#internationalrelations — Public Fediverse posts

Carney Seeks New Trade Partners for Canada, But Knows the Limits

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada is on a mission to break his country’s dependence on the United…
#Canada #BritishColumbia(Canada) #Carney #china #Europe #EuropeanUnion #India #InternationalRelations #InternationalTradeandWorldMarket #MarkJ #mengwanzhou #Modi #Narendra #UnitedStatesInternationalRelations #XiJinping
https://www.europesays.com/canada/226883/

Andy Burnham is out of his depth – turned Britain into a laughing stock | Personal Finance | Finance

It’s a harsh world out there, and it thinks Andy Burnham’s Britain is a soft touch (Image: Getty)…
#EuropeSays #Britain #Europe #EU #UK #AndyBurnham #Britishdecline #InternationalRelations #KeirStarmer #UnitedKingdom
https://www.europesays.com/britain/132290/

https://www.europesays.com/britain/132290/ Andy Burnham is out of his depth – turned Britain into a laughing stock | Personal Finance | Finance #AndyBurnham #BritishDecline #InternationalRelations #KeirStarmer #UK #UnitedKingdom

Russian Foreign Minister Vows Russia Will See Ukraine War Through

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, met with his German counterpart on Saturday on the sidelines of the…
#Ukraine #UA #Europe #Europa #EU #News #DonaldJ #GeneralAssembly(UN) #Germany #InternationalRelations #lavrov #Putin #Russia #SergeyV #Trump #UnitedNations #VladimirV
https://www.europesays.com/ukraine/48263/

https://www.europesays.com/conflicts/9739/ Bangkok Post – At least 16 killed in Russian and Ukrainian strikes #DroneAttacks #EasternEurope #GeopoliticalSecurity #InternationalRelations #Kyiv #MilitaryConflict #RussiaUkraineWar #Ukraine #UkraineDroneAttacks #UnitedNations #VolodymyrZelensky

Embarrassed To Be An American.

Posted by Jerry Alatalo | September 26, 2026

[Editor’s note: I align fully with the profound sentiments expressed by retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson and retired CIA veteran Larry Johnson in their absolutely amazing Friday discussion with “Dialogue Works” host Nima Alkhorshid. Most discussions hosted by Mr. Alkhorshid are excellent, but this revelatory exercise – born out of necessity given the horrid current state of international relations – rises to a rarely-witnessed higher level of fearless free speech excellence.

Here is my concise take on the current unprecedented, inestimably-precarious state of the human condition:

After their shocking, repugnant, insulting-to-intelligence speeches to the world at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been denounced by the majority of the world’s people, – leading to valid/common sense speculation that both deceiving, hostile, clear-and-present-danger war criminals will soon – mercifully – become forced out of power.

Peace.

Please share this astounding discussion (170,000 views on YouTube in 24 hours) far and wide. Please feel free to share your thoughts and/or responses in the comments. Thank you very much. Good day.]

https://www.youtube.com/live/9x0nhBxis_o?si=zwhmddjCnVXv879c

Embarrassed To Be An American.

Posted by Jerry Alatalo | September 26, 2026

[Editor’s note: I align fully with the profound sentiments expressed by retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson and retired CIA veteran Larry Johnson in their absolutely amazing Friday discussion with “Dialogue Works” host Nima Alkhorshid. Most discussions hosted by Mr. Alkhorshid are excellent, but this revelatory exercise – born out of necessity given the horrid current state of international relations – rises to a rarely-witnessed higher level of fearless free speech excellence.

Here is my concise take on the current unprecedented, inestimably-precarious state of the human condition:

After their shocking, repugnant, insulting-to-intelligence speeches to the world at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been denounced by the majority of the world’s people, – leading to valid/common sense speculation that both deceiving, hostile, clear-and-present-danger war criminals will soon – mercifully – become forced out of power.

Peace.

