The New Dark Age

Saturday, 10 July 2026 — Radhika Desai – Geopolitical Economist

As the United States approaches its semi-quincentennial, the contrast between Washington’s triumphalist rhetoric and its material reality has never been starker. Defined by deep precarity at home and centuries of perpetual warfare abroad, this genocidal slaving oligarchy is entering a period of profound systemic decay.

Yet, despite decisively losing a major conflict against a middle-tier power like Iran, the Pentagon continues its grandiose, delusional scheme to militarily subdue China. How can a state failing so abysmally still contemplate a war against a peer competitor?

The answer lies in a desperate strategy of proxies—attempting to transform Japan and South Korea into the empire’s frontline munitions factories, while elite planners increasingly normalize the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Joining me to untangle the deep systemic contradictions of late-stage American empire is regular guest K.J. Noh, a brilliantly informed scholar and journalist. Together, we discuss why the US cannot look itself in its bloodied mirror, how global capital crushes East Asian sovereignty, and why the system is crying out for a complete reboot.