No Progress Without Tradition: Chris Hedges on the Horrifying Decline of the American Empire and the Ec...

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Chris Hedges on the Horrifying Decline of the American Empire and the Economic Collapse (2012)
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Published on Feb 19, 2014
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Persistently high U.S. unemployment remains, along with low consumer confidence, the continuing decline in home values and increase in foreclosures and bankruptcies, an increasing debt, inflation, and rising gas and food prices. Hedges' books: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=U...

In fact, a 2011 poll found that more than half of all Americans think the U.S. is still in recession or even depression, although economic data show a historically modest recovery. This could be due to the fact that both private and public levels of debt are at historic highs in the U.S. and in many other countries, and a number of economists believe that excessive debt plays a role in causing bank crises and sovereign default.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_200...

Herbert London has defined pre-emptive declinism as a postmodern belief "that the United States is not an exceptional nation and is not entitled by virtue of history to play a role on the world stage different from other nations".[75] London ascribed the view to Paul Krugman, among others.[76] Krugman had written in The New York Times that "We've always known that America's reign as the world's greatest nation would eventually end. But most of us imagined that our downfall, when it came, would be something grand and tragic."[76]
According to RealClearPolitics, declarations of America's declining power have been common in the English-language media. In 1988, Flora Lewis sighed that "Talk of U.S. decline is real in the sense that the U.S. can no longer pull all the levers of command or pay all the bills." According to Anthony Lewis in 1990, Europeans and Asians are already finding confirmation of their suspicion that the United States is in decline. Citing America's dependence on foreign sources for energy and "crucial weaknesses" in the military, Tom Wicker concluded "that maintaining superpower status is becoming more difficult—nearly impossible—for the United States".[77] In 2004, Pat Buchanan lamented "the decline and fall of the greatest industrial republic the world had ever seen".[78] In 2007, Matthew Parris of The Sunday Times in London wrote that the United States is "overstretched", romantically recalling the Kennedy presidency, when "America had the best arguments" and could use moral persuasion rather than force to have its way in the world. From his vantage point in Shanghai, the International Herald Tribune's Howard French worries about "the declining moral influence of the United States" over an emergent China.[77]
In his book, The Post-American World, Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria refers to a "Post-American world" that he says "is not about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else".

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Auggie Giuseppe

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Aldo Sfalcin

1 year ago

Single biggest reason is that sadistic, greedy, hate & war mongering "behind the curtain" phychopaths are in charge.

120

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Shelora Fitzgerald

11 months ago

All Empires end because they expand beyond their ability to sustain their debt. America cannot repay its debt, and China, Russia, and Iran are taking steps to unhook from the US Petro Dollar.

View 12 replies

Chris Ward

1 year ago

"Let them march all they want, so long as they pay their taxes" Alexander Haig.

Protest doesn't work. Revolution works. Ask the French.

View 30 replies

Roedy Green

10 months ago

Veterans Have No Honour

The Canadian and American veterans of the Korean, Viet Nam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars have no honour. None of these countries attacked North America. None of these countries were even a threat to North America. Canada and the USA attacked them with illegal first strikes. Such wars are technically called aggressive. Anyone who aids or abets such a war, even by peeling potatoes, commits a capital (hanging) war crime. Canada and the USA both signed treaties with the UN agreeing to this. Treaties trump even the constitution.

Granted the United States protects its citizens from prosecution at the world court in the Hague, but that does not change the fact its soldiers are war criminals. All the Nazi criminals at the end of WWII were hanged after being charged with aiding and abetting an aggressive war. It makes no sense to honour the veterans of any of these illegal wars.

Surely all these soldiers knew they were the aggressors. They knew their homeland was not being attacked. Why did they agree to go to the other side of the earth to kill millions of people mostly civilians, mostly children? Possibly adventure, sadism, money or mindless patriotism. America attacked Afghanistan for its rare minerals and Iraq for its oil. These are not honourable motives.

