Show Notes
David Adler, co-general director of the Progressive International, joins me to unpack the complex history of corporate colonialism in Latin America. The United States has a long history of intervention into the affairs of Latin American countries. After the recent abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, Trump openly invoked the Monroe Doctrine, or as he calls it “the Donroe Doctrine”, to signal further hostility to other nations in the region. In this episode we focus on the strange case of Prospera — a libertarian city-state that promises to create a free market utopia. Beginning in 2017, Prospera Inc purchased land within the sovereign territory of Honduras. At the time, Honduras was under the narco-dictatorship of Juan Orlando Hernandez. (In a stroke of poetic injustice, JOH was convicted of drug trafficking in 2024 and pardoned by Donald Trump in 2025.) After the dictatorship, the Honduran congress overturned this unconstitutional decision with a unanimous vote across all parties. In retaliation, Prospera Inc is now suing the state of Honduras for a staggering 10.8 billion dollars, nearly 100x their investment and roughly 2/3rds of the annual state budget. Unsurprisingly, Prospera Inc is funded by Pronomos Capital whose investors include familiar characters such as Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen and Balaji Srinivasan.
More from Doomscroll with Joshua Citarella
My guest is a dangerous political extremist who poses a legitimate threat to the United States government. Josh answers your Q&A, responds to listener submitted questions and lays out some of the media strategy for this program. This is a wide ranging episode that touches on everything from fitness to political theory. We tackle the new algo-dynamics of post-woke platforms, online culture and give some background on the NYC art world. You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella
Josh gives some insights on Naomi’s Klein’s new book. We discuss the significance of end times theology and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. We explore the many factions now emerging on the political left. You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella
My guest is Naomi Klein, an author, activist and professor of Climate Justice at the University of British Columbia. She joins me to discuss her new book, co-authored with Astra Taylor, “End Times Fascism”. We explore the ideology and factions of today’s far right: “religious, tech and ethno-nationalist endtimers”. Each group is mobilized around similarly apocalyptic themes; eschatology, singularity and climate crisis. These factions now join together as a nationalist bloc that preps the state bunker in anticipation of the end of the world. You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella
Greg and I dive deeper into the topic of institutions —and the biggest one of all— the catholic church. We explore the role of theology and the power of belief in secular society, trad caths and much more. Plus Greg says a bunch of things (in Minecraft) that would definitely get us banned on YouTube if the main episode isn’t blocked already.
My returning guest is Jreg an artist and YouTuber. We discuss extremely online politics and its influence on the recent wave of political violence and assassinations. Today, we find ourselves in an era of “hyper-politics” -- where social movements are led by hashtags and virality more than institutions or organizations. Is there no pressure valve to release the mounting crises? You can get access to the full catalog for Doomscroll and more by becoming a paid supporter: www.patreon.com/joshuacitarella