• World
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Central & South Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
    • US Politics
    • Joe Biden
    • Extremism
    • Europe
    • European Union
    • India
    • Arab World
  • Economics
    • Finance
    • Eurozone
    • International Trade
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Startups
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Music
    • Film
    • Books
    • Travel
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Smart Cities
    • Green Economy
  • Global Change
    • Education
    • Refugee Crisis
    • International Aid
  • International Security
    • ISIS
    • War on Terror
    • North Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
  • Science
    • Health
  • 360 °
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
Fair Observer Logo Fair Observer Logo
  • Sign Up
  • Support FO°
  • Login
  • LOGIN

    • Lost your password?
    Forget Password?

    New to Fair Observer? Register Now

    Contributor Member
Fair Observer Logo

Trump’s Fraud Charges, Taiwan’s Defiance and OPEC’s New Moves

Atul Singh

  &  

Christopher Roper Schell

  -  April 22, 2023

In a new series for FO° Podcasts—The Hot Mic—Atul Singh and Christopher Roper Schell examine Donald Trump's court troubles, Taiwan-China-US triangle and how the Russia-Ukraine War is causing OPEC to reevaluate its relationship with the West.

The two hosts are back to examine three issues yet again. 

Donald Trump’s Court Troubles

The former president has been charged and had to appear in court. The charges are not quite straightforward. Trump and his supporters claim the trial is a witch hunt. His opponents think he deserves to be tried on every charge imaginable. Many political analysts believe that court troubles might fire up the flagging Trump campaign. They are the equivalent of Twitter for the publicity-seeking former president.

Prima facie, it seems that an ambitious prosecutor has brought the court action against Trump. It might have unintended consequences. This attention on Trump is bad news for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. He was emerging as the leading Republican candidate but Trump’s court troubles have thrust the governor in the shadows. It is too early to tell what will transpire but Trump’s troubles will have enormous consequences.

Taiwan’s President Visits the US

On March 30, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the US and met US Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. This upset China and increased US-China tensions over Taiwan.

Tawan, China and the US are caught in an unusually precarious balancing act. Taiwan’s leaders are trying to defend their autonomy without provoking Mainland China. Chinese leaders are asserting ownership without triggering catastrophic war. American leaders are attempting to deter Chinese invasion of Taiwan without provoking that very act. Each country is caught between these two opposing imperatives, making for a very tricky situation.

OPEC+ Cuts Oil Production

On April 2, OPEC+ announced it would cut production by 1.18 million barrels of oil per day. The reduced production comes during a record-high demand for oil and mounting inflation for the global economy. This OPEC+ action spells trouble for poorer countries, which will struggle with inflation, interest rates and debt. It also marks a major realignment of OPEC away from the US after the Russia-Ukraine War.

The deal US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made with Saudi King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud in 1945 is now off. As per this deal, the US guaranteed security for the House of Saud while the Saudis promised uninterrupted supply of oil. Now, the US is energy independent and China is the largest importer of Saudi oil. It has managed to broker resumption of diplomatic ties between Sunni Saudi Arabia and revolutionary Shia Iran. A new era has emerged.

The views expressed in this article/podcast are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON:

More Episodes

Paint it Black: Lebanon's Failures and How to Save it

Jean AbiNader & Atul Singh, May 17, 2023

A Canadian Perspective on Ukraine, Iraq and Afghanistan

Michel-Henri St-Louis & Atul Singh, May 10, 2023

An Outstanding Deep Dive Into the American Economy

Nasir Khilji & Atul Singh, April 15, 2023

An Excellent Deep Dive Into the Global Economy

Nasir Khilji & Atul Singh, April 13, 2023

Must Listen

Fair Observer

Enter the Dragon: China Is Creating New World Order

Atul Singh & Glenn Carle, April 10, 2023
Fair Observer

The Hot Mic: Analyzing Biden's 2nd Term, Chinese Spy Balloons, and Unstable Energy Markets

Atul Singh & Christopher Roper Schell, March 17, 2023
Fair Observer

Antoine van Agtmael: The Future of Emerging Markets, India and Inequality

Antoine van Agtmael & Atul Singh, March 11, 2023
Fair Observer

Antoine van Agtmael: New Perspective on Europe, China and Demography

Antoine van Agtmael & Atul Singh, February 15, 2023
Fair Observer

The Hot Mic: Divided US Congress, German Tanks and China’s COVID Catastrophe

Atul Singh & Christopher Roper Schell, February 10, 2023
Fair Observer

Antoine van Agtmael: Stagflation and Race for Clean High Tech

Antoine van Agtmael & Atul Singh, January 31, 2023
Fair Observer

The Hot Mic: Trump Trumped, Looming Recession and India-China Clash

Atul Singh & Christopher Roper Schell, January 11, 2023
Fair Observer

As US and China Clash, Taiwan Moves Closer to the Brink of Disaster

Atul Singh & Glenn Carle, August 15, 2022
Fair Observer, 461 Harbor Blvd, Belmont, CA 94002, USA
Subscribe

Subscribe

Register for $9.99 per month and become a member today.

Subscribe

Publish

Join our community of more than 2,500 contributors to publish your perspective, share your narrative and shape the global discourse.

Subscribe

Donate

We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Explore

  • About
  • Republish
  • Authors
  • Privacy Policy
  • Publications
  • Terms of Use
  • FAQs
  • Contact

Regions

  • Africa
  • Latin America & Caribbean
  • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • Central & South Asia
  • North America
  • Europe

Topics

  • Politics
  • Environment
  • Economics
  • Global Change
  • Business
  • International Security
  • Culture
  • Science

Sections

  • 360°
  • Video
  • The Interview
  • Podcasts
  • In-Depth
  • Interactive
  • Insight
  • My Voice
  • Quick Read

Daily Dispatch

Designed, Developed and Maintained by Netleon Technologies
© Fair Observer All rights reserved
Fair Observer Education Logo Fair Observer Leadership Academy Logo

    Fill below form to share your concern with us

    *Indicates required field

    BOOKMARK

    Want to save this post?

    Register as a member to support independent journalism and enjoy subscriber benefits.

    BECOME A MEMBER

    NEWSLETTER

    Make Sense of the World

    Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries

    NEWSLETTER

    Make Sense of the World

    Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries

    Fair observer

    Make Sense of the World

    Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries

    We Need Your Consent
    We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Privacy Policy. My Options I Accept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Edit Cookie Preferences

    The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.

    As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media.

     
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    These cookies essential for the website to function.
    Social Media
    These cookies are used to enable sharing or following of content that you find interesting on our website. These settings apply to third-party social networking and other websites.
    Performance & Functionality
    These cookies are used to enhance the performance and functionality of our website. They provide statistics on how our website is used and help us improve by measuring errors. Certain functionalities on our website may become unavailable without these cookies.
    Analytics
    SAVE & ACCEPT