The leaders of the twenty-nine NATO member nations are scheduled to meet next week in London, England.  Amid consistent pressure on the member states for increased defense spending to live up to their prior 2014 promises (Wales summit); and with NATO economies in a stalled geopolitical stasis due to their attachment to China (5G telecom), Russia (Nordstream II), and Iran; this summit holds increased possible ramifications.
This NATO summit could very well expose the duplicity and hypocrisy of the EU depending on how far U.S. President Donald Trump is willing to call them out.
There are going to be a lot of nervous snake handlers around the table(s), and with the U.K. elections in the near future there is a great deal at stake. The summit is Tuesday and Wednesday.  Here’s the White House background briefing:
[Transcript] – SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I just want to thank everyone for being here today, Friday after Thanksgiving.
Just up front, this call is going to be on background, attribution to a senior administration official, and there will be an embargo on the contents of this call until it’s completed.
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Earlier today President Trump met with Italian President Matarella and held a press availability in the oval office prior to bilateral discussions. [Video and Transcript below]

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[Transcript] – PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. It’s a great honor to have the President of Italy with us. He is a man of great distinction. He’s highly respected in this country. And it’s nice to have you at the White House. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

We’ve had a great relationship with Italy for a long time. I don’t think it’s ever been closer than it is now. We have won a $7.5 billion award from, as you know — I guess it’s been pretty big news. And I know that this is against the European Union and World Trade — good ole World Trade. For a long time, they’ve been taking advantage of the United States. And I know Turkey is going to talk to us about their share of it because they feel they shouldn’t have to pay so much.

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President Trump prefers to use targeted economic weapons instead of the U.S. military forces against foreign adversaries.  In keeping with this strategy President Trump is announcing a set of economic sanctions and tariffs against Turkey for their decision to cross into Syria and create a crisis amid all regional interests.  (Source)
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In the bigger picture… Within the trade team, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is positioned with primary responsibility toward the EU and India. Ross clear-cuts through the politics, explains Trump’s objectives amid the trade proposals, and paves a path for U.S. Trade Rep Bob Lighthizer to engage his counterparts.
India has always been a key strategic nation within the global trade-realignment taking place by the Trump administration.  Under all of the banter, the “Indo-Pacific” strategy is structurally the decoupling of the U.S. from China. As a part of the strategy President Trump has positioned the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as benefactors in manufacturing & trade as an outcome of the U.S. decoupling from China.

However, India has genuine concerns about the global dynamic. Specifically, India is worried about allowing the multinationals to have influence over their economy and social structure. In this regard India is not wrong; their concerns are not unfounded.
We can all see, heck we’ve lived through, massive multinational corporations quickly gaining too much influence; including -eventually- corporate influence over the politics of a nation. That inherently leads to corruption.
When Americans see it in other nations we call it “bribery and corruption”, but when it happens in Washington, DC, we call it “lobbying”; the process is exactly the same.
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Jumpin’ ju-ju bones – The Trump administration via U.S. Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross won a massive $7.5 billion award as an outcome of the World Trade Organization agreeing with the U.S. against the EU and Airbus subsidies.  The WTO arbitrators decision is final and cannot be appealed.
This win sets the stage for President Trump to deploy $7.5 billion in countervailing duties against products from the EU.  Keep in mind, a final WTO ruling means the EU cannot retaliate against any WTO-authorized countermeasures.  The downstream ramifications are very significant. Think about it: at 25% the U.S. could tariff $30 billion in EU goods.

Man, talk about serendipitous timing… But first, here’s the press release from Robert Lighthizer:

Washington, D.C.–  The United States has won the largest arbitration award in World Trade Organization (WTO)  history in its dispute with the European Union over illegal subsidies to Airbus.  This follows four previous panel and appellate reports from 2011-2018 finding that EU subsidies to Airbus break WTO rules.
Today’s decision demonstrates that massive EU corporate welfare has cost American aerospace companies hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenue over the nearly 15 years of litigation.

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At the conclusion of the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron hold a joint press conference.
President Macron used the opportunity to serve his own urgent political interests.  With a populist ‘yellow vest’ movement knocking on his palace gates, the optics of presenting himself in alignment with ‘yellow vest’ nationalist Donald Trump helps Macron to deflect opposition away from his leftist policies.  Hence, a lengthy diatribe from the french weasel.
[Video below and UPDATED With Transcript]

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[Transcript] PRESIDENT MACRON: (As interpreted.) Mr. President, Madam First Lady, ladies and gentlemen — ladies and gentlemen: Following this G7 meeting that we have just held, and we’ve been discussing for two days now and I’m going to report back to you. But, first of all, I’d like to thank President Trump and all the heads of state and government present here for the extremely productive work and the very productive discussions that we’ve had since Saturday evening together.
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U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  This meeting happens with the backdrop of the German economy in trouble.  [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] Q Mr. President, when will you visit to Berlin?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, we’ll be coming to Germany. A very special place. And we look forward to coming. We haven’t set that date, but we will be going to Germany. Absolutely. Thank you.
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The third day of the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, has more bilateral discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and international leaders outside the traditional ‘group of seven‘ construct.  The topics of Macron’s selected G7 group discussion include planetary sustainability, climate change, biodiversity, oceanography and aquatic justice.
Additionally, President Trump will be holding bilateral economic meetings with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egypt) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (India) from outside the G7; and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel from inside the G7.

At the conclusion of the summit, 9:30am EDT, President Trump will hold a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron where it is likely Macron will exhaust his remaining pre-staged effort to advance the cause of multinational globalism; with customary assistance from rude left-wing American journalists.
♦ 2:30am EDT / 8:30am CEST – THE PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with President Abdel Fattal al-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Biarritz, France
♦ 3:05am EDT / 9:05am CEST – THE PRESIDENT departs the Hotel du Palais en route to the Centre de Congrès Bellevue, Biarritz, France
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The structure of the global trade reset is visible.  The China decoupling is underway; the scale of this geopolitical dynamic is incredible.
KORUS  (Korea-US) is in the books; the North American USMCA is complete, pending ratification; the EU has agreed to purchase U.S. beef exports; and effective today the Japan-US deal is agreed in principle (sans auto and industrial products TBD).  Now  President Trump is working on a post-Brexit UK-US bilateral package.

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It does not take a deep geopolitical weed-walker to see the background for inviting the African delegation to the Biarritz summit.  Here we see the the G7 working session group on ‘partnerships with Africa‘:

What we don’t see in this picture is the main reason for the meeting, the 800lb panda in the room. All of these non-G7 members and meeting participants have been previously exposed to the One-Belt One-Road influence of Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping.
Combine World Bank President David Malpass into the equation, a direct U.S. nomination by President Trump now in place; mix in the visibility of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison; and then recognize the sudden appearance of Sebastian Pinera from Chile and Prime Minister Narendra Modi from India; and the picture of a multi-continental meeting to discuss the potential downstream ramifications of President Trump confronting China becomes visible.
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