Richard Wolff: Israel, Ukraine, China, and the End of the American Empire

Patreon: Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s fourth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In episode #127, he and Robinson discussed some of the most profound criticisms of capitalism; in #154, they focused on the myths surrounding Marxism and Marx himself; and in #190 they covered the Israel-Palestine conflict from a Marxist perspective. In this wide-ranging episode, Richard and Robinson talk about the end of the American empire. More particularly they discuss the wars in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine, the rivalry between China and the United States, the global interplay between capitalism and socialism, the distinction between socialism and communism, the conflict between the BRICS and G7 nations, and more. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024). Understanding Capitalism (Book): ⁠⁠ Class Theory and History (Book): ⁠⁠ Understanding the 2024 Elections (Article): ⁠⁠ Richard’s Website: ⁠⁠ Economic Update: ⁠⁠ OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:10 On the Trauma of His Family Background 10:50 Academia’s War on Marxism  22:45 Economics as the Secret Undercurrent of History 28:01 Will Ukraine Defeat Russia? 31:52 Is China the Empire of the New World? 39:04 The Best American Strategy Against China 45:24 How Trump Won and Lost America 56:22 Is Israel a Colonialist State? 01:03:23 On the Expulsion of the Palestinians from Israel 01:10:49 Israel as America’s Economic Baby 01:18:08 Global Capitalism as the Enemy of the Islamic World 01:23:00 Why You Should Distrust Wartime Propaganda 01:33:03 Zelensky and the Ukrainian Chess Match 01:42:53 The Economic Conspiracy Behind the American Pick-Up Truck 01:49:31 Israel, Ukraine, and the New Cold War 01:54:20 The Many Taboos of Socialism and Communism 01:58:54 The War Between Socialism and Capitalism 02:07:51 Is Socialism More Efficient than Capitalism? 02:16:58 World War I and the Rise of Socialism 02:22:58 The Failed American Attempt to Destroy Russian Communism 02:27:26 Why Did Russia Choose Communism over Socialism? 02:38:06 Communism, Socialism, and the War for the Workplace 02:43:00 Is China Secretly Capitalist? 02:53:18 America’s Choice Between Equality or Subservience to China 02:58:45 Europe’s Hidden Economic Apocalypse Robinson’s Website: ⁠⁠ Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, historians, economists, and everyone in-between.