Underground empire: how America weaponized the world economy | LSE Event

This event will be a book launch and discussion with Abraham Newman and Henry Farrell on their forthcoming book Underground Empire: how America weaponized the world economy.
Speakers:
Professor Henry Farrell
Professor Abraham L Newman
Discussants:
Ann Pettifor
Rachel Gangji
Professor Leslie Vinjamuri
Chair:
Dr Nikhil Kalyanpur
#Economy #Events #London
Full details/attend: www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2023/11/...
To turn on captions, go to the bottom-right of the video player and click the icon. Please note that this feature uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, or machine generated transcription, and is not 100% accurate.

[@xrawna5189]

Weaponising the world financial system is part of the military strategy. Military and Financial establishment rely on each other, one can not survive without the other. Welcome people.

[@livinhuge]

Sounds like you're familiar with Michael Hudson. He was on to this back in the 60's.

[@johnyossarian9059]

So basically the idea is to study these new tools to avoid unintended consequences and to find new ways to better utilize these tools in order to strenghten the US global empire The book is not about criticizing US global empire, it's about how to preserve and make it more even more powerful

[@mbvgvskvrs868]

You know that in advance when you hear words such as Chatham House & Queen Elizabeth II.

[@onekumarajay]

HQ of British Empire moved to US early 20th Century. It's the same Entity. Fighting for Survival ie Whitewashing Crimes on the Rest of the World Eg. Stealing Land, Slavery, Colonialism, & Effects Being Felt Today Most Keenly in the Gaza Strip AKA Palestine AKA Israel AKA Middle East Gulf AKA Homeland of JESUS CHRIST ONE ❤

[@cheddartheadventurer7511]

Globo homo

[@plaiche]

The old broad is at least trying to drop some truth.

[@pipster1891]

@@mbvgvskvrs868 and LSE.

[@Joepipsquiggle]

THE THREE ROOT CAUSES OF SUFFERING: GREED, IGNORANCE, and HATRED.

[@anthonyedwards7019]

You forgot religion.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

You also forgot Brain Washing via Corporate News/MSM.

[@bananaborealis9515]

@@anthonyedwards7019 religion is the cause of these three

[@TheDynamicmarket]

rules based order is like beyonce sang if i was a boy...i would make rules as i go; I'd put myself first And make the rules as I go

[@prst99]

What’s wrong with that? It’s good to be the king.

[@TheDynamicmarket]

@@prst99 it's good to be the king but stupid to say that you somehow promote the rule of law when you are a dictator that gives orders and dictates. it's stupid to say that you have established liberal world order when the un is not the world government and you force upon others trade deals in which small and weak countries do not have equal rights; when you monopolize industries in other countries etc. it's ok to be the king if you say that you are trying to establish an authoritarian dictatorship/empire throughout the world.

[@syamalghosh2976]

These authors completely missed or intentionally avoided one fundamental fact. Mao's China or Deng Xiaoping's China never came begging to US for help or to pitch their low cost labor to US companies. It was the US industry leaders who approached China lured by China's cheap labor. Just as a mechanic working in a garage over a time can figure out how a car's engine works, similarly Chinese workers in Huawei, over time, reverse engineered the technology to their advantage, albeit with a little nudge from the Chinese Government. If US companies do not like it, they can simply leave China and go elsewhere. Arresting Huawei CFO by using the Canadian mounties was crude and silly, at best.

[@ribery7593]

Western oligarchy wanted to use china's labor to discipline their own working class , now china is disciplining the western leadership by becoming an independent superpower, usa democracy can collapse it's not even like it's ever served the common good...

[@johngate70]

Yes, the US industry leaders was lured by China's cheap labor because they're driven by greed.

[@anthonyedwards7019]

Not exactly correct, the USA opened its doors to China so that it wouldn't form an alliance with Russia. What China failed to understand is that it (China) is totally dependent on the USA for its exports and for safety at sea from looters. The USA has now decided to NOT protect the seas, and so, China and its exports are finished.

[@rahulramteke5421]

Agree

[@johngate70]

Ah yes... Corporate greed.... my favorite sin(in this case only)

[@InventiveHarvest]

The US has long failed to live up to its ideals both internationally and domestically. Look at intervention in Nicaragua, Chile, South Pacific, Middle East, everywhere.

[@adkh5826]

Because its ideals were always a ruse.

[@InventiveHarvest]

@@adkh5826 you don't like liberty?