Please share this astounding discussion (170,000 views on YouTube in 24 hours) far and wide. Please feel free to share your thoughts and/or responses in the comments. Thank you very much. Good day.]

https://www.youtube.com/live/9x0nhBxis_o?si=zwhmddjCnVXv879c

Embarrassed To Be An American.

Posted by Jerry Alatalo | September 26, 2026

[Editor’s note: I align fully with the profound sentiments expressed by retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson and retired CIA veteran Larry Johnson in their absolutely amazing Friday discussion with “Dialogue Works” host Nima Alkhorshid. Most discussions hosted by Mr. Alkhorshid are excellent, but this revelatory exercise – born out of necessity given the horrid current state of international relations – rises to a rarely-witnessed higher level of fearless free speech excellence.

Here is my concise take on the current unprecedented, inestimably-precarious state of the human condition:

After their shocking, repugnant, insulting-to-intelligence speeches to the world at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been denounced by the majority of the world’s people, – leading to valid/common sense speculation that both deceiving, hostile, clear-and-present-danger war criminals will soon – mercifully – become forced out of power.

Peace.

Please share this astounding discussion (170,000 views on YouTube in 24 hours) far and wide. Please feel free to share your thoughts and/or responses in the comments. Thank you very much. Good day.]

https://www.youtube.com/live/9x0nhBxis_o?si=zwhmddjCnVXv879c

Embarrassed To Be An American.

Posted by Jerry Alatalo | September 26, 2026

[Editor’s note: I align fully with the profound sentiments expressed by retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson and retired CIA veteran Larry Johnson in their absolutely amazing Friday discussion with “Dialogue Works” host Nima Alkhorshid. Most discussions hosted by Mr. Alkhorshid are excellent, but this revelatory exercise – born out of necessity given the horrid current state of international relations – rises to a rarely-witnessed higher level of fearless free speech excellence.

Here is my concise take on the current unprecedented, inestimably-precarious state of the human condition:

After their shocking, repugnant, insulting-to-intelligence speeches to the world at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been denounced by the majority of the world’s people, – leading to valid/common sense speculation that both deceiving, hostile, clear-and-present-danger war criminals will soon – mercifully – become forced out of power.

Peace.

Please share this astounding discussion (170,000 views on YouTube in 24 hours) far and wide. Please feel free to share your thoughts and/or responses in the comments. Thank you very much. Good day.]

https://www.youtube.com/live/9x0nhBxis_o?si=zwhmddjCnVXv879c

Embarrassed To Be An American.

Posted by Jerry Alatalo | September 26, 2026

[Editor’s note: I align fully with the profound sentiments expressed by retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson and retired CIA veteran Larry Johnson in their absolutely amazing Friday discussion with “Dialogue Works” host Nima Alkhorshid. Most discussions hosted by Mr. Alkhorshid are excellent, but this revelatory exercise – born out of necessity given the horrid current state of international relations – rises to a rarely-witnessed higher level of fearless free speech excellence.

Here is my concise take on the current unprecedented, inestimably-precarious state of the human condition:

After their shocking, repugnant, insulting-to-intelligence speeches to the world at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been denounced by the majority of the world’s people, – leading to valid/common sense speculation that both deceiving, hostile, clear-and-present-danger war criminals will soon – mercifully – become forced out of power.

Peace.

Please share this astounding discussion (170,000 views on YouTube in 24 hours) far and wide. Please feel free to share your thoughts and/or responses in the comments. Thank you very much. Good day.]

https://www.youtube.com/live/9x0nhBxis_o?si=zwhmddjCnVXv879c

https://www.europesays.com/conflicts/9480/ Trump rejects Iran offer on strait, war #DonaldTrump #GovernmentOfIran #InternationalRelations #Iran #News #NuclearProgramOfIran #PoliticsOfIran #PoliticsOfTheMiddleEast #Strait #StraitOfHormuz #Tehran #UnitedStates #War #WarNews

