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Venezuela's oil industry has long been a site of struggle—between national sovereignty and foreign control, between social development and extraction for profit. In this wide-ranging conversation, Gregory Wilpert situates today's crisis in that longer history, from the Chávez government's effort to reclaim PDVSA for Venezuelans to the current U.S. strategy of tying sanctions relief to oil exports. As Washington pushes Caracas to increase production and redirect crude away from China, Wilpert examines whether interim leadership in Venezuela is navigating an impossible economic bind—or whether the country's oil and sovereignty are once again being bargained under coercion.

Richard Sakwa and Volodymyr Ishchenko on what is misunderstood about this war — and why it matters for the peace we need so badly.  In Part Two, Sakwa and Ishchenko turn to NATO's expansion, Russia's internal politics, and the peace proposals now being pushed. Sakwa dismisses the claim that NATO is merely defensive and rejects the idea that Russia poses a serious military threat to Western Europe. He traces the crisis to post-war settlements that shut Russia out of Europe's security order — even after Moscow sought NATO membership. Ishchenko argues that Central European states joined NATO less out of fear of Russia than from a desire to become “European,” while Putin's own political fears at home partly shaped the invasion. Both are skeptical of existing peace plans — yet argue that Trump's blunt proposal, however imperial, may come closer to confronting reality. The priority: stop the killing, save as many people as possible, and prevent the ultimate catastrophe.

Richard Sakwa and Volodymyr Ishchenko on why peace was lost—and who helped destroy it. Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine did not come from nowhere. In this first of two parts, Richard Sakwa and Volodymyr Ishchenko cut through the common narrative that reduces the war to Putin alone, without excusing the invasion itself. The failure — and in key moments, US sabotage — of an inclusive European security order after the Cold War helped lay the ground for conflict. Inside Ukraine, post Soviet class conflicts led to the weaponization of language, identity, and nationalism. And the far right used the threat of violence to block President Zelensky's early efforts to pursue peace. Sakwa and Ishchenko show that understanding history is not justification — it is indictment.

President Donald Trump entered office backed by fossil-fuel executives, hedge-fund financiers, and the AI-military industrial complex, then used sanctions, military pressure, and trade coercion against Venezuela to dismantle national control over its oil sector—culminating in a $2 billion crude deal that redirects Venezuelan exports from China to the United States and rewards major political donors. Prof. Steve Ellner and Journalist, Ricardo Vaz explain, this outcome is not an aberration, but rather the latest chapter in a long-standing struggle over PDVSA, oil sovereignty, and U.S. hemispheric dominance—where economic warfare supplants diplomacy and state power is deployed for private gain.

Following overnight U.S. airstrikes on Caracas, the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro, and President Donald Trump's declaration that Washington will take control of Venezuela's oil and effectively run the country, analysts Steve Ellner and Ricardo Vaz warn that the operation constitutes an unlawful use of force. They cite the combination of military assault, extraterritorial abduction, resource seizure, and alleged extrajudicial killings at sea as violations of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty.

Paul Jay and host Barry Stevens analyze rising progressive movements, from Mamdani's victory in New York City to Sanders and AOC drawing massive crowds in red states, and why working-class consciousness has always been the real threat to American elites. They discuss why fossil fuel companies have known about the climate crisis for decades but chose denial, why AI could plan a sustainable economy, but is being used for profit and war. They examine the specific dynamics of Christian nationalism, the role of Silicon Valley in the authoritarian turn, and why the 2026 midterms could see significant progressive breakthroughs.

