Noam Chomsky and Fabian Scheidler on the Crisis of Civilization and "The End of the Megamachine"
In this video, world-renowned linguist and dissident Noam Chomsky speaks with Fabian Scheidler, author of the book “The End of the Megamachine. A Brief History of a Failing Civilization” (https://www.end-of-the-megamachine.com). The conversation, moderated by Nermeen Shaikh, focuses on the destructive forces that are threatening human survival and the future of life on earth. 00:00 Origins of global crises, the creation of the state and the Four Tyrannies 10:00 Colonial violence and nation-state 24:00 A possible collapse of the US and the EU 39:10 The "Monsters of Modernity" and the climate crisis 51:05 State capitalism, "neoliberal plague" and progressive Green New Deal 01:10:00 Social-ecological transformation and degrowth 0’14”: Nermeen Shaikh: Introduction. Fabian Scheidler: 2’05: The crisis of life on Earth. Demystifying the history of states, “civilization” and modernity/capitalism. 3’20: Formation of states and “civilization” 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Surge of violence due to militarization and land privatization 5’20 The Four Tyrannies: physical power; structural violence (e.g. property relations); ideological power; “The Tyranny of Linear Thinking”. Noam Chomsky: 10’00: Pre-state phase of human existence was less violent than life in state systems. 11’05: Europe the most violent place in the world for the last 1000 years until 1945, due to warring states. 13’50: Imposed state structures in the Middle East and Africa. 14’35: Erosion of state system and borders necessary in the face of global crises: pandemics, global warming, the threat of nuclear war demand internationalism. 15’55: US state-building: endless wars since 1783. 16’20: American Revolution and war of extermination against Native Americans 18’25: The thousand years’ war of European states against the Muslim world, brutal imposition of nation states. 19’25: New internationalism. Covid-19 vaccines needed for everyone. 21’00: US destroys internationalism: WHO / Cofex. Paris climate agreement. Iran agreement. Nermeen Shaikh: 24’00: Crumbling of the nation state system in the US, the EU? Noam Chomsky: 24’25: US face possible civil war and breakdown. War games for the case that Trump loses the election. 28’35: EU, reasons for its failure: economic system run by unelected bodies (European commission, IMF, ECB). Neoliberal plague. Anger, bitterness, ascent of demagogues. 31’40: Root causes for Brexit: de-industrialisation of Britain 33’00: Progressive international: Bernie Sanders movement plus Diem25. 33’55: International class war. Reactionary international based in the White House. 34’10: Agreements between Israel and Arab dictatorships: forging a reactionary international in the Middle East. 35’50: Progressive international: struggle about post-pandemic world. 36’50: US constitution: James Madison: government “to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority” Fabian Scheidler: 39’10: Response to Chomsky. Climate refugees main topic for progressive internationalism. 40’05: The myths of modernity: torture, inquisition, witch hunts reached climax not in the “dark” Middle Ages but in modernity. Slavery and genocides as “monsters of modernity”. 41’00: War, militarization and the emergence of capitalism. Private capital and states. 44’10: Corporations enforcing endless expansion. 45’25: Capitalism based on monopolies, not free markets. 46’55: The corporate nanny state. Subsidies and bail-outs: fossil fuel industry, Wall Street, car industry, aviation industry. Taxpayers financing the industries that destroy the planet. 48’55: Transformation of the state: money for decentralized economic institutions that work for the common good. Cooperatives. Noam Chomsky: 51’05: State capitalism and corporations. 52’10: The neoliberal plague. 54’55: After WW II: Egalitarian growth, no financial crises, no tax havens. Different varieties of state capitalism. 56’05: “With 3 or 4 degrees centigrade warming, we are probably finished.” 56’35: Different time scales for stopping climate havoc and overcoming capitalism. 57’20: Green New Deal proposals: Congress version. Proposal by Robert Pollin. 58’40: Government should buy up fossil fuel industry, hand it over to the workforce, shift to renewables: “Perfectly feasible tomorrow.” 1h 00’ 00”: Self-managed industries, cooperatives, localism. 1h 01’ 15”: “Refugee crisis” a “moral crisis of the West”. Noam Chomsky: 1h 02’ 33”: Climate crisis as an international class struggle. Fridays for Future / Greta Thunberg, indigenous people, first nations. 1h 04’ 30” Green New Deal. Sunrise Movement. AOC. 1h 05’ 25” Democratic Party: Biden climate proposal killed by Clintonites/DNC. Fabian Scheidler: 1h 10’ 00”: Climate/energy transition. Car industry. Living better with less production. 1h 12’ 30”: Ecological class struggle and redistribution 1h 13’ 20”: Social movements: getting prepared for future crises. Convergence of Sanders movement, Black Lives Matter, climate movement.
