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In 1878, William Blackstone, a foundational figure in early Christian Zionism, published a book titled Jesus Is Coming. The best-selling work popularized the idea held by some Christians that God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people. In the late 19th and 20th centuries in the U.S., Britain, and elsewhere, Christian Zionism gained followers. This conviction, taken from an evangelical perspective, draws on the belief that millennia ago, the land was promised to the Jews, who would rule it until the return of Jesus to Jerusalem for the rapture. Christians will be saved upon Christ’s return, while non-Christians who do not convert will face damnation. It’s estimated today that Christian Zionists number in the tens of millions and exercise considerable political influence.

The International Criminal Court is an independent judicial body that hears cases on individuals charged with crimes against humanity, starvation, war crimes and genocide. The Genocide Convention, which the U.S. has ratified, defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” In November 2024, after court deliberations on Gaza, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant as well as for a Hamas commander who was later confirmed dead. Israel denounced the ICC ruling as “absurd” and “anti-Semitic.” The U.S. response? It not only ignored the ruling but also leveled sanctions against ICC judges and lawyers. For International law to have any credibility, it must be applied equally without fear or favor. Recorded at the University of Brighton.

Antisemitism, hatred of Jews, is centuries old. It exists today. It’s a blight on humankind and must be resisted. However, criticism of Israeli state policies should not be conflated with antisemitism. One should also point out that Islamophobia, hatred of Muslims, is on the rise. Fascism is a political term. It should not be used promiscuously. In the 20th century, it starts with Mussolini, followed by Hitler, Franco, and many others. Today, one sees elements of fascism in the United States and elsewhere. There is exaltation of and obedience to the great leader. There is a celebration of militarism and a mythic past. Italian philosopher and author Umberto Eco says fascist traits include “rejection of modernism,” “irrationalism,” “obsession of a plot,” “contempt for the weak,” and “selective populism.”

From the ancient world to modern times, tyrants had dreams of empire and they would realize those dreams through conquest. The purpose of empire is to expropriate the land, labor, raw materials and markets for the imperial hegemon. Language is a factor. Euphemisms like freedom, democracy, and liberation are deployed to cover the nefarious activities of the dominant power, in this case the United States. Sending in the Marines and aerial bombardment are always an option, but Washington also uses boycotts, blockades and sanctions to bring to heel designated enemies. When not directly intervening, the U.S. also extends control through local collaborators. The world of empire exists with new shapes and forms.

We hear from many quarters that "AI will destroy the world," but everyone's got a different scenario for what that means. The most sensational perspectives come from theorists like Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called "godfather of AI" or industrialists like Elon Musk. They warn us that one day,  a superintelligent AI could replace human beings in controlling the planet.  But we don't need to conjecture into the future. The scorched-earth destruction is already happening now. Jobs are hemorrhaging with no sign of return; data centers are turning U.S. farmlands into barren industrial gulags while consuming record levels of power, spewing volumes of carbon and using up our last freshwater sources; fusillades of deep-fake videos politically paralyze the public; an AI surveillance infrastructure is being constructed that will lock in fascism; and algorithms are telling ICE and the IDF who lives and who dies. It seems all too overwhelming. However, by tracing AI's lineage to the development of the atom bomb -- with the same ideologies and twisted logic -- it becomes apparent that solutions to the AI dilemma can also be found in nuclear history, in its disarmament successes.

For sheer brazenness, the January 2026 kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, ranks near the top in the long history of U.S. interventions in Latin America. They were taken to New York and jailed to await trial in June 2027. Trump’s policies aside, U.S. sanctions on Venezuela were imposed under President Obama, who declared that country of 30 million people an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” From Cuba to Chile and from Nicaragua to Brazil, few countries in Latin America have escaped U.S. invasions, bombings, assassinations, coups, kidnappings, rigged elections, boycotts, blockades or sanctions. Oil-rich Venezuela has long been on Washington's hit list. Today, it has ceded its sovereignty to the U.S.

In ruling circles and in the media, it’s all fine and dandy to talk about Rome and British, French and Soviet empires, but it’s impolite to talk about the United States as an empire. If you do, you’ll be ridiculed and labeled a loony Marxist. But it’s there with its hubris and arrogance and colossal military bases straddling the globe, and its wars and interventions. Simply stated, imperialism erodes democracy. The signs of U.S. decline are everywhere to be seen and felt. Why? Because the Pentagon’s military-industrial complex and its vast sums of money have greatly weakened the proverbial guardrails that protect democracy.

Many people, when they hear the word propaganda, immediately associate it with Nazi Germany and torchlight parades or Putin reviewing the troops in Red Square. But propaganda has Roman Catholic church origins going as far back as 1622, when Pope Gregory issued a proclamation using the term to exhort the faithful to propagate the faith. Today, propaganda is disseminated far and wide through the internet. It is used by autocrats to shield themselves and their policies from public view. Bots are at work. Malicious actors spread fake news. Deceptive techniques are so sophisticated that it is sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction. Misinformation is eroding public trust in institutions and stressing and straining democracy. Stories are planted, rumors are spread, lies are told, and narratives are laundered.

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.