The European Union’s Strategic Autonomy

The following is an adapted version of an article written by Laura Nyilas,…
#Economy #alliés #assertionofinterests #competition #cooperation #defence #EconomyofEU #EconomyofEuropeanUnion #EconomyoftheEU #EconomyoftheEuropeanUnion #EUeconomy #Europe #EuropeanUnion #foreignpolicy #internationalrelations #MiddlePowers #newworldorder #openstrategicautonomy #regionallevel #sovereignty #Strategicautonomy #UnitedStates #Values
https://www.europesays.com/3273829/

https://www.europesays.com/ch/136751/ From Budapest to Bern: A forensic psychiatrist’s journey through medicine, law, and geopsychiatry #alumni #Bern #InternationalRelations #SemmelweisWorld #XNyitólap

https://www.europesays.com/uk/1222920/ The European Union’s Strategic Autonomy #allies #AssertionOfInterests #Competition #Cooperation #Defence #Economy #EU #Europe #European #EuropeanUnion #ForeignPolicy #InternationalRelations #MiddlePowers #NewWorldOrder #OpenStrategicAutonomy #RegionalLevel #sovereignty #StrategicAutonomy #UnitedStates #Values

The European Union’s Strategic Autonomy

The following is an adapted version of an article written by Laura Nyilas, a research fellow at the…
#Europe #EU #allies #assertionofinterests #Competition #Cooperation #Defence #economy #European #EuropeanUnion #Foreignpolicy #internationalrelations #MiddlePowers #newworldorder #openstrategicautonomy #regionallevel #sovereignty #strategicautonomy #UnitedStates #values
https://www.europesays.com/europe/146833/

CTV News: Saskatoon museum joins global coalition dedicated to Ukrainian studies. “The Ukrainian Museum of Canada has joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, an international network dedicated to preserving and sharing knowledge about Ukraine and its cultural heritage. The milestone comes as the museum celebrates 90 years since it was founded by Ukrainian women in Saskatoon.”

CTV News: Saskatoon museum joins global coalition dedicated to Ukrainian studies. “The Ukrainian Museum of Canada has joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, an international network dedicated to preserving and sharing knowledge about Ukraine and its cultural heritage. The milestone comes as the museum celebrates 90 years since it was founded by Ukrainian women in Saskatoon.”

CTV News: Saskatoon museum joins global coalition dedicated to Ukrainian studies. “The Ukrainian Museum of Canada has joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, an international network dedicated to preserving and sharing knowledge about Ukraine and its cultural heritage. The milestone comes as the museum celebrates 90 years since it was founded by Ukrainian women in Saskatoon.”

https://www.wacoca.com/news/2941163/ [Graduate ✕ Faculty — Knowledge in Motion] The Spirit of Ubuntu from South Africa: Where Law and Harmony Intersect | 世界にはばたく卒業生 | TUFS Today特集一覧 | TUFS Today #Africa #attorney #ExchangeStudent #graduate #HanánJeppie #HumanRightsLaw #InternationalRelations #MulticulturalPeaceAndHarmony #NobuoHaruna #SouthAfrica #tufs #ubuntu #アフリカ

https://www.wacoca.com/news/2941163/ [Graduate ✕ Faculty — Knowledge in Motion] The Spirit of Ubuntu from South Africa: Where Law and Harmony Intersect | 世界にはばたく卒業生 | TUFS Today特集一覧 | TUFS Today #Africa #attorney #ExchangeStudent #graduate #HanánJeppie #HumanRightsLaw #InternationalRelations #MulticulturalPeaceAndHarmony #NobuoHaruna #SouthAfrica #tufs #ubuntu #アフリカ

Europe Warns of Russia’s Hybrid Attacks but Struggles to Counter Them

An explosive-laden drone at a German airport. A strike on a passenger train near the Polish border. A…
#Europe #EU #CyberwarfareandDefense #DefenseandMilitaryForces #Drones(PilotlessPlanes) #EuropeanUnion #GeneralAssembly(UN) #GreatBritain #internationalrelations #Kyiv(Ukraine) #Moscow-Russia #NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization
https://www.europesays.com/europe/146035/

