MAGA Voters Wanted America First. They Wanted To End Foreign Wars. So, What Happened?

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jay Shapiro sits down with political economist Radhika Desai to unpack the war with Iran — how we got here, who is driving it, and whether we are drifting toward World War III. We examine the deeper crisis beneath the headlines: the senile phase of capitalism, the instability of a declining American empire, Israel’s regional ambitions, and the dangerous psychology of leaders who treat war as a solution to structural decline. We also discuss China’s long strategic horizon, the illusions of “anti-war” Trumpism, and why empire cannot be disentangled from the violence it produces.But this isn’t only about geopolitics. We talk about moral collapse — from Epstein to elite impunity — and what it reveals about power at the top. We explore patriarchy and feminism globally and within Iran, the contradictions of Western liberal narratives, and why economic crisis so often turns outward into war. If we are on a path toward wider conflict, the real question is not just how it started — but who benefits, and whether the public can still interrupt the machinery of empire before it’s too late.00:00 Coming Up00:01:54 Intro on Radhika Desai, Epstein, and Iran00:06:07 Checking on the Anti War Trumpers00:11:43 Who Wanted War? Israel and AIPAC and Others?00:14:00 What the America Firsters Missing?00:19:21 America Was Never a White Society00:23:44 Where Does China Fit In?00:30:31 BRICS or Other International Orgs?00:35:05 World War III?00:41:59 But Isn't Iran Immoral and Anti Women?00:54:04 Zionism and the Dominos That Must Fall00:59:19 On Religion and Secularism01:03:11 The Epstein and Judaism Question01:11:49 More to Come on Epstein and JudaismBECOME A MEMBER - MONTHLY MEMBERS ONLY LIVESTREAM https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NIku35U9thGG9WBJjE0sw/joinFor more from Jay visit whatjaythinks.com