War on Iran is part of the US empire's larger attempt to re-impose its unipolar dominance on the global political and financial system, argues economist Michael Hudson. Washington wants to preserve dollar hegemony and the petrodollar, while disrupting BRICS and Eurasian integration with China and Russia. He is interviewed by host Ben Norton. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DEXReFGb24 Transcript here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/06/27/war-iran-us-unipolarity-michael-hudson/ Micha...
Jun 27, 2025•52 min
The US military will "very likely" fight a three-way war with Iran, Russia, and China, predicted Palantir CEO Alex Karp in 2024. American imperial strategist Zbigniew Brzezinski warned back in the 1990s of this Eurasian "anti-hegemonic coalition" that could challenge US global dominance. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZJ0eKfWFM Topics 0:00 Trump bombs Iran 0:26 Iran hits US base in retaliation 1:21 A ceasefire? 1:53 US "peace talks" were a trap 2:07 Israel's fake G...
Jun 24, 2025•17 min
To justify war on Iran, the Donald Trump administration is repeating the same disinformation used by George W. Bush to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, based on false claims it had "weapons of mass destruction" (WMDs). US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard went from condemning Trump as a warmonger and liar in 2020 to helping him manufacture consent for this war, even after admitting in March 2025 "that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon". Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: ...
Jun 21, 2025•22 min
The war on Iran seeks "US global dominance" and to "weaken China", said Donald Trump's former national security advisor, General Michael Flynn. He admitted that the US is giving Israel intelligence, weapons, and training. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuNHt1-uWjE The real reasons for the US-Israeli war on Iran, explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ Topics 0:00 (CLIPS) US-Israeli war on Iran 0:41 Trump advisor Michael Flynn 1:56 Steve Bannon intervie...
Jun 19, 2025•18 min
The United States and Israel are waging war on Iran, but why? What are their real goals? Ben Norton explains the imperial strategy to impose US hegemony on West Asia (aka the Middle East), destroy the Axis of Resistance, colonize Palestine, destabilize the revolutionary Iranian government, preserve the petrodollar system, prevent de-dollarization, divide BRICS, and break up the Iran-Russia-China partnership. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ How Israel's war on Iran was made in ...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Israel attacked Iran in an aggressive act of war. The US government supported the strikes, providing intelligence and planning with Netanyahu. Donald Trump cynically used nuclear negotiations with Tehran as cover, as he oversaw the joint US-Israeli operation. Ben Norton reviews the evidence. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0s7O8RU9V0 Topics 0:00 USA supported Israeli attacks 1:38 Trump's fake "peace talks" with Iran 3:13 USA provided Israel intelligence 3:49 Trump gave Israel green light...
Jun 14, 2025•30 min
Donald Trump deployed the US military to repress protesters in Los Angeles, California, as people flooded the streets to denounce the abuse of immigrants by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Ben Norton discusses how the oppressive tactics used by the empire eventually return home. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYcRBkB2KCw Topics 0:00 LA protests 0:28 California government rebukes Trump 1:10 Police shoot journalists 1:48 Empire's tactics come home 2:11 Militarization of US polic...
Jun 11, 2025•25 min
Everywhere you look, you can see the decline of Western hegemony, as the world is increasingly multipolar. Ben Norton analyzes the rise of China, development of Global South economies, and increasing unity in Asia. A symbol of this was the historic ASEAN-GCC-China Summit held in Malaysia, which supplements BRICS in pursuit of dedollarization, South-South economic integration, and infrastructure construction. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGkCw-Sqk0 Topics 0:00 Weakening US dominance 0:...
Jun 07, 2025•31 min
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered an extremely hawkish speech in which he demonized China as a "threat" and said, "We are preparing for war". Ben Norton analyzes the top Trump admin official's aggressive remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue 2025 summit. He explains the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region, and Washington's unsuccessful attempt to pressure countries to join its new cold war on Beijing. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLOTTVI_LAA US defense secretary declared '...
