly
committed to the "African solutions to African problems" principle. Such
an approach to developing inter-State ties dramatically differs from
the "master – slave" logic imposed by former metropolitan countries,
which reproduces the obsolete colonial model.
We know that
the African colleagues does not approve of the undisguised attempts of
the US and their European satellites to gain the upper hand, and to
impose a unipolar world order to the international community. We
appreciate the considered African position as to the situation in and
around Ukraine. Although unprecedented by its scale the pressure from
beyond has not brought our friends to join the anti-Russian sanctions.
Such an independent path deserves deep respect.
For sure, the
current geopolitical situation requires certain adjustment of the
mechanisms of our interaction: first of all, there is a question of
ensuring seamless logistic and tuning the system of financial
settlements to make them secure from the outer interference. In
cooperation with its partners, Russia takes steps to enhance the use of
national currencies and payment systems. We are working to gradually
reduce the share of dollar and euro in mutual trade. We stand generally
for establishing an efficient financial system that is proof against the
potential impact from the unfriendly States.
The task of
bringing Russian and African economic operators to each other’s markets
and encouraging them to participate in large-scale infrastructure
projects also comes to the fore. We assume that, as conducted, the
second Africa - Russia summit will facilitate settling those and other
tasks. Together with our African friends, we have got down to working
through its content.
Food security
issues are currently high on the international agenda. We are well
aware of the importance of Russian supplies of socially important
commodities, including food, to many countries around the world. We are
mindful that these supplies play an important role in preserving social
stability as well as in achieving the benchmarks of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals.
I would like
to emphasize that the speculations of Western and Ukrainian propaganda
that Russia allegedly "exports hunger" are completely unfounded. In
fact, these are yet another attempt to shift the blame to others. It is
well known that already during the time of "coronacrisis" the collective
West, using the mechanism of currency issuance, "absorbed" commodity
and food flows, worsening the situation in the developing countries
dependent on food imports. That is when the grave situation on the food
market began to take shape. Western sanctions imposed on Russia in
recent months have further exacerbated negative trends.
It is
essential that all our African friends understand that Russia will
continue to fulfill in good faith its obligations under international
contracts with regard to exports of food, fertilizers, energy and other
goods vital for Africa. Russia is taking all measures to this end.
Moscow will
continue to pursue a peace-loving foreign policy and play a balancing
role in international affairs. We are in favor of broad interstate
cooperation based on the provisions of the UN Charter, first of all the
principle of the sovereign equality of states. We will continue to
strengthen productive interaction with foreign partners who in their
turn are willing to cooperate with us.
In this
context, we assume that relations between Russia and Africa, whether
political, humanitarian or trade and investment, are of an intrinsic
value and do not depend on fluctuations in the international
environment. It is good to see that our African friends have a similar
understanding. Together we will be even stronger.
whitehouse | Yes, I fully coincide with what you have proposed, President Biden.
And I could summarize everything we’ve been saying in five basic items
of cooperation.
Number one, since the energy crisis started, Mexico has used 72
percent of its crude and fuel oil exports to United States refineries —
800,000 barrels a day.
Therefore, we decided that while we’re waiting for prices of gasoline
to go down in the United States — and I hope that Congress approves or
passes your proposal, Mr. President —
PRESIDENT BIDEN: It has gone down for 30 days in a row. (Laughs.)
PRESIDENT LÓPEZ OBRADOR: (As interpreted.) — of lowering — lowering prices, yes. That’s it.
In the meantime, while we’re waiting for prices to go down, we have
decided that it was necessary for us to allow Americans who live close
to the borderline so that they could go and get their gasoline on the
Mexican side at lower prices.
And right now, a lot of the drivers — a lot of the Americans — are
going to Mexico, to the Mexican border, to get their gasoline.
However, we could increase our inventories immediately. We are
committed to guaranteeing twice as much supply of fuel. That would be
considerable support.
Right now, a gallon of regular costs $4.78 average on this side of the border. And in our territory, $3.12.
Let me clarify something, and I also want to take advantage of this
opportunity to thank you, Mr. President. Most of this gasoline, we are
producing it in the Pemex refinery that you allowed us to buy in Deer
Park, Texas.
Two, we are putting at the disposal — or sending at the disposal of
your administration over 1,000 kilometers of gas pipelines throughout
the southern border with Mexico to transport gas from Texas to New
Mexico, Arizona, and California for a volume that can generate up to 750
megawatts of electric energy and supply about 3 million people.
Three, even though the USMCA has made progress for the elimination of
tariffs, there are still some others that could be immediately
suspended. And we could do the same with some regulations, regulatory
measures, and tedious procedures or red tape in terms of trade related
to foodstuffs and other products so that we can lower prices for
consumers in both our countries, always being very careful in the
protection of health and the environment.
