Cosmopod

Donald and Luke talk with Aziz Rana about his latest book, The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them. Rana discusses why constitutional veneration has remained (for now) "a naturalized, unremarked-upon feature” of American life despite the Constitution's flagrantly undemocratic nature. Along the way, he touches on the Socialist Party of America's constitutional skepticism, the impact of war and foreign revolutions on constitutional ideology, and the risks and rewards of our current moment. Rana integrates the lives of several important people, including Crystal Eastman, W.E.B DuBois, Eugene Debs, Afemi Shakur, and Charles Beard.

We sit down with Jerome Scott, former Detroit Auto worker and founding member of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers to learn about Black working-class radicalizing during the Vietnam War and Detroit uprisings and to get advice on directions for the revolutionary movement today.

Ian, a leading AI expert, joins Nico, who navigates AI’s historical debates, alongside Matt exploring socio-economic implications. Chas adds a unique perspective on understanding AI, while Rudy delves into its Marxist interpretations. They discuss AI's evolution, its current societal impacts, and prospects for the future. The conversation touches on the balance between optimism and caution, emphasizing the need for human reasoning in navigating AI's role in labor and creativity, and critiques the socio-economic frameworks that shape technology today.

Exir, Toby and Jackson join for a discussion on the (in)famous Frankfurt School. They discuss the history of the Institute for Social Research from its founding as a think tank for the study of the workers’ movement, through the turn to critical theory and empirical social research in the 1930s, its flight to America in the wake of the Nazis’ rise to power, and its return to Germany after the Second World War. Focusing in on Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Herbert Marcuse, they use the trajectory of these thinkers and the Institute to consider questions of how intellectuals should relate to political movements, the relationship between theory and empirical research, and the possibility and desirability of intellectual independence. They also discuss some of the key ideas of the Frankfurt School, including the critique of instrumental reason, the concept of the totally administered society, and Marcuse’s development of psychoanalytic ideas.

Rudy joins Martín Lallana for an introductory discussion on mining. We talk about the importance of mining to capitalism, the ecological impacts of different kind of mining, the way that the materials extracted have changed along history focusing on the materials needed for an energy transition and the way the Ukranian war has changed the needs of European countries before discussing the possibilities to have more just forms of mining and the potentialities of "urban mining"

Rob joins Alexander Thurston for a discussion on his work on the Sahel region, focusing on the interplay between radical Islamic groups, the civilian governments/military juntas of the regions and international players like the US and France. They discuss the social basis of the groups, the role of different countries and different armies, the reasons behind the military coups and their possible future paths as well as how much is not really known about these groups.

Steven, James and Rudy sit down for a long discussion on the French Communist Party from its inception all the way to its present state. We cover all the periods in its history: the Pre-WW2 Popular Front, the post WW2 entrance into government, its isolation, and its coming back into government with Mitterrand in the 80s, before discussing its decline and the reasons for it. References: M. Adereth - The French Communist party: A Critical History (1920-1984), from Comintern to "the colours of France" J. Friend -  The Long Presidency: France in the Mitterrand Years J. T. Jackson - The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38  D. Joly - The French Communist Party and the Algerian War R. Martelli, J. Vigreux, S. Wolikow - One Hundred Years of History of the French Communist Party: The Red Party

Rejecting recent interpretations in the U.S. socialist press as truistic, Jackson Albert Mann makes a case for a particular communistic reading of the first novel in Frank Herbert’s Dune franchise. Read By: A Darlymple Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.

Rudy joins Volodymyr Ishchenko, author of Towards the Abyss: Ukraine from Maidan to War, for a discussion on Ukraine and the broader post-Soviet sphere. We discuss the formation of the Ukranian identity under the USSR, the story of Ukraine after independence through the Orange Revolution, Euromaidan and up to the recent war, and the failures of its elites to enact a political project. We also talk about the role of the far-right, whether the war was preventable, Military Keynsianism in Ukraine and Russia, and compare Euromaidan to the Belarus protests of 2020.

Written By: Abner Dalrymple Read By: Will Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.