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Apr 10 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
The US-backed soft coup against Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has succeeded

Washington helped organize a campaign pressuring opposition lawmakers to oust Khan with a no-confidence vote

It's very similar to the US-backed soft coup in Brazil in 2016 multipolarista.com/2022/04/04/pak…
This is important analysis from a brilliant Indian geopolitical analyst and former diplomat: "Regime change pulls Pakistan back into US orbit"

Imran Khan was much too independent for Washington, and improved relations with Russia and Iran, angering the US
This article by a Pakistani scholar explains why the US supported the soft coup against Prime Minister Imran Khan:

He was very close to China, significantly improved relations with Russia & Iran, distanced from Saudi Arabia, & strongly supports Palestine multipolarista.com/2022/03/31/pak…
In response to a US-backed political coup against Pakistan's elected Prime Minister Imran Khan, huge numbers of people all across the country held massive protests

These are some of the biggest protests in Pakistan's history
The US empire thinks it can overthrow governments anywhere without consequences

But by toppling Pakistan's elected Prime Minister Imran Khan, the US and Pakistani elites unleashed a huge movement

Even the Pakistani military can't hold this back forever
Another factor in the US-backed coup in Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan called for Washington to lift its illegal, murderous sanctions on Iran

He also was very close to China, improved relations with Russia, and refused to normalize apartheid Israel
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan spent years protesting the US so-called "war on terror"

He said Pakistan joining this war was a "self-inflicted wound" and was motivated by money, not the interest of the Pakistani public
ndtv.com/world-news/pak…

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More from @BenjaminNorton

Benjamin Norton Profile picture
Apr 2
Ultimate irony of the Western economic war on Russia: Moscow has actually made *more* money from energy exports, because European countries cancelled long-term contracts (at a low fixed cost below market price) and instead bought energy on the spot market (for much higher prices)
This also reflects how Europe's neoliberal economic policies hurt working people

When European countries had long-term contracts, Russia sold gas at a low fixed cost below market price, so working people paid less

Now that the price is left to the Free Market, they pay way more
Russia's state news agency Tass recently rubbed this fact in Europe's face, pointing out that Hungary was paying for Russian gas five times cheaper than the market price thanks to its long-term contracts, while other European countries were buying expensive gas on the spot market
Read 4 tweets
Benjamin Norton Profile picture
Apr 1
This is a big deal: To buy Russian gas, Europe has to open accounts in Gazprombank

EU pays in euros. Gazprombank then buys rubles with those euros, and stores the rubles

This means Russia controls the ruble-euro exchange rate, and the ruble will strengthen, voiding EU sanctions
These Western media reports miss the point: Europe will pay for Russian gas in euros, but into accounts in Russia's Gazprombank, which will then buy rubles with those euros

Meaning Europe is basically paying in rubles, AND Russia sets the exchange rate
dw.com/en/germany-say…
This graph shows the new mechanism for Europe to buy Russian gas:

A European firm send euros to its Gazprombank euro "K" account. Gazprombank buys rubles and deposits them into its ruble "K" account

The payment is not officially complete until Gazprom receives payment in rubles
Read 4 tweets
Benjamin Norton Profile picture
Apr 1
Pakistan’s opposition is trying to overthrow Prime Minister Imran Khan with a no-confidence motion.

Khan says he has proof of foreign funding for a regime-change op to reverse his independent foreign policy – especially his alliance with China and Russia
multipolarista.com/2022/03/31/pak…
This prominent Pakistani journalist confirmed that the US State Department threatened her government, saying Pakistan cannot improve relations with the US unless elected Prime Minister Imran Khan is overthrown

This is yet another US-backed coup attempt
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said the "establishment" (a likely reference to the powerful Pakistani military) gave him three options: resignation, a no-confidence vote to remove him, or early elections

This is clearly a coup attempt in motion ndtv.com/world-news/imr…
Read 4 tweets
Benjamin Norton Profile picture
Mar 30
The West's favorite financial weapon, sanctions, has met its limit:

US/EU did a figurative nuclear strike on Russia's economy... and after just 1 month the ruble has returned to where it was when the invasion began (85 to the dollar, up from a low of 150) uk.news.yahoo.com/russias-ruble-…
The US empire is used to imposing sanctions/blockades on economies of relatively small countries, like Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, etc.

But Russia's economy is much larger and more diversified. It has partners in Asia who ignore the sanctions. And Europe still needs its gas
Read 4 tweets
Benjamin Norton Profile picture
Feb 24
Venezuela stands firmly with Russia over Ukraine. President Maduro, who has criticized NATO's expansion to Russia's doorstep, says:

"From Venezuela we condemn the perverse plans to militarily and strategically surround Russia. All support to President Putin and his people"
Venezuela's right-wing, US government-sponsored puppets, like conservative coup-supporter María Corina Machado, are condemning Russia and staunchly supporting Ukraine/NATO

She also denounced Cuba, Iran, and China, just because it's her favorite pastime
Nicaragua's Sandinista government is joining Venezuela in supporting Russia against US/NATO imperialism.

A high-level Russian political delegation just arrived in Managua today, in fact, to hold discussions with Nicaraguan officials
el19digital.com/articulos/ver/…
Read 5 tweets
Benjamin Norton Profile picture
Feb 24
It's not hard to understand Russia's thinking. The West promised the former USSR that NATO wouldn't expand "one inch east" after German reunification

It lied. NATO has added 14 new members since then, ALL east of Germany, threatening Russia on its borders
multipolarista.com/2022/02/20/us-…
NATO continued to break its promise, again and again, militarily encircling Russia, adding 14 new member states near or even on its borders, constantly sending weapons and troops to threaten Moscow.

That relentless Western aggression now has consequences.
multipolarista.com/2022/01/14/us-… Image
NATO colony Estonia (formerly part of the Soviet Union) has Western troops just 100 kilometers from Russia's border, constantly threatening it.

Imagine if Moscow controlled the Mexican government and has Russian troops 100 kilometers from the US border
Read 4 tweets

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