Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff Nine Key Events in 2025
Jan 20, 2026
Dive into the geopolitical tensions shaping 2025, where discussions span the dangerous conflation of Israel's existence with violence against Palestinians. Explore Europe’s failure to seize Russian assets and how the Russia-China alliance undermines U.S. tariffs. Delve into shocking revelations from the Epstein scandal that threaten elite power and spark public outrage about inequality. Discover the shifting sentiments in communities against ICE and the broader implications of U.S. neo-colonialism on global stability.
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Existential Rights Undermined By Violence
- Richard D. Wolff warns that equating Israel's right to exist with a right to wage genocidal violence endangers both Israel and Palestinians.
- He argues 2025 showed that using existential claims to justify mass violence risks destroying those rights themselves.
Global Economy Checked Europe's Plans
- Wolff highlights capitalism's creation of an integrated world economy as a double-edged sword that constrained European attempts to seize Russian assets.
- He notes 2025 showed global economic interdependence prevented Europe from using frozen Russian funds as reliable collateral for wartime borrowing.
BRICS Blunted U.S. Tariff Strategy
- Wolff observes Russia and China strengthened ties with BRICS in 2025, blunting U.S. tariff pressure by redirecting trade.
- He argues this alliance reduced the effectiveness of Trump's tariff wars and reshaped trade flows.
