Author Sam Conniff discusses the principles and strategies of pirates, delving into their history, symbols, ethics, and labor policies. The conversation also explores the relevance of piracy in activism and leadership today, drawing connections to current events. Topics include the power of pirates in fighting for equality and justice, the concept of accountability and power sharing on pirate ships, and the intersection of pirate history with the Industrial Revolution. The episode also touches on themes of bravery, courage, rule-breaking, and navigating uncertainty in various aspects of life.

Doug Henwood, an expert in modern monetary theory, explores the central idea of MMT which argues that governments can create money without consequences. The hosts critique this theory and discuss its validity, questioning whether it is sound or just snake oil. They also delve into the role of central banks in money creation and the potential consequences of reversing money printing.

You can listen to the full episode with Roger Keeran and Joe Jamison by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast As a Patreon subscriber, not only will you get access to at least one bonus episode a month, usually two or three, as well as early access to certain episodes and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers, depending on which tier you subscribe to, but you’ll also be helping to keep Upstream sustainable and allowing us to keep this project going. Find out more at Patreon.com/upstreampodcast or at upstreampodcast.org/support. Thank you. If you grew up in the West, you were most likely provided with a simple, bite-sized, propagandistically persuasive explanation for the collapse of the Soviet Union: that communism simply doesn't work.  This explanation works particularly well for the hegemon who provided it, the United States, the leading enemy of global communism throughout the 20th century. But, does this explanation actually reflect reality? Did the Soviet Union really collapse because Marx and Lenin were wrong? The short answer is no. And the longer answer is what we're going to be exploring in today's Patreon episode. To debunk the myths about the collapse of the Soviet Union, and to provide us with a much more accurate explanation, we’ve brought on two guests. Roger Keeran is a historian and professor who taught at Cornell, Princeton, Rutgers and the New York State University. Joe Jamison is an economic researcher, labor movement worker, and Roger’s co-author, under the pen name Thomas Kenny, of Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union.  In this episode we explore some of the key figures and periods in USSR history before focusing in on the slow and very much avoidable unraveling of the political and economic systems of the USSR and the dissolution of the union of republics that it was comprised of. We explore the rise of the so-called second economy which led to the strengthening of a bourgeoisie class that exploited the primary socialist economy. We Look at how the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s strengthened this class and undermined the socialist economy, how the policies of perestroika and glasnost—which were economic reforms and the encouragement of political openness, respectively—backfired, how right wing opportunism, revisionism, and the betrayal of Marx and Lenin’s ideas ultimately led to the collapse of the USSR, and, crucially, what we on the left can learn from this regrettable and successful counterrevolution against the most important instantiation of communism in the 20th century.

