Bungacast

On the left-wing case for freedom. Regular contributor Alex Gourevitch is back on to talk about how the Democrats are approaching the US presidential election. Alex talks us through an influential and widely-read article that he wrote in 2020 with Corey Robin on how the left needed to reclaim freedom as its own. We discuss: Why is the left suddenly talking about freedom? When did it abandon freedom in favour of human rights, welfare, or identity? What are the consequences of leaving "freedom" to the libertarians and oligarchs? How would one critique what the Democrats are doing today from this perspective? Plus: we hear about Alex’s debate with Tyler Cowen on whether capitalism is defensible. Links: Gaining freedom by escaping the unfreedom of the workplace - PNHP Freedom Now, Alex Gourevitch & Corey Robin, Polity: Vol 52, No 3 The US presidential race will be fought over competing definitions of ‘freedom’, Eric Foner, The Guardian The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner /298/ Working For Freedom ft. Alex Gourevitch

On Israel's invasion of Lebanon and beyond. Karl Sharro (Lebanese-Iraqi architect and satirist @KarlreMarks) and Iranian writer and historian Arash Azizi join us to discuss war in the Middle East. We ask: Is Israel finally waging the great war that will rid it of all enemies?  Does Israel have any real plan? What motivates its actions in Gaza and Lebanon? What is the impact on Hezbollah of losing its leadership layers? How will Iran respond and what is the balance between moderates and hardliners there? If Hezbollah is severely weakened, what happens to the Lebanese state? What should we make of the global culture war around Israel, Palestine and the rest Links Lebanon in the heart of the storm, Akram Belkaïd, Monde Diplo Israel is not ‘saving western civilisation’. Nor is Hamas leading ‘the resistance’, Kenan Malik, The Guardian Iran Is Not Ready for War With Israel, Arash Azizi, The Atlantic /225/ Wokeistan & Lebanonworld ft. Karl Sharro /141/ Oh Lebanon, What Now? ft. Rima Majed  

On Nations & Nationalism since 1870. [Patreon Exclusive] We start by dealing with your questions regarding last month's RC, on Stalin, Zhukhov and WWII. Then we read and discuss Eric Hobsbawm's classic work in which he emphasises that nations are exclusively modern constructions. We discuss: How succulent Hobsbawm's account is Whether he was wrong about globalisation eclipsing nationalism – and why he argued this Whether the revolutionary-democratic aspects of nationalism can be rescued from its later ethnic-particularist elements What the relationship is between citizenship, patriotism and nationalism How nationalism intersected with revolution - and fascism And whether the nation is any more solid an exit from our political vacuum than whatever other postmodern BS Links: Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality, Eric Hobsbawm Film: Eric Hobsbawm: The Consolations of History, LRB Some reflections on 'The Break-up of Britain', Eric Hobsbawm, New Left Review (pdf) /421/ Who Are the Wrong Ukrainians? ft. Volodymyr Ishchenko  

On France's permacrisis. [Patreon Exclusive] French sociologist Nathan Sperber talks to George and Alex about his new essay in the New Left Review, "The French Crisis: Organic or Conjunctural". We catch up with what has happened in France since Macron gambled and called impromptu elections in the summer. We discuss: Why does France always seem to be more in crisis than its neighbours?  How has France ended up with hollow "leaderist" parties? Is Macron a true neoliberal or a reactive emergency politician? Did the left-wing France Insoumise miss its shot? How inevitable is a Le Pen government, and will it be co-opted by the French bureaucracy? What's the difference between an organic and a conjunctural crisis – and which one is France in?   Readings: The French Crisis: Organic or Conjunctural?, Nathan Sperber, New Left Review (pdf attached) An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci: His Life, Thought and Legacy, George Hoare & Nathan Sperber, Bloomsbury (Feb 2025)

