A Tectonic Geopolitical Shift

I’ve been noticing that some global powers that struggled during the last century are now rising, and other powers are sliding. Many have referred to this as a geopolitical tectonic shift, and I agree with that assessment. It brings to mind the metamorphosis of caterpillars to butterflies, or the sinking and rising of continents.

If we live in the western world, it’s impossible not to notice that life is getting harder. Essentials like food and housing are becoming unaffordable, and we worry about wildfires every summer, suffering through smoky days. It’s becoming difficult to find work that will pay us enough to scrape by.

Our governments are catering to the interests of the rich, investing in military, AI data centres, and fossil fuels. They’re increasing deregulation and privatization, making it easier for public money to flow into private hands.

This has left our economies hollowed out, our nations in debt, and those behind this situation running scared. Starting wars is one of the only ways they have left of making more money as our economies collapse. This short video by Ben Norton shows us one of the ways this works.

On top of the grinding austerity we’re experiencing, we see that many in the elite class do horrible things to women and kids. The Epstein files have exposed these things. This group also support Israel’s genocide of Palestine, and fights wars in ways that are brutal, illegal and immoral: intentionally killing children, bombing infrastructure, and committing all manner of war crimes. Many have lost respect for them. Here’s an excellent article from teleSUR that describes this phenomenon well.

I can’t help but wonder how demoralized soldiers fighting these wars for the west must feel. In this interview, Larry Johnson talks about the fatal mutiny on the USS Abraham Lincoln, and his experience of calling parents of soldiers who committed suicide when he was in the military.

What values exactly are these soldiers being asked to die for? And how do these values stack up against soldiers fighting for the sovereignty of their nations, like those in Iran?

While the western world has been run to the ground through neoliberalism these past few decades, many formerly less powerful nations have been rebuilding and collaborating.

On February 28th, 2026, the USA and Israel invaded Iran unprovoked, and then lost the war. Donald Trump signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran that outlined the terms for peace; terms which the USA then violated. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to the USA, Israel and its allies until the terms of this MOU are honoured. The USA’s refusal to keep its commitments could plunge the world into an economic depression.

Israel, in its ambition to create a Greater Israel, is wreaking havoc in the region, committing genocide in Gaza, and increasingly in the West Bank and Lebanon, and bombing neighbouring countries. The USA supports Israel, and so do the elite class of many other nations. Here is an interesting account of the attitude many Israelis have towards the lands they occupy.

This region is being redefined, and will hopefully be brought back to its former glory as the cradle of civilization. If you want to stay up to date on what’s happening there, I highly recommend The Cradle, Professor Marandi, and Laith Marouf.

China is the country that the USA feels the most threatened by. Over the last fifty years it has lifted 800 million people out of poverty.

And this is what the west finds threatening. China owes its success to investing in education, infrastructure and the well-being of its people, and having helpful relationships with neighbouring countries; all things that go against the grain of our neoliberal governments.

While the west has been descending into its current chaos, China, Iran, and Russia have been developing their economies and societies, collaborating with other nations, and reclaiming their former power.

A lot of non-western countries have joined them. They’ve created groups like BRICSand the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to help them support and defend each other.

Even though these organizations are meant only to benefit its members, the west considers them a threat.

With the USA losing the war with Iran, and the financial, economic and societal failures of the western world, things are coming to a head. Jonathan Cook describes well where we in the west are. To quote:

So much is in flux right now: American bases surrounding Iran have been destroyed, the western world is in shambles, and other nations are rising up. Who knows what the geopolitical landscape will look like in the near future?

And, yes, the perpetrators have to be pitied for the loss of their humanity. But we also have to protect ourselves and each other from those who commit and enable the ongoing genocide in Gaza, who start senseless wars, who do what the Epstein class does to women and children, and who destroy our economies and environment.

It’s vital that we take a stand in this pivotal, tectonic moment. And I wonder what role we in the west can play during this shift.

I have a few ideas, which I’ve explored more thoroughly in the next post I’m working on. Part of it is acknowledging what we’re already doing, because many of us are exercising our power. Another part is staying informed by getting accurate news, doing all we can to create the kind of world we want, building community, sharing with others, and looking for opportunities to make meaningful change.

And these things have an impact, as they always have, even when it’s not acknowledged.

Does it feel to you like we’re in a historic moment that will change things forever? I’d love to know your perspective on it, and some of the things you’re doing in response to this major shift.

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I love the BDS campaign and the effect it’s having on Israel’s economy.

Here’s an excellent list of products from Israel: https://boycott.thewitness.news/categories

Here are some factsheets about Israel: https://www.cjpme.org/factsheets

And here’s where you can support Palestine by buying a kufiya: https://www.kufiya.org/

Here are some tips for hard times that might come in handy.

And you can find links to news sources I trust here and here.

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