An examination of the failings of the neoliberal order reveals that seemingly inexplicable events, ranging from the election of Donald Trump and January 6th to the Truckers Convoy in Ottawa, are consequences of a crumbling consensus and portends of a rapidly approaching crisis. This presentation will diagnose elements of the gathering storm, including growing authoritarianism and weaponized paranoia, but also reveal opportunities for countering the austerity, exploitation, and cruelty of the neoliberal project and possibly establishing a better and more humane future.

Jared Yates Sexton is the author of American Rule: How A Nation Conquered The World But Failed Its People (Dutton/Penguin-Random House) and the forthcoming book The Midnight Kingdom: A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis.