Financial Oligarchy and War Party Lose Prized Draghi Government

Mario Draghi, Italy’s most influential agent of the City of London and Wall Street, and a primary architect among EU governments of the NATO war policy against Russia and China, was compelled to resign as Prime Minister July 21 after an arrogant but failed speech demanding that Parliament support him. He joins Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron among NATO war leaders forced out of office or politically weakened in the past month.

Draghi’s failure is a Brussels failure. A commentary in France’s Le Monde daily explained that the Draghi government was a tool to advance the European Commission’s debt-slavery agenda, which is now entirely at risk. Wrote Le Monde:

“Destabilizing for the eurozone, Italy’s political crisis is also destabilizing for the [European] Union, which at this very moment is implementing a historic recovery plan financed by a common debt. Mario Draghi’s ability to reform the Italian state and use European funds to boost the economy was seen, especially in Berlin, as proof of the validity of this European solidarity. His resignation … is a serious shock to the consolidation of the Union, its leadership and its cohesion on the international stage…. Moreover, the dissolution of the governing coalition lays bare the extreme tensions Italy is experiencing in its relations with Russia. After imposing a firm policy of sanctions against Moscow, Mario Draghi has clashed with the pro-Russian positions of his allies, particularly the Lega and Forza Italia, and part of the business community.”

The Draghi government remains to run daily business until a September election, when Italy’s new Parliament is formed and a new government is voted on. State President Sergio Mattarella is urging the caretaker government to continue Draghi’s agenda.

But indicatively, the government was quickly forced to drop a local transport bill which included “liberalization” of the taxi service. Uritaxi national leader Claudio Giudici commented in a long and acclaimed Facebook post that “we have just driven back an assault by the Barbaric Putschists,” led by “The Dragon,” Mario Draghi. Giudici recalled the disasters caused by Draghi in the ’90s; the European Central Bank (ECB) “letter” that led to Monti’s government in 2011; Draghi’s destruction of Greece, first as president of the ECB and then as prime minister; the rise of inflation from zero to 8%; an interest-rate spread from 100 to 225 basis points; a falling GDP; and an Atlanticist policy that has jeopardized energy security; the increase of poverty, etc.

On July 21, the Governing Council of the ECB, confronted with the loss of its former chief Draghi’s Italian government, raised its discount interest rate after 11 years (to zero!) and saw Italy’s and other nations’ spreads from German bonds get much wider. The ECB approved a new “tool” in response, to buy up Italian bonds while supposedly selling off its holdings of other sovereign bonds. This “help” for Italy was, however, fully equipped with austerity conditions against the real Italian economy, which will be strongly resisted in Italy. So despite this scheme, which clearly threatens the breakup of the euro bloc, the Italian bond spreads then got even wider.

Black Sea Grain Deal Is First Break in Sanctions Logjam

Meeting at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu signed a breakthrough agreement July 22 that will allow grain, foodstuffs, and fertilizers to be shipped from three Ukrainian ports to world markets. A second agreement was signed that will facilitate export of Russian grain and fertilizers. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UN Secretary General António Guterres, who brokered the deal, were also present at the signing ceremony.

During the meeting Guterres proclaimed, according to the Washington Post,

“There is a beacon on the Black Sea, a beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever. It will bring relief to developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy, and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, as saying, “We will be watching closely to make sure that Russia follows through with any commitments it made.”

The agreement will last for 120 days and can be renewed without further negotiation. Only ships used to export grains, food products, and fertilizers will be allowed to remain in the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny—the only ports to be used. Ships will be escorted through safe corridors by the Ukrainian navy or coast guard, avoiding known minefields, until they are outside the country’s territorial waters.

A control and coordination center will also be established in Istanbul as part of the agreement, to be staffed by UN, Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian officials to handle all aspects of the operation, such as ship rotation schedules. France24 reports that it will take three to four weeks before the system will be fully operational.

American Ranchers Support Dutch Farmers Against Global Cartels

R-CALF USA, the largest association of independent cattlemen in the United States, on July 21 issued a statement in support of farmers in The Netherlands, who are protesting against impossible green government mandates to cut nitrous emissions and run-off by 2023. Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, stated,

“Dutch farmers are facing an immediate threat to their livelihoods, liberty and independence. America’s cattle farmers and ranchers are on the cusp of suffering the same fate, which is why R-CALF USA supports the Dutch farmer-protestors who are fighting on the front line.”

He said that the Dutch government does not show “any concern for reductions in food production almost certain to occur under the mandate.”

R-CALF USA, based in Montana, is Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America. It has led the charge in recent years in courts, Congress and the public arena against the Big Four cartel of meatpackers that dominates 85% of U.S. beef processing—Tysons, Cargill, JBS, and Marfrig.

R-CALF USA has also exposed how the “green” agenda is used as a cover for attacking cattlemen and cutting the food supply, as in the case of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB). R-CALF USA leader Tracy Hunt, a rancher and attorney in Wyoming, has exposed the GRSB as front for the likes of the World Wildlife Fund, cartels, and those who want depopulation.

Bullard denounced the Dutch government for trying “to whip many or all of its nation’s farmers into submission. We urge all Americans to join with us in admonishing the Dutch government’s action and to stand in support of Dutch farmers.” His statement was quickly translated and is circulating among media supporting the farmers’ protests in Europe.

López Obrador Letter to Biden Offers Asylum�To Protect Assange

Speaking at his mañanera (morning press conference) July 18, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told reporters that during his July 12 visit to the White House he had left a letter for President Joe Biden offering asylum and protection for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. British courts have ruled that Assange, held in maximum security since April 2019, can be extradited to the United States and tried for espionage, charges that López Obrador rejected.

In the letter, he said,

“I explained that [Assange] had not committed any serious crime, he didn’t kill anyone, he didn’t violate any human rights, he exercised his freedom, and that jailing him would mean a permanent affront to freedom of expression. I explained that Mexico is offering protection and asylum to Julian Assange.”

In response to a question, he said that he hadn’t yet received a reply from Biden, but that he wanted to show respect and give the White House time to fully analyze his communication.

This isn’t the first time that López Obrador has intervened on Assange’s behalf. After British courts ruled in April that Assange could be extradited to the U.S., the Mexican President announced that he would ask Joe Biden to get involved. Obrador had also previously written to Donald Trump on the Assange case at the end of his term, according to El Financiero.

Beijing Formally Backs Argentina’s Entry into�the BRICS

In his July 7 meeting with Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero in Bali, Indonesia, where both were attending the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi offered Beijing’s formal support for Argentina’s entry into the BRICS association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Argentina’s Foreign Ministry issued a press release to this to this effect and Cafiero told the state news agency Telam that “China chairs the BRICS this year, and its support and commitment to nominate our country to join is fundamental.” In their meeting, Wang Yi stressed the importance of President Alberto Fernández having attended the BRICS-Plus meeting June 24 and Argentina having formally entered the Belt and Road Initiative during his visit to Beijing in February of this year.

According to Argentina’s Foreign Ministry, Cafiero told Wang Yi that his nation can contribute to the BRICS by strengthening and amplifying a voice in defense of the interests of developing nations.