At U.N., Carney Lays Out a Broad Plan for a Divided World

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada expanded on his vision for international cooperation on Tuesday, outlining how nations…
#Canada #MarkCarney #Carney #DonaldJ #EuropeanUnion #GeneralAssembly(UN) #InternationalRelations #MarkJ #Trump #UnitedStatesPoliticsandGovernment
https://www.europesays.com/canada/224433/

https://www.europesays.com/conflicts/7096/ Zelensky Says He Hopes Trump Will Help to End Russia-Ukraine War ‘Before Winter’ #DonaldJ #GeneralAssembly(UN) #InternationalRelations #Putin #Russia #RussiaWar #Trump #Ukraine #UnitedNations #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesInternationalRelations #VladimirV #Volodymyr #Zelensky

Police in Poland Arrest Ukrainian Citizen Over Fatal Stabbing

The police in southeastern Poland arrested a citizen of Ukraine on suspicion of carrying out a knife attack…
#Ukraine #UA #Europe #Europa #EU #News #InternationalRelations #Poland #PoliticsandGovernment
https://www.europesays.com/ukraine/47373/

Abbas Presses Case for Palestinian State in Taped General Assembly Address

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/world/middleeast/abbas-general-assembly-palestinians.html

Abbas Presses Case for Palestinian State in Taped General Assembly Address

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/world/middleeast/abbas-general-assembly-palestinians.html

Abbas Presses Case for Palestinian State in Taped General Assembly Address

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/world/middleeast/abbas-general-assembly-palestinians.html

Abbas Presses Case for Palestinian State in Taped General Assembly Address

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/world/middleeast/abbas-general-assembly-palestinians.html

Abbas Presses Case for Palestinian State in Taped General Assembly Address

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/world/middleeast/abbas-general-assembly-palestinians.html

Shift to Multipolarity - Violence, Chaos, and Possibility

As of 2026, I want to keep track of how Canada arrived at this point in time, and I hope to at least provide a frame with which people who do not regularly follow the news can use - if useful.

In some ways Canadians are looking at the decline of the Petro Dollar and the rise of the so-called Electric Yuan. And, like many of the “Middle” powers, we’re caught up in this shift that looks chaotic. But, the story can trace itself back to post World War II, when the Bretton Woods system pegged the US dollar to gold.

By the 1970s, the US dollar was challenged with rising costs from the Vietnam War, trade deficits, and speculative transactions. Former President Nixon untethered the US dollar from gold in the 1970s, causing huge upset in Europe. But, as far as the history is concerned, the US ushered in the shift to fiat currency. Without any true tangible value to tether to, what’s the difference between these sheets of paper and the Crypto of 2026 you may ask?

Enter the Petro Dollar system. The US entered a comprehensive partnership with Saudi Arabia that solidly established the US dollar as a global currency for the following 50 years. Saudi Arabia’s agreement to trade oil in US dollars, and, in turn, to cycle the money back into the US financial system, created a structural foundation which essentially ensures the US cannot go bankrupt. The US provided the military hardware, training, and support to Saudi Arabia in exchange.

...

#history #canada #comment #internationalrelations

#AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli

https://kopitalk.net/c/[email protected]/p/1487308/shift-to-multipolarity-violence-chaos-and-possibility

Shift to Multipolarity - Violence, Chaos, and Possibility

As of 2026, I want to keep track of how Canada arrived at this point in time, and I hope to at least provide a frame with which people who do not regularly follow the news can use - if useful.

In some ways Canadians are looking at the decline of the Petro Dollar and the rise of the so-called Electric Yuan. And, like many of the “Middle” powers, we’re caught up in this shift that looks chaotic. But, the story can trace itself back to post World War II, when the Bretton Woods system pegged the US dollar to gold.

