Can the Imperial Core be Reformed? | Chris Hedges & Aaron Maté at the Vancouver Web Summit

At the Vancouver Web Summit, Aaron Maté and I discussed the state of the U.S. amidst the rise of weaponized AI, the Iran War and the Gaza genocide in a discussion moderated by Sharon Nadeem.

May 26, 2026

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TOPSHOT - Palestinians walk along Al-Rashid road toward Gaza City from Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on October 10, 2025. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. President Trump Attends World Economic Forum In Davos

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 22: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter as (L-R) President of Paraguay Santiago Pena, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Minister of the Prime Minister’s Court, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, President of Argentina Javier Milei and Prime Minister of Mongolia Gombojavyn Zandanshatar applaud during a signing ceremony for the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 22, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

U.S. President Trump Attends World Economic Forum In Davos

Business, Tech And Media Luminaries Attend New York Times DealBook Conference

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: Peter Thiel, Partner, Founders Fund, speaks at the New York Times DealBook conference on November 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

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A general view shows smoke rising from buildings in Yarmuk, a Palestinian refugee camp on the edge of Damascus, during overnight regime shelling on the southern district of the capital held by the Islamic State (IS) group on April 22, 2018. In 2015, IS overran most of Yarmuk, and the small numbers of other rebels and jihadists, including from Al-Qaeda’s former affiliate, that had a presence there agreed to withdraw just a few weeks ago. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP) (Photo by RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images)

Brazilian Ambassador Jose Bustani and wi

London, UNITED KINGDOM: Brazilian Ambassador Jose Bustani and wife Janine Bustani talk to a Brazilian Chaplain outside Westminster Cathedral, London 29 July 2005. AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA. (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images)

India Citizens Waiting in Line for Soup Kitchen

(Original Caption) India: Famine In India. By last week, an estimated 1,000,000 people had died of starvation in India and the British Government did nothing to control this situation.

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US Senator Mitt Romney questions Antony J. Blinken during his confirmation hearing to be Secretary of State before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 19, 2021. (Photo by Alex Edelman / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary Of State Blinken Appears For House Hearing Examining Afghanistan Withdrawal

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appears before a House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting in the Rayburn House Office Building on December 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Committee held a hearing investigating America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Oracle Founder Larry Eliison Delivers Keynote At Oracle OpenWorld

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 16: Oracle chairman of the board and chief technology officer Larry Ellison delivers a keynote address during the 2019 Oracle OpenWorld on September 16, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Oracle chairman of the board and chief technology officer Larry Ellison kicked off the 2019 Oracle OpenWorld with a keynote address. The annual convention runs through September 19. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Funeral Held For Students And Staff Killed In School In Southern Iran

MINAB, IRAN - MARCH 3: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Getty Images provides access to this publicly distributed image for editorial purposes and is not the copyright owner. Additional permissions may be required and are the sole responsibility of the end user.) (Photo by Handout/Getty Images)

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TOPSHOT - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Ronen Zvulun / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) /

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TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden looks on as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Harris Delivers Remarks Celebrating NCAA Championship Teams

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 22: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship teams celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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TOPSHOT - Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) march through the streets of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 25, 2026. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

Police Confront Pro-Palestinian Protesters At CCNY

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 30: Pro-Palestinian supporters climb a fence during demonstrations at The City College Of New York (CUNY) as the NYPD cracks down on protest camps at both Columbia University and CCNY on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Uber, X and The Free Press host Inauguration Eve

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: (L-R) Bari Weiss, The Free Press Founder, Peter Thiel, and Matt Danzeisen attend Inauguration Eve hosted by Uber, X and The Free Press at Cafe Riggs on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press)

Haymarket Riot

Colorized engraving shows a composit scene from the Haymarket Riot, where an initially peaceful labor protester devolved into a full-scale riot following the detonation of a bomb thrown by protestors (seen in the background) and the police response of indiscriminate firing into the largely unarmed (despite this picture’s contrary view) crowd, Chicago, Illinois, May 4, 1886. (Photo by Stock Montage/Getty Images)

Tommy Douglas Speaks In Britain

Scottish-born Canadian Baptist minister and politician Tommy Douglas (1904 - 1986) the premier of Saskatchewan warns a meeting of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce that increased trade protectionism on the part of Britain and Europe will drive Canada further into the economic orbit of the United States, November 18, 1959, United Kingdom. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images)

South By Southwest Conference And Festivals - Day 1

AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 09: Editor At Large & Co-Found of Vox Media Ezra Klein speaks during SxSW Interactive on March 9, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jim Bennett/WireImage)