Natural‑Resource “Times‑Cover” of Debt: Strategic Collateral and the Logic of American Imperial Reach (“The Ugly American”) ********* 1. An Unusual Metric, Not an Air‑Fairy Abstraction In public‑debate and economic commentary, the focus typically falls on debt‑to‑GDP ratios, fiscal deficits, and interest‑service burdens when assessing sovereign solvency. Rarely do analysts treat natural‑resource wealth as a long‑term,Continue reading ““The Ugly American”: Why the U.S.A. casts such a long, baleful shadow over places like Russia, Venezuela, Iran, and Iraq”