Robinson's Podcast 272 - Michael Hudson: Iran, Israel, and World War III
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Mar 15, 2026 
Michael Hudson, economist and president of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends, discusses how oil and the petrodollar shape U.S. foreign policy. He explores U.S. coercion via the dollar and sanctions. He examines NATO expansion, Russia and Ukraine, Israel’s strategic role, China’s development model versus neoliberalism, and the risk of global confrontation.
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Trump Continues Neocon Strategy With Personal Gain
- Trump's approach continues longstanding neocon policies but with personal profiteering and transactional diplomacy.
- Hudson names major donors and backers (e.g., Miriam Adelson) and frames policy as sold to highest bidders.
The Landed Aircraft Carrier Anecdote
- Hudson recounts a Cold War-era interaction where a U.S. general called Israel “our landed aircraft carrier.”
- He uses the anecdote to show U.S. reliance on client armies and political alignment beyond mere geopolitics.
NATO Expansion Pushed Russia Toward China
- U.S. post-1990 policy pushed NATO east, provoking Russia and driving it closer to China.
- Hudson claims Western “Russophobia” and failed post-Soviet economic treatment pushed Russia toward strategic alignment with China.
