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).

OUTLINE

1. 00:00 Introduction
2. 03:10 On the Trauma of His Family Background
3. 10:50 Academia’s War on Marxism
4. 22:45 Economics as the Secret Undercurrent of History
5. 28:01 Will Ukraine Defeat Russia?
6. 31:52 Is China the Empire of the New World?
7. 39:04 The Best American Strategy Against China
8. 45:24 How Trump Won and Lost America
9. 56:22 Is Israel a Colonialist State?
10. 01:03:23 On the Expulsion of the Palestinians from Israel
11. 01:10:49 Israel as America’s Economic Baby
12. 01:18:08 Global Capitalism as the Enemy of the Islamic World
13. 01:23:00 Why You Should Distrust Wartime Propaganda
14. 01:33:03 Zelensky and the Ukrainian Chess Match
15. 01:42:53 The Economic Conspiracy Behind the American Pick-Up Truck
16. 01:49:31 Israel, Ukraine, and the New Cold War
17. 01:54:20 The Many Taboos of Socialism and Communism
18. 01:58:54 The War Between Socialism and Capitalism
19. 02:07:51 Is Socialism More Efficient than Capitalism?
20. 02:16:58 World War I and the Rise of Socialism
21. 02:22:58 The Failed American Attempt to Destroy Russian Communism
22. 02:27:26 Why Did Russia Choose Communism over Socialism?
23. 02:38:06 Communism, Socialism, and the War for the Workplace
24. 02:43:00 Is China Secretly Capitalist?
25. 02:53:18 America’s Choice Between Equality or Subservience to China
26. 02:58:45 Europe’s Hidden Economic Apocalypse

Robinson’s Website: ⁠http://robinsonerhardt.com⁠

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.