ANTI-NEOLIBERALISM

ROGER BOYD—Thailand has a population of 66 million, with Bangkok as the extremely economically and politically dominant capital city. The birth rate is below replacement level, with the population both ageing and slowly shrinking, with an urbanization rate of only 46%. Industry (including electrical appliance, automobile and electronics production) is about 32% of Thai GDP, tourism 9% (12% with direct and indirect contributions), and agriculture 8%. The current account surplus was 2.1% of GDP in 2024, and since the pandemic economic growth has been in the 2-2.5% range; which results in the same rate of GDP per capita gains given that the population is not growing. At nominal exchange rates GDP per capita is US$7,767, at PPP US$26,360 (IMF estimates).

DW—The video features a detailed discussion with Michael Hudson about the geopolitical dynamics surrounding the proposed U.S. 29-point peace plan for the Ukraine conflict, the broader context of NATO-Russia relations, and the ongoing war’s implications. Hudson asserts that the U.S. proposal is not a genuine peace plan but a sophisticated propaganda tool designed to shape public opinion and frame the narrative in favor of NATO and the Ukrainian government formed after the 2014 Maidan coup. He stresses that the plan is unlikely to be accepted by Russia, NATO, or Ukraine and serves primarily to justify continued Western hostility toward Russia while obscuring the actual causes and consequences of the war

GARLAND NIXON—In this extensive conversation between Garland Nixon and Joti Brar, the discussion centers on geopolitical conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine, and the broader implications for global imperialism, economic systems, and socialist legacies. The dialogue critiques the so-called “19-point peace plan” involving Ukraine, highlighting the puppet status of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who, despite signing agreements, lacks genuine authority due to internal opposition and external imperialist control. The speakers argue that NATO and Western powers, especially the US, are in denial about their defeat in Ukraine, relying on sustained military support to continue the conflict. This failure signals a shift in global power dynamics, challenging Western military and economic dominance.

BRIAN BERLETIC—The US has once again changed the status of terrorists of its own creation to open allies with the head of Al Qaeda in Syria (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham aka Jabhat al-Nusra), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani (now “Ahmed al-Sharaa”) recent visit to the White House. The new narrative includes US-al-Jolani cooperation to “fight” the so-called Islamic State, a pretext to maintain US military forces in Syria well into the future, ensuring the survival of the nascent terrorist-led client regime;
The narrative change reflects past US pivots where Al Qaeda was hailed as “heroes” during their war with the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s before being rebranded as terrorists turning them into a convenient, global pretext for US military interventions from Africa to Asia and everywhere in between (including Afghanistan).

ERIC BLAIR—Fast forward to 2012 when Obama declared his “Pivot to Asia”. This Orwellian term was far from benign and China was well aware that the real aim of the USA was to turn its gunsights on China to prevent its rise. If the USA could not compete on a level playing field, its default mode was to resort to sabotage of perceived competitors, whether economic or subversive (colour revolutions, sponsorship of separatist terrorists, etc) or military. The fact that the USA subsequently placed 60% of its entire military assets in the Pacific theatre, based in three concentric “island kill chains” surrounding China (US doctrinal language), validated China’s concerns.