Are We Watching the American Empire Collapse?

About this episode

After a rare couple weeks off, we’re back—and apparently we picked a hell of a time to stop paying attention to the news. This week, we try to connect the dots between an increasingly shaky economy, persistent inflation, rising consumer debt, a $40 trillion national debt, and an escalating war with Iran. From food, rent, gas, and credit-card balances to the mounting pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, we look at whether these are isolated problems or signs of something much bigger. We also dig into the geopolitical consequences of the Iran war: depleted U.S. missile-interceptor stockpiles, shifting military resources away from Asia, tensions surrounding NATO, and the broader question of whether America's role as the world's dominant military and financial power is beginning to unravel. Then we zoom out to the financial system itself. With the U.S. increasingly dependent on debt and foreign demand for Treasuries, what happens if confidence in American economic and military power begins to crack? And if the current system really is a house of cards, are we headed toward a sudden collapse—or simply watching a slow unraveling that's already underway? It’s not all doom. We close wit