OccupyForum: Historical Context, United States Decline, and the Corporate-Owned Media

OccupyForum presents:

Historical Context, United States Decline,
and the Corporate-Owned Media

We will examine the United States' attempts to prevent its Global Hegemonic decline and the implications of that effort by situating United States foreign policy within “Historical Context.”

The United States’ post-war Global Hegemony is rapidly declining partly because of its geo-political overreach as well as the rise of “Contender States” that are challenging that hegemony. However, the corporate-owned media (and the PBS News Hour) presenting the “News” about geo-political developments, reports them as isolated, never putting them into “Historical Context.” The implication is that the public has very little, if any, idea of the actual context of those events. If they did, they might have a more objective understanding of current world events.

Current geo-political examples which need to be situated within “Historical Context” include: 1.) The United States violating the Iranian nuclear agreement by withdrawing from it; and, 2.) United States-North Korean relations, including the Trump administration pulling out of the scheduled June 12 summit.

This topic raises the following questions: 1.) What is meant by “Historical Context” and “Hegemony;” 2.) Why does the corporate-owned media (and the PBS News Hour) not situate United States foreign policy within “Historical Context;” and, 3.) What does situating United States foreign policy into “Historical Context” tell us?

To address these questions the talk will: 1.) Explain what is meant by “Historical Context” and “Hegemony;” 2.) Discuss the role of the corporate-owned media (and the PBS News Hour) in presenting “News” about United States foreign policy; 3.)Place the recent geo-political crises in “Historical Context,” with an emphasis on the Trump administration; and, 4.) Assess the geo-political contradictions that the United State policy operates in (and intensifies).

Professor George Wright taught Political Science at California State University, Chico from 1969 to 2003. He also taught History at Skyline Community College from 2004 to 2013. His major research includes United States Politics, International Political Economy, and the Politics of International Sport. He has a Ph.D. from the Department of Politics at the University of Leeds (UK).

Time will be allotted for announcements.
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