On liberal takes on the end of the End of History. [Patreon Exclusive] We start by discussing Yasha Mounk's dismissal of an end to the End of History. Does he underestimate liberal democracy's inability to legitimise itself anymore? Is the talk of populism a way of deflecting from liberalism's undoing? We then deal with your comments and questions [for patrons only, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast]

On tradwives, influencers, and boys. [Patreon Exclusive] Amber is back on the pod, talking to Alex and George about her forthcoming piece on neo-traditionalism and women, in Damage issue 3, which will be on Mothers. We discuss: What are the models of 'tradwives' out there? If homemakers make homes, do tradwives make content? Does the tradwife phenomenon speak to sense of exhaustion with being a neoliberal girlboss? When does internet crap start being real? Do influencers actually influence? What is the political upshot of all this?  

On "eco-modernism". Ted Nordhaus, co-founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, talks to Leigh and Alex the 20th anniversary of "The Death of Environmentalism" and the 10th anniversary of "The Ecomodernist Manifesto". We discuss: The fundamental philosophical differences between "building-out" and "restraint". Whether industrial policy like the Inflation Reduction Act is in line with the ecomodern approach Why environmentalism differs in the US versus Western Europe Why modernisation gets lost in discussions on the environment What techno-optimism and what techno-fixes are What the Abundance Agenda is Links: The Death of Environmentalism, Breakthrough Institute An ECOMODERNIST MANIFESTO

On the US culture wars, then and now. Historian Andrew Hartman, author of A War for the Soul of America, talks to Alex about how US Americans have been sorted into cultural camps over the past fifty years. We discuss: Who started it? And who perpetuates it? What is the "culture" in the culture war? And is it a war, or a series of skirmishes? Is there something particularly American about culture wars? The culture wars have followed the breakup of liberalism – so, what comes next? Do culture wars necessarily presuppose identity politics? Links: A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars, Andrew Hartman, UC Press The Culture Wars are Dead, Andrew Hartman, The Baffler

On disinformation, misinformation and the popular will. Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, joins us to talk about her recent pieces arguing that the climate movement's focus on disinformation is misguided. We discuss: What is disinformation and misinformation in the climate context? Are there parallels to be drawn with anti-disinfo campaigns on vaccines during the pandemic? How is the deterioration in trust in elites and scientific institutions to be responded to? What do Holly's focus groups tell her about popular views on climate politics? Does the return to industrial policy mean we should focus on "people who know how to make and run stuff"? And what is solar radiation management, carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide removal, and related technologies? Links: Obsessing Over Climate Disinformation Is a Wrong Turn, Holly Jean Buck, Jacobin A Climate Disinformation Focus Takes Us the Wrong Way, Holly Jean Buck, Jacobin Of Course "Misinformation" Isn’t the Cause of Climate Change, Alex Tremblath, Breakthrough Institute Books: After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration, Holly Jean Buck, Verso Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero is Not Enough, Holly Jean Buck, Verso

On corruption, charisma, populism & assassination in Slovakia. Slovak sociologist Dominik Zelinksy joins us to discuss Slovakia's positioning between East and West. We discuss: Why was Prime Minister Robert Fico a target of an assassination attempt? Whether Fico – not a zany outsider but a competent insider – is a "populist" Why Slovaks are not so anti-Russian, and why they are sceptical of NATO How has anti-corruption politics played a role What is "charismatic mimicry" and why have Western leaders aped Ukraine's Zelenskyy? Links: Slovakia's election: "more than a fight between democracy and autocracy", Dominik Zelinsky, LeftEast Assassination Attempt Prompts Soul-Searching in Slovakia, Jakub Bokes, Jacobin Slovakia’s Election Result Is About Declining Living Standards, Not Just Ukraine, Jakub Bokes, Jacobin Charismatic Mimicry: Innovation and Imitation in the Case of Volodymyr Zelensky, Paul Joosse & Dominik Zelinsky, Sociological Theory. Thread on Twitter/X about the article