Four, starting a private-public investment plan between our two
countries to produce all those goods that will be strengthening our
markets so that we can avoid having importations from other regions or
continents.
In our country, we shall continue producing oil throughout the energy
transition. With the U.S. investors, we are going to be establishing
gas-liquefying plants, fertilizer plants, and we shall continue
promoting the creation of solar energy parks in the state of Sonora and
other border states as well.
And we’re going to accomplish this with the support of thermal
electric plants and also through transmission lines to produce energy in
the domestic market, as well as for exports, to neighboring states in
the American union, as for instance, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and
California.
It’s also important to mention that, two months ago, we took the
sovereign decision of nationalizing lithium in Mexico. This is a
fundamental mineral, a fundamental input to advance in our purpose not
to depend on fossil fuels. And this will be available for the
technological modernization of the automotive industry among our great
countries — the countries of the USMCA.
Five, orderly migration flow and allowing arrival in the United
States of workers, technicians, and professionals of different
disciplines. I’m talking about Mexicans and Central Americans with
temporary work visas to ensure not paralyzing the economy because of the
lack of labor force.
The purpose of this plan would be to support and to have the right
labor force that will be demanded by the plan you proposed and that was
passed by Congress of using $1 trillion for the construction of
infrastructure works.
And it’s also indispensable that I say this in a very sincere fashion
in the most respectful manner: It is indispensable for us to regularize
and give certainty to migrants that have for years lived and worked in a
very honest manner, and who are also contributing to the development of
this great nation.
I know that your adversaries — the conservatives — are going to be
screaming all over the place, even to Heaven. They’re going to be
yelling at Heaven. But without a daring, a bold program of development
and wellbeing, it will not be possible to solve problems. It will not
be possible to get the people’s support.
In the face of this crisis, the way out is not through conservatism.
The way out is through transformation. We have to be bold in our
actions. Transform not maintain the status quo.
On our part, we’re acting in good faith, with all transparency,
because there shouldn’t be selfishness between countries, peoples that
are neighbors and friends. On the other hand, integration does not
signify hegemony or subjugation.
And, President Biden, we trust you because you respect our
sovereignty. We are willing to continue working with you for the
benefit of our peoples. Count with our support — count on our support
and solidarity always.
Long live the United States. Viva México lindo y querido. Long live Mexico — dear Mexico, loved and beautiful Mexico. Viva México.
lefteast | Amid the geopolitical and humanitarian crisis generated by the war in
Ukraine, another crisis is unfolding globally which is also heavily
affected by the war. Global food supply problems
could cause food shortages and famine in several low-income countries
in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Global food prices,
increasing since the early 2000s, had already reached new peaks in the
last years. Owing to the important role of Ukraine and Russia in the
global food system (they are both among the largest grain exporters in
the world, and Russia has a significant role in the fertilizer industry
as well), they are expected to further accelerate to highest-ever
levels. The war also reveals how important local food systems
are in providing nutrition in Ukraine: people fleeing the cities are
depending at the moment on food produced by small family farms. The
solidarity of Romanian farmers providing Ukrainian family farms with
seeds also shows the power of alternative ways of thinking outside the
logic of the global food system.
The growing food crisis points to characteristics of the global food
system that has emerged in relationship to the capitalist economy. The
global food system’s dependence on fossil fuels, commercial seeds, and
chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides), and its devastating
societal effects in certain parts of the world make the system
unsustainable. Rural societies in general, but more specifically small
producers and rural communities in peripheral and semi-peripheral
regions, are affected by the global food system in a way that is
inherently unjust. The marginalization of small producers and peasant
communities who lack the capacity to successfully integrate into the
global food system (but are also unable to remove themselves from it ),
and inequalities in access to land and natural resources caused by land
concentration or land grabbing are significant consequences of the
global food system. The global division of labor means that while
peripheral and semi-peripheral regions more frequently specialize in the
more labor-intensive and less profitable activities in the global
commodity chain, core countries are generally involved with more capital
and technology-intensive production and more profitable activities,
reproducing global inequalities in the accumulation of capital.
Liberalization of the land market in semi-peripheries and peripheries,
rather than aiding small or medium farms, has tended to benefit mostly
the local elite (a minority of the rural society) or multinational
corporations based in core countries. In semi-peripheral Hungary, the
food-processing industry and supermarkets, which realize a great amount
of profit from the food commodity chain are also to a significant extent
operated by foreign capital.
The global food system has negative effects on society and more
broadly a damaging impact on the environment. It is a main culprit in
the loss of biodiversity and a major driver of climate change. Negative
environmental effects like the emergence of herbicide-resistant
superweeds, the loss of pollinators, and the increasingly prevalent
droughts hit back at the global food system. Requiring costly
interventions in agroecosystems such as new pesticides, artificial
pollination, and irrigation, they contribute to higher food prices.
