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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Is the US Becoming a Banana Republic?

    An article in the Atlantic magazine is drawing a lot of attention from Wall Street to Washington. It's about cozy relations between financial and political institutions that make the US look like Argentina, Russia, Indonesia and other “emerging markets.”

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    An article in the Atlantic magazine is drawing a lot of attention from Wall Street to Washington. It's about cozy relations between financial and political institutions that make the US look like Argentina, Russia, Indonesia and other “emerging markets.” A former chief economist for the International Monetary Fund says Democrats and Republicans have enabled “financial oligarchs” to accumulate too much political power, so much that they can resist the reforms needed for economic recovery. Is it time for the government to wake up to reality?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Is the US Becoming a Banana Republic?
    1. 1:30Chicago Sun-Times Files for Chapter 11
    2. 7:36Is the US Becoming a Banana Republic?You’re reading this
    3. 43:26Obama Takes Entourage of 500 on Trip to London
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Simon Johnson

      Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    • KCRW placeholder

      Desmond Lachman

      former Deputy Director of the Policy and Review, International Monetary Fund

    • KCRW placeholder

      Thomas Ferguson

      Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Is the US Becoming a Banana Republic?
    1. 1:30Chicago Sun-Times Files for Chapter 11
    2. 7:36Is the US Becoming a Banana Republic?You’re reading this
    3. 43:26Obama Takes Entourage of 500 on Trip to London
    Back to To the Point