Chris Hedges New Interviews on Charlie Kirk: w/ George Galloway and Democracy Now!
Over the weekend, I went on George Galloway's MOATS and Democracy Now to discuss my latest column on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and what his death portends for the future.
Excellent and insightful commentary, as always! I appreciated Hedges connecting the various strands of fascism, including the assault on civil liberties, cowardly capitulations of civil society institutions from universities to news outlets, demonization of immigrants as a pretext to create a cadre of brown shirts with an effectively limitless budget, establishment of detention centers, and the role of hyper masculinity (to which I'd add: traditional gender roles, generally) in culturally animating the right wing.
I've written about a few of these same themes from the perspective of a Muslim immigrant constitutional lawyer. My piece in the wake of Kirk's murder emphasizes ironies and double standards. For instance, "Is there any reason that Kirk’s life should be worth more than those of the tens of thousands of Gazans who Israel has murdered in the past two years alone? Five Gazans died of preventable malnutrition on the same day that Kirk was killed. Why does the world know none of their names?" https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/its-about-to-get-real
Another recent piece examined "the Rise of the Fragile Tough Guy" to which Hedges alluded in the discussion of hypermasculinity. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-the-fragile-tough-guy
Finally, my article responding to Trump's deployment of ICE goon squads in DC noted the profound chasm between the right wing's rhetoric and the reality of its policies in action. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/promises-made-promises-betrayed
What Happened to the Dollar?
Once the altar of global trust.
“Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.” ~Attributed to John Maynard Keynes and E.A.G. Robinson
The dollar’s share in global reserves has dropped to its lowest since 1994. Nations like China, Russia, and Brazil are actively trading in alternative currencies, challenging the dollar’s dominance.
Aggressive tariff policies and erratic fiscal maneuvers have shaken global confidence in the dollar.
Foreign investors are hedging against U.S. assets. The dollar index fell 11% in the first half of 2025, marking its worst performance since 1973.
The dollar was once backed by gold, then by faith. Now, even that faith is fraying, a geopolitical
reckoning!
A weaker dollar means higher costs for travel, imports, and debt servicing. This affects everyday Americans and global trade.
“I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.” —W.H. Auden, Funeral Blues
The rest of the story is simple. Without the dollar as the world's reserve currency, no one will buy our bonds. If we can't sell our bonds, we default on our debt. If we default on our debt, the global economy will collapse around us.
This bond was broken long before the debt came due.