John Bellamy Foster points to “Beyond Leviathan” by István Mészáros for insights into the ancient origins of the state and nature of its evolution over thousands of years, the necessity to move beyond the state, and how to meet that challenge. Produced by GPEnewsdocs.
In part 2, political scientist Dr. Saeed Rahnema discusses his experience in the workers’ council movement leading up to and during the Iranian Revolution of 1979-1980 and addresses the Islamic Republic’s opposition to unions. He also contends that modern-day working classes in the West are ideologically and culturally segmented and that the left has failed to mobilize at numerous historical junctures.
The workers’ council movement took shape in several forms across Europe, Russia, Tito’s Yugoslavia, Algeria, and Iran. Political scientist Dr. Saeed Rahnema discusses the failure of workers’ councils in these different historical contexts and traces out the tensions between workers’ control and workers’ participation under capitalism. Is real workers’ control feasible under capitalism, and do struggles for increased workers’ participation and higher wages necessarily lead to workers’ control?
Due to its prime geographical location in maintaining global value chains and shipping routes, the U.S., via the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), as well as India’s Adani Group and China, are all investing in Sri Lanka’s ports. In part 2, sociologist Asoka Bandarage discusses how many countries and multi-national corporations treat Sri Lanka as testing and dumping grounds, exemplified by reports that the Dali ship, which crashed into the Baltimore Bridge, was carrying hazardous waste to Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan government turned to the IMF for a near $3 billion bailout to repay loans provided by India and Japan, as well as international sovereign bonds issued by foreign creditors such as BlackRock. Dr. Asoka Bandarage, sociologist and author of Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World, suggests that Prime Minister Rajapaksa’s declaration of bankruptcy in 2022 and the subsequent IMF bailout under Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was not an absolute necessity, but an attempt to shift Sri Lanka further under the umbrella of Western and Indian institutions, and away from Chinese loans.
Paul is asked about the lack of healthcare resources and growing opposition to immigration in Canada.
The current climate crisis emerged out of a specific set of historical and economic factors which have maintained capitalist accumulation and class inequalities to this day. Jason W. Moore, geographer and Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University, explains how the development of capitalism fueled European colonialism and Western imperialism, resulting in a novel form of climate destruction.
In part 2, historian and geographer Jason W. Moore explains why climate and revolutionary struggles must understand capitalist dynamics and deploy a language of universal class solidarity to overthrow transnational power structures perpetuating the climate crisis.
The Tasmanien Government has made a tourism ad and it’s surprisingly honest and informative.
Renowned social theorist, systems thinker, and organizer, Marjorie Kelly, gives an early look at her new book: Wealth Supremacy. Speaking with Colin Bruce Anthes, she details the entrenched ways our current system is built around myths that make giving more wealth to the already wealthy seem necessary— even when we try to use our institutions for the common good. Kelly contrasts this with an outnumbered but successful democratic economy with many forms of democratized ownership and participation: public utilities, employee-owned companies, community land trusts, cooperatives, and more. We can create an economy that works for everyone, she argues, but only if we systematically discredit the moral status of wealth supremacy and turn towards a democratic economy paradigm.
William Mitchell exposes the many ideological maneuvers progressives need to confront in disputing the supremacy of profits over employment and people’s dignity. That goes for disciplining the state to appease foreign exchange markets, the problems with Basic Income proposals, and much more. Lynn Fries interviews William Mitchell on GPEnewsdocs.
In part 2, Patrick Bond broadens out his analysis of the BRICS countries engaging in what he terms “talk left, walk right.” He explains the economic theories of “accumulation by dispossession” and refers back to the aims of the Non-Aligned Movement of 1961 and the spirit of the 1955 Bandung Conference.
Dr. Asoka Bandarage is an adjunct professor at the California Institute for Integral Studies and the author of a new book, Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World. Sri Lanka has had a minuscule carbon footprint, and yet the country is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, coastal erosion, and flooding. She discusses the convergence of existential climate and debt crises in Sri Lanka, the latter resulting from IMF debt restructuring and the lack of a globally coordinated multilateral sovereign debt mechanism that places traditional and private lenders on an equal footing.