Paul Jay rejects the false choice between  "Putin as a new Hitler" and the anti-NATO Left's defense of Russia. Under the UN Charter and Nuremberg principles, Russia's invasion is a war of aggression — there was no imminent threat and no "sphere of influence" justifies it. At the same time, NATO expansion was provocative and deceptive, and the U.S. refusal to take it off the table helped set the stage for war. The discussion highlights: •The Ukrainian people's right to self-determination and to overthrow their own oligarchy; • how the Iraq War normalized lawless aggression and weakened global norms; • the role of Russian, Ukrainian, U.S., and European oligarchies in prolonging the conflict; • why parts of the Left blur first principles by excusing one imperialism to oppose another; • China's strategic interest in sustaining the conflict; • Ukraine and Gaza serve as "battle labs" for AI weapons and companies like Palantir. • NATO functions as a "protection racket," getting Europe to increase military spending to 5%. • and why a negotiated peace — even with territorial concessions — may be necessary to create space for democratic struggle against oligarchic power on all sides. With host Barry Stevens.

Paul Jay breaks down what's really driving Trump's aggressive moves against Venezuela in 2025. Spoiler: it's not about drugs or democracy—it's about pushing China out of Latin America. In this conversation with Barry Stevens, Paul explains how China has become the dominant trading partner across South America without military projection, why the US is reviving the Monroe Doctrine, and how manufactured pretexts (from “Soviet expansionism” to “weapons of mass destruction” to “the war on drugs”) have justified American intervention for decades. Also discussed is why the Venezuelan economy is such a mess.

In Part Two, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson confronts the U.S. attacks on civilian boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific—killings now broadcast openly on television—and says they violate not only international law but the military code he lived by as an Army officer. With Pete Hegseth installed as Secretary of War, Wilkerson argues that the United States is sliding into a new era of impunity, where the drug “war” becomes a pretext for murder, the laws that govern armed conflict are discarded, and the nation risks its own Constitution and a real war.

In Part One, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson explores how Trump's new National Security Strategy revives the Monroe Doctrine in a sweeping attempt to reassert U.S. dominance across the Americas. Pushing China out of Latin America, he argues, will not prevent a showdown—only shift its timing, as the United States simultaneously pours resources into Indo-Pacific military power. With Washington drawing back from Europe and targeting Venezuela and its neighbors under the convenient banner of the "war on drugs,” Wilkerson suggests that this doctrine risks undermining the Constitution and edging the country toward a real war. With host Barry Stevens.

Opposition figure María Corina Machado dedicates her Nobel Prize to Trump, even as analysts argue her path to power has relied on destabilization rather than peace, according to Venezuelanalysis Ricardo Vaz.

In part two of his conversation with Barry Stevens, nuclear weapons expert Hans Kristensen warns of mounting tensions with China, driven by exaggerated fears of its nuclear buildup and the growing risk of a Taiwan conflict. The U.S. response — including Trump's push to resume nuclear testing — is dangerously accelerating the arms race. A critical failure, Kristensen says, is the near-total lack of Congressional oversight, with defense policy shaped by the entrenched power of the military-industrial complex. In this climate of collapsing arms control, he makes a powerful case for renewed public pressure to help prevent catastrophe.

In this powerful and timely conversation, Dr. John Izzo and Alain Gauthier sit down with award-winning filmmaker and journalist Paul Jay, whose upcoming documentary How to Stop a Nuclear War dives deep into the existential risks humanity continues to ignore. Together, they explore why the Cold War never truly ended, how nuclear weapons remain an urgent and immediate threat, and what each of us can do to break the silence and reclaim our collective future. This episode is not just about nuclear war — it's about truth, power, media silence, and our responsibility as citizens of a shared planet. Jay shares the untold story behind the nuclear threat and the making of his new film inspired by Daniel Ellsberg's The Doomsday Machine. He argues that the Cold War didn't end — it simply evolved — and that the same forces of fear, profit, militarism, and denial continue to push humanity toward catastrophe. You'll hear why policymakers rarely talk about nuclear weapons, how media myths shape public perception, why dialogue with our “enemies” is essential, and how ordinary citizens can influence extraordinary change by confronting the “house of dynamite” we all live in before it explodes.