[@TheDynamicmarket]

@@InventiveHarvest the unga is not a parliament and the un is not the world government. only americans vote in the presidential elections. the us hegemony is therefore a tyranny. some people benefit from this tyranny and don't mind. some people don't like change and don't want a world democracy and equal rights between nations. e.g. in the eu the rich countries get most money and the poor get leftovers.

[@MeiinUK]

@@adkh5826 : A lot of the people were basically foreigners to the land though... While some people get paid to be in the army. The internal population were all foreigners.. and they didn't always worked together. Hence, their M&A... SOME of the educated individuals would know indeed to do M&A.. but the rest, didn't.. So now you see this underground sector as well.. and people doing whatever laws they liked.

[@michael511128]

Maybe you are confused with fake ideals and true ideals.

[@ShaferHart]

It's great that respected academics now put their lectures online so ALL OF US can see how naive and stupid they can be despite the specialized knowledge we assume they hold 😂

[@regulator9leorise629]

🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@jhaduvala]

Well said.

[@corrySledd]

I blame the Fed for global economic crisis, they can print credit as long as someone will borrow it into existence, but production cannot be printed. Right or wrong?

[@AUstinnesc]

right! never can tell what the future holds, definitely a time to consider financial planning and not time for blames

[@sheltonPston]

True, I'm quite lucky exposed to personal finance at an early age, started job 19, bought first home 28, got laid-off work 36 due to covid-outbreak, and immediately consulted a financial planner to handle growing my finance. Long story short, I'm only 25% short of my $1m goal after a couple 100s of thousands invested so far.

[@McElvinn]

well done! love to stick it on my own but at some point, everyone needs a sort of guidance, would you mind disclosing info of your advisor here please? in dire need of portfolio assistance

[@sheltonPston]

I've shuffled through a few advisors in the past, but settled with 'Nicole Desiree Simon' her service is exemplary. I'd suggest you research her further on your browser, sure you'll find her basic info.

[@McElvinn]

Thank you for this tip. it was easy to find your mentor. Did my due diligence on her before scheduling a phone call with her. She seems proficient considering her résumé

[@jonathanedwardgibson]

Hudson outlined all this long ago, but he’s persona non-grata for being critical of the failures we see piling up all around us.

[@hamzaakbar4184]

can you tell me who do you mean by hudson? I would like to read more about him and what he said, but I don't know who he is and what he said.

[@seppojarviluoma8115]

Michael Hudson, if you want closer to truth, how economics really work@@hamzaakbar4184

[@nataliarevi]

Michael Hudson has many books on this. “Super imperialism” being one of them.

[@BlackSwan-sq2iw]

Western countries, not just the US must realize the world has changed. In the past, the west had enough economic, political and military power to dictate a world order according to its shared value systems. The rest of the non-west world had no choice but to play along. When someone decides to deviate from the rules, economic sanctions were effective and low-risk tools to put everything back in order. But this is no longer the case. Trying to use the same set of tools in a different environment will inevitably fail.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

Right! G7 just sanctioned Russia's diamonds beginning in 2024. 💥🥱

[@timthetiny7538]

Look at the red sea. Who is the global South begging to keep the trade lanes open so they can keep their people fed?

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

A little update for you on the China situation. As you might know, Nvidia's AI chips are restricted for sale in China under US sanction policy, but Baidu, who are a big consumer of AI chips, just put its first order into Huawei to supply them with Huawei's Ascend AI chips. Huawei were, as you know, the target for the first round of sanctions, but Huawei today is heavily invested in the chip industry. It's like a new chapter in the Huawei story, from telephones, to network gear to mobiles and now they stand up and are ready to face the mighty TSMC. Oh and also they have the very first Huawei EV out, which I understand is pretty popular owing to it being an intelligent car in the literal sense. Nvidia should be worried. When this happens in business the customer never comes back again.

[@anthonyedwards7019]

I think you have been duped by Chinese propaganda.

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

@@anthonyedwards7019 I get a lot of detailed inside reports from those connected to the company. Call it propaganda if you like, but I see it as the guys are just really keen to be number one in the business. I admire their enthusiasm.

[@publicojornas1787]

@@anthonyedwards7019 - I think you have been duped by Western propaganda.

[@lisashung9442]

@@anthonyedwards7019You don’t need to listen to any propagandas but check some datas……..or ask some tech experts. In fact, the Chinese government is playing very low key on this matter…….

[@alexturner3089]

​@@anthonyedwards7019 He is the propaganda 💀

[@lauram2475]

Thanks bun-man

[@farazkakar4972]

Digital Geneva Convention between corporations/companies in a market that is now battle field.. interesting formulation.

[@noneofyourbizness]

highly engaging session. 1 book ordered.

[@henryfarrell7466]

That is what we love to hear - I very much hope you enjoy it!...

[@user-rs9jx3mg1s]

I understand for this presentation us, huw 5G to 6G next world economic and political science rise faster

[@timthetiny7538]

Hell yeah

[@morgenknas]

These guys need to rewatch Star Wars. The empire and its lackeys are actually bad guys ...

[@codzymajor]

Only talking morally and acting amorally all in the name of self interests.

[@3506Dodge]

This was true 15 years ago, but it's fading fast.

[@plinkfuture2557]

An excellent discussion overall

[@OurNewestMember]

27:27 Leslie made some valid points. Could have been a bit more opinionated and less open-ended, but still raised great questions.

[@lowersaxon]

He speaks of „Soviets“ meaning Russia. Thats a bit surprising after 30 years.

[@jhaduvala]

Brainwashing will do that to you. Russophobia is built-in to Hollywood.

[@Rnankn]

This argument is asinine. Markets are creations of states, who exert or omit varities of controls. This political economy is the norm, not the exception. Whether ‘open’ or coercive, global networks have always been tools of empire. Start with the Royal Charter granted to the British East India Company in 1600, or the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1670. Commerce has always been an expression of political power. Incorporation in the state of Delaware is a political act to become licensed as a tool of state power. This so-called weaponization critique rests on the fallacy of the economy as a separate closed system. It is not imperialism or nationalism that are threats to ‘vulnerable’ or innocent businesses. Businesses are a threat to communities and democracies, and they should defend themselves with the most effective tools available.

[@lkm3s]

Have you read the book? From my understanding, the book focuses on the weaponization of digital technology and its infrastructures, the use of online networks, internet banking, and the ability to use technology to gather intelligence. The argument isn't that weaponization of the economy is novel, rather that technology has introduced powerful and more impactful levers of control that were rather unanticipated.

[@anonyymi4782]

@@lkm3s Yes, they are worried about unintented consequenses, but basically they are afraid, that these dysfunctions come back and bite behind of the golden billion. They're after better control, not for more equal and just world order. At least this conversation has quite a lot of hints in that direction

[@mikexhotmail]

​@@anonyymi4782writing on the wall?

[@truthkmgmailcom]

@@lkm3sh

[@evanchristensen7043]

As intelligent as an economist, Dr. Henry Farrell is on market and politics. I would argue the language he used about the heritage foundations' ideological vetting process and the Trump administration is “very sophisticated” and some other language that will be taken out of context by Trump allies and crammed into a television or Internet ad campaign. Concluding his response on the potential for a Trump administration Two, he said, “A second Trump administration would be tough for the EU to deal with.” I would argue that a second Trump administration would be dangerous. Still, he never uses that kind of language to the existential threat a Trump administration could pose to this fragile global system.

[@craigwillms61]

All I can say to that is that what came after Trump turned out to be exactly what everyone accused (projected) Trump of being. Biden - his puppet masters - are the actual threat to our sacred democracy. Wake up and smell the organic fair-trade coffee for God's sake.

[@seikai2]

All empires will come to ends, focus on the new ones.

[@user-jo7po5pw3t]

Micheal Hudson explains to quite well what needs to be done

[@healingbyqurannow]

Remember the sterling, why did it lose its international hard currency statue, and who rescued the British economy Questions that need to be answered otherwise this discussion is not complete.

[@anthonyedwards7019]

It hasn't. If you mean Reserve Currency, thats something different.

[@jynxkizs]

Will A.I. make weaponized interdependence easier for everyone to understand?

[@plekkchand]

Ah yes, the gratuitous shot at Trump. So this guy must be on the right side of things. Glad we got that out of the way.

[@gordonaliasme1104]

In Scotland, Trump means breaking wind

[@seikai2]

Why you mentioned “Soviet Fleet” since Soviet no longer exists.

[@digitaldemocracyai-rob]

Not in name, but they have imperialist intentions.

[@user-jo7po5pw3t]

Allowing privatization of basic needs breeds greed.

[@bryanbufton7335]

Red Shield told us all how it is.

