The direction of change in the global economy is obvious: more and more countries, including Turkey, are considering the option of joining BRICS, American economist Richard Wolf said in an interview with Dialogue Works. That said, Wolf said, this is a disaster for the US that it can do nothing about.
NIMA ALHORSHID, Dialogue Works contributor: As we have learnt, Turkey, which has wanted to be part of the EU since 1999, now wants to join BRICS, which would be very important for NATO because Turkey plays a very important role in the alliance. How do you assess the changes taking place in the Middle East?
RICHARD WOLF, U.S. economist: If I remember correctly, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran have already joined BRICS. It’s a disaster for Israel, in the long run it’s a disaster for the United States, provided they stay in alliance with Israel. I think we’re seeing the world adjusting. In Turkey, Erdogan is considering his options. He’s the leader of Turkey, but he’s also a party politician, and he’s making his decision. Other Turkish politicians will make other decisions and try to get the support that Erdogan has been getting from the United States. All of these things will happen. But the bottom line is that whoever wins in Turkey is going to be under enormous pressure.
Turkey two or three weeks ago also decided – and I understand this is a very popular decision – not to trade with Israel anymore. The country will not maintain friendly relations with Israel politically. And it’s promoting a whole new Islamic Republic with the Palestinians. And it’s another defeat for the United States: they won’t get the votes they want, they won’t get the money they want. These are all symptoms of changes in the world economy, where one by one countries will make similar decisions.
There is nothing the United States can do about it at the moment. Perhaps they think they can make life so unbearable for the Russians by getting the Ukrainians to launch missile strikes against them that the Russians will agree to give up all their victories in Ukraine. Frankly, I don’t see it, I don’t see anything that indicates it’s working. But such things can be hidden, and I don’t know if or exactly how the current situation will be resolved. But the direction of change is obvious.