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Counter Hegemony
Counter Hegemony episodes
- CH#29: Argentina elections: Will an anarcho-capitalist win?Argentina elections: Will an anarcho-capitalist win? Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Argentina on 22 October 2023. The primary elections that took place in mid-August ended with quite a surprise. The political newcomer Javier Milei, a right-wing libertarian, came in first place. He now has a chance of becoming Argentina’s next president. In a moment of national crisis, many Argentineans are placing their hopes in the self-proclaimed "anarcho-capitalist". Over the last few years, Argentina has been experiencing a severe economic crisis. Latin America's third largest economy is currently undergoing a recession and is expected to shrink by 2.8% this year. Add to this a skyrocketing inflation, declining wages, increasing inequality, precarious employment, and a rapidly growing foreign debt. In September 2023, Argentina’s annual inflation rate climbed to over 124 percent- the highest it's been since 1991. The national currency has suffered from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and harsh droughts over the past two years, further exacerbating inflation. Argentina's foreign debt burden adds to the tense economic situation. Fewer and fewer funds are available for social programs. More than 40 percent of Argentina’s population is suffering from hunger. Poverty and unemployment have led to a rise in crime and drug trafficking. Unlike in the past, there are hardly any social protests. Many Argentineans feel exhausted and baffled. Others are hoping for a genuine and fresh beginning. This is the economistic context in which Javier Milei operates. He has vowed to bring an end to Argentina's economic difficulties with radical measures.6 min
- CH#28: Israel-Palestine conflict and the imperial agenda of Western mediaIsrael-Palestine conflict and the imperial agenda of Western mediaThe media, mainly in the US but also in Europe, has largely misrepresented the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East. There is hardly any objective, balanced and critical coverage. Instead, we are witnessing an organized and systematic campaign to decontextualize the conflict, hide its underlying causes and sway public opinion. Many news sources in the West have characterized the recent attacks by Hamas as “Israel’s 9-11” and as a "war on Israel". Israel is depicted as the victim of “unprovoked” and “unbearable” attacks, as if they had occurred in a vacuum. The larger historical context is usually left out. Operating from a position of moral superiority, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups are labeled as "barbarians" and "terrorists". Yet, the daily experience of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank at the hands of Israeli occupation is hardly ever mentioned.5 min
- CH#27: Where is football headed?Where is football headed? Early this year, the Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo announced his transfer to the Saudi club Al-Nassr, making him the world's highest-paid athlete, thanks to his yearly salary of over $200 million. In August, another famous football player, Neymar from Brazil, confirmed his transfer to the Saudi club Al-Hilal. Neymar will make at least $160 million a year, which is about six times his previous salary at Paris Saint-Germain. With Ronaldo, Neymar and the French striker Karim Benzema, three global football celebrities have already relocated to the Saudi Pro League. Several younger football players from European clubs have also moved in the same direction. And this could be just the beginning. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has reserved $20 billion for player transfers until 2030, aiming for the Saudi Pro League to become one of the top five football leagues in the world. So will Europe soon cease to be the center of world football? Is Saudi Arabia's growing involvement part of a bigger global transition? And where is football heading overall?6 min
- CH#26: Is Austria still neutral?Is Austria still neutral? Austria has pursued a policy of neutrality for 68 years. In July 2023, the country joined the European Sky Shield, an air and missile defense initiative, launched by Germany in late 2022 in the context of the Ukraine war. 17 of the 19 countries participating in the project are NATO members or applicants. The decision to join Sky Shield has raised questions about the future and the usefulness of Austria’s policy of neutrality. Most political parties officially support the status quo. It's not surprising, as more than 70 percent of the population wants neutrality preserved. Government officials have reiterated that Sky Shield won't put the country's neutrality in danger. Yet is Austria still neutral? Or will participating in Sky Shield end neutrality once and for all?5 min
- CH#25: What’s really behind the European Sky Shield?The European Sky Shield is a military project launched by Germany in August 2022 in the context of the Ukraine war. The aim is to build a ground-based, unified European air and missile defense system in the next five years that is capable of intercepting drones and missiles. Once completed, Sky Shield will be integrated into NATO’s air and missile defense system. To date, nineteen European states have confirmed their participation in the initiative. Seventeen are NATO members. The two others are the neutral countries Austria and Switzerland. The initiative has raised questions about the future of their longstanding policy of neutrality. Sky Shield will be developed as a multi-layered air defense system that includes medium range, long range and very long range missiles. French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized the project for its heavy reliance on German, U.S. and Israeli weapons manufacturers.5 min
- CH#24: Lessons from the Pinochet coup in Chile?
