THE NEW YORK TIMES: Countries already walloped by a breakdown of the international trading order, war in Ukraine and chaotic U.S. policymaking are facing potentially lasting economic damage.
Bombs are exploding in Iran and the Middle East, but the fallout is rattling households and businesses in neighborhoods all over the globe.
In Kansas, home buyers saw 30-year mortgage rates edge above 6 percent this week. In Western India, families mourning the death of a loved one discovered that gas-fired crematories had been temporarily closed.
In Hanoi, Vietnam, gas station owners posted “sold out” signs. In Kenya, tea growers and traders worried their exports to Iran would rot on the dock. And across the United States, Canada, Europe, Britain and Mexico, farmers blanched at the surge in fertilizer costs.
The widening war in Iran has delivered a stunning punch to a worldwide economy that has already been walloped by a breakdown of the international trading order, war in Ukraine and President Trump’s chaotic policymaking.
“This really is the big one,” David Goldwyn, a former U.S. diplomat and U.S. Energy Department official, said of the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important choke point for oil. It is the emergency scenario everyone feared, he said.
Cargo deliveries have been stranded, shipping charges have increased and insurance premiums have skyrocketed. Yes, the price of gas at the pump is affected. But so is the price of food, medicine, airplane tickets, electricity, cooking oil, semiconductors and more.
A drawn-out war between the United States and Iran could have “catastrophic consequences” for the world’s oil market and the global economy, Amin Nasser, chief executive of Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil and gas company, warned this week.
Yet even if the war, which began on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel struck Iran, wraps up relatively quickly, this latest upheaval is sending consumers, workers and employers on another unnerving and unpredictable ride. » | Patricia Cohen | Patricia Cohen is the global economics correspondent in London.| Thursday, March 12, 2026
One can but wonder what all the members of Trump’s fan club have to say for themselves now! The king of dealmaking is not looking so clever now, is he? His magic touch looks pretty elusive to me. — © Mark Alexander
The Shrewd Economist
Democracy is an illusion! It’s become a political system fostered by the élite, for the élite, in order to fool the people that they have a stake in the system. In actual fact, they have virtually none. The whole political system in the modern era, despite having noble beginnings, is now used to benefit the few at the expense of the many. – Mark Alexander, June 29, 2018
March 12, 2026
Saudi Arabia and UAE Defence Strategy Against Iranian Missile Strikes
Labels:
Iran,
Iran War,
Saudi Arabia,
UAE
Rutger Bregman, Historian, Called Out Billionaires Face to Face in Davos
Labels:
billionaies,
Davos,
Rutger Bregman,
taxation
Why America Is Losing the War with Iran (w/ John Mearsheimer) | The Chris Hedges Report
Elect a know-nothing fool, expect geopolitical chaos! – © Mark Alexander
Labels:
Benjamin Netanyahu,
Chris Hedges,
Donald Trump,
Iran,
Iran War,
Israel,
USA
Wolff Responds: "Iran! Underappreciated Aspects" Dated March 11, 2026
Labels:
Dr Richard Wolff,
Iran War
March 11, 2026
‘The Shine Has Been Taken Off’: Dubai Faces Existential Threat as Foreigners Flee Conflict
THE GUARDIAN: Tens of thousands of residents and tourists have left UAE since the US and Israel started bombing Iran two weeks ago, leaving beach bars, malls and hotels eerily empty
In the playground of the rich, nobody wanted this war. For decades, Dubai built itself up as a sanctuary of unadulterated consumerism visited by tourists the world over.
But now, the city in the United Arab Emirates faces an existential threat, as the war between the US and Israel and Iran has shaken the foundations of the “Dubai dream” that so many foreigners had bought into.
The UAE has borne the brunt of more than two-thirds of Iran’s strikes; the state targeted in part, say analysts, for its deep military and intelligence partnerships with western powers, and Dubai’s reputation as a favoured centre for global finance and western holidays.
“The shine has definitely been taken off,” said John Trudinger, a British resident of Dubai for 16 years, who is a headteacher at an Emirati school in Dubai. He employs more than 100 teachers from the UK and said most have been so “deeply traumatised and really struggling to cope” with the sudden arrival of war in Dubai that they have left and won’t come back.
They are among the tens of thousands of residents and tourists that have fled Dubai since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran almost two weeks ago. The city’s large population of migrant workers largely don’t have that privilege. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Dubai | Wednesday, March 11, 2026
In the playground of the rich, nobody wanted this war. For decades, Dubai built itself up as a sanctuary of unadulterated consumerism visited by tourists the world over.
