The Anti Empire Project with Justin Podur

The 1905 Russian Revolution was, though no one knew it at the time, the rehearsal for the 1917 Russian Revolution. Dave takes us from Bloody Sunday to the calculations and miscalculations of the Tsar; Justin uses everyone from Lars Lih to Isaac Deutscher to Simon Sebag Montefiore to draw some pictures of what Lenin, Trotsky, … Continue reading "World War Civ 8: The 1905 Russian Revolution"

The earth-shaking event where an Asian power defeated a European power in a war, leading to a revolution in Russia and a major shakeup in world affairs. We talk about the role education played in Japan’s victory; the Russian fleet that had to sail around the world; and the qualities of Tsar Nicholas that made … Continue reading "World War Civ 7: The Russo-Japanese War 1905"

Peru’s president Pedro Castillo has been overthrown in a coup and is in Peruvian jail while the former Vice President Dina Boluarte has taken over, vowing NOT to hold an election any time soon. People have taken to the streets in Lima to protest and demand new elections and a constitutional referendum. Meanwhile in Argentina, … Continue reading "AER 117: Peru’s President Pedro Castillo overthrown in a coup"

First one of a mini-series about the 1905 Russian Revolution, we talk about the economic, political, and social conditions of Russia on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War. Foreign investment, infrastructural deficits, the question of nationalities. We also talk about the disastrous summer of 1874 when the revolutionaries went down to the countryside, debates about … Continue reading "World War Civ 6: Russia in 1900"

Stan Cox is back with his November dispatch about the US midterm elections, in which the feared Red Wave didn’t materialize — but Stan wastes no time in warning us that 2024 is also going to be scary. We geek out on the election results, look at a shocking admission by a conservative that big … Continue reading "In Real Time with Stan Cox 8: No Red Wave, Plenty of Red Flags"

Explore the intricacies of the Dreyfus Affair in pre-WWI France, including its anti-Semitic nature and implications for the France-Russia alliance. Uncover corruption, incompetence, espionage, and frame-ups. Delve into the deep state, parallels to Watergate, and a Canadian professor's case. Examine the political corruption and imposition of democracy in Germany. Discover the imprisonment conditions, conflicting reactions, and steadfast supporters. Unravel the involvement of Esther Hazy and his unsuccessful offers to the Germans. Uncover the background of Esther Aze, handwriting evidence concerns, and fabrication in the case. Examine the political career of a controversial figure and the personal lives of Clem and Zola's lawyers. Debate the mysterious death of Robert and its impact on the narrative. Finally, delve into negotiations and agreements between France, Britain, and the implications for Russia and Germany.

Waqas is back to talk about the Nov 3 attempt on Imran Khan’s life; the assassination in Kenya of journalist Arshad Sharif; Similarities and differences between the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the attempt on Imran Khan; the possibility that the Pakistani military might find a way out of this (by having Bajwa step down … Continue reading "Anti-Empire Radio episode 116: The Assassination Attempt on Imran Khan"

On October 30, Lula was elected to the presidency after surviving a political persecution that threw him behind bars and kept him from running in 2018, paving the way for Bolsonaro’s disastrous term. Brazilian scholar-activist Diana Aguiar is back to answer questions like: is Lula’s government coup-proof? What will he be able to do in … Continue reading "AER 115: Lula’s back! Will there be another coup?"

Reading Corelli Barnett, David Cannadine, and others, our stop today on the pre-WWI Europe tour is Britain, which has reached the very heights of world domination only to discover that they are being out-innovated and out-educated by rising imperial rivals. While social imperialists begged for consolidation of the white Anglosphere, a strategy given the old … Continue reading "WWC 4 – Causes of WWI – Britain’s slow and gentle decline"

In this long episode we ask the question: what in the intellectualism of the early 20th century may have contributed to the climate that led to WW1? After reading Losurdo’s long book about Nietzsche, Justin does a deep dive into Nietzschean thinking about Great Men and genius and mediocrity; Dave covers militarism and nationalism; Justin … Continue reading "WWC 3 – Causes of WW1 pt 3 – Life & Ideas"