Crow, sucking the end of the American Century, im joined by my guess, peter cousin, akin. Bethesda. Hes a professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies institute at American University as well as co author with all the persona of the untold history of the United States. In example, we have pepe escobar. Hes an independent geopolitical analyst and author specializing in eurasia. And in color, we cross jama, baraka, he is a National Organizer for the black alliance for peace or a gentleman. Cross stock rose, in effect. That means you can jump anytime you want. And i always appreciate pepe. Let me go to you. I mean, this ms. Bates is program is kind of based on this article by David Preston are in harpers magazine. And it was the title of the article was empire burlesque. And it kind of said a lot of shockwave, lot of people really kind of surprised by it, but i dont think anybody on this panel would be surprised by it whatsoever. And i found it really quite amusing that this was such a bold article and you know, and you know, it, it, it is a and a critique of the, of the elite and all that. I thought it was a good chronology, but he didnt say anything that was particularly interesting or new. Go ahead, pepe. Wow. This, its a mediocre se mediocre acid for mediocre readers in america. You know, the best writers in across the erasure russians. Chinese iranians, pakistan. These indians across latin america, the best brazilians, argentinean 0. Bryans across africa. Well, they have been writing about this in detail for over 10 years now. If not, since the meet to thousands at the height of the war on terror. Basically, we all know that the free lunch that lasted for 75 years is over. So we are now discussing whats gonna happen next, of course. And you just need to take a look at whats happening at the s seal summit in september in summer. What happened at the bricks summit in beijing a few weeks ago . What happened after the run 3 part by some guy, right . Easy and food seen in that on this week. This is, why are we going interaction of all of these institutions across eurasia, towards what the russians themselves have called greater eurasia partnership, but its bigger than eurasia. Its, i would say its, you know, youll rough free asia as well. Lets bring africa to it. And lets bring lesson matter. Well, its is the new world. Its absolutely. I agree with peter. If the, if i could read a quick fragment from the article here, are we doing to witness the return of great power rivalry in which the United States and china by for influence . Or will that a decline of the us per produce novel forms of International Collaboration kind of dovetailing on what peppy has to say, is it, is this even an important question anymore . I mean that, that, you know, because really the, the way be this article is written about american leads. Should we lament the end of the American Century or not . I mean, i dont even think thats a question anymore. And i think this is what this mindset is all about. The world is moving on and the us has to find its place in it. Thats probably a better way of putting it go ahead. Peter of biden came to power, saying that he was going to restore our american hegemony after the trump years. And he was going to unite the europeans behind the americans. And i says, has been to provide leadership to the world. And we see how well thats worked out, situation internationally has only gotten worse in the past 2 years. And is the reason why we cant allow this kind of bifurcation, this kind of division is because were facing existential crises with dealing with the climate is the most obvious while now as the, as europe is burning, as the runways are melting in london, i as the fires this, this, the heat wave people are dying. Its only going to get worse, only going to get much, much worse. And were facing at existential crisis because of the nuclear threat. The west is committed, europeans in the United States are committed to defeating russia. Even though they themselves say, many leaders understand that if they succeeded and made potent desperate, then russia would likely resort to nuclear weapons, which would again potentially precipitate the end of life on the planet. So we that in a position where we have the luxury to sit back and allow the 2 sides with their insular views and backward notions to destroy our planet. So are facing a serious crisis right now. American hegemony isnt as, as already ended. Even Charles Krauthammer in 1090 krauthammer. Now this is americas unipolar moment, right in 2002, he says, i was wrong. This is a unit poly iraq, 2nd last 30 or 40 years like i thought its going to last indefinitely. But by 2006, even krauthammer, after the devils in iraq and afghanistan, even krauthammer, had to admit that the american unipolar moment and unipolar erode, were a fantasy. So weve known this oliver stone and i wrote about this extensively, and untold history. And my other colleagues, i shall been writing about this, talking about it for years. The question is, how do we prevent this from turning into the crisis that ends life on our planet . A jumbo. I think its really interesting um, noting what peter and pet play of already said here is it can, can the world survive america reckoning that is a lot longer the hedge amount. I mean, this is what it really gets down to because its so in session with the political leads in the United States and the, the, it is so narrow the definition of how they see their place in the world. Its either all or, or theyll be chaos again. This article is very light headed in the way i look at it is because it doesnt look at the, the, the realities playing on the ground and is peppy said here the world is moving on. And the u. S. S the find its place in it, and thats something that americans cant contemplate because of american exceptionalism, which well talk about later. Go ahead and cali or, you know, peter, youre absolutely right. The other commentaries are spot on the money. The basically what we have is the u. S. The lead on able to, to accept the new political reality. They seem to be committed to their