BRUCE LERRO—More than Realists, Neoliberals put a high preference on ideas. The first think-tanks came out of the Rand Foundation and global capitalists such as the Rockefeller brothers who set up not just think-tanks but foundations and organizations such as the Council of Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, all in the service of opposing communism. New Deal liberal gatekeepers acted as “controlled opposition” such as the Ford Foundation. The Neoliberal notions about human nature are not as bleak as Neoconservative Realists. Under certain conditions, state actors can cooperate. Game theory is a neoliberal attempt to understand the conditions that are likely to promote competition or cooperation among states.
ANTI-CORPORATISM
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US House, Ukraine chants and flags. Mike Johnson is Churchill. Blinken to deliver ultimatum to China
8 minutes readEDITOR—Alex Christoforou’s commentary (topics 1306 and 1307)—US House, Ukraine chants and flags. Mike Johnson is Churchill. Blinken to deliver ultimatum to China Topic 1306. One day later, (topic 1307) the tune has changed: now victory is not assured, and the only question is how and whether Ukraine can slow the Russian advance.
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JOHN VAROLI: Beyond War Profiteering — the U.S. is Now an Official Sponsor of Terrorism
by John Varoli22 minutes readJOHN VAROLI—Besides that, however, the fact is that the Russian military is now far too strong and determined. Russian soldiers understand that their country once again faces an existential threat from the West, as with Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and Hitler’s in 1941.
The heroism of Russian soldiers is impressive. The ability of their officers to adapt and innovate has confounded U.S. generals. The dedication of Russia’s defense industries to supply the front is stunning. (Remember spring and summer 2022 when NATO officials told us that Russia would soon run out of weapons?)
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The truth about China’s economy: Debunking Western media myths
10 minutes readBEN NORTON—Political economists Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson are joined by Beijing-based scholar Mick Dunford to discuss China’s economy and debunk Western media myths, addressing accusations that consumption is too low, fears of “Japanification”, the role of exports, and the new Chinese growth strategy.
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New Atlas LIVE: Iran Strikes Back – Tehran Steps into US Trap, is it Prepared? The New Atlas
8 minutes readTHE NEW ATLAS—Brian and Angelo are cautious regarding recent events in the Middle East. They believe the US Hegemon (with Israel’s conscious or objective assist) may be playing intricate and highly devious games to detonate a regionwide conflagration. Hamas, for one thing, may have been chosen by Israel and the US to play a divisive role among Palestinian factions, while maintaining the image of a fanatical anti-Israeli threat, eventually even allowing Oct. 7 attacks to permit Israel and the US to flatten Gaza, and provoke Iran and other members of the anti-Zionist/imperialist alliance to step in, thereby justifying, again a reasonable “response” that would destroy Iran and the forces resisting Western hegemony. In that sense, Oct 7 would be analogous to 9/11, a pretext to launch a vast imperialist campaign.