Jomo K.S. warns U.S. policies are driving the world towards war and depression, leaving developing countries with a strong vested interest to reconvene a new non-aligned movement and strengthen democratic institutions of global governance. Lynn Fries interviews Jomo K.S. on GPEnewsdocs.
One of the few working-class movements scoring victories, democratizing ownership, and gaining momentum is the method of economic development called Community Wealth Building (CWB). Colin Bruce Anthes interviews Neil McInroy of the Democracy Collaborative on how CWB works, what it has accomplished so far, and its potential to lead a “new common sense” movement beyond neoliberal capitalism.
Paul Jay interviews Tom Ferguson about the debt ceiling crisis in the United States. Ferguson explains that the debate over the debt ceiling is largely theater, with both Democrats and Republicans working together to cut spending while maintaining the appearance of opposition. He criticizes the Democrats for not raising the debt ceiling earlier when they had the opportunity and suggests that their reluctance is due to their desire to secure more campaign funding for future elections. Ferguson argues that the spending cuts rolled back are not significant enough to impact inflation and proposes alternative measures, such as taxing the wealthy and reducing defense spending, to address the issue. He also discusses the influence of money in politics and the Democratic Party’s efforts to weaken the progressive wing.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has made an ad, and it’s surprisingly honest and informative. This video was originally published by The Juice Media on May 6, 2023.
In part two, Michael Hudson discusses his new book “The Collapse of Antiquity.” Hudson challenges the traditional beliefs about the fall of the Roman Empire, arguing that it was caused by a financial crisis brought on by excessive debt, wealth inequality, and the concentration of economic power. Hudson draws parallels to modern-day economies and highlights the dangers of financialization and wealth concentration.
We get a first look at the new book by renowned political economist Michael Hudson on the age-old battle between creditors and the real economy. Ancient Rome refused to adopt the practices of debt forgiveness and land redistribution previously understood to be essential. Instead, they instituted a rigid pro-creditor legal system, assassinating anyone who remotely threatened it–including Tiberius Gracchus, Julius Caesar, and Jesus. The empire devolved into a rentier economy, ultimately collapsing from within. Today’s neoliberal establishment increasingly defends this failed state framework, even as the same disastrous dynamics intensify.
Economists Gerald Epstein and Aaron Medlin’s data shows the paradox of ignoring employment and choosing to throw workers out of work has persisted over time at the Federal Reserve.
Steve Keen has been exposing the ways mainstream neoclassical economists—including winners of the so-called Nobel Prize in Economics— have been arriving at their absurdly optimistic numbers regarding climate change, and they’re terrifying. In this interview with Colin Bruce Anthes, Keen goes through prevalent examples in detail and argues that these numbers and the methods behind them must simply be thrown in the garbage.
The inflation conference at Political Economy Research Institute at UMass Amherst (PERI) presented mounting evidence that raising the rate of interest will only raise unemployment and weaken the bargaining power of low-wage workers and the poor that are already hit hard by the pandemic across the world. Robert Pollin joins Sharmini Peries on theAnalysis.news.
A Bank for International Settlements study says 60+ trillion dollars of off-the-books currency swaps could be a profound, systematic risk. Robert Johnson joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
Are antitrust laws effective as a mechanism to break up monopolies and Big Tech? How monopolies enable price-gouging and drive inflation. Talia Baroncelli speaks to Matt Stoller, Research Director at the American Economic Liberties Project.
The Australien Government has made an ad about the national rental crisis, and it’s surprisingly honest and informative.
