273 - Richard Wolff: Iran, Israel, and the End of the American Empire

273 - Richard Wolff: Iran, Israel, and the End of the American Empire

March 22, 2026 · 2h 5m · Episode 273

About this episode

Richard Wolff discusses the ongoing war in Iran and its implications for the United States, Israel, and Europe.

Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s tenth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In this episode, Richard and Robinson discuss the ongoing war in Iran. More particularly, they discuss whether it was predictable, how it will affect the United States, Israel, and Europe, what really motivated the war, and more. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024). Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate OUTLINE 00:00 Was the Iran War Predictable? 05:43 How History Made Trump’s War with Iran Inevitable 15:00 The Historical Perspective 24:45 The War in Iran Is a Catastrophic Mistake for Israel 32:03 Will Europe Survive the War in Iran? 46:32 Is the Iran War the Last Straw for Donald Trump? 53:48 Why China Is Obliterating American Companies 01:03:17 How Trump and Israel Are Ending the American Empire 01:08:35 Is the United States Turning on…

People in this episode

Host: Robinson Erhardt

Guest: Richard Wolff

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Massachusetts Amherst, The New School, Democracy at Work

Books & works: Understanding Capitalism

Places: Iran, Israel, United States, Europe, China

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