Jun 03, 2025•33 min
Donald Trump claims his tariffs will bring back good manufacturing jobs and help to reindustrialize the United States, but all the evidence suggests this will fail, because he has no coherent industrial policy, is gutting the state's capacities, and refuses to challenge Wall Street. Ben Norton explains how the US economy was financialized, and what it would take to truly revive industry. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxWBnA_bQN0 Topics 0:00 (CLIPS) Intro 1:07 Trump's tariffs 2:09 Wells ...
May 31, 2025•45 min
Donald Trump lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that he is "playing with fire", because the US has been unable to end the Ukraine war on its own terms. Political economist Radhika Desai analyzes the geopolitical situation with Russia expert Richard Sakwa. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL1ObLixT8M This is part of the program Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the show here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP
May 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min
US Vice President JD Vance revealed the Trump administration's "generational shift in [foreign] policy", emphasizing "great power competition" and preparation for war with China. They're abandoning soft power and focusing on "hard power" and "overwhelming force", in a return to blatant, 19th century-style imperialism. Ben Norton reports. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Yqc-8uVHc The US military is seriously preparing for war on China: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/04/28/us-milita...
May 24, 2025•21 min
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to colonize Gaza, saying, "We will take control of all the territory of the Strip". US President Donald Trump is trying to expel Palestinians to Libya or other countries. Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), and, like Joe Biden, he is selling Israel billions of dollars of weapons. Ben Norton reports. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzG98YklawA Why the US supports Israel, explained: https://geopoliticaleconomy...
May 21, 2025•28 min
What caused the deindustrialization of the US economy? Can Donald Trump really reindustrialize the USA with tariffs? Economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson discuss. VIDEO with charts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpNql8U6WvE This is part of the program Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the show here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP
May 15, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Donald Trump claimed he would "un-unite" Russia and China, but the US divide-and-conquer strategy is failing. In a meeting in Moscow celebrating the 80th anniversary of their nations' victory in World War Two, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that "China-Russia relations have reached the highest level in history" and will "jointly resist any attempts to interfere with and disrupt the traditional friendship and deep mutual trust between China and Russia". Ben Norton explains. V...
May 11, 2025•43 min
Donald Trump's tariff threats, trade war, and other aggressive policies are uniting the world against the United States. Meanwhile, China is deepening its cooperation with Europe, Southeast Asia, Russia, and even South Korea and Japan. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4soTzm9uMQ Trump's tariffs turbocharge de-dollarization: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/05/05/trump-tariffs-dedollarization-sell-us-dollar/ Topics 0:00 Trump's contradictory policies 0:15 (CLIP) Tr...
May 08, 2025•36 min
Donald Trump said he wanted to save the dominance of the US dollar as the global reserve currency, but his aggressive tariff threats and trade war are accelerating dedollarization. Countries and foreign investors are selling US stocks and bonds (Treasury securities, ie, US government debt), seeking alternative reserve assets. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnWnyL3WGjg Topics 0:00 Donald Trump's plan 0:24 (CLIP) Trump on dedollarization 0:51 (CLIP) Trump on dollar dom...
May 04, 2025•35 min
Canada's new Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney is a center-right banker, not a real alternative to Donald Trump's right-wing agenda. They both serve the interests of rich elites and large corporations. Political economist Radhika Desai analyzes Canada's 2025 election results with journalist and lawyer Dimitri Lascaris. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH9PzE1Agt0 You can follow Dimitri Lascaris' independent media outlet Reason2Resist here: https://www.youtube.com/@reason2resist This is pa...
May 01, 2025•53 min
The US military is preparing for war on China, and has missile systems in the Philippines aimed at major Chinese cities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the USA is making "Japan into a war-fighting headquarters". Ben Norton discusses the extremely aggressive policies of Trump, Biden, and beyond. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4f43dPOWgo Trump's nuclear trade war targets China - but will blow back on USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9k7132Iyeo US Defense Secretary Hegseth wants ...
Apr 27, 2025•45 min
Will US President Donald Trump be the tipping point for the dollar system? Even Western financial outlets now warn of the beginning of the end of dollar dominance. To discuss, host Radhika Desai is joined by economist Michael Hudson and economic geographer Mick Dunford. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGZXDzmL10k This is part of the program Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the show here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8hMl9DkPLikDDGccibhYHnDP
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr
Donald Trump's tariffs are benefiting rich elites at the expense of the majority of the population, argues economist Michael Hudson. He explains how the US trade war on China is isolating the United States and encouraging countries to seek alternatives. Ben Norton hosts the interview. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGsLDQQuzU0 Read Michael Hudson's report "Return of the robber barons – Trump’s distorted view of US tariff history": https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/04/14/michael-hudson...