[@qake2021]

😯🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏✌️

[@user-vj4sn1hk3n]

Still hook on this???

[@user-jo7po5pw3t]

Just need to put banks back in control of the goverments

[@PeterSodhi]

So the problem is how do you circumvent free markets with 'centrally planned rules' (ie communism) so they don't cause damage? Think you guys have misunderstood your assignment.

[@digitaldemocracyai-rob]

I think you have misunderstood. They are just observers reporting on the systems that have organically grown from 30 years of globalism. They haven't given prescriptions.

[@lynnwandering581]

I took all of them seriously until he mentioned 王丹😂

[@Notfunnysam]

Yes please address the working class global

[@fredforsythe8310]

It is not matter of whether you want to be spied upon but who is allowed to spy on you and none of them working in your interests.

[@tonygold1661]

A bit shrill in parts. Assertions are not the same as arguments.

[@longdog33]

When the start to opine on China, they are out of their area of expertise.

[@havencat9337]

theres no chinese but they only talk about them and how bad they are. that tell you about western propaganda. and it is propaganda, lets not sugarcoat this! hope people have critical thinking here.

[@jimimased1894]

love the outward breath cough on money laundering at 1.04 thumb bitting... defers.... while london is full of american candy shops, easy as £15 lollypops

[@stephens1950]

Inverted Totalitarianism

[@marciamarquene5753]

X brasil copa d fui lá buscar as crianças estão fazendo as crianças estão fazendo as coisas ai sim entendi agora só r e muitas felicidades e muitos anos atrás e sempre vcs merecem ser felizes

[@Joepipsquiggle]

The KEY SOLUTION to a World Unifying System, is Waiting on Mt. Carmel in HAIFA Israel. ( of all places ) 🙏

[@chenpu1]

Reference on Dan Wang will only damage the academic integrity

[@havencat9337]

they all pretend to want peace but only hide their vilification and more warmongering. hope peoiple see thsi

[@kuga7423]

it still bothers me whenever i see a white man/woman proudly said that they are from south Africa. Because it just loudly tells everyone that those whites are part of the colonialism and Apharteid. But maybe they are Albinos.. so i take my words back.

[@alfrcas]

a lot of good things about the subject but pls limit yourself naming people and companies. Naming people and companies that anyone would know makes you “cheap”

[@marciamarquene5753]

G e é só r e é só r e é só r e muitas alegrias sempre vcs merecem ser amanhã às três dias quando estiver chegando te mandar as crianças e muitos dias muita saúde paz vida longa e próspera

[@jynxkizs]

Can the wrong people use these tools indirectly by hiring desperate people that can handle the complexity?

[@user-ov9zx3oy4w]

😢😢😢😢😢

[@giuseppeconlan]

Still referring to the Russian Federation as ‘Soviets’ 😂 ffs 😑

[@hansbleuer3346]

Be carefull with such thesis. Thats not science. It's ideology.

[@craigweaver8542]

Don't worry I wont't be putting up any flags in my room except the american flag....ooo well nevermind

[@user-dy4nh7nu3y]

cc

[@marciamarquene5753]

F e é é é só r viu se fala alguma coisa ER hoje né se fala alguma coisa ER e r e muitas alegrias e felicidades sempre vcs r sempre felicidades sempre e sempre vcs estão fazendo oq hj e sempre vcs merecem ser amanhã às três

[@jhaduvala]

It's edifying to see so many commentators who see through this naive mishmash of American-perspective pseudo-"fact".

[@damienflinter4585]

Great discussion, but quite a few elephants galloping around that room behind the backdrop. Just one being India's descent into sectarian Islamophobic fundamentalism, ecological attrition, and a steepening pyramid of wealth in a sea of poverty...which, like Israel/Gaza is a signifier of Ang£o-U$ unilateralist hubris, one consequence of which was the City of £ondon's Brexit, to the detriment of Britain's population at the benefit of an insatiable financial parasitism. Gaza is one of your 'dark spaces' which your monocular 'g£obali$ation' has created while tunnel-vision for full spectrum dominance has arrested your development an led you to percieve every competitor as an enemy. Empire tends to such narcissistic ends. Meanwhile there is a vast literature down the centuries elucidating those dark areas. Try Swift's 'Modest Proposal' and Bierce's 'Devil's Dictionary' in your leisure time.