As Trump vows to resume nuclear explosive testing, Hans Kristensen — Director of the Nuclear Information Project at FAS, the world's most authoritative source on global nuclear arsenals — joins host Barry Stevens for an urgent conversation. Kristensen calls the move “chest-thumping,” with no strategic justification, warning it would likely trigger a disastrous chain reaction of testing by China and others. 

Dick Cheney, architect of the Iraq War, died on November 3rd. The next day, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won New York's mayoral race. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff, calls the timing symbolic of America's potential turning point. Speaking from inside the Bush administration, Wilkerson delivers a scathing account of how Cheney became "co-president," systematically lied about Iraqi WMDs, and led the nation into an illegal war. He explains why Powell's UN presentation was built on false intelligence, how the administration abandoned international law and authorized torture, and why Obama failed to hold anyone accountable. "We should have all been tried for war crimes," Wilkerson states. From the lies that killed a million Iraqis to complicity in Gaza's genocide, this is essential viewing on American empire and accountability.

Complete recording of filmmaker Paul Jay's presentation and Q&A at UMass about his upcoming documentary "How to Stop a Nuclear War," based on Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg's book "The Doomsday Machine." Moderated by historian Christian Appy, Jay traces American militarization from slavery and westward expansion through the Manhattan Project to today's trillion-dollar nuclear modernization. The discussion explores why nuclear threats remain taboo in public discourse, BlackRock's role in nuclear financing, how the climate crisis amplifies nuclear risk, the dangers of AI-controlled missile defense, and why elite interests might actually align with working people on this issue.

In this episode, Jay Shapiro opens with a fast essay on kayfabe, heels and faces, and why the ring is the best way to read the national psyche. He looks at Trump's WWE arcs, from Battle of the Billionaires to the “I bought Raw” storyline, and how that performance grammar ported into real politics. Then Jay Shapiro speaks with Paul Jay about the theater of power, the post-9/11 security state, nuclear policy, and why the official script keeps breaking.

In part two of this interview, historian Peter Kuznick — co-author (with Oliver Stone) of The Untold History of the United States — joins Barry Stevens to reflect on the USA's lost chances for peace. He traces a throughline from the sidelining of VP Henry Wallace to the aggressive Cold War policies of Eisenhower and Reagan, who, while avoiding outright nuclear war, escalated militarism to unprecedented levels. Today's panic over China, Kuznick argues, revives that same dangerous playbook — but with even fewer constraints and less public awareness.

Raj Patel and his fellow IPES-Food experts stress the centrality of addressing food systems, a key pillar of the Action Agenda for the COP30. The message uncovered by Lula's bold policies is clear: ending hunger rather than perpetuating it under agribusiness goes hand-in-hand with tackling inequality and climate change. Lynn Fries interviews Raj Patel on GPEnewsdocs.

In part one, Peter Kuznick warns that Trump 2.0 is more dangerous than the original. The generals and advisors who once called him a "moron" are gone — replaced by sycophants in what Kuznick calls a “kakistocracy,” government by the worst people. From threatening to seize Panama, Greenland, and Canada to leading the most corrupt administration in U.S. history, Trump now faces little resistance from Congress, courts, or his own party. Kuznick and Barry Stevens explore how the takeover of cultural institutions mirrors past fascist movements — and how America's lack of historical memory leaves it vulnerable to repeating old disasters. The most urgent threat: Trump's unpredictable stance on Ukraine could trigger the war he claims to oppose.

In this episode, Paul Jay and Col. Lawrence Wilkerson analyze a chilling message from Donald Trump to roughly 800 generals: a straight-up demand for loyalty — “If you don't like what I'm saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future... we know everything about everybody.” Fall in line or be purged — as Trump lays out a plan to use U.S. armed forces to occupy large American cities labelled “radical left” strongholds.

In this talk, Jay exposes the hidden history of U.S. nuclear policy—built on lies, profiteering, and Cold War paranoia—and explains how those same forces shape today's politics, from NATO and Trumpism to the growing danger of war with China. Journalist and filmmaker Paul Jay speaks at the Emergency NGO conference in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Sign up for the “How to Stop a Nuclear War” mailing list at stop-nuclear-war.org.

