In this episode, I explore why conflict is a built-in feature of capitalism and why genuine prosperity depends on cooperation. Drawing on Marx’s insights on class struggle and alienation, I argue that societies in 2025 must decide whether to let conflict dominate or build institutions that make cooperation the smarter strategy.

For the full essay and more in-depth notes, go to my Patreon page. Patreon

In this episode, I explore the rise of hard-right populist parties and the paradox at their core: voters under economic strain accept short-term benefits while surrendering long-term rights and opportunities. We trace how capitalism generates inequality, how inequality fuels populism, and how populism reshapes democracy into a system of selective protection. The essay examines Poland, Hungary, and France as case studies, and considers the broader structural loop: capitalism → inequality → populism → authoritarian drift.

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Sanctions, Adaptation, and the Edges of Economic Power

Sanctions have become structural features of the global economy. This episode traces their rise since 2014, the adaptation of targeted states, and the consequences for finance, trade, and humanitarian flows.

In this episode:

• How sanctions expanded after Crimea and deepened after the invasion of Ukraine.
• Why trade flows look stable in aggregate yet fragment beneath the surface.
• The ways Russia, Iran, and Venezuela have adapted through rerouting, barter, and shadow networks.
• The role of connector economies that preserve volumes while signaling fragmentation.
• How freezing central-bank reserves demonstrates leverage but raises doubts about trust in global money.
• The humanitarian effects that often go unmentioned: blocked aid transfers, shortages of medicine, and the liquidity crisis in Afghanistan.
• Why sanctions are powerful, but fragile when they corrode the networks they rely on.
• What design choices can preserve their credibility into the future.

Sanctions remain central to international politics. They punish, deter, and signal without force. Yet they also expose how economic power rests on trust, and how easily that trust can be eroded by overreach.

For more essays, reports, and podcast episodes, visit www.wernermouton.com.