Gene Sharp’s From Dictatorship to Democracy - TEASER

Gaslit Nation

Trump, Politics, Left, Democracy, Resistance, News, Society & Culture, Progressive, Liberal, Kendzior, Chalupa, Resist

4.8 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why did Trump hit 185 countries with tariffs, even uninhabited islands of penguins near Antarctica, but not Russia and its vassal state Belarus, used to wage Russia’s genocidal invasion of Ukraine? It’s almost like Trump is a Russian asset, repaying Russia for helping him rise to power twice and for all the easy money he received over the years when no credible institution would lend to this trust-fund kid who went bankrupt six times.

But why crash the global economy? The answer only makes sense if you’re Putin. As a dictator with no electoral pressure, Putin benefits from destabilizing democracies. By causing economic chaos, he weakens his competitors and fuels backlash against incumbents—exactly what helped Trump return to power in 2024. When you factor in election hacking and influence operations, it becomes clear: crashing the global economy gives the Kremlin an advantage in manipulating elections worldwide. This pressure on elected officials, like Keir Starmer in the UK or Macron in France, plays into Putin’s hands. Trump’s actions seem to align with that strategy.

In this week’s bonus episode, we discuss Gene Sharp’s From Dictatorship to Democracy from our recent Gaslit Nation book club. On April 7 at 4 PM ET, the Security Committee will present on protecting our digital world in a dystopian era. Then, on April 14, we’ll host a live taping with Patrick Guarasci, strategist behind Judge Susan Crawford’s victory in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, to discuss how to fight and win righteous battles, even if you’re up against the richest man in the world.

Thank you to all who support Gaslit Nation–we could not make the show without you!

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Show Notes:

Read From Dictatorship to Democracy. It’s free! https://archive.org/details/from_dictatorship_to_democracy_1306_librivox

Trump’s tariffs: Why are Russia and Belarus spared? https://www.dw.com/en/trumps-tariffs-why-are-russia-and-belarus-spared/a-72150328

Opening: https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3llwfjnhjwc22

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don’t miss it!
Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.
Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.
Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?
Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Transcript

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0:00.0	The global economy is fundamentally different today than it was yesterday.
0:06.5	The system of global trade anchored on the United States that Canada has relied on since
0:12.3	the end of the Second World War, a system that, well, not perfect, has helped to deliver
0:19.1	prosperity for our country for decades is over.
0:23.9	Our old relationship of steadily deepening integration with the United States is over.
0:29.9	The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership,
0:35.5	when it forged alliances rooted in trust and mutual respect
0:39.3	and championed the free and open exchange of goods and services is over.
0:46.3	Well, this is a tragedy, it is also the new reality.
0:52.3	We must respond with both purpose and force. We are a free, sovereign, and ambitious
1:01.4	country. We are masters in our own home. Our opening clip was Canadian Prime Minister
1:08.9	Mark Carney reminding us that no one wins in a trade war.
1:13.1	That's why you don't have them. And it was an important reminder that Canada, you have an election
1:19.3	April 28th, that the world depends on. So everybody must vote in such a way that ensures that
1:26.8	Mark Carney stays your prime minister for the sake of
1:31.1	your country and the free world. Now, maybe Trump launched the self-destructive trade war because
1:38.6	he's too ignorant to understand that trade wars are a disaster for everybody. Maybe he's an easy mark, driven by greed
1:48.4	and self-interest with Russian oligarchs pumping him full of money over paying for Trump
1:53.2	properties worldwide. They've been telling him to get tough on trade, framing it as a manly move to
1:59.7	show the world whose boss, because how else do you explain
2:03.2	why Trump slammed 185 countries with tariffs, including some tiny island full of penguins,
2:11.4	but did not pass tariffs against Russia and Russian vassal state Belarus.
	...

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