Paul Jay joins Patrick Lovell to trace how Wall Street profiteering—from slavery and the Civil War to J.P. Morgan in World War I and today's BlackRock and Vanguard—created the militarized economy driving nuclear risk.

This episode examines how Trump's futuristic promises - impenetrable missile shields, Mars colonization, weaponized AI - mask an old playbook: funneling public wealth into private hands through military contracts. While selling fantasies of space salvation, the same system commits atrocities in Gaza, while the earth burns.

On August 12, 2025, Donald Trump sent the National Guard into Washington, D.C., just months after deploying troops and Marines into Los Angeles. While militarizing U.S. cities, he stands by as a genocide unfolds in Gaza — shielding Israel diplomatically while U.S. defense contractors profit. This republished investigation, Trump's Unholy Alliance, exposes the billionaire-tech, Christian nationalist, and far-right networks behind Trump's rise. They plan to weaken — or dismantle — what's left of American democracy. From Peter Thiel's Palantir AI systems aiding Gaza airstrikes, to Lockheed Martin's jets and bombs, these same firms stand to cash in on Trump's “Golden Dome” missile defense and militarization of space — a project that could make nuclear war more likely. January 6 was only the rehearsal. This is the playbook — at home, abroad, and in orbit. Watch the full investigation now.

James K. Galbraith (Entropy Economics) argues that economics cannot keep ignoring that energy and resources for production are no longer abundant and easy to access. Drawing from the fundamental laws of nature, he proposes a viable framework of economic analysis to envisage the future of human society. Produced by GPEnewsdocs.

Israel's war on Gaza has led to mass starvation, with over 85 children confirmed dead from hunger and hundreds more killed while waiting for food. In this essay, journalist Paul Jay argues that defending such atrocities in the name of Jewish survival is itself a form of anti-Semitism—one that aligns Jewish identity with brutality. He exposes how starvation is being used as a deliberate weapon of war, backed by U.S. military aid, sanitized by Western media, and tolerated by global powers, including Saudi Arabia. This is not a humanitarian crisis. It's a state policy—designed, funded, and enforced.

In this video, we explore how Wall Street firms, REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), and private equity giants are reshaping housing markets—treating homes as hedge funds and tenants as revenue streams. The result? Displacement, skyrocketing rents, and the collapse of housing as a public good. But it doesn't have to be this way. What if we took housing out of the hands of corporate landlords and made it public infrastructure—like schools, libraries, and transit systems?

Israel struck Iran — but could this war set off something far more dangerous? Middle East scholar Nader Hashemi joins Paul Jay to break down what's really behind the so-called '12-Day War.' Far from a clean victory, Hashemi warns the strikes have likely strengthened Iran's hardliners, accelerated the push toward nuclear weapons, and crushed the country's democratic opposition. But this may not be a simple case of Western overreach — it may reflect a deep strategic split between the U.S. and Israel. As Jay argues, Trump may be seeking to normalize relations with Iran, not to promote democracy, but to pry Tehran away from China and regain leverage in the great power rivalry — especially with most of Iran's oil flowing to Beijing. Israel, on the other hand, appears willing to risk regional chaos to achieve regime change and eliminate its last major regional adversary. What's lost in the Western media narrative is the reality that the Iranian people — not the regime — are paying the price. And what's collapsing before our eyes is not just diplomacy but the very idea of a rules-based international order. This war may be just beginning — and its consequences could reshape the global balance of power.

