Richard Wolff & Michael Hudson: The Destruction of Modern Nations

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 twelfth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. Michael Hudson is Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and President of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends. He researches domestic and international finance, the history of economics, and the role of debt in shaping class stratification, among many other topics. This is Michael’s eighth appearance on the show. In this episode, Robinson, Richard, and Michael discuss colonialism and the death of modern nations. More particularly, they discuss the evolution of capitalism toward socialism, whether colonialism has officially ended, Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Trump, Putin, and the United States. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024). Michael’s most recent book is Temples of Enterprise (ISLET, 2024).  Understanding Capitalism (Book): ⁠https://www.democracyatwork.info/unde... Richard’s Website: ⁠https://www.rdwolff.com⁠ Economic Update: ⁠https://www.democracyatwork.info/econ... Michael’s Website: ⁠https://michael-hudson.com⁠ Temples of Enterprise: ⁠https://a.co/d/a3c53dm⁠ OUTLINE 00:00 Is Capitalism Evolving into Socialism? 07:20 Is Today the Post-Colonial Period? 18:10 How Colonialism Divided the World 28:54 China and the Revenge of Feudalism 41:06 Productive vs Unproductive Labor 49:24 Overcoming the “Discipline” of Academia 01:01:17 The Danger of Education 01:13:19 Will the United States Break Up? 01:21:22 Why the EU and NATO Will Break Up 01:29:15 Why Michael Believes the US Will Remain United 01:38:37 Trump’s Army and the Militarized Police 01:46:49 Is the US Turning into a Police State? 01:48:49 The Choice Before a Declining Empire Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.