Because I am way past any hope of ever being brilliant, it cheers me up to listen to economist Michael Hudson, who (in his mid-eighties) is several years older than me.  Not only is he brilliant, he’s very skilled at “following the money” and explaining where it leads to those of us with ordinary intelligence. He is the only economist whose books I am reading currently. What I most appreciate is his understanding of US foreign policy. In the brief interview below, he dissects a recent essay by Sergey Lavrov, in which the Russian diplomat explains how he and Putin seriously misunderstood the intentions of Western nations with regard to Russia’s desire to join with them in a “common European home” (a security pact). Hudson is impressed with Lavrov’s grasp of “unipolarity” versus “multipolarity.” Listen to it yourself. It’s not very long. [Don]