Rome’s Arc, America’s Echo
Letters & Politics – KPFA| Michael Hudson
Economist Michael Hudson joins KPFA’s Letters & Politics with Mitch Jeserich to discuss his book The Collapse of Antiquity. From Bronze Age debt cancellations to Solon’s reforms, Caesar’s assassination, and the fall of Rome, Hudson shows how creditor power shaped the ancient world and paved the way for oligarchy. He draws direct parallels to today’s U.S. political economy, arguing that debt remains the fault line between democracy and collapse.| michael-hudson.com
Hudson & Wolff: NATO’s Defeat in Ukraine| michael-hudson.com
NIMA ALKHORSHID: Hi, everybody. Today is Thursday, August 14, 2025, and our friends, Richard Wolff and Michael Hudson, are back with us. Welcome back. | Michael Hudson
The Origin and Fundamentals of U.S. World Dominance| Michael Hudson
Economist Michael Hudson warns that the U.S. has morphed into a “free lunch economy,” where wealth flows not from production but from unearned rents and financial gains. Wall Street landlords like Blackstone buy up homes, driving rents higher while families face stagnant wages and rising debt. What was once industrial capitalism has become finance capitalism, hollowing out the economy and enriching a rentier elite. The result is growing inequality at home and financial colonialism abroad....| Michael Hudson
In a sweeping discussion on the decline of U.S. global dominance, economists Michael Hudson and Richard Wolff dissect the dollar’s downward slide, the BRICS challenge, and the blowback from Trump’s tariff-driven policies. From de-dollarization and foreign divestment in U.S. Treasuries to the hollowing out of American industry, they expose how geopolitical overreach, financial speculation, and ineffective military exports are accelerating the empire’s unraveling. With allies bearing the ...| Michael Hudson
While European voters were left in the dark, the EU Commission handed Trump everything he wanted — in exchange for a war Europe can't win. The post Von der Leyen’s Surrender first appeared on Michael Hudson.| Michael Hudson
In a stunning new trade deal, the European Union caves to U.S. demands, exposing deepening economic subordination and strategic dependence. Economist Michael Hudson and political scientist Glenn Diesen unpack how von der Leyen’s capitulation signals the "Ukraineization" of Europe—sacrificing industrial growth, energy security, and sovereignty to prolong a U.S.-led Cold War. As Trump-style dealmaking takes center stage, Europe faces deindustrialization, rising militarism, and political uph...| Michael Hudson
Michael Hudson and Radhika Desai dissect the economic illusion of Trump’s presidency six months into his second term. From manipulated markets to rising debt, gutted institutions, inflationary tariffs, and vanishing public services, they show how Trump’s policies enrich the top 1% while accelerating decline for everyone else. As MAGA voters begin to feel betrayed, and even allies like Elon Musk break ranks, the cracks widen. This episode unpacks how perception replaces policy—and why th...| Michael Hudson
Michael Hudson traces how ancient rulers like Hammurabi used debt cancellation to sustain economies—contrasting it with today’s refusal to curb rentier power. Drawing from decades of research and Bronze Age records, Hudson reveals how debt, land, and monopoly rent now choke productivity in the West. He draws parallels between bank lending and ponzi schemes, redefines GDP, and calls for a return to classical economics. With financialized economies in slow collapse, Hudson urges a reset: ta...| Michael Hudson
An excerpt from Michael's as yet unreleased book tracking the role of debt and public finance from medieval times to the present. The post A Precondition for Economic Sovereignty first appeared on Michael Hudson.| Michael Hudson
Hudson & Wolff are escorted through the issues of the day, progressive Jews opposing genocide, tariff-esque economic horror when it comes to cars. Listen to two wise heads lament at the state of US political economy. The post Isolation Economics first appeared on Michael Hudson.| Michael Hudson
What happens when the Global South rejects dollar dominance? Michael Hudson explores how BRICS aims to build an alternative to Western debt traps and rent-based economies. With U.S. financial power rooted in global dependency and extraction, Hudson predicts a paradigm shift toward real productivity—and away from the rentier economy that defined the 20th century. The post The Challenge to Dollar Hegemony and Global Debt first appeared on Michael Hudson.| Michael Hudson
As BRICS nations confront U.S. tariffs and global economic instability, economists Michael Hudson and Richard Wolff argue that true independence lies in returning to classical economics—taxing economic rents, reclaiming sovereignty over resources, and rejecting neoliberal debt traps. Can BRICS revive the revolutionary path once charted by 19th-century industrial capitalism? The post BRICS vs. the Rentier Economy first appeared on Michael Hudson.| Michael Hudson
Michael Hudson and Richard Wolff argue the U.S. is sabotaging its own economy through reckless tax cuts, rising inequality, and dollar devaluation. As foreign investors flee and domestic wealth concentrates, the era of dollar hegemony may be ending — with global implications. The post Why America No Longer Makes Its Own Future first appeared on Michael Hudson.| Michael Hudson
American politics has become theater—staged by billionaires, detached from reality. But as Hudson and Wolff show, voters are waking up. Mamdani’s unexpected win is a backlash against bipartisan war-making, student crackdowns, and media spin. It signals a break with the financialized, militarized status quo. This revolt, rooted in the real lives of workers and students, may spell the end of elite control. New York’s mayoral race wasn’t just a contest—it was an insurrection. The post ...| Michael Hudson
In this dynamic interview, economist Michael Hudson unpacks the deeper forces behind the U.S. war on Iran. Far beyond regional tensions, Hudson argues the conflict is part of a broader effort to preserve U.S. unipolar dominance, defend the petrodollar, and prevent the rise of a multipolar world led by BRICS, China, and Russia. With insights into oil, sanctions, and financial colonialism, Hudson reveals how U.S. strategy is less about peace — and more about power. Read or watch the full conv...| Michael Hudson
Unlike the colonial empires of old, U.S. power was built not with boots on the ground, but with balance sheets. In this riveting account, economist Michael Hudson traces how the U.S. engineered a new form of empire after World War I—one rooted in debt, gold hoarding, and financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank. From Versailles to Vietnam, America’s strategy was simple: enforce global dollar dependency, use war spending to deepen deficits, and extract tribute not through tribute...| Michael Hudson
Surplus oil revenues from Gulf states are funneled into U.S. treasuries and financial markets — a system that binds the Middle East to Washington’s geopolitical agenda. As Michael Hudson explains, this financial dependency turns sovereign nations into hostages, deterring resistance to U.S. wars and regional control. From the overthrow of Iran’s democracy to today’s opposition to China’s Belt and Road, financial imperialism — not freedom — lies at the heart of American foreign po...| Michael Hudson
The U.S. no longer exports industry — it exports debt. As finance capitalism collapses, the global majority is choosing production over predation. The post From Empire to Exit first appeared on Michael Hudson.| Michael Hudson
Financial analysis of a world dominated by the FIRE sector - Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. Beware the monopolist.| Michael Hudson | On finance, real estate and the powers of neoliberalism
Hostage to the Petrodollar: How Oil Wealth Fuels U.S. Empire| michael-hudson.com
Transcription – 2025.05.01 – Dialogue Works| Michael Hudson
Super Imperialism. The Economic Strategy of Americ ….| Michael Hudson
Michael Hudson’s new book Temples of Enterprise is now available.| Michael Hudson