[@arestide-valentindamiean8140]

"The freedom version of the globalisation". The american version of freedom? That peace loving America? OMG! Clueless armchair generals, on the battlefield and in the finance sector aswell. The mention of Starship Troopers is hilarious because USA is exact that, perhaps not entirely but almost there.

[@ppss.6302]

Before beatching at America look at Vlads and Xis of the world offering alternative visions so to speak.

[@craigweaver8542]

they wish they had coed bathrooms...o wait

[@marciamarquene5753]

F e é é é é é é só r e é só r viu e nem fala comigo né se Deus permitir sempre felicidades e muitos anos atrás e se for w se for por causa dos meus

[@peterjrmoore3941]

i guess it's the chair whose diction is so chewed up

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

excluding China from the space station is not 'empowering China', it is forcing China to spend a lot more money to pursue this on its own, money that China could be spending on other things.

[@longdog33]

Money spent on science and technology is money well spent.

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

that's what the USSR thought about the arms and space race until it run out of money. And then it was no longer the USSR.

[@kooisengchng5283]

True to a degree. It forced China to develop a technology that would not have been "given" to it. Sooner or later China would have to develop its own space technology. By depending on the Russians, US has not and will not in the near future be able to develop its own space station.

[@joeschmoe5583]

@@kooisengchng5283 This doesn't even make any sense. You guys exist in a parallel reality.

[@havencat9337]

china has more population then the rest of western world - big enough to be independent and guess what...they do it well! cudos to them

[@marciamarquene5753]

C BB GG e GG e é só r e é é só r viu e muitas alegrias e muitas felicidades sempre e sempre vcs merecem ser amanhã mesmo se ele pode ir ER r e é só w se for por aqui

[@codzymajor]

57:35 shows how ignorant and clueless the panel speakers are. Their main function is to recogitat major sound bites in echo chambers like this and promoting each other's work so that certain ideology would be accepted as inevitable geopolitical realities.

[@marciamarquene5753]

V se fala alguma coisa e nem fala comigo né amiga e muitos dias muita coisa né amiga é só r e é é f tua irmã é é só r e muitas felicidades e muitos dias quando estiver chegando amanhã às noite te amo bjs fica até às noite toda hora ri demais né amiga é só r viu se ela

[@donaldwhittaker7987]

Old news. Ho hum

[@marciamarquene5753]

C BB BB BB GG GG GG e é é é é é só r e muitas e felicidades sempre e te falo se ela amanhã às três horas w e é é só chamar ele ir amanhã então é melhor hoje e amanhã é só r viu e nem se for por

[@plinkfuture2557]

Whose NOT a fan of ketamine? Ever had surgery? Perhaps it’s better to say that egomaniac appeasing elon is a fan of himself and other egomaniac strongmen.

[@OurNewestMember]

Is the book a promotional piece to get consulting work? Boo Trump. Need more (money for) research. Must "build institutions" (whatever that means. Sounds expensive and open-ended) How original. Thanks for your manuscript.

[@qntnotes9427]

Long talk, lots of speculations yet so little proof!

[@marciamarquene5753]

C BB GG e é é é só r viu se fala alguma r era w se fosse dormir lá pegar ET e muitos anos atrás r viu se fala alguma r era ri demais e muitas

[@soulfireonfire6423]

Is this a political campaign? There’s has been President after President that has slowly but surely, put in play and allowed policies and laws, that ok obviously didn’t have the U.S. citizens or the U.S in general, as a priority! Each President had the save access to a multitude of very very intelligent individuals in the technological arena. They chose not to reach out, and do their job, protect our progress, to where we are catching Chinese spies in several areas. Even the NYPD, for years. Are we to assume this was just, an error in thinking they could continue to do things like they always had ? Even when right in front of their eyes , and actually using new technology themselves, that they were that oblivious? No one is that ignorant for decades and decades, unless you are being that ignorant on purpose.

[@noneofyourbizness]

to a greater or lesser extent, today's MNCs, dictate (literally in some cases!) the shape of any policy / law enabling them to create/increase their profits and/or strategic advantage. They have little to no interest in prioritizing (or even considering) the impacts those instruments may or may not have on the USA or her people... decades of addiction by C suiters, markets and governments to 'shareholder value' to the exclusion of ALL else has seen to that. See also: race to exploit china's labour. Corporations (esp finance) now run the western world not least through the 'deregulation' gift and permitting them to rent/buy/own our government reps as well as buy up our (typically) monopolistic, essential social/health/transport infrastructure..gifting them huge cash cows free of any price controls or investment /service delivery guarantees. All because are governments reps are now made up of 99% neo liberal / free market ideologues , self serving types, in thrall to corporate money/power. fascism looms

[@anthonyedwards7019]

POTUS has more than just USA to consider.