In this introduction, journalist Paul Jay reports on several cases where police provocateurs incited violence during otherwise peaceful demonstrations—providing authorities with the pretext they needed to justify mass arrests and repression. As federal troops crackdown on peaceful protests in Los Angeles, we revisit the Toronto G20—15 years ago—when police beat peaceful demonstrators, arrested over 1,100 people, and suspended civil liberties under the pretext of security. Journalist Paul Jay connects what happened in 2010 to what's happening now: the criminalization of dissent, from the mass raids on pro-Palestinian activists in Toronto to the militarized repression unfolding in U.S. cities today. This video includes a newly recorded introduction and the original 2012 report: “No Accountability Yet for Toronto G20 Police Crimes.” What happened in Toronto wasn't an exception—it was a warning.

Former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, joins Paul Jay and condemns the Israeli attack on Iran as an unprovoked violation of international law—and a dangerous step toward full-scale regional war. Wilkerson argues that the U.S. is complicit, acting through Israel as a proxy.  Wilkerson analyzes the use of the military in L.A. and doesn't mince words: the Empire is collapsing into autocracy and militarism, and the consequences could be catastrophic. TranscriptListenDonateSubscribeGuestMusic Paul JayHi, welcome to theAnalysis.news. I'm Paul Jay. In just a few seconds, we'll be back with Colonel Larry Wilkerson to discuss the Israeli attack on Iran.Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu, who says this is not an attack on the Iranian people. It's an attack on the Iranian regime. But in fact, it's exactly that, an attack on the Iranian people. The sovereignty of a country is not the sovereignty of a government. It's the sovereignty of the people, and it's the sovereignty of Iran that has been illegally attacked by every piece of the UN charter and international law, an unprovoked attack on the people's sovereignty.Now, I've been very critical over the years of the Iranian government. I'm not going to call it a regime. I don't know why it's more of a regime than most of the other governments or states that call themselves governments. My guest and I, Larry Wilkerson, who will be here in just a few seconds, we've both been very critical of the Iranian government and its repression of people and opposition movements in Iran. That has nothing to do with what's going on here. This is an out-and-out, unprovoked attack on Iran. We're going to talk about the reasons for that, but let me just add one other small thing, which we'll talk about. It's maybe not that small.Critiquing this Israeli attack is not anti-Semitism. In fact, this is just like the Cold War. When people condemned the Vietnam War, they were called communists. They're being soft on communists. Well, now, if you critique the crimes of the Israeli government, and now this unprovoked war, and of course, the genocide in Gaza, the bombings in Lebanon, now you're an anti-Semite. It's being thrown around just the way it was, the anti-communist rhetoric of the Cold War.Now, joining us to talk about this current conflict is Larry Wilkerson. Thanks for joining us, Larry.Col. Lawrence WilkersonGood to be with you, Paul. Long time.Paul JayFor people who don't know, Larry was the Chief of Staff for Colin Powell, both at the Joint Chiefs and at the State Department. So, let me start by asking you, Larry, what do you make of the way the media is covering this? I was a little surprised over the last year that there were at least some reports on how Gaza was being devastated. You saw quite a few pictures of the killing of children, and there was a glimmer of legitimate reporting for a while. Now, this is so one-sided. I watch CNN, and guest after guest is essentially from the Israeli government or the Israeli ambassador, and the fact that this is a complete violation of international law is not even mentioned.Col. Lawrence WilkersonWell, this is truly a disgusting display of the Empire's degradation and profound slippage from world leadership. There's no question about that. Not only have we violated international law, consistently, we have ignored even those or punished even those who didn't want to ignore it or were trying to do something about it, like South Africa and their application to the court with regard to the genocide in Gaza. I think it's appalling that we did a Yamamoto. We did a Pearl Harbor. We did a Saddam Hussein on Kuwait attack on Iran. We, not Israel, the United States of America, using Israel as its foremost in the frontline proxy, if you will, just like we're doing with Ukraine. We said, diplomacy was going to continue. We achieved tactical surprise, an enormous advantage for an Air Force attacking,

Paul Jay explores the growing danger of artificial intelligence not as an evil superintelligence but as a system reflecting the values of those who control it: corporate monopolies, military planners, and billionaires racing for dominance. Jay connects AI to nuclear weapons, Trump's so-called “Golden Dome,” and the broader logic of profit-driven power. But he also argues there's a different path—one grounded in public ownership, democratic oversight, and AI that serves human needs, not corporate greed.

Billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones recently warned that artificial intelligence poses an “imminent threat” to humanity, with a 10% chance it could lead to catastrophic loss of life within 20 years. But while Jones acknowledges the danger, he stops short of identifying the real cause: the reckless, profit-driven race among Big Tech firms and national powers to dominate AI at any cost. We also reveal what Jones doesn't mention: the growing integration of AI into nuclear command and control systems. AI doesn't have to lead us over the edge. Under democratic public ownership, it could help solve the climate crisis—but in the hands of tech monopolies and the military, it could destroy us.

Trump's anti-“radical left” rhetoric is aimed at grassroots activists fighting for a more just and democratic future. By reviving Cold War fears, he seeks to divide working people and weaken the labor movement. But across the country, workers are fighting back — organizing unions, running for office, and demanding real solutions to the crises we face. Part five of this essay dives into why a militant, democratic labor movement is essential to challenging corporate power, combating climate change, and resisting the slide toward authoritarianism. From Amazon warehouses to AI ethics protests, from rail yards to classrooms — workers are getting organized.

In part one, Paul Jay exposes how Trump's tariff policy, far from protecting American workers, is a calculated strategy to fund militarization, crush labor, and entrench corporate-nationalist rule. Behind the chaos lies a coherent project—driven by Trump's allies—to weaponize climate denial, exploit regressive taxes, and funnel billions into AI-driven warfare and fossil fuel expansion. The so-called “Golden Dome” is revealed as a trillion-dollar boondoggle enriching tech oligarchs under the guise of missile defense. This is not economic protectionism—it's the financial architecture of authoritarianism.

Trump's coalition is unraveling. What was once sold as a unified right-wing project is now fracturing into open conflict between legacy arms manufacturers, Silicon Valley militarists, Wall Street financiers, and ideological operatives like Bannon and Leonard Leo. As Trump's chaotic tariffs wreck global supply chains, even key backers like Charles Koch and Peter Thiel are hedging their bets. Meanwhile, Corporate Democrats offer no real alternative—caught between donor loyalty and popular discontent. But beneath the elite infighting, there is a growing hunger for a real alternative—one rooted in democracy, solidarity, and working-class power. This episode exposes the fault lines of U.S. power—and why their shared refusal to confront climate catastrophe or nuclear danger puts us all at risk.

On this episode of theAnalysis.news, Frank Hammer speaks with labor scholar and activist Eric Blanc about the growing role of organized workers—especially federal unions—in confronting the Trump-Musk authoritarian agenda. They discuss the resurgence of May Day protests, the push for a general strike in 2028, and the urgent need for mass resistance now, not later. Blanc outlines how Trump's attacks on federal unions are a warning shot for the entire labor movement, drawing historical parallels to Reagan's PATCO firings. He also calls on union leaders, including the AFL-CIO, to move beyond court battles and into coordinated, disruptive action.

Trump's tariff war isn't about protecting jobs — it's part of a global strategy to empower a far-right alliance with Putin, Orbán, and nationalist movements across Europe. This episode exposes how economic sabotage and weaponized antisemitism fuel authoritarianism — and how workers and students are fighting back.

Trump sells his tariff agenda as a jobs boom for American workers — but it's a smokescreen for a global attack on labor. At home, new factories are routed to anti-union states, while Trump's appointees quietly dismantle the NLRB to block worker organizing. Abroad, tariffs target export economies like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, fueling layoffs and driving down wages to benefit U.S. corporate margins. It's a calculated campaign to suppress labor power worldwide. But the chaos it's unleashed — from domestic legal battles to global economic disruption — suggests the plan may be backfiring. Even some of Trump's allies are starting to question whether the madness is strategic… or just madness.