By the 1970s, the US dollar was challenged with rising costs from the Vietnam War, trade deficits, and speculative transactions. Former President Nixon untethered the US dollar from gold in the 1970s, causing huge upset in Europe. But, as far as the history is concerned, the US ushered in the shift to fiat currency. Without any true tangible value to tether to, what’s the difference between these sheets of paper and the Crypto of 2026 you may ask?

Enter the Petro Dollar system. The US entered a comprehensive partnership with Saudi Arabia that solidly established the US dollar as a global currency for the following 50 years. Saudi Arabia’s agreement to trade oil in US dollars, and, in turn, to cycle the money back into the US financial system, created a structural foundation which essentially ensures the US cannot go bankrupt. The US provided the military hardware, training, and support to Saudi Arabia in exchange.

...

#history #canada #comment #internationalrelations

#AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli

https://kopitalk.net/c/[email protected]/p/1487308/shift-to-multipolarity-violence-chaos-and-possibility

Shift to Multipolarity - Violence, Chaos, and Possibility

As of 2026, I want to keep track of how Canada arrived at this point in time, and I hope to at least provide a frame with which people who do not regularly follow the news can use - if useful.

In some ways Canadians are looking at the decline of the Petro Dollar and the rise of the so-called Electric Yuan. And, like many of the “Middle” powers, we’re caught up in this shift that looks chaotic. But, the story can trace itself back to post World War II, when the Bretton Woods system pegged the US dollar to gold.

By the 1970s, the US dollar was challenged with rising costs from the Vietnam War, trade deficits, and speculative transactions. Former President Nixon untethered the US dollar from gold in the 1970s, causing huge upset in Europe. But, as far as the history is concerned, the US ushered in the shift to fiat currency. Without any true tangible value to tether to, what’s the difference between these sheets of paper and the Crypto of 2026 you may ask?

Enter the Petro Dollar system. The US entered a comprehensive partnership with Saudi Arabia that solidly established the US dollar as a global currency for the following 50 years. Saudi Arabia’s agreement to trade oil in US dollars, and, in turn, to cycle the money back into the US financial system, created a structural foundation which essentially ensures the US cannot go bankrupt. The US provided the military hardware, training, and support to Saudi Arabia in exchange.

...

#history #canada #comment #internationalrelations

#AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli

https://kopitalk.net/c/[email protected]/p/1487308/shift-to-multipolarity-violence-chaos-and-possibility

Shift to Multipolarity - Violence, Chaos, and Possibility

As of 2026, I want to keep track of how Canada arrived at this point in time, and I hope to at least provide a frame with which people who do not regularly follow the news can use - if useful.

In some ways Canadians are looking at the decline of the Petro Dollar and the rise of the so-called Electric Yuan. And, like many of the “Middle” powers, we’re caught up in this shift that looks chaotic. But, the story can trace itself back to post World War II, when the Bretton Woods system pegged the US dollar to gold.

By the 1970s, the US dollar was challenged with rising costs from the Vietnam War, trade deficits, and speculative transactions. Former President Nixon untethered the US dollar from gold in the 1970s, causing huge upset in Europe. But, as far as the history is concerned, the US ushered in the shift to fiat currency. Without any true tangible value to tether to, what’s the difference between these sheets of paper and the Crypto of 2026 you may ask?

Enter the Petro Dollar system. The US entered a comprehensive partnership with Saudi Arabia that solidly established the US dollar as a global currency for the following 50 years. Saudi Arabia’s agreement to trade oil in US dollars, and, in turn, to cycle the money back into the US financial system, created a structural foundation which essentially ensures the US cannot go bankrupt. The US provided the military hardware, training, and support to Saudi Arabia in exchange.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/econographics/is-the-end-of-the-petrodollar-near/

Fast forward to 2026, Canadians, and the world, watch the Israeli genocide of Palestinians, and the occupation of Palestine and the West Bank grind on. With US financial and military support, Israel was no longer willing to restrain or limit its own military operations, and Israel broadened its campaign of expansion to include neighbouring Lebanon and Iran. As a result, Operation Epic Fury of February 2026, will be recorded in history as a remarkable self-inflicted blow to American hegemony in all time.