But now, the city in the United Arab Emirates faces an existential threat, as the war between the US and Israel and Iran has shaken the foundations of the “Dubai dream” that so many foreigners had bought into.
The UAE has borne the brunt of more than two-thirds of Iran’s strikes; the state targeted in part, say analysts, for its deep military and intelligence partnerships with western powers, and Dubai’s reputation as a favoured centre for global finance and western holidays.
“The shine has definitely been taken off,” said John Trudinger, a British resident of Dubai for 16 years, who is a headteacher at an Emirati school in Dubai. He employs more than 100 teachers from the UK and said most have been so “deeply traumatised and really struggling to cope” with the sudden arrival of war in Dubai that they have left and won’t come back.
They are among the tens of thousands of residents and tourists that have fled Dubai since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran almost two weeks ago. The city’s large population of migrant workers largely don’t have that privilege. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Dubai | Wednesday, March 11, 2026
How Trump’s War With Iran Changed the World in a Week
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The conflict is reshaping travel patterns, energy dependencies, living costs, trade routes and diplomatic alliances.
Since President Trump launched a new war with Iran, he has portrayed it as a shock-and-awe assault with few lasting consequences, especially for Americans. On Monday in Florida, he called it a “brief disruption.”
Experts say it is rapidly becoming something else entirely: a jolt to the global security order and economy that far exceeds those delivered by other recent conflicts in the Middle East.
Mr. Trump’s war, now nearly two weeks old, is already reshaping travel patterns, energy dependencies, living costs, trade routes and strategic partnerships. Countries typically shielded from regional conflict, like Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates, have faced retaliatory Iranian fire. The fallout could disrupt midterm elections in the United States, tilt the war calculus in Ukraine and force China into a major economic pivot.
Those effects may compound if Mr. Trump presses ahead with the war, particularly if Iran escalates its counterattacks and blocks ship traffic through the critical oil passage of the Strait of Hormuz. Some economists are already invoking a dreaded memory for any U.S. president — the specter of oil-shock-induced stagflation, with growth stalling and prices roaring upward. » | Jim Tankersley | Reporting from Berlin, Washington and London’s Heathrow Airport | Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Since President Trump launched a new war with Iran, he has portrayed it as a shock-and-awe assault with few lasting consequences, especially for Americans. On Monday in Florida, he called it a “brief disruption.”
Experts say it is rapidly becoming something else entirely: a jolt to the global security order and economy that far exceeds those delivered by other recent conflicts in the Middle East.
Mr. Trump’s war, now nearly two weeks old, is already reshaping travel patterns, energy dependencies, living costs, trade routes and strategic partnerships. Countries typically shielded from regional conflict, like Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates, have faced retaliatory Iranian fire. The fallout could disrupt midterm elections in the United States, tilt the war calculus in Ukraine and force China into a major economic pivot.
Those effects may compound if Mr. Trump presses ahead with the war, particularly if Iran escalates its counterattacks and blocks ship traffic through the critical oil passage of the Strait of Hormuz. Some economists are already invoking a dreaded memory for any U.S. president — the specter of oil-shock-induced stagflation, with growth stalling and prices roaring upward. » | Jim Tankersley | Reporting from Berlin, Washington and London’s Heathrow Airport | Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Labels:
Donald Trump,
Iran War
Why Crypto Isn’t Cool Anymore | The Economist
Labels:
Bitcoin,
cryptocurrencies
Epstein Conspiracy: All the Proof We Need
Feb 10, 2026 | The Epstein files - and the cover-up - reveal all we need to know. Call a friend. Start organizing. Get educated. Let’s put this primitive “predatory phase” of humanity behind us.
We know what to do. We know how to feed, house, clothe, and care for all of us on this miraculous floating orb in outer space.
We know what to do. We know how to feed, house, clothe, and care for all of us on this miraculous floating orb in outer space.
Labels:
Jeffrey Epstein
The Billionaire Crime Ring
Our so-called democratic leaders have just allowed THIS SHIT to happen! They haven’t had the SPUNK to do ANYTHING about it! The West needs CHANGE, BIG CHANGE. SOON! Kick the MORONS out of office and let the grown-ups take the reins. But we must make sure that these grown-ups have SPUNK. Lots of it! — © Mark Alexander
Labels:
billionaires
Steve Rosenberg: In Russia, Who's Criticising Donald Trump...and Who Isn't?