Lessons from the Pinochet coup in Chile?
On September 11,1973, Chile was rocked by a military coup. Led by General Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean military toppled the socialist government of President Salvador Allende and established a dictatorship. Pinochet ruled Chile for 17 years. During that period, the military junta committed numerous crimes, violated human rights, banned political parties, suppressed unions, and persecuted, tortured, and murdered leftists and supporters of the Allende government. What lessons can the Chilean left and the left elsewhere draw from the military coup? What do the events tell us about the relation between liberal democracy and the repressive apparatus of the capitalist state?
5 min - CH#23: BRICS expansion: What's really at stake?
BRICS is a a geopolitical and economic alliance between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Formed in 2010, the group encompasses more than a quarter of the world's land surface, over 40 percent of the global population, around 30 percent of global GDP, about 20 percent of international trade and 50 percent of the world's foreign exchange reserves. In August 2023, the BRICS announced that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would become full members in 2024. Around 20 other countries have shown interest in joining the bloc.
5 min - CH#22: Why are rents going up in Europe?Why are rents going up in Europe?In recent years, most European countries have been grappling with a sharp increase in living expenses. According to Eurostat, rents have soared by 18 percent and house prices by 48 percent since 2010. As a consequence, more and more households are having trouble paying bills. The crisis has been further exacerbated by rising inflation and high energy costs. On closer inspection, the rent problem is a problem of land and real estate ownership under capitalism. The growing unequal distribution of land and real estate is a major cause of rising rents. Rents are a noiseless transfer of wealth, primarily from the working majority to multinational real estate and financial investment companies. Rising rents are not only making housing more expensive. Land rents are included in the price of every product we buy. With every product we buy, we are paying for the land use required to produce it. So to fix the rental problem, we need to address the issue of land and real estate distribution. Who owns what? Who profits? And who has to pay rent?2 min
- CH#21: Ecuador's drug war
Over the past years, Ecuador has become a major battlefield in the transnational drug war. On August 9, presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio was shot dead at a campaign rally in Quito. Villavicencio was a member of the National Assembly and spoke out against organized crime and corruption. His murder marked the culmination of Ecuador’s worsening security crisis and of an unprecedented cycle of violence unleashed by criminal organizations operating in the country. Ecuador was once one of Latin America’s most peaceful countries. Between 2020 and 2022, the country’s homicide rate jumped by 245 percent. Ecuador sits in a strategic geopolitical position for the global cocaine trade. It is nestled between the world’s two biggest cocaine suppliers, Colombia and Peru. With cocaine production booming in Colombia, national gangs and foreign drug cartels are increasingly turning Ecuador into an international cocaine transit hub.
6 min - CH#20: Niger coup: What’s really at stakeOn July 26, a military coup took place in the African country Niger. President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by a small group within the military. He was the first democratically elected president since Niger gained independence from France in 1960. The UN and the African Union condemned the coup. The United States and European leaders also expressed major concerns and demanded Bozoum’s immediate release. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu went much further. Backed by France and the U.S., he issued a threat on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS. The threat included the possibility of imposing harsh sanctions and even a military intervention, if the junta refused to restore the elected president. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea, which are also governed by military juntas, have expressed solidarity with Niger and offered their assistance in the event of a military attack. The new leaders apparently also enjoy great support among the population. The events in Niger mark the seventh coup in Africa's Sahel region since 2020. The concerns of Western powers about the situation in Niger have little to do with the support of democracy or human rights. They are primarily driven by economic and geopolitical interests.5 min
About Counter Hegemony
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Counter-hegemony is a podcast about international politics, globalization, war, peace, crises and social change in the 21st century.