Even prior to Operation Epic Fury, readers and observers generally agreed that conflict involving Iran could lead to any number of serious - if not catastrophic - effects on oil production in the region. I was in the camp that there was no logic available to justify the enormous knock-on effects that would shock global supply chains, and impact world economies. And, with the above Petro Dollar system in place, such a scenario was senseless.

But as we are now aware, Operation Epic Fury led to Iran developing a new military strategy that proved highly effective, an Iran Energy Weapon. Essentially, Iran took control of the Strait of Hormuz, and, as of September 2026, the Houthis have effective control of the Bab-el-Mendeb Strait. Prior to Operation Epic Fury, the world received roughly 7.4M barrels per day of petroleum products from the region, which is approximately 25% of the world’s supply of petroleum products.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/11/business/bab-al-mandeb-strait-houthi-global-economy

As a result of Iran and the Houthis controlling and closing these strategic supply lines, world strategic reserves of petroleum products are now depleting, and all of the supply disruptions are expressing themselves in higher prices at gas pumps around the world. With the additional knock-on impacts to Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, and Manufacturing, 2027 will be challenging to say the least.

Iran’s Energy Weapon rocked the Petro Dollar system at its premise. Without the US following through with its protection for Saudi Arabia, the structural relationship that makes the US dollar a world currency is a live question. And, at the same time, the US continues to churn immense wealth and debt into the so called LLM/AI race. With cost inflation pushing the cost of living for people around the world, Americans are no longer immune.

US bond yields are increasing, and consequently the cost to maintain the US debt. The US needs to exit the Iran conflict, and its partnership with Israel to simply stop the losses. But, as US Professor Pape points out, the US may be in what he dubs an “Escalation Trap”, where the US and Israel initiated Operation Epic Fury, and now the US cannot end the conflict on its own volition.

Other interesting developments from Operation Epic Fury are the developments in robot and drone warfare, and China’s rise in renewables, both also layers capable of challenging the Petro Dollar system.

Ukraine and Iran have shown that robot and drone warfare have evolved, and even Middle Powers can potentially wield powerful strategic and tactical options against big or small opponents alike. As many news outlets have already pointed out, these drones and robots are relatively inexpensive compared to the elaborate and pricey American Tomahawk and Patriot missiles. These evolutions are now top of mind for battlefields of the future. But they also bring into focus the largesse of the US military through time.

In both instances when the US abandoned the Bretton Woods Gold Standard in 1971, and, arguably, when the US faced a crisis to the Petro Dollar in 2026, the US was forced to adjust to severe military blunders. While there was a pivot available in the 1970s with oil, 2026 presents a more nuanced environment where China has actually taken the initiative to research and develop solar panels and batteries, and presents itself as a rising, stable superpower with its own Electric Yuan as a world currency alternative.

That is not to say that the US has surrendered any pursuit of renewable energy. There remains very interesting research and development of solar panels, solid-state batteries, and even Lithium Air batteries that show promise. But the decisions of the Trump Administration have framed the Petro Dollar system as a zero-sum game to the detriment of renewable projects across the US.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Canada entered the North American Free Trade Agreement in part as an acknowledgment that Canada already had significant economic integration with the US. Such an agreement was justified as an organic expression of what was already in place, and an opportunity to include Mexico to solidify economic “security”. But, Canadian thinkers at the time were concerned that NAFTA created a vulnerability, tethered Canada to a rusted behemoth, and left the country vulnerable to US political shifts.

