Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Monday, 22 August 2022.
BRICS WATCH: Nearing September’s BRICS Parliamentary Forum, at least 16 countries are considering applying or have applied to BRICS+, a collection of smaller countries outside Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Those countries include Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela. Some 50 countries in total have participated in BRICS+ events so far this year. (AC: Russian officials confirmed that Argentina and Iran have already applied and are in a “preparatory process” for being admitted. BRICS+ is likely to accelerate for a few reasons. First, China is desirous of building an economic alliance to rival U.S. and Western dominance. BRICS alone is 40% of the world’s population and about 25% of the global economy. China hopes that adding oil-heavy Saudi Arabia, NATO’s Turkey, resource-rich Indonesia, and Egypt, which controls the Suez Canal, will allow it to wield greater influence against the United States. This almost certainly includes a desired ability to act against U.S. commercial interests. China is also likely to share technology with BRICS+ countries that allow its leaders to better act in Chinese interests. Second, import-dependent countries are likely to improve their food security in an economic alliance that prioritizes trade within the BRICS+ family. Third, BRICS’ New Development Bank, created as a financier of infrastructure projects within BRICS, will offer BRICS+ countries access to capital to expand commercial capacity for energy, ports, and transportation. These loans are certain to come with strings attached that benefit the BRICS+ alliance. – M.S.)
SERBIA-KOSOVO CRISIS DEEPENS: The EU led the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo in a crisis meeting in Brussels this week but has made little progress toward resolving the dispute between the countries. The leaders have agreed to continue to hold negotiations in the coming days, noting there was “still time until September 1,” referencing a deadline for additional documentation for Serbs implemented by Kosovo earlier this summer. Representatives of the NATO Kosovo Forces stationed in the region announced they stand ready to intervene to ensure regional stability by increasing the number of troops deployed to the mission should the situation deteriorate.
USAF BOMBER TASK FORCE CONDUCTS JOINT EXERCISES WITH SWEDEN: A squadron of US Air Force B-52 bombers arrived in the United Kingdom as part of the US/NATO bomber taskforce based in Europe. The bomber squadron immediately began a series of live-fire exercises in Sweden, where the bombers were escorted by Swedish fighters and conducted airstrikes on targets designated by Swedish ground forces.
In today’s Early Warning report, Mike discusses China’s Gray Zone warfare tactics against the United States, the assassination of Alexander Dugin’s daughter, and the latest intelligence from at home and around the world. Get access to the full intel briefing here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe
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