Cosmopod

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.

Aliyah VanPelt and Cliff Connolly sit down with longtime organizer Gene Bruskin to get his advice and hear stories from his time in the movement, including with US Labor Against the War.

The podcast discusses the challenges faced by North Korea's socialist agriculture, including trade conditions and arable land scarcity. It compares rural development in North Korea to capitalist countries, highlighting differences in child stunting rates and access to services. The episode also explores contrasting grain production levels in North and South Korea, and debates the effectiveness of socialist vs. capitalist means of rural development.

Amelia, Carlos and Rudy sit down to discuss the revolutionary period of Mexico in the decade of 1910. We talk about the Porfiriato period which led up to the revolution, the conjecture which led to the events of 1910, the three stages of the revolutionary wars, and the diverse factions acting in each stage. We discuss the relevant figures of the revolution, including Francisco Madero, Emilio Zapata, Pancho Villa, the Flores Magón brothers, as well as the ultimate victors in the Sonora clan. We also talk about the end point of the war, and why the state-building faction was able to consolidate rule over Mexico. A second episode will discuss the consolidation of the revolutionary regime in Mexico up to the 1940s. Bibliography: J. Cockroft - Mexico: Class Formation, Capital Accumulation, and the State A. Knight - The Mexican Revolution: A Very Short Introduction A. Knight - The Mexican Revolution, Volume 1: Porfirians, Liberals, and Peasants A. Knight - The Mexican Revolution, Volume 2: Counter-revolution and Reconstruction A. Gilly - The Mexican Revolution J. Reed - Insurgent Mexico

Rudy joins Raj Patel for a discussion on the global food system. We discuss how food serves as a powerful educational tool, the paradox of global hunger amidst food abundance and obesity, linking it to the systemic issues in food production and consumption. We discuss producers, vendors and how supermarkets dictate what is cultivated and sold. We also talk about Raj's work on the Long Green Revolution, challenging the conventional view of the Green Revolution as a historical event and presenting it as an ongoing process. We dissect the impact of the Green Revolution, its role in geopolitics, and the emergence of a new Green Revolution and increased financialization in agriculture. The discussion extends to the topic of food sovereignty and food security, and the socio-economic fault lines within the global food system. Lastly, we discuss Raj's recent co-authored book, Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Justice providing a brief overview of its content and relevance in the context of contemporary health and societal challenges.

Interpreting Stalin’s fledgling revolutionary career through his later status as a brutal labor dictator obscures an early whole-hearted admiration for the works of Kautsky and Lenin. By Lawrence Parker. Read By Luke Pickrell Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.