At no other point has this Canadian concern expressed itself more clearly than during the Trump Administration. Trump has repeatedly antagonized Canada, making public and provocative statements against Prime Minister Carney, and demanded for Canada to become a 51st state. Canada-US relations has deteriorated, exemplified by an interview given by PM Carney to the New York Times where Carney shared that he examined a “extreme tail risk” of the US attacking Canada. A line of questioning, I suggest, which would have been considered completely inappropriate prior to the Trump years.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/carney-nyt-interview-9.7356284

However, by 2026, Canada has established trade partners in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Even now, in September 2026, during the State of the European Union Address in Strasbourg, EU Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen announced the proposal for Canada to elevate its existing Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with the EU to a new Associate Membership. Certainly, Canada is exploring new territory with this offer, and signals to the world that its supplies of critical metals and resources are now available to market when previously tied to the US. This comes along with an announcement in Calgary, Alberta of Canada’s Declaration on 100-Year Partnership with Ukraine, which outlines a comprehensive agreement about Defense, Drones, Energy, Minerals, Reconstruction, and Trade.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-canada-drones-defence-russia-9.7339040

With the US giving up the renewables race, and a lead position to pivot to an Electric Dollar, the field remains open for the Middle Powers to build out new partnerships. Yet, the US continues to remain locked in the Escalation Trap set in part by Israel. The US appears to be on track for its bond market to deteriorate, and the knock-on impacts to the LLM/AI sector will basically have serious - if not catastrophic - consequences for the North America region.

Shift to Multipolarity - Violence, Chaos, and Possibility

As of 2026, I want to keep track of how Canada arrived at this point in time, and I hope to at least provide a frame with which people who do not regularly follow the news can use - if useful.

In some ways Canadians are looking at the decline of the Petro Dollar and the rise of the so-called Electric Yuan. And, like many of the “Middle” powers, we’re caught up in this shift that looks chaotic. But, the story can trace itself back to post World War II, when the Bretton Woods system pegged the US dollar to gold.

By the 1970s, the US dollar was challenged with rising costs from the Vietnam War, trade deficits, and speculative transactions. Former President Nixon untethered the US dollar from gold in the 1970s, causing huge upset in Europe. But, as far as the history is concerned, the US ushered in the shift to fiat currency. Without any true tangible value to tether to, what’s the difference between these sheets of paper and the Crypto of 2026 you may ask?

Enter the Petro Dollar system. The US entered a comprehensive partnership with Saudi Arabia that solidly established the US dollar as a global currency for the following 50 years. Saudi Arabia’s agreement to trade oil in US dollars, and, in turn, to cycle the money back into the US financial system, created a structural foundation which essentially ensures the US cannot go bankrupt. The US provided the military hardware, training, and support to Saudi Arabia in exchange.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/econographics/is-the-end-of-the-petrodollar-near/

Fast forward to 2026, Canadians, and the world, watch the Israeli genocide of Palestinians, and the occupation of Palestine and the West Bank grind on. With US financial and military support, Israel was no longer willing to restrain or limit its own military operations, and Israel broadened its campaign of expansion to include neighbouring Lebanon and Iran. As a result, Operation Epic Fury of February 2026, will be recorded in history as a remarkable self-inflicted blow to American hegemony in all time.

Even prior to Operation Epic Fury, readers and observers generally agreed that conflict involving Iran could lead to any number of serious - if not catastrophic - effects on oil production in the region. I was in the camp that there was no logic available to justify the enormous knock-on effects that would shock global supply chains, and impact world economies. And, with the above Petro Dollar system in place, such a scenario was senseless.

But as we are now aware, Operation Epic Fury led to Iran developing a new military strategy that proved highly effective, an Iran Energy Weapon. Essentially, Iran took control of the Strait of Hormuz, and, as of September 2026, the Houthis have effective control of the Bab-el-Mendeb Strait. Prior to Operation Epic Fury, the world received roughly 7.4M barrels per day of petroleum products from the region, which is approximately 25% of the world’s supply of petroleum products.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/11/business/bab-al-mandeb-strait-houthi-global-economy

As a result of Iran and the Houthis controlling and closing these strategic supply lines, world strategic reserves of petroleum products are now depleting, and all of the supply disruptions are expressing themselves in higher prices at gas pumps around the world. With the additional knock-on impacts to Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, and Manufacturing, 2027 will be challenging to say the least.

