On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of the Unilateral Coercive Measure on Human Rights Alena Douhan. She discusses the legacy of her predecessor Idriss Jazairy who had appeared many times on Going Underground, the impact of US sanctions on countries such as Venezuela, Iran and Syria, how sanctions are preventing the purchase of vital medical equipment during Coronavirus in Iran, how unilateral sanctions are attacking fundamental human rights such as the right to health and the right to education, why the fear of sanctions violates human rights as sanctions themselves and much more!
Finally, we speak to David Roediger, author of ‘The Sinking Middle Class: A Political History’. He discusses how the term middle class has become vague enough to include anywhere between 40% to over 90% of the US population, how many Americans identify themselves incorrectly as middle class, how the issue of race has shaped the identification with middle class and political rhetoric, the Cold War origins of the popularity of the term ‘middle class’, how the term has harmed working class movements and organisations such as trade unions and why the term ‘middle class’ should die!
Watch: Here