notion of full spectrum dominance no matter what the conditions are. And it seems that they are prepared to basically blow up the world in order to maintain the dominance of the, of the european project. And thats why we say to david this, this of this represents the existential threat to collective global humanity. That theres a pathological commitment on the part of the, of the white west, if you will, are to maintain global hegemony is putting all of us a threat. And that basically, unless and until we able to ship power from the u. S. U natal project. All of us are facing the possibility of a global catastrophe. Well, peppy, i mean what, what is driving this here . I mean, from the west, there is an ideological for you. Is it just economic a gemini . Because i always, i tend to fall back on the sense of american exceptionalism, that they, the american elite. And he talks about here, liberal intervention is versus restraints, which i think is a joke because both camps, it, if you want to say they believe in american exceptionally. And that is the Great Barrier to accept the fact that we are a pre ordained to run the world. That is something that is part of the american dna. How do they deal with it . Pepe. Well, in continental europe, its still the primacy of the ideas of the, like. This is something that we see specially in france and new jersey. Yeah. But dont you, dont you think they, i think theyre actually in defiance of their own ideal. You know, thank you probably to process freedom of speech. Ive still dont know that its all. Its all rubbish. Ok. I dont think they, they never did find the enlightenment. Go ahead, pepe. Yeah, but they dont see it. Its amazing. Like i live between east and west as a lot of people know i just seen back from natal stand in trends for almost 3 months and i arrive in ish and i feel relieved. I can have anita lecture dialogue in istanbul, which i tried many times to having paris, and its absolutely impossible. And these people do, you know, theyre enlightment by heart, but they simply dont see how their own ideals are melting nowadays. In the u. K. Is different. The okay, that its still a little bit of a white mans burden. Last and of course in america is in every cielo, of intelligence or so called the vantage in us is about american exceptionalism. Its an extremely america centric view of the world. And we dont need to go back to live east coast to, to once again state that americans are as a rule of thumb simply cannot understand the other. And the problem is the other, which is basically the global south, which is 88 percent of the worlds population. Now they are finding an alternative model or alternative converging models. And they are trying to build literally a new system of International Relations for from the point of view of, from an a gym monic point of view. Either continental europe, yuki, or america, or, and the collective west as oh, this is be owned and math to my. This is the ultimate right let. But is it something that they spend will never happen . End of history now. But peter, this, this mindset when i call an american exceptionalism, been, i mean, and its eurocentric as well. And its untenable. I mean, its really amazing. You know, you look at europe right now because of whats going on the ukraine, and they have an energy crisis, possible food crisis, their food banks here. And they still co, all these ideas that they are the center of the world. Go ahead peter. Well they, in some ways they are still very, very relevant and very important. You know, we can discount the west when were looking at the future of humanity at this point. The problem is that theyre so short sighted take the case of biden, yet biden wants to weaken russia. He wants to punish russia. And in order to do so, he is effectively creating conditions in the u. S. And in much of the rest of the world that are going, especially in the us now, the big issue on peoples mind is inflation. The cost of living gas, housing, all these real concerns and what bidens policies are doing now in order to punish russia, is exacerbating that making it worse. Creating more suffering is Approval Ratings are in the low to mid thirtys right now. And what it is, effectively doing is saying hes willing to allow donald trump the republicans, the fascists, the climate and ires pete apparently note len hodge. Ive been here. I have to go to a hard break. And after that hard break, well continue our discussion on the end of the American Century, staying with our team with oh, when i was shocked, seemed wrong when i just dont know. I mean you have to shape out. This thing becomes the after kid and engagement equals the trail. When so many find themselves worlds apart, we choose to look so common ground. 2 yes, if the deal good, i think is 70 percent of even 80 percent of so be below for why serbia, nate, if you say i want to approach that, it means i want this best buy this one. Me not a toyota. We say a boss, luisel, rolon, l o c a with welcome back. Across stock were all things are considered on peter la built to him and you were discussing the end of the American Century. Ah. Go back to peter in bethesda, im sorry, had to cut you off. We had to go to a hard break. Go ahead, finish your thought. Peter. Lenny quite frequently. Chest. He said in individuals insanity is rare. But in groups, parties, nations, and epics. It is the rule up to this point i leased to 77 years ago with the atomic bombs at hiroshima and nagasaki. We did not have the power to and life on the planet the way we do now. So i, you see in the United States, democracy is very, very fragile right now. Youve got one party committed to destroying american democracy. The little bit democracy. It is still remains in the United States and biden, in his policy and his efforts to, to weaken punish russia is bringing about the collapse, the further destruction of american democracy. Bringing to trumpets back into power takes no rational sense. And what were seeing on a global scale right now also makes no rational sense. So, i mean, i think were at a, at a crucial turning point. Because the United States, while