Join the Upstream Patreon here:  https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast Below is a transcript of the update shared in this announcement episode — TL;DR: we've got tons of bonus episodes and other goodies as part of our new Patreon!  At least 1 bonus episode a month, usually 2-3 Early access to certain episodes Stickers If you’ve been following along with our episodes or on social media you’ve probably heard that we’ve been working on launching a Patreon account, and, voila—we did it. We’ll be sharing at least one, more likely two or three, bonus episodes every month for our Patreon subscribers, and that’s in addition to the bi-weekly, regularly scheduled episodes of course. We have 5 different tiers at which you can subscribe to our Patreon—all the details can be found here, but just to give you a sense, we the tiers start at $5/month. All tiers have access to the same number of bonus episodes per month, but as you go up in tiers there are additional benefits as well, including early access to certain episodes and stickers. And, of course, you'll also be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going. Here’s what’s coming: this month we’ve already got two bonus episodes loaded and ready to go. The first is an episode with Doug Henwood on the problems with modern monetary theory (MMT), and the second episode is with Roger Keeran and Joe Jamison on their book Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union. So as soon as you sign up you’ll get instant access to both of these. And then we’re also planning Part 7 of our ongoing series on Palestine for later in the month. Coming up in March in March we’ve got an episode planned with Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia who are running for President and Vice-President as the candidates of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, or PSL.  What inspired us to create a Patreon community? As you know, we’ve always provided all of our bi-weekly episodes and our documentaries for free to everyone—that’s not gonna change. But then last year we faced a pretty big crisis as we lost both of our grant funders (which were by far our largest income stream), and we realized that we were gonna be entirely listener funded moving forward. The nonprofit industrial complex itself is a challenge to navigate, to say the least, but even more so as a podcast—funders just don’t really fund podcasts. They especially don’t fund political education podcasts, and especially, especially socialist ones. But we have to say we were so, so grateful to all of you who started supporting us at that time, or, of course, who had already been contributing monthly or through one-time donations—you really showed us that we can definitely keep Upstream going without the grant funding. So thank you so much. And to show our thanks we wanted to give you all something extra, something special.  Wanna sign up? Here's how it works: just go to our Patreon page and sign up. If you’re already donating to us and you want to switch over to become a Patreon subscriber, it’s super easy—you can just cancel your current recurring donation through Flipcause (which is where you’re donating through now), and just sign up for our Patreon instead. If you don’t feel like making the switch, no problem at all, you don’t have to do anything—your current donations through Flipcause won’t be affected in any way. And, of course, you can still make one-time donations through Flipcause.  We’re so grateful to all of you out there who've supported us with your donations over the months and years—we really could not do this without you. And if you’ve been on the fence about becoming a monthly supporter, this is a great time to do it because we’ve got a lot of really great bonus content coming your way. And if you’re just not at a place where you can afford to subscribe, it’s all good, we completely understand—we’ve still got our regular episodes coming out every two weeks. And if you do want to support us in a nonfinancial way, the best way to do so is just to share our episodes, share our posts, help spread the word and get people tuned into the struggle for liberation and for a more equitable and beautiful world. And of course leaving us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify goes a long way in getting those apps to put our content in front of new eyes and into new ears. So, thank you, we love you all. Solidarity. Join the Upstream Patreon here:  https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast

Vincent Bevins, journalist and author, discusses the lack of improvement in conditions despite mass protests. The left's organizational shortcomings, the shift in tactics, and the importance of leadership are explored. The podcast also delves into the emergence of mass protests and lessons learned, the battles for representation, co-opting of movements, horizontalism, and personal reflections on organizing and activism.

Li An Phoa, an environmental activist, discusses the importance of drinkable rivers as indicators of ecological health and community vitality. She shares her vision for a world with drinkable rivers and explores the connection between rivers, deep ecology, and questioning our values. Li An also discusses the factors that make rivers undrinkable, the consequences of altering river courses, and the growing community of organizations using citizen science to analyze river data.

Guest Ghada Karmi, an expert on Israel-Palestine conflict and advocate for a one-state solution, discusses the potential for a democratic, multi-ethnic state. They reflect on personal experiences during the 1948 Nakba, criticize the failures of the two-state solution, and highlight the challenges and need for organizing in the Palestinian liberation movement. The chapter also explores the geopolitical ramifications and stresses the importance of political education.

Novelist Manda Scott and podcast host Nathalie Nahai join Della to reflect on the past year, discuss the global psyche, building community, embracing uncertainty, and exploring the interconnectedness of life and death. They emphasize the need for collaboration, connection, and making positive changes in a fractured world.

Adam Hanieh, an expert in the political economy of Palestine, discusses the ongoing Israeli aggression and mass slaughter of Palestinians. He explores the impact of the Oslo Accords on the political economy of Palestine and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Additionally, he delves into the role of neoliberalism, US influence, and international financial institutions in shaping the Palestinian economy.

Sumaya Awad, an expert on the history and current situation in Palestine, discusses the need to move beyond a two-state solution, the role of the Israeli working class in the struggle for liberation, the exploitation of Palestinian labor by the Histadruz, the contradictions of kibbutzim, the failure of the Oslo Peace Process, internal barriers to Palestinian self-determination, and the first steps towards a just solution in Palestine.