AlternativeRadio

One way to understand how the U.S. operates around the world is the Godfather model. Obey the Don and you’ll be well rewarded. Cross him up and it’s lights out. The U.S. maintains its global power out of the barrel of a gun. Of course, for rhetorical purposes Washington is dedicated to human rights, freedom and democracy. In practice it implements mafia-type rules. In its origins, the Founding Fathers emulated Britain. By the end of World War Two the Union Jack was replaced by the Stars and Stripes and America ruled the waves. It invades, bombs and occupies countries, imposes sanctions and blockades and kidnaps and assassinates leaders. Chomsky says, “Since its founding, America has scarcely had a year without resorting to violence.”

On July 4th, 1776, fifty-six men in Philadelphia signed the Declaration of Independence. Today, the day is marked by store sales, fireworks, and parades. The much-revered Founding Fathers were mostly wealthy merchants and large land and slave owners. One of them was John Adams, who was not so well off. He predicted: “The History of our Revolution will be one continued Lye from one end to the other.” Adams was prescient. Legends have become facts. The traditional accounts of the Revolution are about a handful of brave white men who declared independence from Britain. In the telling, many were left out. Women, for example, played vital roles by raising families, farming, running businesses, making uniforms for the soldiers, cooking and feeding the troops, and even taking up arms and fighting. A people’s history ensures their inclusion.

The International Criminal Court, the ICC, is based in The Hague, Netherlands. Established in 2002 under the Rome Statute, the ICC is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. The ICC is intended to complement, not replace, national judicial systems. It can exercise its jurisdiction only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals. The Court has brought charges against high-profile international leaders and in some cases has imprisoned them. Countries that are not parties to the ICC and do not recognize its jurisdiction include China, India, Russia, Israel and the United States. Recorded at the Oxford Union.

Antonio Gramsci of Italy was one of the most important and original political and philosophical figures of the 20th century. He was a staunch antifascist and was jailed for years in Mussolini’s prisons. He wrote with great insight about class, culture, and the state. He said that once the state establishes ideological authority, its use of violence can become unnecessary. Gramsci was critical of intellectuals who play a major role in manufacturing consent for the policies of the hegemon, the leader. He developed such key concepts as cultural hegemony, organic intellectuals, and war of position. He warned of “morbid symptoms” afflicting so-called liberal democratic societies. Today, almost a century after his death, Antonio Gramsci continues to inspire and inform progressive activists.

The challenges humankind faces from the climate emergency to species extinction to terminal war may be difficult to comprehend, but we ignore them at our peril. Looking away is a lot easier than facing reality. Viewing the Earth as a giant shopping mall to be exploited is leading us to a literal dead end. The capitalist system solely cares about making money. Can a deep caring for the Earth emerge that is nourishing and sustaining rather than recklessly exploiting it? What creative steps can we undertake to reverse the dangerous course we are on? The clock is ticking as our precious planet takes one hit after another. Can global society wake up to implement policies that will avert catastrophe? If not, Joanna Macy says, “It’s curtains.”