InterOuts

America’s Attempts to Divide Russia & South Africa.

The recent ridiculously unnecessary public interchange between the United States and South Africa has yet again highlighted distinct and completely duplicitous behaviour by the Media (both MSM globally and South African Media specifically) and the State Department of the USA. The geo-political inequietude globally has lead the United States to continue their incessant undermining of national confidence in those countries who they disprove of for whatever reason. The most obvious on is that they are not playing ball with the USA’s agenda. The American grip on global affairs has been slipping with the constant chipping away at the Dollars standing as the world’s Reserve Currency and the increasing usage by the Oil producers of the world ( OPEC, Iran, Venezuala etc. ) and their buyers (Russia, China, India and now South American and African nations) of their own National Currencies to pay for the oil/petroleum they purchase. Add to this the loss of the economic trade between Russia, China, Iran, Venezuala, Argentina, Kenya and other nations now following the trend by implementing trade between themselves (and others) using their own national currencies and goods. Barter betweeen nations has increased cutting out international financial institutions and methods of payment so putting further pressure on the Dollars usage. The decision by the BRICs group of nations to mount an alternative Global Reserve Currency has led to added pressure on the Dollars status and its worth. All this cuts out the US Dollar from being used and therefore constantly undermines the need for it further causing its predominance to decline. The current US Budgetary Crisis has exacerbated the situation with the possibility of a default by the US Administration leading to the dumping of US Government Bonds and other financial instruments by many nations including the major players like China, Russia and India who are also rapidly diminishing their foreign currency reserves of Dollars. The currency markets like all financial institutions rely on confidence and this erosion in the perception of the Dollars pre-eminence in global economics and financial transactions has led to a re-appraisal by most nations of how, with who and through what systems they transact and what they hold reserves in.

Enter the USA in full swing. They were annoyed that their blustering attitude did not wash with many nations in Africa (South Africa’s Naledi Pandor saying publicly ‘We cannot be forced to dump Russia’ who rejected their ‘demands’ (for they were not requests) for these and other nations globally to enforce sanctions against Russia. These were Sanctions that the USA, UK and EU unilaterally and without globally agreed Legal grounds tried to enforce (through the usual implied and overt threats). The American Administration decided to apply the rules of engagement that they use to blackmail these nations to comply and join the herd. Having failed to drive a wedge between South Africa, Russia and China and cause them economic and political problems when they held joint Naval Exercises off the coast of South Africa in February 2023 , they came up with a way to use that to pressure South Africa who is hosting the BRICs conference where the issue of an alternative Global Reserve Currency run by the nations of the BRICs will be discussed and put into motion. Backed by their currencies, reserves of gold and other commodities, the BRICs Reserve Currency would provide a viable alternative to the Dollar for financial transactions globally. The USA implied without producing a single shred of evidence that South Africa was supplying weapons to Russia and that the exchange had taken place while the Naval Exercises were being held ( this was also stated to have happened in November 2022 in the Cape). The US Ambassador to South Africa Mr. Rueben Brigety stated this was the case publicly in the Western Media on Thursday 11/05/2023 where he stated "We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel and I would bet my life on the accuracy of that assertion." This was what Brigety said, according to a video of the remarks. This was exacerbated by the German Foreign Minister Ms. Anna Baerbock at first being ‘alarmed’ when she publicly threatened South Africa if it continued to provide weaponry to Russia without any evidence to justify the USA’s claim to South Africa supplying such weaponry to Russia other than the US Ambassadors very dubious original claim. There was according to the media, a war of words that followed with the Guardian proclaiming the summoning of America’s Ambassador to South Africa and the Voice of America running an agenda based piece decrying South Africa’s neutral stance over global events and refusal to participate in the USA’s actions on the issue of Ukraine and Russia sanctions policies with South African ENCA spelling it out reporting that Eurasia Group, a think-tank, said in a note that Brigety's comments were likely an attempt "to influence South Africa to change its neutral stance on the Russia/Ukraine conflict." Many others like Associated Press (AP) cited the allegations made by Ambassador Brigety. The next chapter unfolded with the erstwhile US Ambassador while not retracting his unfounded accusation but using diplomatic speak to smooth the waters stating "I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor this evening and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks" as reported by the Voice of America among others. It should be noted that this was on Twitter only and not carried by the MSM of the western press, the BBC, CNN, WSJ., New York Times etc. To date, no statement in any format has been issued by the State Department to clarify and lay this issue to rest.

The implied threat of sanctions by the USA and the possibility of future complications in the raising of capital, selling of bonds, inward investment and other financial instruments on world markets led to a substantial drop in the exchange rate of the Rand on the international currency markets though this was in part due to the fall in global earnings and finance affecting many markets and nations. However the level of confidence in South Africa dropped with the USA’s adversarial tactics seen by many as a possible prelude to less favourite status for South Africa with the G7 and the western bloc nations, a move that can run into the loss of considerable percentages of the national income. Ostensibly the USA retracted and apologised for its unwarranted claim against South Africa (Russia was not included in the apology) but did not air this publicly in the western media and the official spokesperson for the American administration, the State Department said nothing and neither apologised or retracted the Ambassador’s statement. This ‘apology’ was reported by the media outlet Russia Today (RT is Unavailable in some countries) when South Africa’s head of Public Diplomacy Mr. Clayson Mondela, asked for clarification of the Ambassador’s apology when the US Ambassador allegedly “admitted that he crossed the line and apologized unreservedly,” though it was underplayed by most South African and western media. Additionally to this, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, Mrs. Naledi Pandor stated the need for a BRICs based Reserve Currency(RT is Unavailable in some countries) to provide stability and security to the developing nations of the world who are detrimentally subjected to the Dollar’s political and economic power plays if they do not follow the USA’s ‘rules based’ orders when she stated that “The poor and marginalized are facing the greatest threat in that their plight is forgotten while the mighty fight.”

The saddest part of this debacle instigated by the USA to shore up its collapsing hegemony is the clear sight of a changing world of so many issues, a shift taking place that opens up so many possibilities for the human race where cooperation and advancement benefits us all and the USA’s complete and unequivocal rejection of it. South Africa neither deserves or warrants such underhand and unpleasantly unethical behaviour from the so called ‘Champion of the Free World’ nor does Russia which has been unjustly accused with neither retractions, apologies or for that matter, any sort of evidence (surely they can afford anecdotal?) being presented. This really epitomises the depths of degradation that the bastions of the ‘Free World’ have sunk to on the world’s political stage and the complete disregard they show for the notion of morality. For all our sakes, this is not a good indicator of times to come.