News, Rumors and Opinions Friday PM 4-12-2024
KTFA:
Clare: Adviser to the Prime Minister: Activating the Strategic Framework Agreement tops the agenda of Sudanese’s visit to Washington
4/12/2024
Fadi Al-Shammari, political advisor to the Prime Minister, confirmed that the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani to the United States of America will define the relationship between Baghdad and Washington.
Al-Shammari suggested, in a press statement today, Friday, that “the Prime Minister will place the activation of the framework agreement at the top of the visit’s agenda, in order to achieve enhanced cooperation and coordination with the United States, and activate the terms of the agreement between the two countries, especially in the areas of development, economy, investment, education, technology, artificial intelligence, and climate.”
He added, “The Sudanese seeks to deal with the files in a way that restores balance, strengthens the partnership, matures the relationship between the two countries and defines the nature, identity and nature of the joint relations, by establishing the factors of joint commitment and focusing on the main aspects of the strategic framework agreement, as well as the joint political, security and military files.” LINK
TrevorL: Good morning to everyone on this Journey. Based on Frank’s Version/vision of where we are, there isn’t anything left to do but be ready. IMO, I also believe this to be true for the most part. With potentially one hiccup!!
If we get to 4/15 and the meeting with Sudani and Biden comes without a new Currency value then I believe, IMO, that this is a good old fashioned Mexican standoff. The current articles (most of them) all talk about what the meeting is going to be about, we all have our Opinions on this.
The Strategic Framework Agreement and Currency reform. Could it be that this meeting is to horse trade one for the other, Sudani says I will give you America a new very good rate and you give Me (Iraqi) a favorable Agreement that I can take home to apiece all factions (meaning when are you getting the hell out of our Country). Just food for thought while we wait for our blessing.
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Clare: Al-Sudani to American companies: The current stability in Iraq is encouraging for you to engage in development projects
4/12/2024
Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, called on American companies to work inside Iraq.
Al-Sudani said, the current stability in Iraq should encourage American companies to engage in important development projects in the fields of energy, communications, housing, health care, education, transportation, and others.
He added that it is also important that we combat corruption, which is the other side of terrorism, as its impact is no less devastating, and that we work to ensure that the people’s money is directed towards valuable goals, and that it is also imperative that we work to diversify our economy away from dependence on oil, even while we benefit from it. From our position as the second largest oil exporting country in OPEC (in addition to our possession of large reserves of natural gas)
Al-Sudani stated, “Our urgent need for American expertise and technology extends to clean energy and the green economy, as we seek to develop sustainable and renewable sectors,” adding that “the strategic framework agreement established the legal basis for these activities, and that by investing in them, it will enable us to put Iraq in a position that helps it strengthen Its democracy, strengthening the state, and strengthening the rule of law, are the pillars that will allow us to restore Iraq to its historical brilliance.
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Frank26 Iraq is a sovereign nation now with a sovereign currency. Therefore IMO Sudani goes to Washington to deal with Monetary Reform and banking advancement…Billions and billions are retuning to Iraq. It’s an incredible amount of money that’s coming back. It’ll [DFI?] probably come back to them now or after the 15th when Sudani comes back.
Pimpy There still seems to be some major confusion about what a real effective exchange rate is versus an actual nominal exchange rate…A Real Effective Exchange Rate is for assessing its trade capabilities…an increase in the nations REER is an indication that the exports are becoming more expensive and its imports are becoming cheaper. It is losing its trade competitiveness. So the REER is used to check out its competitiveness with other trade partners. That’s it…It’s not the same thing as a nominal exchange rate…
Next week, the World Bank and the IMF are meeting in Washington DC for their Spring Meetings 2024.
This year, the meetings will be compressed between 17th and 19th April, with some ancillary events happening between Monday 15th and Friday 20th.
The schedule of events can be found here. https://www.worldbank.org/en/meetings/splash/spring/schedule
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BRICS members: Will Indonesia Join China or the USA?
Fastepo: 4-12-2024
Indonesia’s strategic maritime position connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans makes it a key player in global geopolitics, heavily courted by both the United States and China.
The country has strengthened its ties with the U.S. through a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, focusing on defense, economic growth, and environmental projects like the Just Energy Transition Partnership.
Despite these closer ties with the U.S., Indonesia maintains a cautious approach to the BRICS bloc, which includes China and Russia, due to potential geopolitical tensions and the unclear economic benefits of membership.
This careful balancing reflects Indonesia’s broader policy of non-alignment, aiming to maximize its strategic autonomy without overly committing to any major global power. In this video, we will explore Indonesia’s relationships with the USA and BRICS and analyze their potential impacts on global geopolitical tensions.
