Capitalism
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Tariff Mania: Let the Tariff Games Begin …
US corporations and US investors have based their business strategies on the fundamental belief that the US state will always use its power to force open other nations to free trade, while at the same time generally practising free trade itself. A belief that has proven correct since WW2, and has been the basis upon… Continue reading
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Trump’s MAGA and deregulation
Trump sees the United States as just a big capitalist corporation of which he is chief executive. Just as he did when he was the boss in the TV show, the Apprentice, he thinks he is running a business and so can employ and fire people at his whim. He has a board of directors… Continue reading
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This month: Exploring Global Resistance and the Impact of Trump’s Second Term
Friday, 28 February 2025 — Transnational Institute In this month, we explore pressing global struggles, from border imperialism in the Maghreb to community resistance against extractivism in Ecuador. Additionally, we highlight crucial discussions on Palestine and the effectiveness of the BDS movement, featuring Francesca Albanese’s insights on historical injustices and Omar Barghouti’s analysis of… Continue reading
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Lessons From The 1960s Global Revolt
The global revolt of the 1960s offered hope for liberation from capitalism, a hope that was not fulfilled. To succeed this time, we must address four questions: Continue reading
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Exposing the big con: The false promise of Artificial Intelligence
The leading big tech companies are working hard to sell Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the gateway to a future of plenty for all. And to this point they have been surprisingly successful in capturing investor money and government support, making their already wealthy owners even wealthier. However, that success doesn’t change the fact that their… Continue reading
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The Plot Against America
8 February 2025 — Notes form the Circus [Creepy stuff and if true, frightening! WB] How a Dangerous Ideology Born From the Libertarian Movement Stands Ready to Seize America Mike Brock As I write this in early 2025, a quiet revolution is unfolding within the U.S. government. Inside the newly created Department of Government Efficiency… Continue reading
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The politics of gold: Economist Michael Hudson explains why gold’s price is rising so much
Why has the price of gold been increasing so fast, breaking records? Economist Michael Hudson explains the politics of the precious metal, and the dynamics of the US dollar system. He is interviewed by Ben Norton. Continue reading
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Geopolitics of Capitalism – State of Power 2025
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 — The Transnational Institute Geopolitical rivalry is reshaping our world, as reactionary nationalists rise to power and global tensions mount. Our 13th State of Power report explores the shifting global order—questioning whether we are witnessing the decline of US imperialism and the rise of a Chinese empire, how nationalism is reshaping neoliberal… Continue reading
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AI is bad for the environment, and the problem is bigger than energy consumption
Artificial intelligence technologies, like chatbots, are attracting growing scrutiny for their voracious energy demands. However, energy consumption is only one part of their broader environmental impact. Continue reading
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US tech CEOs admit they want AI monopoly & ‘unipolar world’, blocking China’s competition
US Big Tech oligarchs fear Chinese AI companies like DeepSeek. Billionaire Trump backer Peter Thiel admits they want monopolies: “competition is for losers”. Anthropic CEO wants a US “unipolar world”. Continue reading
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Trump’s Balance-of-Payments War on Mexico, and the Whole World
The 1940s saw a series of movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, starting with the Road to Singapore in 1940. The plot was always similar. Bing and Bob, two fast-talking con men or song-and-dance partners, would find themselves in a scrape in some country, and Bing would get out of it by selling Bob… Continue reading
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An Ecological Civilization Will Have to Be Socialist
Ian Angus is editor of the online ecosocialist journal Climate & Capitalism and a founding member of the Global Ecosocialist Network. He is the author of Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System (Monthly Review Press, 2016) and, most recently, The War Against the Commons: Dispossession and Resistance in the… Continue reading
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WEF Davos 2025 – More Grotesque Than Ever. Robotizing and Depopulating
The usual World Economic Forum (WEF) show that captures and dominates all of Davos for a week starts on Monday, 20 January and lasts until Friday, 24 January. It is an ever-increasing nuisance for the population of Davos, an otherwise lovely winter resort place, converted every year into a high-end bordello – for the little… Continue reading
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The rule of the Oligarchs and Machines is here
Ordinary humanity faces an emerging threat from the combined might of the Human Elites (billionaires and the military-political class) working with perhaps the greatest power the planet has ever seen: artificial intelligence. Their combined might has the potential to totally screw us. Happy New Year everyone. Continue reading
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Looking backward autobiographically
It’s reached that time again, a time to look forward but also, for an old geezer like me to look backward. Being 96 for a while yet (until March), I can permit myself some retrospection (while noting that those two digits, if only reversed and embodied, might well have been greatly preferable. Wot-the-hell, while I… Continue reading
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How Neoliberalism Has Wielded ‘Corruption’ to Privatise Life in Africa
In Africa, the leading forces of capitalism have ruthlessly wielded a neoliberal conception of corruption to undermine states’ sovereignty and open the continent to plunder at the hands of Western multinational corporations. Continue reading
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Ireland election: its economic model under threat?
The Repubic of Ireland (this excludes the northern Ireland enclave which is still part of Britain) holds a general election today. Ireland has just 5m people and is part of the European Union and the Eurozone, contributing just 1% of EU27 and 3% of EU GDP. Continue reading
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Who’s in control? A short guide to investigating corporate power
If you’re planning a campaign against a company, it’s helpful to know exactly who you’re up against. By understanding who makes the decisions, you’re better placed to devise a campaign strategy that really works. Continue reading
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Jason Hickel: Why a Liberated Palestine Threatens Global Capitalism
Jason Hickel: Why is Palestine at the center of the climate and colonial struggle? How are capitalism and the ecological crisis linked? Who really benefits from the exploitation of resources in the Global South? At the Transnational Institute’s Ignite Festival in 2024, Jason Hickel argues that the Global North—the “Imperial Core”—is responsible for the excess… Continue reading
The New Dark Age 