[@rulsrejouis1698]

These people are really out of touch.

[@robertbentley3589]

Ffs. Takes this lady 20 minutes to ask a question. Bla bla bla.

[@plinkfuture2557]

To say that the ‘global south’ is detaching itself from the dollar(the west) misses a few centuries of history of the ‘global south’ detaching from the dollar. In this new world post 9-11 where Iran, Russia, China, NK openly flout the UN charter - Why should the US and it’s allies tie their hands behind their backs when dealing with countries that are not democratic or not friendly to its interests? This conversation dallies with the idea of appeasement to enemies and abandonment of allies and institutions to be governed by those who seek to wreck them.

[@nameberry220]

US is responsible for so much misery, it's well documented. The US is not friendly to the interest of a humane international order.

[@teepee431]

You are a pure toad.

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

Networks built by a coalition of autocracies will never be as attractive/sustained as those built by democracies.

[@longdog33]

So you say. China leads the global south. China is proven more attractive to these developing countries.

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

I think you got causality the wrong way

[@freemanol]

Sounds like a cultist

[@joeschmoe5583]

Look at the responses to you - these people like in a parallel reality.

[@gelinrefira]

Yes, you're right. That's why the Global Majority is now rejecting the western corporate autocratic economic system.

[@nni9310]

The US order has allowed for prosperity, for those who wish to take part in it. I don't doubt that the US is not perfect and has acted in self interest, but the same applies to all countries/people. Better the world led by the US than by Russia or China.

[@pikachus5m166]

Allowed for prosperity, as long as the US gets the cream. Those days are over, the abuse of power from weaponising the dollar, to sanctions, tariffs, export controls, tech bans, seizure of property and currencies, the US have overplayed their hand. And what's wrong with a multi-polar world?.

[@allowedme]

@nni9310 Count how many wars and how many lives have been lost and the sufferings for the US orders.

[@danhtran6401]

Less than the people benefitting from cars, phones, freedom, technology. If you had supported their enemies, you'll be heriting camels, bomb making skills, and cell phones made up of two coconuts. Part of the reason you even know about history is thanks to their social media.

[@wf645]

Prosperity at the cost of others selling their soul to US and being dictated by US ... right ...

[@BaronVonHobgoblin]

London-ograd: It is comical to witness two mumbling authors who know knowing about National Security try to talk about national security. The non-descriptive term "weaponize" should be struck from the language. I despise this transactional liberal arts curve of "National Security" to the benefit of "Economics". Once the author(s) stake out their initial position, similar to throwing their furniture out on the street, they then proceed to stand on top of that furniture and pontificate wildly all the while ignoring what is actually happening on the street behind them. It's as if the authors want to engage in Statecraft without considering every aspect of what makes a state a state! Such is the "Advisors Privilege" and this privilege is a sad fact of University Education. The fact they have the temerity to suggest that America act to their bumbling tune whilst blanketing criticism of all the actions America is currently engaging in just highlight my own extreme skepticism of the author(s) National Security bona fides. Personally, I'm very weary of lecturers who talk politics as a means to hide the fact they know nothing about the supposed policy they are criticizing. Clearly the book is incapable of being presented as a TED talk. Everyone is talking but very few facts seem to be under consideration. For one I have yet to find a war that was started "Economically". That is to say that what actually started the war was troop movement or troop action of some kind. "Economic" or "Treaty" is then often trotted out as a show pony to justify the aggressors' actions. To me that is what this lecture appears to be, a sort of economic apology on behalf of China or other Axis of Resistance nations justifying its aggressive movement of troops and other blatantly violent criminal behavior. Maybe I am just old fashioned, but I am of firm belief that criminals should be locked up and tried and that aggressive troop movements should not be tolerated. Economic Sanctions are the carrot as opposed to the stick of a potentially violent confrontation between military forces. You are not the victim, and you have no right to play the victim on behalf of a group you know nothing about. There are lots of bad people in the world and someone must prevent these bad people from doing harm to others around them.

[@noneofyourbizness]

who moved troops into the ME in 1990 ? should those clear aggressors be locked up?

[@3506Dodge]

Do you know what the alternatives to an American Empire ARE? They are all horrific.