The concept of food sovereignty was developed and propagated by the
international peasant movement La Via Campesina (The Peasant Way).
Originally rooted in autonomous peasant organizations in Latin America,
the movement later became global, and now has members from Africa, Asia,
North America, and Europe. La Via Campesina centers its work around
claims of social justice, the right of peasants to produce food, and
more equal access to lands and other resources (like water or seed). It
also focuses on the localization of food systems and emphasizes the
right to control one’s food and the right to access healthy, culturally
appropriate food instead of producing for and consuming the products of
the profit-focused global food system. Food sovereignty not only
concentrates on the health of people, but the health of the environment
as well, it argues for ecologically sound and sustainable agriculture.
In its thematic issue on food sovereignty
(#29), the Hungarian critical journal Fordulat addresses how the
operation of the global food system affects rural society and ecosystems
in Hungary and discusses the struggles and strategies of small
producers, including those of women who work in agriculture. The first
part of the issue contains five original articles and a translation,
tied together by the concept of food sovereignty and what it entails. It
gathers theoretical and empirical works that show how the history of
struggles of rural societies for more fair distribution of land and
natural resources and environmental degradation have developed in tandem
with capitalism, focusing specifically on transformations in Hungary’s
agriculture. It shows how the dialectical relationship between nature,
society, and the capitalist system to a large extent shapes rural life
in this semi-peripheral context today. The second part of the issue
presents three book reviews that reintroduce anthropological works
discussing local conditions, practices, and the changing meanings of
food and farming as well as resistance and struggle, amid the capitalist
and socialist transformations of the food systems in peripheral and
semi-peripheral places. While these books were written several decades
ago, they still hold relevance for understanding struggles in these
rural areas today.
Pernicious frauds have tricked miseducated subjects into the absurd delusion that the whole
Russian awakening and change of course has been the result Putin's
takeover. But ask yourself, who chose him and made Yeltsin put him up as
PM?
Russia may not have the deep state in the
same way that the U.S. does, but influential and respected Russian elders had and continue to have a way to
make themselves heard. Very obviously, a group of elder
Russian statesmen got together - worried about Russia going to the dogs - and
engineered a quiet changeover. However it happened,
Putin did not make it to the top by himself, and most certainly he has
not been alone in running things, as the West would like its most simple-minded subjects to believe.
So
do not worry about Valodya's health and Russian leadership's succession. Everyone in Russia has learned
the lesson from the 1990s. The support that
Russians extend to Putin is not so much personal, it is instead support for his policies for making Russia strong, independent and
proud.
The idea that the Russian people would fall
for Western "beads" again is ludicrous.
RG-RU.Translate.Goog |Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much! Dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich! Dear friends, colleagues!
I greet the participants and guests of the anniversary XXV St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
It
is taking place at a difficult time for the entire world community,
when the economy, markets, and the very principles of the global
economic system are under attack. Many trade, production, and logistics ties that were previously disrupted by the pandemic are now going through new tests. Moreover,
such key concepts for business as business reputation, inviolability of
property and trust in world currencies have been thoroughly undermined -
undermined, unfortunately, by our partners in the West, and this was
done intentionally, for the sake of ambition, in the name of preserving
outdated geopolitical illusions.
Today
ours - when I say "ours" I mean the Russian leadership - has its own
view of the situation in which the global economy finds itself. I
will dwell in detail on how Russia is acting in these conditions and
how it is planning its development in a dynamically changing
environment.
A
year and a half ago, speaking at the Davos Forum, I once again
emphasized that the era of the unipolar world order is over - I want to
start with this, there is no getting away from it - it has ended despite
all attempts to preserve it, to conserve it by any means. Changes
are a natural course of history, since the civilizational diversity of
the planet, the richness of cultures is difficult to combine with
political, economic and other patterns, patterns do not work here,
patterns that are rudely, without alternative, imposed from one center.
The
flaw lies in the very idea, according to which there is one, albeit a
strong power with a limited circle of approximate or, as they say,
states admitted to it, and all the rules of business and international
relations - when it becomes necessary - are interpreted exclusively in
the interests of this power , as they say, work in one direction, the
game goes in one direction. A world based on such "dogmas" is definitely unsustainable.
The
United States, having declared victory in the Cold War, declared itself
to be the messengers of the Lord on Earth, who have no obligations, but
only interests, and these interests are declared sacred. They
do not seem to notice that over the past decades, new powerful centers
have been formed on the planet and are louder and louder. Each
of them develops its own political systems and public institutions,
implements its own models of economic growth and, of course, has the
right to protect them, to ensure national sovereignty.
We
are talking about objective processes, about truly revolutionary,
tectonic changes in geopolitics, the global economy, in the
technological sphere, in the entire system of international relations,
where the role of dynamic, promising states and regions is significantly
increasing, whose interests can no longer be ignored.
