Cosmopod

Amelia Davenport argues for the relevance of cybernetics to the project of developing a communism that transcends the modernist project. Read by Will Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.

Rudy joins Robbie McVeigh and Bill Rolston, authors of Anois ar theacht an tSamhraidh: Ireland, Colonialism and the Unfinished Revolution for a discussion on Irish history from colonization to the present. We discuss the earliest colonization attempts, the Ulster plantation and the formation of the planter/gael binary and Protestant Ascendancy, the Act of Union and how the Act co-opted a Catholic minority and made colonialism in Ireland distinct. We then follow by discussion how Partition came about and the resulting Northern Ireland state through the Protestant Ascendancy period to the post-troubles Good Relations state. We also discuss the remaining the story of the remaining 26 counties, how they were thrust into whiteness first as a White Dominion and later as part of the EU, and how the contradiction between anti-imperialism and European citizenship plays out. We finish by discussing the prospects of a unified Ireland.

Alexander Gallus pushes against the haze of propaganda to assess the current course of the war between Ukraine and Russia. Article read aloud by John Turner.

Discussions revolve around Constructive Criticism: A Handbook, and how it utilizes Marxism and Maoism for self-criticism. The importance of unity and constructive criticism is explored, along with effective communication methods. They also discuss conflict resolution and the significance of vulnerability and equality in fostering a communist society.

Lydia Apolinar, Alexander Gallus, and Ryan Tool pay tribute to the revolutionary and plebeian origins of Christianity.  Read by William (Note: Originally Published December 25th 2020)

Dillon, Rudy, Amelia and Lucas sit down to discuss the art and practice of mentorship. We talk about how to assert yourself as a mentor without being resented or developing an unbalanced relationship, one-on-one mentorship vs group mentorship and what makes a good mentor. We follow up by discussing how to adequately make a person feel welcome and contribute to the movement and allowing them to grow, the art and practice of delegation, and give ample examples on our experiences with these topics.  References: Ted Lasso (on Apple TV) Nancy McWilliams - Psychoanalytic Supervision (Chs. 4 & 6) Labor Notes - Steward's Corner: Helping New Stewards Nick Drediger - It won’t grow if you don’t delegate Lauren Katz & Ryan Mosgrove - The Metro DC Socialist Mobilization Model

Parker, James, Rudy and Cliff join for a discussion on the context of Lenin's State and Revolution, and how those ideas were applied in the early years of the Soviet government. We start by discussing the context of the book, especially in relationship with the recent audiobook by Kautsky on Democracy and Republicanism. We continue by discussing the debates in the Second International around the Paris Commune, the Immediate Genesis of the Book during the First World War, the text itself and its surrounding context, the ways in which the principles of the book were implemented after 1917, and why the early RSFSR government gave way to the dictatorship of the politburo. References:Étienne Balibar - On the Dictatorship of the ProletariatLara Douds - Inside Lenin's Government Ideology, Power and Practice in the Early Soviet State Shiela Fitzpatrick - The Russian Revolution Neil Harding - Lenin's Political Thought Alexander Rabinowitch - The Bolsheviks in Power: The first year of Soviet rule in Petrograd S. A. Smith - Red Petrograd: Revolution in the Factories, 1917-1918 Mark von Hagen - Soldiers in the Proletarian Dictatorship: The Red Army and the Soviet Socialist State, 1917-1930

Kim Moody, socialist and labor movement theorist, discusses his political origins, rank and file rebellion in the 1970s, the purpose of Labor Notes, his vision of political change through mass action, the Amazon Labor Union, and lessons for socialists today.

Rudy joins Intan Suwandi, author of Value Chains: The New Economic Imperialism and co-author of Covid-19 and Catastrophe Capitalism: Commodity Chains and Ecological-Epidemiological-Economic Crisis for a discussion on Global Commodity Chains. We discuss supply chains from a bird's eye, the theoretical development of the concept, and why they are so crucial to capitalist production and why they consolidate inequality and imperialism. We discuss how large companies use 'arms-length' contracting to discipline suppliers, and how that causes a race to the bottom that leaves very little benefits to the host countries. We continue by discussing why Covid-19 became such a catastrophe for supply chains, and what little changes have occurred to supply chains since the start of the pandemic. We finish by discussing what supply chains teach us about potential forms of struggle and alternative futures.

This is a narration of chapters 9-13 of Karl Kautsky's Parliamentarism and Democracy (1893-1911), from Karl Kautsky on Democracy & Republicanism by Ben Lewis. The full audiobook is currently in production by the team at Cosmonaut Magazine. A copy of the book itself can be purchased at Haymarket Books. Narration and editing by Myk Labas, with apologies for the microphone difficulties. Music: 'Red Sleeping Beauty' by McCarthy