This interview was produced by INET. Robert Pollin presents a compelling case for a global Green New Deal that fights climate change without sacrificing jobs. He explains why the shift to renewable energy is not just technologically possible, but economically beneficial—creating far more jobs than fossil fuels. But without strong labor protections and guaranteed wages, pensions, and reemployment for fossil fuel workers, the transition risks political backlash. Drawing from work in West Virginia and beyond, Pollin outlines the real costs, benefits, and global financing strategies needed to meet the 2050 net-zero target—while ensuring no community is left behind.

On April 12, Paul Jay attended the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, where he discussed his upcoming documentary How to Stop a Nuclear War, based on the book The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. The film, narrated by Emma Thompson, reveals how U.S. nuclear policy was built on secrecy, deception, and the willingness to risk global annihilation—and explores what can be done today to reduce the danger. Jay examines the fabricated threats and Cold War lies that justified the arms race and how these narratives continue to shape policy and public perception today. Jay will also discuss NATO and U.S. President Donald Trump's “Golden Dome."

In cooperation with the Outrider Foundation, the Nobel Peace Center invites you to a unique film preview and conversation with Paul Jay about his work with the new documentary film about Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Paper whistleblower and author of “Doomsday Machine”.

As the U.S. and Russia discuss a possible ceasefire, what role do the Ukrainian people—especially the working class—have in shaping the outcome? Paul Jay speaks with Ukrainian political scientist Denys Gorbach about the war, class dynamics, and the neoliberal assault on workers' rights during the conflict—a rare, progressive, class-conscious look at the war in Ukraine.

In part two, economist Djavad Salehi-Isfahani outlines what's necessary for Iran to have a just energy transition and sustainable future. Salehi-Isfahani urges a reversal of destructive U.S. sanctions in order for Iran to better tap into its highly-educated workforce. He also argues that Iran is in a much more advantageous position to move away from its oil-export model, especially when compared to other oil-producing Gulf countries. 

U.S. President Trump has extended the aims of his first presidential term's “maximum pressure campaign” by slapping additional sanctions on Iran. Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech, describes the detrimental effects of U.S. sanctions on Iran's economy and society. Salehi-Isfahani illustrates how the sanctions' differentiated effects often result in them being “invisible” to certain segments of Iranian society, leaving some Iranians convinced that their government is solely to blame for the country's economic woes. In addition, he asserts that the combined effects of U.S. sanctions and Iran's policy choices continue to hollow out the Iranian middle class: while the government has assisted the poor with large direct cash transfer programs, it has largely ignored the demands of its middle class. 

In part two, political economist Patrick Bond outlines the activities of Glencore and other South African energy corporations which continue to ship coal to Israel's electricity grid. Despite the historic efforts of South Africa to bring a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, as well as its involvement in the Hague Group to demand enforcement of international rulings on Israel's unlawful occupation, Bond discusses South African policies and crony capitalist transactions which ultimately undermine these Palestine solidarity initiatives. With corporations such as India's Adani Group heavily invested in Israel's economy, Bond exposes the contradictions in BRICS' stance towards Israel.  

Jane D'Arista walks us through a comprehensive analysis of a global economy flooded with US dollar liabilities, economies bound to damaging export-led growth models, and vulnerable households piling up useless debts. She offers a rigorous template of policy and regulatory solutions encompassing reform of the US Federal Reserve and the International  Payments System and calls to continue fighting to get ideas out. Produced by GPEnewsdocs.

