In this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, American philosopher and activist Cornel West delivers a searing critique of the United States, describing what he sees as moral collapse, democratic decay and spiritual bankruptcy. Drawing on the Black freedom struggle and his own run in the 2024 presidential election, West argues that both major parties serve entrenched power while inequality deepens at home and war crimes are enabled abroad. From Gaza to Harlem, he asks whether love, dignity and justice can still form the basis of meaningful political resistance.

Al Jazeera journalists sit down with top newsmakers from around the world.

Talk to Al Jazeera

Cornel West: US is facing moral collapse and democratic decay

As wars intensify and donor funding dries up, the global humanitarian system is under unprecedented strain. Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, warns that life-saving operations are being scaled back just as needs explode from Gaza and Sudan to Ukraine and climate-driven disasters worldwide. He addresses United States and European aid cuts, attacks on humanitarian workers, the erosion of international law, and whether neutrality and protection still mean anything in today’s conflicts.

Jagan Chapagain: Is the global humanitarian system breaking down?

Since the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of "narcoterrorism", Colombia has found itself under growing pressure from Washington. President Gustavo Petro responds to President Donald Trump’s accusations.

The Colombian leader also addresses diplomacy vs confrontation, regional sovereignty and whether Latin America is entering a dangerous new chapter.

Colombia’s Petro on US threats and whether he fears Maduro’s fate | Talk to Al Jazeera

The United States is reviving a policy first set out in the 1800s that treats Latin America as its strategic sphere of influence. As Washington expands maritime operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, critics warn of legal violations and rising regional instability.

Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin joins Talk to Al Jazeera to discuss US strikes, Venezuela, migration pressures, and China’s growing role in the region — and whether diplomacy can still prevent escalation in a hemisphere shaped once again by power politics.

Cornel West: US is facing moral collapse and democratic decay

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