I repeat: these changes are fundamental, pivotal and inexorable. And
it is a mistake to believe that the time of turbulent changes can, as
they say, sit out, wait out, that, supposedly, everything will return to
normal, everything will be as before. Will not.
However, it seems that the ruling elites of some Western states are just in this kind of illusion. They do not want to notice obvious things, but stubbornly cling to the shadows of the past. For example, they believe that the dominance of the West in global politics and economics is an unchanging, eternal value. Nothing is eternal.
Moreover, our colleagues do not simply deny reality. They are trying to counteract the course of history. They think in terms of the last century. They
are captivated by their own delusions about countries outside the
so-called "golden billion": they consider everything else to be the
periphery, their backyard, they still treat them like a colony, and the
peoples living there consider them second-class people, because consider
themselves exceptional. If they are exceptional, then everyone else is second-class.
Hence
- an irrepressible desire to punish, economically crush the one who
stands out from the general ranks, does not want to blindly obey. Moreover,
they rudely and shamelessly impose their own ethics, views on culture
and ideas about history, and sometimes question the sovereignty and
integrity of states, create a threat to their existence. Suffice it to recall the fate of Yugoslavia and Syria, Libya and Iraq.
If some "rebel" cannot be hounded, pacified, then they try to isolate him or, as they say now, "cancel". Everything
is used, even sports, the Olympic movement, a ban on culture,
masterpieces of art - for the sole reason that their authors are of the
"wrong" origin.
This is the nature of the current attack of Russophobia in the West and insane sanctions against Russia. Crazy and, I would say, thoughtless. Their number, as well as the speed of stamping, knows no precedents.
The only way Western elites are more capable and evil
than evil and stupid, is if you believe they are demonic. Because there
is no material payoff in this earthly realm that puts them in a better
position after this war is over.
Within their delusional realm of consensus status-seeking, they cannot allow under any circumstance the
combination of European engineering, Chinese manufacturing, and Russian natural
resources to happen. That landmass from Vladivostok to Lisbon and from
the Arctic Circle to the Bay of Bengal, if allowed
to function in economically complimentary manner, will exert
unparalleled control and influence over the Earth.
The US knows that
much, however stupid its elites may be. Whereas Putin can’t imagine a
world in which Russia doesn’t exist, the US elites cannot
imagine a world not controlled by the US. It’s an apocalypse
when these two worldviews collide for real.
Putin was talking about such a thing in a major
speech back during the Obama administration. He was talking about an economic union
stretching from Vladivostok to Lisbon to the EU and all the benefits
that that would achieve.
The Gini coefficient of Russia is 35.1 and has been
slowly falling in recent years. That is only a little worse than
Australia’s at 34.4
The US Gini coefficient is 41.1.
Higher Gini coefficients = more inequality.
I guess that Washington saw
that as a threat that had to be destroyed.
The Gini coefficient, also called the Gini index or Gini ratio, is the most commonly used measure of income distribution—simply put, the higher the Gini coefficient, the greater the gap between the incomes of a country's richest and poorest people. A country's Gini coefficient is important because it helps identify high levels of income inequality, which can have several undesirable political and economic impacts. These include slower GDP growth, reduced income mobility, greater household debt, political polarization, and higher poverty rates.
Explaining the Gini coefficient
Developed by Italian statistician Corrado Gini in 1912, the Gini coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, but is often written as a percentage. To offer two hypothetical examples, if a nation were to have absolute income equality, with every person earning the same amount, its Gini score would be 0 (0%). On the other hand, if one person earned all the income in a nation and the rest earned zero, the Gini coefficient would be 1 (100%). Mathematically, the Gini coefficient is defined based on the Lorenz curve. The Lorenz curve plots the percentiles of the population on the graph's horizontal axis according to income or wealth, whichever is being measured. The cumulative income or wealth of the population is plotted on the vertical axis.
Limitations of the Gini coefficient
While the Gini coefficient is a useful tool for analyzing the wealth or income distribution in a country, it does not indicate that country's overall wealth or income. Some of the world's poorest countries, such as the Central African Republic, have some of the highest Gini coefficients (61.3 in this case). A high-income country and a low-income country can have the same Gini coefficients. Additionally, due to limitations such as reliable GDP and income data, the Gini index may overstate income inequality and be inaccurate.
Countries with the highest and lowest Gini coefficients
South Africa ranks as the country with the lowest level of income equality in the world, thanks to a Gini coefficient of 63.0 when last measured in 2014. That said, in 2005, the Gini coefficient was even higher, at 65.0. In South Africa, the richest 10% hold 71% of the wealth, while the poorest 60% hold just 7% of the wealth. Additionally, more than half of South Africa's population lives in poverty.
Top 10 Countries with the Highest Gini Coefficients (%) - World Bank:
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