Greg Grandin on "America, América: A New History of the New World"

The Legacy of Conquest and Humanism

• 🌎 Greg Grandin's new book, "America, América: A New History of the New World," explores the intertwined histories of North and South America over the last 500 years.
• ⚖️ The book argues that the conquest of the New World set the terms for modern political theory, generating both deep-seated dehumanization and a profound humanism.
• 💡 Key figures like Bartolomé de las Casas and the Salamanca school laid foundational arguments for human equality and natural rights, critiquing colonialism.

American Empire and its Unraveling

• 📉 Grandin suggests that recent American history confirms his long-held views on the unraveling of US empire, particularly the potential loss of the dollar's fiat currency status.
• 🧠 The "psych war" the US has waged globally, including disinformation campaigns, has now returned home, contributing to an epistemic crisis.
• 🚫 Trump's trade policies, while seemingly coherent in their critique of the current trade regime, are ultimately self-defeating and embedded in culture war.

The Gaza Conflict and Political Realignments

• 💔 The ongoing conflict in Gaza is identified as a critical factor hindering any potential political realignment within the Democratic Party.
• 🇺🇸 The US political system's steadfast support for Israel, despite unpopularity, highlights a capture by foreign interests, with parallels drawn to the Vietnam War's impact on US politics.
• 🕊️ Latin America's historical development of independent nations with fixed borders and a focus on cooperation offers a contrast to the US model of expansion and conflict.

Latin American Nationalism and Universalism

• 🌱 Latin American nationalism, unlike its European or US counterparts, has historically been a stepping stone to universalism, emphasizing shared interests and cooperation.
• 🤝 The continent's early establishment of independent republics and the doctrine of uti possidetis (as you possess) helped foster peace and a model for international relations.
• 💡 Figures like Che Guevara embodied a pan-Latin American identity, fostering a more generous nationalism.

Contrasting Colonialism: Spanish vs. Anglo

• 🇪🇸 Spanish colonialism, despite its horrors, involved an early moral crisis and recognition of indigenous populations, influencing modern political theory.
• 🇬🇧 Anglo colonialism, conversely, often evaded moral crises, with justifications like John Winthrop's concept of "empty houses" for lands already inhabited.
• 🌍 The Spanish colonial state, while extracting wealth, also centered the indigenous population as the main moral consideration, contrasting with the Anglo approach.

The Future of Politics and Ideology

• 🔮 Both US political parties lack a positive vision for the future, a stark contrast to earlier eras like FDR's New Deal.
• 💡 The promise of limitlessness in US history deflected the need for a positive vision of citizenship; hitting a wall means a lack of future articulation.
• ✊ Grandin emphasizes that ideologies are defeated by other ideologies, and the US needs to reinvest liberalism with social rights, drawing lessons from Latin America's approach to combating fascism.