Jacobin Radio The Dig: State of Impunity w/ Alberto Toscano and Stuart Schrader
Sep 22, 2025
Alberto Toscano, a political theorist and author focused on fascism, joins Stuart Schrader, a historian specializing in policing and counterinsurgency. They discuss Trump's intensification of police and military repression, revealing insights into the MAGA agenda's authoritarianism. The conversation highlights how police unions amplify state impunity and how media narratives shape public perceptions of crime. They also address the dynamics of resistance and the blending of legal and political tactics against oppressive structures. A thought-provoking exploration of contemporary state violence!
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Impunity As A Unifying Commodity
- Granting impunity is a cheap, high-value political gift that binds diverse interests to the regime.
- Impunity unites police, extractive capitalists, and political allies by promising reduced oversight and enforcement.
Why Diverse Elites Rally Together
- Different fractions of the Trump coalition seek the same outcome: lack of investigation and prosecution.
- That shared demand explains why financiers, industrialists, and police converge politically under promises of impunity.
Dual Legal Orders At Home And Abroad
- Impunity operates internationally as well, from pardons to foreign-trial interventions, embodying a dual legal order.
- This dual state makes some people subject to prerogative law while others enjoy delegated license to punish.
