Geopolitical Economy Hour

por Radhika Desai

Is NATO 3.0 Leading Us Straight Into Nuclear War? Biljana Vankovska & Radhika Desai

The recently concluded NATO summit in Ankara has been widely hailed by mainstream Western media as a triumph of alliance unity, yet beneath the choreographed family photos lies a deeper, far more fractious reality. In this 79th episode of the Geopolitical Economy Hour, I am joined by Professor Bilyana Vankovska to strip away the distorting narratives of Western media and examine the true political economy of "NATO 3.0". We deconstruct how this new phase of the alliance operates as an aggressive instrument of imperialism, driving a massive transfer of public wealth into the hands of private military corporations under the guise of a "military-industrial revolution".

24 jul 2026

49:14

From 1776 To The Pentagon: 250 Years Of US G*nocide & Imperialism | KJ Noh & Radhika Desai

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.

24 jul 2026

58:06

The West Is Scared Of China... So They Lie About It | Warwick Powell And Radhika Desai

Are the West’s Trade Deficits China’s Fault? Warwick Powell and Radhika Desai blow some holes into the increasingly strident claims of the US and Europe that China is responsible for their trade deficits. This rhetoric is motivated by a desire to divert attention from the real culprit responsible for these deficits, the West’s own neoliberal policy paradigm, by scapegoating China and immigrants. It is also designed to divert attention from the fact that the US and European economies need radical restructuring of a sort that their current ruling classes have no appetite for, and in which they will have to rely on Chinese technology and exports. Not only did long standing deficits with China become a concern only when Chinese enterprises took over from foreign enterprises in exporting to the west, this rhetoric is also responsible for derailing the green transition that China leads in.

24 jul 2026

58:06

He Ran The Fed For 18 Years And Left An Economic Time Bomb | Michael Hudson & Radhika Desai

Michael Hudson and Radhika Desai trace the origin of the trend towards allegedly independent central banks from the 1990s onwards, showing that, rather than being independent, they have served the interests of a financial elite rather than the people. Rather than abiding by its dual mandate of keeping inflation and unemployment low, it has employed the rhetoric of doing this to inflate asset bubbles. Rather than driving innovation, as he claimed, Greenspan set the Federal reserve on the trend toward a bubble driven economy. Rather than his pretense of independence, Warsh is as much a weathervane as Greenspan can be relied on to keep money easy for fear of pricking the various asset bubbles of which the US economy is today composed. Finally, rather than just easy money, what ordinary people in the US need is a well-regulated financial system aiming at productive, not speculative investment.

24 jul 2026

57:25

Reading Capital With Radhika Desai 5: Money, Value & The Commodity Form

24 jul 2026

1:03:17

Everyone Says WW3 Is Coming. Is this true? | Radhika Desai Geopolitical Economy Explainer

Are we entering World War III? As conflicts spread across multiple regions and tensions rise among major powers, many commentators warn that a new world war is already underway. In this explainer, I argue that while today's conflicts are serious and dangerous, they are fundamentally different from the world wars of the twentieth century. Those wars emerged from the rivalries of competing imperial powers in a colonial world order that no longer exists. By examining the historical origins of world wars, the role of imperialism, and the transformations brought about by anti-colonial and socialist struggles, I explain why understanding today's conflicts requires a different perspective.

29 jun 2026

22:10

Nuclear Scientist: They Are Pushing For Nuclear War | Ivana Hughes And Radhika Desai

Are we living through the most dangerous nuclear moment since the dawn of the atomic age? The evidence suggests we are, and yet nuclear weapons have all but disappeared from public discourse in the West. I am joined by Professor Ivana Nikolić Hughes, president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and senior lecturer in chemistry at Columbia University, to explore why the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has failed, who is really driving nuclear escalation, and why the history of capitalism and imperialism cannot be separated from the history of nuclear weapons. The primary responsibility for the escalating danger of nuclear war lies not in Moscow or Beijing, but in Washington, London, and Paris.

28 jun 2026

55:10

Israel's Worst Nightmare Just Came True | Iran Deal Interview With Dimitri Lascaris

this Geopolitical Economy interview, I speak with Dimitri Lascaris about the implications of the new US-Iran agreement and what it reveals about the changing balance of power in the Middle East. We examine why the deal represents a major strategic setback for Israel, how Iran emerged from the conflict in a stronger position than many expected, and what this outcome tells us about the limits of military power, the future of regional geopolitics, and the broader decline of Western dominance in an increasingly multipolar world.

28 jun 2026

46:00

The Deal Israel Feared Most Came To Life | Interview With Mohammad Marandi

As more information about the content of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran emerges, the full scale of Iran’s resounding victory is becoming clear. This interview with the renowned Professor Marandi, we explore the scale of the defeat of the US and Israel, the vindication of the Islamic Republic’s historic support for the oppressed and downtrodden of the world, the direct result of this victory in empowering the people around the world, in particular in the West Asian region, where imperialism has supported autocracy for over a century and used them as supports for Zionism, and even in the US, where popular revulsion against the war played a critical role in forcing Trump to end the War. Resources mentioned by Mohammad Marandi: 1. Going to Tehran by Flynt Leverett 2. Resistance: The Essence of the Islamist Revolution by Alastair Crooke 3. Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare by Gareth Porter 4. A Dangerous Delusion: Why the West Is Wrong about Nuclear Iran by David Morrison and Peter Oborne

24 jun 2026

1:10:12

Iran Defeated The US Empire. What Happens Next? Michael Hudson and Radhika Desai

Trump’s ‘deal’ with Iran represents the end of Trumps’ futile search for an off ramp from the conflict that can be tarted up to look like a victory, at least to the most credulous and loyal of his dwindling following. Michael Hudson and Radhika Desai assess this defeat and its implications for the US economy, for US politics, the dollar system and on how it will accelerate the construction of more democratic institutions of international governance.

23 jun 2026

59:07

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