View 40 replies

Kenneth

2 months ago

This interview is so PAINFULLY informative,

that I can only watch 2 or 3 minutes at a time.

Then need to take a break and calm down.

Truth is indeed, difficult to handle. Literally.

View 2 replies

Wurzel Gummage

3 months ago

Wow. An American that I like.

HardWarUK

7 months ago

The U.S., for 40 years, has NOT been a Democracy (people have the power) to a Plutocracy (the Rich and big business have the power). A Plutocracy operates very differently from a Democracy, as we have seen since 1979!

View 3 replies

Milan Tomich

2 months ago

Great man. These people are needed more in American society. And great journalist.

Roedy Green

10 months ago

Given that Republicans do all the same things, with the same lies, as the liberals, why focus 100% on liberals?

View 2 replies

Undisciplined Intellectual

1 year ago

Another brilliant man who won't address the Zionism problem. He is very careful to say corporations, not banks rule the world, even after using Goldman Sachs as his example. International Zionism is inseperable from the corporate and banking system which ruins all that they touch.

Then again, like Chomsky...he probably knows that speaking 100% would be the end of his career...you never go full truth.

View 21 replies

Marc Bell

2 years ago (edited)

Chris Hedges shares a place up there with 2 other truth tellers: Michael Parenti and Gore Vidal.

View 12 replies

Michael Fink

1 month ago

Plenty of smart people defining the problem. Who dares to offer solutions? It is a much shorter list.

View 2 replies

Big Bearn

11 months ago

He doesn't talk about the Israel project

He has blinders on

View 3 replies

Robert K

1 month ago

I think we owe people like Chris Hedges a standing ovation for going forward with this information, putting yourself at risk like this can be a matter of life, and death. Especially when dealing with people who are not afraid to go to war. The ideas regarding Atheism however seem somewhat misleading. The title of the book on Atheism is essentially a click-bait style title to sell more copies. Overall I have learned a great deal simply listening to Chris talk about the issues in America. I have witnessed many of the issues Chris has highlighted first hand, this is a cause for concern to say the least. The best advice I could give to someone reading this comment is to make sure you have some kind of backup plan if the economy fails.

Thank you for publishing this video.

Samrat B

3 weeks ago (edited)

Yooohooo finally the world's most rotten empire is crumbling ..slowly yet surely ! Sad part is millions of innocent people across the world will be effected in this fall...

Ocean Lore

1 year ago

Check out Chalmers Johnson books or listen to his interviews.

Deacon Verter

3 weeks ago

Let's face it: had we elected a guy with a fraction of Trump's baggage but who was a Dem, the Religious Right would be having conniptions and Republican politicos would be jumping on that bandwagon and riding it for all it's worth. Instead those who grubbed for anything to impugn Obama, even ridiculous lies, now sycophantically excuse Trump for bumbling ineptitude and moral turpitude "the likes of which this country has never seen".

The Thinking Man

4 months ago

One of the smartest people I have read. Very thankful I was influenced by Hedges rather than Kissinger or Brezinski when it comes to my foreign policy views.

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A Z

1 month ago

A rare truth speaker. A hero.

Telum Atramenti

1 year ago

Altruism is biologically determined. Squirrels don't have religion or ideology but they and a number of other animals have been observed to put their lives on the line to protect the genes that they consider the closest to their own. As far as choice is concerned - there isn't a lot of evidence that agency even exists. Free Choice may simply be an illusion created by the brain and it enables us to rationalise and justify our actions but this is usually done post facto, after the action has already been carried out. Google is "Free Will an illusion?" However I like the many other points the speaker is making on Liberals, Centrism and the decline of empire in general.

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Oegoenoegoe

1 month ago (edited)

Chris sir you mention 9 11. We know official version, the so called 19 muslims that actualy could not fly, is ridiculous and hilarious. There is prove Israeli, mossad and dual nationalities involvement why you dont mention that !1? Lybia and Syria a 'Civil war' !? Europe, USA and Israel should have stayed out of these countries. Lybia was destroyed by the banksters and not by a so called spontinius uprise against Kadaffi. In Syria more than 96 foreign factions are fighting and Israel is dropping bombs in Syria.

