The conversation revolves around the rise of Donald Trump and its implications, as well as the threats posed by nuclear war and environmental catastrophe. The speaker discusses the impact of neoliberal policies on working-class people and the decline of democracy. They also mention the role of wealth in the hands of a fraction of the top one percent and the increasing military budget.
The speaker criticizes the Republican candidates for denying climate change and their intention to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency. They also express concern about the potential weakening of the European Union if the UK leaves, which they believe could make Britain more subordinate to U.S. power.
The speaker argues that the U.S. is more powerful than any state or group of states, but this power is increasingly in the hands of a narrow sector of corporate wealth and private wealth. They also mention the public's potential power, as David Hume suggested that those who are governed have the power if they are willing to exercise it.
The speaker discusses the power dynamics between states and their counterparts elsewhere, and the role of the public in who rules the world. They mention China as a growing power in some domains, but not on the scale of the U.S. They also discuss the confrontations between China and the U.S. in waters around China, symbolizing the nature of state power.
The speaker criticizes the U.S. for carrying out actions all over the world and for its drone assassination campaign, which they call an extreme terrorist war. They also mention the results of a global opinion poll run by Gallup, where the U.S. was the most significant threat to world peace.
Finally, the speaker discusses the dangers of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), which they describe as investor right agreements that are highly protectionist for the benefit of private power. They mention the impact of these agreements on tariffs and regulation, and the undermining of efforts at environmental regulation. They conclude by discussing the interactions internal to a command economy, similar to the days of the Soviet Union.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The text is a transcript of an interview with Noam Chomsky, a linguist and political activist, conducted by BBC in 2016.
2. Chomsky discusses various topics such as the rise of Donald Trump, the dangers of nuclear war and environmental catastrophe, the nature of state power and who rules the world, and the implications of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
3. Chomsky criticizes the US as a leading terrorist state that carries out global assassination campaigns, undermines democracy and regulation, and poses a grave threat to world peace according to global opinion polls.
4. Chomsky also criticizes China and Russia as authoritarian and brutal states that carry out ugly actions in their own regions, but he argues that they are not comparable to the US in terms of global influence and intervention.
5. Chomsky expresses his concern about the erosion of public power and the dominance of corporate wealth and power in shaping the world order.
6. Chomsky does not have a strong opinion on Brexit, but he thinks it would weaken the European Union and make Britain more subordinate to US power.
7. Chomsky does not regard Hillary Clinton as a satisfactory candidate for president, but he acknowledges that she recognizes the reality of climate change, unlike the Republican candidates who deny or ignore it.
8. Chomsky reveals that the TTIP is not a free trade agreement, but an investor rights agreement that is kept secret from the public and benefits private power at the expense of public interests. He cites the leaked documents by Greenpeace as evidence.
9. Chomsky compares the interactions across the US-Mexico border under NAFTA to those within a command economy, rather than trade. He says that NAFTA has all the aspects of the TTIP but even more.