Episode

11/1 Shipping: The Engine Of Global Capitalism w/ Laleh Khalili

November 1, 2021

Sam and Emma host  Laleh Khalili, Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary University of London, to discuss her recent book Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabian Peninsula, on how the maritime trade infrastructure has become a microcosm of global capitalism, and what it can teach us about labor relations, lasting imperialism, and the gig economy. Professor Khalili starts with a distillation of the current role of maritime trade, with over 80% of good transported by sea at some point, from raw materials coming from Africa, Australia, and the global south in general, working through production in China, and finally moving across the world in their final form. She next walks Emma and Sam through how maritime trade has revolutionized the global economy, completely shifting the world away from regional production, and helping bolster the power and imposition of the North Atlantic economies, allowing them to reiterate the imperial economics of old, as they take raw materials from developing economies and sell them back, building the debt of the rest of the world. She also touches on the internal shift in North Atlantic economies as industry shifts abroad and service economies begin to take their place at home, ensuring that the inequalities between laborers in debt, and capitalists with credit are reiterated no matter the regional constraints. Next, they dive into the key material of maritime trade, as they explore the transport of crude oil that has aided the rise of Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE as central ports, looking at the self-reinforcing relationship between maritime innovation and the increased production of hydrocarbons. Laleh, Emma, and Sam also dive into what makes port location so important, and the variables that come into play, before they wrap up the interview by touching on the labor exploitation central to maritime trade, and how the already precarious gig work of shipping workers, truck drivers, and port workers has been upended by the pandemic. Sam and Emma also touch on this weekend’s updates on the reconciliation and bipartisan infrastructure bills.

And in the Fun Half: Emma, Sam, and the MR Crew discuss the ongoing strikes, and the right’s attempt to make it about vaccinations and masking, OAN reminds us that gender is distracting us from solving the crisis in Afghanistan (?), and John from San Antonio gives some killer updates ahead of tomorrow’s elections across the US. They also chat Michael Flynn and blackmail, two topics never too far apart, Angel from Jersey discusses NJ’s conservative consciousness, and Anthony from Ohio talks Forbes surprisingly misappropriating Adam Smith to put down unions. There’s also conversation on the fall of empire and the disillusionment with democratic voters, plus, your calls and IMs!

Purchase tickets for the live show in Boston on January 16th HERE!

Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com

Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here.

Join the Majority Report Discord!
http://majoritydiscord.com/

Get all your MR merch at our store https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/

(Merch issues and concerns can be addressed here: majorityreportstore@mirrorimage.com)

You can now watch the livestream on Twitch

Check out today’s sponsors:

sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Great company, great product and fans of the show! Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. And now Sunset Lake CBD has donated $2500 to the Nurses strike fund, and we encourage MR listeners to help if they can. Here’s a link to where folks can donate: https://forms.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

StitchFix: You know your closet well, but what does it sound like? Yes, your closet. With Stitch Fix Freestyle, a shop that evolves alongside your taste, your closet will scream “so you” without actually screaming. Stitch Fix Freestyle is your trusted style destination where you can discover and instantly buy curated items based on your style, likes and lifestyle. Whether you’re looking for a brand you love or to try a new one, at Stitch Fix Freestyle, you can shop hundreds of brands personalized to your size and fit. Get started today by filling out your style quiz at StitchFix.com/MAJORITY. That’s StitchFix.com/MAJORITY to try Stitch Fix Freestyle. StitchFix.com/MAJORITY.

Egnyte: All over the world, companies hit by ransomware attacks have their valuable digital files held hostage and are forced to decide whether to pay cybercriminals to get them back. EGNYTE is the first ever file system with sophisticated ransomware detection and recovery tools fully baked in. Behind the scenes, Egnyte gives companies with limited IT and security staff the power of much larger teams. With Egnyte, you’ll know exactly where key documents are and who has access. Learn more about how Egnyte can protect your business from ransomware. Or see why Egnyte is rated number one for data security by real customers in G2 Crowd. Start your free trial today at egnyte.com. That’s egnyte.com.

Support the St. Vincent Nurses today as they continue to strike for a fair contract! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/

Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/

Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere

Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon!

Subscribe to Matt’s other show Literary Hangover on Patreon!

Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles

Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel!

Subscribe to Brandon’s show The Discourse on Patreon!

Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow

Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!)

Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter:

@SamSeder

@EmmaVigeland

@MattBinder

@MattLech

@BF1nn

@BradKAlsop

Past Episodes

It's another EmMajority Report Thursday! Emma speaks with Casey Michel, Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation, to discuss his recent piece in the New Republic entitled “How Viktor Orbán Conquered the Heritage Foundation.” Then, she’s joined by Joel ...
It’s Hump Day! Sam speaks with Lisa Heinzerling, law professor at Georgetown University, to discuss the impact of the Supreme Court’s upcoming rulings on Loper Bright Enterprises  v. Raimondo & Relentless v. Department of Commerce, as well as the court hearing arguments yesterday regarding ...
It's News Day Tuesday! Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the day. First, they run through updates on Anthony Blinken’s certification of Israel’s military integrity, the NYT’s subtle backtracking on its 10/7 article, Julien Assange, Biden’s Polling, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, ...