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Roedy Green

10 months ago (edited)

The Republican tax "cut" is a heist on the American people. It has no benefit for individuals, just the superrich and the corporations. It is preparatory to massive cuts to services. No more education, police, fire, sewers, courts, coast guard, maintenance of forests...

Werner Simon

3 months ago

our greatest journalist!

ilpezkato

11 months ago

Excellent!!...Thank you for uploading

Andrew Kohler

1 year ago

34:48: "I'm glad that you're on so that America can see who writes for the New York Times." Trumpism before Trump announced his candidacy. But more importantly: this fatuous individual seems to have missed that Chris Hedges had LEFT THE PAPER YEARS BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW.

Patrick O Hare

1 year ago

What a man , the hope he inspires in people is God given , bless him

Anarchist Annie

11 months ago

is it just me or does Chris look like Roger the grey alien form American dad? hehehehee

Wot Wot

1 year ago

would be nice to see a conversation between mr.hedges and prof. richard wolff

View 2 replies

Rich Henkle

1 year ago

I like Chris Hedges, but I absolutely do not agree with him that the United States is essentially over. MOST of the world really does still look to us for leadership Chris. They want more out of us, they expect more. We the Voters must correct our present faults, it is going to take a considerable effort, we are on a wrong path, but the USA always eventually self corrects.

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Future President

2 weeks ago

We haven't changed course yet. Very discouraging!

antonio volpe

1 week ago

Chris hedges doesn’t use decimate properly. Another useless pseudo intellectual

youcanfoolmeonce

3 weeks ago

It's not "humanitty" that causes its decline, it's the ruling elite from day one. Peaceful protest and nonviolent action is to greedy corporate power and its enablers as kissing the forehead of a corpse. Means nothing. They may not disappear a well known public figure, but they can do it to many, including torture and blowing your eye out with a rubber bullet.. That's why you don't see any real protests, really.

Christopher Lien

1 month ago

I mostly agree with Chris Hedges and I have major respect for him.

Eric Kamov

2 weeks ago

I'd positively love to see - let's say, an hour long discussion - between a hollow puppet like Donald Trump and an intellect like Chris Hedges . . . . . . .

tiffsaver

3 weeks ago

WOW. What an interview. This is a keeper. Hedge's perspectives have even MORE relevance today than they did in 2014. The second caller, clearly delusionary, had an interesting question for him... "Why didn't you give Obama credit for the good things he did for democracy?" In turn, I would have asked HIM these questions:

1) What planet are you from?

2) Precisely what are 'the good things he did for democracy'? AND BE SPECIFIC.

3) Have you read, "Confessions of an Economic Hitman," by John Perkins?

Thanks again for this marvelous and important video.

Barbara Necker

11 months ago

I think President Obama was trying to create a health care system similar to those in Canada & the most advanced Eurpoean countries, The Republicans hampered his efforts to their very best ability & achieved a degree of success.

However they never considered what would happen when they returned to office, as they inevitably would. They've been unable to "repeal & replace" because the American people like having health care, but would like the bugs taken out. Now the goobers are going buggy, or at least buggier, trying to come up with an alternative, which they finally understand they must have.

View 6 replies

L V

1 month ago

This man has intelligence, wisdom and compassion in a unique way based on an uncompromising reality.

Trayvon Gordon

3 weeks ago

America is forced to her knees and then her head is cut off. It was good knowing you. Rest In Peace.

Solomon Essix

1 month ago

The 13th amendment actually permits slavery in cases of criminal conviction.

Stephens Dygert

1 year ago

All these radical social justice groups were christain fundementalist. Why Hedges won't admit this. William jennings bryan was a progressive Christain fundementalist socialist. He lost by a hair, to william Mckinley in 1900.

View 9 replies

No Progress Without Tradition

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Chris Hedges on the Horrifying Decline of the American Empire and the Ec...

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