Iran’s Energy Weapon rocked the Petro Dollar system at its premise. Without the US following through with its protection for Saudi Arabia, the structural relationship that makes the US dollar a world currency is a live question. And, at the same time, the US continues to churn immense wealth and debt into the so called LLM/AI race. With cost inflation pushing the cost of living for people around the world, Americans are no longer immune.

US bond yields are increasing, and consequently the cost to maintain the US debt. The US needs to exit the Iran conflict, and its partnership with Israel to simply stop the losses. But, as US Professor Pape points out, the US may be in what he dubs an “Escalation Trap”, where the US and Israel initiated Operation Epic Fury, and now the US cannot end the conflict on its own volition.

Other interesting developments from Operation Epic Fury are the developments in robot and drone warfare, and China’s rise in renewables, both also layers capable of challenging the Petro Dollar system.

Ukraine and Iran have shown that robot and drone warfare have evolved, and even Middle Powers can potentially wield powerful strategic and tactical options against big or small opponents alike. As many news outlets have already pointed out, these drones and robots are relatively inexpensive compared to the elaborate and pricey American Tomahawk and Patriot missiles. These evolutions are now top of mind for battlefields of the future. But they also bring into focus the largesse of the US military through time.

In both instances when the US abandoned the Bretton Woods Gold Standard in 1971, and, arguably, when the US faced a crisis to the Petro Dollar in 2026, the US was forced to adjust to severe military blunders. While there was a pivot available in the 1970s with oil, 2026 presents a more nuanced environment where China has actually taken the initiative to research and develop solar panels and batteries, and presents itself as a rising, stable superpower with its own Electric Yuan as a world currency alternative.

That is not to say that the US has surrendered any pursuit of renewable energy. There remains very interesting research and development of solar panels, solid-state batteries, and even Lithium Air batteries that show promise. But the decisions of the Trump Administration have framed the Petro Dollar system as a zero-sum game to the detriment of renewable projects across the US.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Canada entered the North American Free Trade Agreement in part as an acknowledgment that Canada already had significant economic integration with the US. Such an agreement was justified as an organic expression of what was already in place, and an opportunity to include Mexico to solidify economic “security”. But, Canadian thinkers at the time were concerned that NAFTA created a vulnerability, tethered Canada to a rusted behemoth, and left the country vulnerable to US political shifts.

At no other point has this Canadian concern expressed itself more clearly than during the Trump Administration. Trump has repeatedly antagonized Canada, making public and provocative statements against Prime Minister Carney, and demanded for Canada to become a 51st state. Canada-US relations has deteriorated, exemplified by an interview given by PM Carney to the New York Times where Carney shared that he examined a “extreme tail risk” of the US attacking Canada. A line of questioning, I suggest, which would have been considered completely inappropriate prior to the Trump years.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/carney-nyt-interview-9.7356284

However, by 2026, Canada has established trade partners in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Even now, in September 2026, during the State of the European Union Address in Strasbourg, EU Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen announced the proposal for Canada to elevate its existing Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with the EU to a new Associate Membership. Certainly, Canada is exploring new territory with this offer, and signals to the world that its supplies of critical metals and resources are now available to market when previously tied to the US. This comes along with an announcement in Calgary, Alberta of Canada’s Declaration on 100-Year Partnership with Ukraine, which outlines a comprehensive agreement about Defense, Drones, Energy, Minerals, Reconstruction, and Trade.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-canada-drones-defence-russia-9.7339040

With the US giving up the renewables race, and a lead position to pivot to an Electric Dollar, the field remains open for the Middle Powers to build out new partnerships. Yet, the US continues to remain locked in the Escalation Trap set in part by Israel. The US appears to be on track for its bond market to deteriorate, and the knock-on impacts to the LLM/AI sector will basically have serious - if not catastrophic - consequences for the North America region.

Shift to Multipolarity - Violence, Chaos, and Possibility

https://kopitalk.net/c/canada@kopitalk.net/p/1487308/shift-to-multipolarity-violence-chaos-and-possibility