Western governments claim to be models of democracy, and demonize their geopolitical adversaries as “authoritarian”, but empirical evidence shows that the USA and European countries are oligarchies dominated by economic elites and large corporations. Billionaire Donald Trump is the perfect symbol of this, but he’s by no means the only one. Ben Norton explains.
This video challenges the widespread Western narrative that frames Western governments, particularly the United States, as true democracies contrasting with authoritarian adversaries. It argues that Western regimes, including the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, are not democracies but oligarchies or plutocracies where political power is dominated by economic elites, billionaires, and large corporations rather than the general populace. The video presents extensive evidence from academic research, political appointments, campaign financing, and policy outcomes to support this claim. It highlights the influence of Wall Street, especially Goldman Sachs, and billionaire oligarchs such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Michael Bloomberg, who shape government policies to serve their interests. The video also discusses how political candidates and parties across the spectrum, including both Republicans and Democrats in the US and major parties in Europe, are deeply intertwined with corporate money and oligarchic power. It further explains how the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling exacerbated this oligarchic influence by allowing unlimited corporate spending on elections. Examples from different countries illustrate how democratic processes are subverted, with popular left-wing politicians like Bernie Sanders in the US and Jeremy Corbyn in the UK sabotaged by their own parties or intelligence agencies to protect the oligarchy. The video concludes that Western countries demonize their geopolitical rivals as authoritarian while themselves operating under deeply undemocratic, authoritarian oligarchic systems driven by capitalist elites.
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