In the HBO Game of Thrones series, different houses vie for the Iron Throne, yet the game itself never changes—until one character vows not just to turn the wheel, but to break it.
In the US ‘Game of Thrones,’ we see plenty of intrigue, betrayals, gaffes, and power grabs.
But here’s the catch: no one’s actually trying to break the wheel.
It’s all [end of empire?] political theater, that distracts us from how, at the level of political economy, nothing fundamental will change.