Rich fossil fuel states blocked real solutions at COP27, but what needs to be done is well known. People need to organize and elect candidates with a green agenda. Robert Pollin joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
Economist Bob Pollin says government stimulus and higher wages are not the primary drivers of today’s inflation. Higher interest rates are not the solution. Bob joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
Why did Corporate Democrats “cede” the economic argument? Are they really fighting inflation or trying to weaken worker’s bargaining power? Tom Ferguson joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
Richard Kozul-Wright describes the current state of global economic disorder, as presented in UNCTAD’s Trade and Development Report, and discusses the possibility and limits of effective regional responses. Lynn Fries interviews Richard Kozul-Wright on GPEnewsdocs.
Antitrust expert Hal Singer shows how big businesses in certain industries are taking advantage of inflation worries to jack up prices far beyond their cost increases, all the while raking in robber-baron profits.
The Federal Reserve is trying to increase unemployment and strip U.S. workers of the small gains in bargaining power they have achieved in the aftermath of the COVID economic lockdown. Robert Pollin joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
The world’s billionaires—only 3,311 individuals—represent almost $11.8 trillion in wealth.
The so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” will have a positive affect on the climate crisis, but it does not phase out fossil fuel and is far from what’s needed. Big industrial states like New York and California can and must go much further. Bob Pollin on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.
Long-time activist and author Michael Albert outlines his vision for a post-capitalist and classless economic system, known as participatory economics and based on his most recent book, No Bosses (Zer0 Books, 2021). In this first part, Paul Jay and Michael Albert talk about the importance of economic vision and the rationale behind re-organizing the workplace on the basis of self-management and a non-corporate division of labor.
How would remuneration and the allocation of goods and services look like in a post-capitalist participatory economic system? In this second part of our discussion with Michael Albert, the author of the book, No Bosses (Zer0 Books, 2021), he talks to Greg Wilpert about the contours of an economic vision that fulfills the values of self-management, solidarity, diversity, equity, sustainability, and participation.
Michael Albert responds to some common objections and concerns that Greg Wilpert raises about his vision for a participatory economy, such as how to avoid the spontaneous formation of black markets, whether his proposal should be considered socialist or anarchist, and whether his proposal can be a considered a blueprint.
Jason Call is running for Congress in Washington State District 2 against a longtime Democratic incumbent who receives support from Boeing and the fossil fuel industry. Boeing is the district’s largest employer.
Central banks are raising interest rates to create more desperation amongst workers and weaken their bargaining power. Bob Pollin joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
Is China’s Belt and Road initiative a socialist or capitalist approach to trade? Michael Hudson and Patrick Bond discuss and debate on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay
By purchasing controlling interest of the major American fossil fuel companies, the federal government can phase out fossil fuels, transition to sustainable energy, and enforce a lower price of oil which will alleviate inflationary pressures. Bob Pollin joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
The Trump administration engineered one of the most remarkable agricultural political business cycles in American history. Tom Ferguson joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
Big oil, coal and parasitical private equity corps highly favored Trump and the GOP in 2020 – and likely will again. Thomas Ferguson joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
Paul Jay on ‘theatre of the absurd democracy’, and organizing for a vibrant peoples’ movement as the focus for theAnalysis.news in the coming year.
By Jan 6th events, the majority of corporate America wanted Trump gone, but money continued to flow to GOP. Tom Ferguson joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
On the first anniversary of the death of our dear friend Leo Panitch, we republish this 2015 interview with Leo by Chris Hedges.
More than effective weapons, geopolitics or national defense, profit and massive budgets drive U.S. military and nuclear weapons spending. Andrew Cockburn joins Paul Jay to discuss his new book “Spoils of War”.
Tom Ferguson, a leading expert on money and politics, weighs in on how much democracy is there with so much wealth and power in so few hands. Tom joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news.
High oil prices and supply chain disruption are driving inflation, not workers’ modest wage increases or government debt. Bob Pollin joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news
Financialization of the economy and pervasive corruption go hand-in-hand. The stronger the financial sector and more parasitical it becomes, the more profound and systemic the corruption. Paul Jay joins “The New Untouchables” for a discussion about Bill Black’s conception of “control fraud.”