Labels:
Russia,
what the papers say
March 10, 2026
The Economics of a Dying Empire (w/ Richard Wolff) | The Chris Hedges Report
Labels:
capitalism,
Chris Hedges,
Dr Richard Wolff,
US Empire
March 09, 2026
Peter Thiel and Praxis: The Billionaire Plan to Create the Fourth Reich
Labels:
Fourth Reich,
Peter Thiel
Peter Schiff: Iran War Creates Chaos in the World Economy
Labels:
Iran War,
world economy
‘We Just Don’t Know’ How High Gas Prices Will Go as Iran War Continues Warns Utilita Chair
Mar 9, 2026 | “It's going to be a white knuckle ride”
Utilita chair Derek Lickorish MBE tells Times Radio “we just don’t know” how high gas prices will go as long as the war in the Middle East continues.
WIKIPEDIA: Utilita Energy »
Utilita chair Derek Lickorish MBE tells Times Radio “we just don’t know” how high gas prices will go as long as the war in the Middle East continues.
WIKIPEDIA: Utilita Energy »
Labels:
energy prices,
gas prices
March 07, 2026
Gas Prices Continue to Surge in U.S., Rising 14% in a Week
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Soaring oil prices suggest that more increases could be in store for American drivers. Diesel, jet fuel, and other refined products are also becoming much more expensive.
The price of gas in the United States reached an average of $3.41 per gallon on Saturday, a day after crude oil prices soared to levels not seen since 2023 as the spillover from the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran continued.
That gain means gasoline has jumped 14 percent in the past week, according to data from the AAA motor club. The prices recorded Saturday were the highest for gasoline since 2024.
The suddenly rising energy costs — everything from jet fuel to diesel for trucks and tractors is more expensive — are rooted in supplies of crude oil coming from the Persian Gulf. The tankers that normally carry oil out of the region are not sailing, cutting the world off from about one-fifth of its oil supply.
That’s led to a surge in oil prices globally. By Friday, the U.S. crude benchmark, called West Texas Intermediate, had climbed more than 35 percent for the week, to settle at $90.90 a barrel, with much of that gain coming on Friday alone. The last time crude was trading at those levels, gasoline in the United States was above $3.80 a gallon, the data from AAA shows. » | Emmett Lindner | Saturday, March 7, 2026
The price of gas in the United States reached an average of $3.41 per gallon on Saturday, a day after crude oil prices soared to levels not seen since 2023 as the spillover from the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran continued.
That gain means gasoline has jumped 14 percent in the past week, according to data from the AAA motor club. The prices recorded Saturday were the highest for gasoline since 2024.
The suddenly rising energy costs — everything from jet fuel to diesel for trucks and tractors is more expensive — are rooted in supplies of crude oil coming from the Persian Gulf. The tankers that normally carry oil out of the region are not sailing, cutting the world off from about one-fifth of its oil supply.
That’s led to a surge in oil prices globally. By Friday, the U.S. crude benchmark, called West Texas Intermediate, had climbed more than 35 percent for the week, to settle at $90.90 a barrel, with much of that gain coming on Friday alone. The last time crude was trading at those levels, gasoline in the United States was above $3.80 a gallon, the data from AAA shows. » | Emmett Lindner | Saturday, March 7, 2026
Labels:
Iran War,
oil prices
Truth To Power: Trump Exposed: What Really Happened with Iran
Trump is a F*****G LIAR, and an UNSCRUPULOUS ONE at that! He is also a CRUEL CRIMINAL who understands NO GEOPOLITICS. The man should be in prison, not in the White House. — © Mark Alexander
Labels:
Donald Trump,
Iran War
March 06, 2026
U.S. Employers Cut Jobs in Sign of a Shakier Economy
THE NEW YORK TIMES: A weaker-than-expected report for February showed a decline of 92,000 jobs, and a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent.
Job growth fizzled in February, a sign of unexpected weakness in the labor market.
Employers cut 92,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported on Friday, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent. The job losses cut across nearly all major sectors, including health care, which was weighed down by a nurses strike in California.
The report dimmed the picture of the labor market and all but shut down the prospect of a resurgence in growth after an anemic year of hiring that was weighed down by economic uncertainty. Many economists had forecast that employers would shake off their reluctance to hire this year.
Here’s what else to know: Live Updates » | Sydney Ember | Friday, March 6, 2026
Job growth fizzled in February, a sign of unexpected weakness in the labor market.
Employers cut 92,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported on Friday, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent. The job losses cut across nearly all major sectors, including health care, which was weighed down by a nurses strike in California.
The report dimmed the picture of the labor market and all but shut down the prospect of a resurgence in growth after an anemic year of hiring that was weighed down by economic uncertainty. Many economists had forecast that employers would shake off their reluctance to hire this year.
Here’s what else to know: Live Updates » | Sydney Ember | Friday, March 6, 2026
Labels:
employment,
US economy
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