To understand why the European Union exists and how it is changing due to the financial crisis and the war in Ukraine, Rania Khalek was joined by Costas Lapavitsas, a professor of economics at SOAS, author of “The Left Case Against the EU” and a former Syriza MP. He also has a forthcoming book out in 2023 called “The State of Capitalism” published by Verso Books. Listen to every episode of Rania Khalek Dispatches anywhere you get podcasts.Apple: https://apple.co/3zeYpeW Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3za9DRKTIME CODES: 0:00 Intro2:08 What is the EU?6:24 What happens if Ukraine joins the EU?10:32 Evolution of European left’s view of the EU18:48 EU as an anti-democratic arrangement 26:41 EU creates European periphery and core30:55 Common currency: the Euro33:42 How Germany came out on top39:38 Germany’s conditional hegemony 45:16 American hegemony over Europe52:05 Freedom of capital to move cheap labor 1:03:18 Far right vs the EU?1:08:25 How the left responds1:12:06 The state of capitalism today