In part 2 of Paul Jay's discussion with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, they examine Trump's push for a new missile defense system—a step toward the weaponization of space that heightens the risk of nuclear war. They also analyze the roots of the war in Ukraine, the failure of U.S. foreign policy, and what's needed now to prevent further escalation. TranscriptListenDonateSubscribeGuestMusic Paul JayHi, I'm Paul Jay. Welcome to theAnalysis.news. This is part two of my interview with Larry Wilkerson about whether Trump is building, should I say, is the American political-economic system giving birth to a new made-in-America Mussolini-styled state. We're going to talk in this episode more about Trump's Iron Dome, nuclear weapons, and foreign policy, particularly Ukraine. Please join us.All right, let's focus on some of the foreign policy and military stuff because they're connected, obviously. I just want to start a little bit on the supposed cuts to the Pentagon. I think they're being very smart about various things, one of which they're talking about how Musk is going to go in and cut the Pentagon budget. I think it's pretty clear, and there's been even some straightforward admissions by some of the officials, that this isn't really about cuts. It's about moving the money around. It looks like there's a conflict developing between the old legacy's Lockheed and Northrop Grumman's, and the new Silicon Valley, SpaceX and Musk, Palantir of Peter Thiel, although they both invest in each other's stuff and which all want this new high tech AI weaponry. This weaponization of space. And they want to take money away from the old guys and give it to the new guys. Now, there is an easy answer if you're Trump. Give money to both.Col Lawrence WilkersonYeah.Paul JayMaybe that will be his answer because they don't really give a damn about the deficit anyway. I don't know. What's your thinking?Col Lawrence WilkersonThat's true. Well, I've seen the lines, and there's been much controversy over the lines amongst people like the Pentagon Budget Campaign, POGO, and others. There was euphoria in the beginning because it was just announced as cuts, but then very quickly, when the budgeteers got into it from all these groups, they saw, no, they're not cuts. It's just transferring money. It's going from this account to that account. This account over here is high-tech, and Elon Musk or somebody like that has a lot of stake in it. This account over here is old, and that's what he's doing. No cuts at all. There are zero cuts so far in terms of the top line. In fact, there's going to be a $100 billion-plus increase in the top line forced by Wicker and others in Congress.So we're going to be close to a trillion dollars. It's going to be clear it's over $900 billion, but it's going to be close to a trillion. And you're right. What you might call the vested contractors do not like the fact that, in many cases, the money is going away from accounts over which they have the profit-making capacity to accounts where other Silicon Valley, smaller startups, or whatever have the capacity because Hegseth thinks, and he may be right in this, these people are agile. They move fast, they move quickly, and if they make a mistake, they fix it. They don't charge you necessarily for fixing it, which has become a practice of the big guys. He's got some people in the Pentagon who are not necessarily displeased with this shifting of funds, but it's clear, and people need to understand this: there's no cutting going on. In fact, as I said, with Congress beefing it up by 100 plus, it's going to be an even bigger top line than last year.Paul JayOkay, so what do you say to people, whether they're Trump supporters or not? Because I think a lot of people don't understand the issue. Okay, you're going to weaponize space, but what you're really doing, according to President Trump, is creating, finally, after so many failures, an effective anti-ballistic missile system.

The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy webinar featuring three U.S. government officials who resigned in protest of American military and political support for the Israeli war on Gaza. Whistleblowers Harrison Mann, Annelle Sheline, and Alexander Smith will explain their motives for resigning, the consequences of their actions, and their views of U.S. policy in the region. The discussion will be moderated by Kelley Vlahos, senior advisor for the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Is the U.S. heading toward a Mussolini-style corporate fascism? Colonel Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay to expose the power struggle shaping America's future. From Trump's influence to billionaires pushing for a CEO-run government, they break down the real coup happening in plain sight.

Following decades of ongoing mineral extraction, environmental plunder, and the subsidization of the fossil fuel industry, the second Trump administration's aggressive pro-drilling agenda unapologetically seeks to seize as many foreign and domestic minerals and dirty energy sources as possible. Patrick Bond, political economist and Director of the Centre for Social Change in Johannesburg, discusses the mix of neoliberalism and paleo-conservatism undergirding Elon Musk's corporate takeover of the US government. Bond also discusses the motivation behind US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's decision to skip the solidarity-equality-sustainability G20 in South Africa, and the implications of the US' withdrawal from international climate agreements, slashing of emissions-reduction goals, and support for destructive carbon-intensive industries.