The Institutions of Imperial Domination
In understanding empire, we must understand the institutions which direct and implement the process of imperialism. Starting with the central institution of imperialism – the State – we find its history as emerging in response to economic inequality, to preserve for the few at the expense of the many. The results of this development, as history has shown, have shaped human civilizations over the past several thousand years, and most especially, the past few hundred years. Along with the state, banks, central banks, corporations, think tanks, foundations and NGOs all serve important functions in an imperial system. Together, they form a complex yet comprehensible imperial system of domination which we must better understand if we hope to challenge it and make it obsolete.
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The Empire of Terror
To know the history of your own nation, you must know the history of those whom your nation has oppressed. This episode takes a brief look at some of the stories of modern American imperialism in the post-World War II period, looking at Indonesia, Central America, and the roles played by “statesmen” like Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski. The Cold War was not a struggle between East and West, but rather between North and South: it was a war waged by the industrial nations against the Third World, where the main enemy was not Communism, but independent nationalism.
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What is the Nature of Power?
How does power function? What are the effects of power? Is it necessary? This episode seeks to introduce the listener to some thoughts on the concept of power, in both the concentration of it on one hand, and the lack of it on the other. Power can be concentrated in both institutions and individuals, but if we seek to solve the big problems of our time, we cannot focus simply on changing those individuals, or abolishing specific institutions. We must, instead, come to ask questions about the nature of power, itself, and thus, how such institutions and individuals are able to exist in the first place.
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Punishing the Population: The United States in Haiti & the Dominican Republic
This podcast episode examines the early 20th century United States military occupations of Haiti (1915-1934) and the Dominican Republic (1916-1924), undertaken as an imposition of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) declaring Latin America as the “backyard” of the United States. The ruthless military occupations, inflamed by racism, supported by the media, and undertaken by the ruthlessly imperialistic and racist politicians who are today celebrated as champions of ‘democracy,’ resulted in the strengthening of state structures, establishment of brutal militaries, and exploitation by American corporations and banks, leading to the establishment of military dictatorships which dominated these countries for much of their recent history, while American economic interests reigned supreme. These incidents provide a brief, yet illuminating look at the nature of American imperialism as it progressed throughout the 20th century.
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