it might not have the moral authority and might not have the economic power that at once did still has the power to bring the world down. And so thats what makes us so dangerous. And others recognize at the meeting in anchorage between lincoln a sullivan and a to chop, chop Chinese Foreign policy officials a back in march of last year when, when he says to blanket to sullivan, he says, you dont have the authority to talk to us like this. Any more, you cant talk to us for a position of strength. Well, thats true, but there is nobody providing International Leisure pepe is more optimistic, but he lives in the global south than i am right now. Because i see a struggle that is much more dangerous and much more unresolved. I see some positive developments. I also see negative ones. I see yoon winning in south korea. I see japan moving sharply to the right. I see a lot of very dangerous trends as well. As some positive ones. Ok, lets go back to cali here. One of the things that i bit of observed here on how the global south is reacted to the situation in ukraine. And i think its important to state here is that the global south no longer the 1st of all doesnt respect the west any more because of its hypocrisy. But it doesnt fear it is much either. And that is a significant paradigm shift right now, because we see the global south is basically saying, you know, we dont want to get involved in a conflict that you generated. And we can talk about the origins while we want. But theyre saying its not our fight and why should and then if it, when the idea of sovereignty or you want to protect ukraine sovereignty. But the global south is that were going to protect our sovereignty to, by not getting involved in your fight. And i think this is a paradigm shift there. Theyre no longer respect or fear the west. Go ahead and cali. But you know what, you know, peter, you knew youre right. Oh, but i think that what we single this out to isnt understanding that in fact, power is shifting to, to the non european world if you will. And so theres always been a understanding of the potential power here in the global. So we understood the parasitic relationship between the development of the north and the on the development of the south. But now the conditions are such that basically theres the possibility of more effective resistance. As to what we see in the globe of are the experiments taken place of the reconstruction of societies along a new path of development and new lines of, of values. And that is something i think is very, very positive. One of the things that we have to understand is that what makes the north so incredibly dangerous . Is this, this, this inflated sense of itself is a belief that without its leadership globally be sure that the, that the world can no longer exist, as we know, it goes back to your point about about us exceptionalism. You have your opinion exceptionalism, the psycho pat biology, white supremacists, white supremacists, etiology has to be addressed front and center. The europeans have to understand that they are no longer the center of the world. And again, when they understand that, and we able to, to make that reflect a material reality, that is shifting power from the europeans, that we have the possibility of developing and constructing a new world. Ok, pepe in this article here by this david breast. A essentially is asking, what is the world like after the American Century . Is it a good thing should be wed be afraid, because i think i think youre right peter is a little bit more pessimistic. Youre a little bit more optimistic. Where do you, where does it go from here . Because the global system ever since 945 has been centered on the west, specifically the United States. That is slowly drifting away. Is that a good thing . A bad thing, a dangerous thing. Go ahead, pepe. Well, if i was really a passive nihilist not an active night list as nature, i would give up completely and isolate myself, one of volcanic island somewhere i still, i still, i still get, im a writer and writers as you all know, they die writing. So i will die writing and at least trying to find a ray of lights into, into this mile strong. Edgar alone polls miles from inside. And thats why these past few years, i have been focusing on whats happening across your agent, the development slowly, but surely of all of these organizations, this young guy, corporation, organization, eurasia, economic union, now bricks plus, which is something that the chinese and the russians have been pushing for quite a while now the c s t o o, the projects of the new will so groves and merging with the russian concept of greater ration partnership and how all of these organizations and this, a framework across eurasia is spilling over towards africa. Latin america, when the remote to be, to be share here to be fair here, you know, this is one of the origins of the crisis in ukraine because, you know, ukraine has to be part of the west because it, you have to separate it from russia to week in russia. The reason why im bringing this up. I go to peter right now, is that i agree with what pepe has been talking about all these organizations. But the us is not very happy about it because it wants to maintain the deputy. And thats what makes it a very dangerous country. Go ahead, peter. No question about that. Add in a weekly season. The interesting trends and some hopeful trends. Latin america, lot of progressives are winning elections now, and lula hopefully will come back to power. In brazil, there are some good things happening, but then we also see this august deal. I. India is a very important player as the biggest, the 2nd Biggest Country in the world and will soon be the, the largest country in the world. And is trying to like many countries that people dont want to choose sides. The u. S. Is trying to force attract countries to choose sides again. And people are resisting. And thats a positive part of the positive trend that pep is i correctly identifying. But we have such big problems that we need to somehow figure out a way for the u. S. In the europeans to get back in the game in a positive sense. B