Brazil and Argentina are planning on a common currency for
the region in a bid to distance themselves from the US dollar. Brazil and
Argentina are the first and second largest economies in Latin America
respectively. How the plan will be implemented remains to be seen, but the
statement of intent is a very powerful move itself.
Washington
has been using its currency as a weapon to advance its own hegemony around the
world. As a result, many civilian populations have suffered from unilateral
American sanctions imposed on countries that are independent or have taken the
course toward independence.
President Lula, who has made Buenos Aires his first foreign
trip since taking office, says that early talks are focused on developing a
shared unit of value for bilateral trade to reduce reliance on US dollar.
Under the plan, the Brazilian currency (the real) as well as
the Argentine currency (the peso), for example, would continue to exist, with
the new tender aimed at trade transactions between different Latin American
countries.
In a joint letter, the new Brazilian President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva and Argentine leader Alberto Fernandez said they wanted to advance
discussions on a common South American currency to be used for financial and
trade flows.
South America’s two biggest economies will try to advance
the plan during talks at a summit in Buenos Aires this week and will invite
other Latin American nations to participate.
Not
only Lula is reversing the policies of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, by
distancing Brazil from the United States he is also putting more focus on the
region itself.
The idea of making trade transactions in local currencies as
opposed to the US dollar is not limited to Brazil and Argentina, or Latin
America for that matter.
Over the past decade, more countries have made or started
similar initiatives to trade in their own currencies in a bid to ditch the US
dollar.
Where
the US cannot create instability through invasions, it wages wars through
proxies or using other hybrid warfare mechanisms. It has also resorted to
sanctions to fuel unrest in countries that don’t see eye to eye with Washington.
The US goal is to destroy the economy of its adversaries with the hope of
turning local populations against their governments.
Last year, the governor of the central Bank of China said
Beijing will work with Asian countries to beef up the use of local currencies
in trade and investment, as part of plans to strengthen regional economic
resilience.
For the
first time, Saudi Arabia and China have also discussed pricing oil deals in the
Chinese yuan instead of US dollar.
Iran
and Russia have already started trading in their national currencies after
Tehran first decided to reduce use of dollar in its foreign trade.
India, among other countries, has also decided to allow
rupee payments for imports and exports, which could also boost trade with other
countries under American unilateral sanctions.
India's central bank has also unveiled a rupee settlement
system for international trade; a move which many have said will reduce New
Delhi’s demand for US dollars.
Tehran has been subjected to unprecedented unilateral
sanctions by Washington. The measures, which include sanctions on Iran’s
banking sector, have prevented the country from importing vital humanitarian
supplies for cancer patients and children with rare diseases.
Likewise, the West has imposed unprecedented sanctions on
Russia over the Ukraine war. Analysts have said that the US sanctions against
Moscow could speed up the move by countries to reduce their reliance on the
American currency.
The United States and its allies froze about US$300 billion
belonging to Russia’s central bank’s foreign currency reserves and severely
limited Russia’s access to the SWIFT payment system. Similar measures have been
taken against other countries including Afghanistan, Iran, and Venezuela.
In a report, Bank of America analysts led by Michael
Hartnett pointed out that US dollar debasement is the ultimate outcome as
dollar weaponized in new era of sanctions.
As a result of Washington’s sanctions, countries have been
seeking alternative monetary systems which have dealt a blow to the dollar
itself. The role of the American currency has been declining over the past two
decades, with reports indicating its share of reserve currencies have gone down
to 60% from 70% over that period.
In the
summer of 2021, the International Monetary Fund issued a report warning that
the share of US dollar reserves held by central banks fell to 59% - its lowest
level in 25 years - during the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the IMF’s
Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves (COFER) survey.
Some analysts say this partly reflects the declining role of
the US dollar in the global economy, in the face of competition from other
currencies.
Despite multiple warnings, the US has been pursuing illegal
economic policies by weaponizing its currency.
A Washington-based think tank says the US has been extremely
happy with its economic measures, and central banks may decide to diversify
their foreign reserves instead of relying on the US dollar.
The
co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, Gal Luft has
said that central banks are beginning to ask questions, and that they are
wondering if their dependence on the dollar and putting all their eggs in one
basket is an intelligent idea.
The removal of the US dollar as a dominant foreign currency
will save more civilian lives around the world and help bring about global
peace and security.