Apr 20, 2025•59 min
After Donald Trump imposed 145% tariffs on China, he was forced to issue exemptions for Chinese made cellphones, computers, semiconductors, and other electronics, because the deindustrialized US can't make them. Trump's huge trade war immediately failed, demonstrating that China is much stronger economically than the USA thinks. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6t1oQ5G668 Topics 0:00 Trump's trade war 0:45 Exemptions for Chinese electronics 1:56 China's trade with USA...
Apr 16, 2025•33 min
Donald Trump's trade war went nuclear, hitting China with 145% tariffs, aimed at economic decoupling. This is already backfiring on the US economy, which is heavily reliant on Chinese imports. The volatility also fueled a crisis in the bond market, with Treasury yields rising. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9k7132Iyeo Trump advisor reveals tariff strategy - Force countries to pay tribute to maintain US empire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnajhDMAWVA Topics 0:00 ...
Apr 12, 2025•34 min
US President Donald Trump wants to use tariffs as part of a plan to save the dominance of the dollar as the global reserve currency. His top economic advisor Stephen Miran outlined the Trump administration's strategy to force other countries to pay the USA to maintain its imperial financial and military order. Ben Norton explains the idea behind the hypothetical "Mar-a-Lago Accord". VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnajhDMAWVA Topics 0:00 Trump's top economic advisor 0:42 Trump wants to sa...
Apr 09, 2025•59 min
Donald Trump's tariffs are part of a class war against many of his own supporters. The US president plans to slash income taxes on the rich and corporations and use tariffs to shift the burden of taxation onto the poor and working class. Radhika Desai is joined by economist Michael Hudson to discuss. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms_7EkiJbGo This is part of the program Geopolitical Economy Hour. You can watch other episodes of the show here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDAi0NdlN8...
Apr 06, 2025•55 min
In what he called "Liberation Day", Donald Trump imposed heavy tariffs on countries around the world, falsely claiming they were "reciprocal". In reality, the taxes on imports were based on the US trade deficit with other nations. Ben Norton explains how the Trump administration's economic policies are contradictory and will backfire hard on the US economy, fueling inflation while failing to re-industrialize. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv5ZkxQvsz8 Topics 0:00 Trump imposes heavy tari...
Apr 03, 2025•38 min
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager who worked for George Soros, insists, “Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American dream”. The Donald Trump administration knows its tariffs will result in higher inflation. Products will become more expensive as the US tries to economically decouple from China. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DOCZjS_MVc Topics 0:00 Inflation is coming back 0:41 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent 1:57...
Mar 31, 2025•18 min
How is the US impacting Canada's elections, as Donald Trump imposes tariffs and even threatens to annex the country? Who is the banker turned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney? To discuss, political economist Radhika Desai is joined by Dimitri Lascaris, host of the independent media outlet Reason2Resist. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZweNi7ycKM You can follow Dimitri Lascaris' channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@reason2resist This is part of the program Geopolitical Economy Hour. ...
Mar 28, 2025•54 min
Donald Trump is portrayed as a "populist" committed to average working-class people, but his policies benefit wealthy elites at the expense of everyone else. His administration includes 13 billionaires -- including Elon Musk, the world's richest oligarch -- and he is cutting taxes on the rich and corporations while imposing a consumption tax on the poor through tariffs. Ben Norton explains how Trump is waging a class war. VIDEO with charts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL8cg-wWBO8 Check ...
Mar 26, 2025•59 min
US Vice President JD Vance gave a speech about globalization that inadvertently revealed the truth about the US empire, the goal behind the new cold war on China, the economics of imperialism, and how the Trump administration is serving billionaire Big Tech oligarchs in Silicon Valley at the expense of the working class. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywmpea6vvOE US Big Tech CEOs admit they want AI monopoly: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/02/03/us-ai-monopoly-u...
Mar 21, 2025•54 min
