The presidential primaries offer a single choice for both Democrats and Republicans to vote for empire and permanent war. This year’s entertainment spectacle, what we call democratic elections, is a particularly gross circus of meaninglessness, misinformation, sound bites, and lies. Both parties are in support in the continuation of the US/NATO global empire of permanent war and the protection of the capital of the global 1%. Even Bernie Sanders calls for drone strikes and continued war on Isis and other evil terrorists.

Neo-fascists, racists, and misogynistic people are finding new voice with Donald Trump’s presidential bid. Neo-conservatives and fundamentalists found hope with Ted Cruz. Moderates, liberals and women see Hillary Clinton as a chance for Supreme Court balance and gender equality, and left-leaning liberals are cheering for democratic socialist Sanders to save our economy by breaking up big banks and restoring trust in government.

The mobilization of millions of young people in support of Sanders offers them a hope of real change, similar to the false hope millions expressed eight years ago. None of the candidates above offer any solutions for the permanent war on terror, US/NATO presence in 130 countries, massive wasteful spending on arms, neo-liberal economic policies, governmental austerity, global refugees, and human rights for the three billion people living on less than $3 a day. None of the above suggests reinstatement of Habeas Corpus, an expanded Bill of Rights, complete electronic privacy, full governmental transparency, or the bail out of the $1 trillion student loan debt.

The US/NATO global empire is primarily in service to the Transnational Capitalist Class (TCC) not the people of the United State or the installed President in Washington. These few thousand people controlling global capital amount to less than 0.0001 percent of the world’s population. The TCC, as the capitalist elite of the world, dominate nation states through international treaty agreements and transnational state organizations such as the World Bank, Bank for International Settlements, and the International Monetary Fund.  The TCC communicates their policy requirements through global networks such as the G-7, G-20, and various non-governmental policy organizations like the World Economic Forum, Trilateral Commission, and the Bilderberger Group. Presidents and Presidential candidates listen to the TCC or they will not be allowed into office. Rigged elections, assassinations, and October surprises are in the tool kit of the TCC and deep state powers.

The TCC represents the interests of several hundred thousand millionaires and billionaires who comprise the richest people in the top one percent of the world’s wealth hierarchy. A few thousand inside the TCC manage over $100 Trillion of capital. Ironically, this extreme accumulation of concentrated capital at the top creates a continuing problem for the TCC, who must continually scour the world for new investment opportunities that will yield adequate returns (7-10%).

The TCC are keenly aware of both their elite status and their increasing vulnerabilities to democracy movements and unrest from the bottom. As a result of these class insecurities, the TCC works to protect its structure of concentrated wealth with military might. Protection of capital is the prime reason that NATO countries now account for 85 percent of the world’s defense spending, with the US spending more on military than the rest of the world combined. Fears of rebellions motivated by inequality and other forms of unrest push the US/NATO global agenda in the war on terror. Mass media owned by the TCC continues to promote the fear of terrorism as a form of hegemonic mind control.

The concentration of global capital, permanent war, and deliberate destabilization of economies is designed to pit working people against each other and protect global capital. The ultimate goal of capital is the building of a privatized neo-feudal police states, where individual countries are population containment zones and capital is free to go unrestricted anywhere in the world.

Democracy-occupy movements are emerging as a counter to centralized global capital. Knowing the war on terror is a fraud designed to keep us quiet is one step towards challenging the 1%.  We need to collectively seek solidarity with working people worldwide in an unrelenting movement for democarcy, human rights, peace, and equality.

Peter Phillips is a Professor of  Political Sociology at Sonoma State University and President of Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored.