Month: January 2025

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Against the Stream

Is Trump a fascist? Where is America going?

This week’s episode of Against the Stream was recorded just days after Trump was inaugurated as US president. For some, this represents the triumph of fascism, a fear that was stoked by Elon Musk’s Nazi salute at the inauguration ceremony.

However, as Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International explain, this is not the case. The victory of fascism would signify the total destruction of the labour movement, which would only be possible on the basis of a massive defeat of the working class. But the American working class has yet to enter the scene.

Nonetheless, Trump’s election represents a historic turn for US imperialism which will have dramatic consequences on the whole world situation. Already, he’s threatened to annex Greenland, Panama and Canada, and, before taking office, forced Netanyahu to arrange a ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza, though one which does not by any means represent an end to the barbaric oppression of the Palestinian people.

With tariffs, trade wars and imperialist wars on the horizon, the next four years with Trump in the saddle of the strongest Imperialist power on earth are set to be explosive.

[Unfortunately the audio in today’s recording was distorted by our streaming software. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We are working on building a proper set-up for our studio and we are upgrading our equipment every week. However, as you can hear we still have a little way to go to ensure a top quality stream in a consistent manner. Rest assured that we are working on it and expect to fix it soon. In the meantime we appeal to your patience 😊]

Articles discussed in this episode:

Hamas Takes Charge in Gaza After 15 Months of War – New York Times

Biden worked ‘tirelessly around the clock’ — to prevent a ceasefire – Responsible Statecraft

Trump Team, Beware: Netanyahu Is Lying and Trying to Sabotage the Gaza Cease-fire Deal – Haaretz

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Against the Stream

‘America First’ – What does it mean? What next for Gaza? and El País’ liberal hypocrisy

With just days until Trump returns to power, Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met for another episode of Against the Stream to break down the news of the world from a Marxist perspective.

This episode, they discussed the recent announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza. With Biden, Starmer and the Arab regimes celebrating this as a victory, the hosts of Against the Stream looked at the real terms of the deal, which, as they discuss, is a cynical, imperialist peace. In fact, the same deal has been on the table since May 2024, when it was opposed by the US and the UK. In the meantime, Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland and tens of thousands of Palestinians have been murdered.

They also discussed Trump’s ‘America First’ policy, which has big implications for US imperialism and its relationship to its friends and foes. Trump’s bombastic announcements – most notably that he would seek to negotiate with Putin to end the Ukraine war and that the US would annex Greenland, Panama, and Canada – represent a shift in the attitude of US imperialism, which has dispensed with any cover for its rapacious, imperialist policy; has begun to acknowledge that it can’t rule the whole world at the same time; and is looking to divide the world up into spheres of influence. Most of all, this has huge implications on the US’ relationship with Europe, which, in spite of its alliance, is finding itself increasingly sidelined and undermined.

Finally, they discussed an editorial in El País which decries Elon Musk’s recent intervention in European politics. El País, a billionaire-owned media outlet, which has repeatedly intervened in politics, criticises Musk’s X… a billionaire-owned social media outlet, which has been used to intervene in politics. In fact, El País goes as far as to defend the recent cancellation of elections in Romania… in defence of democracy!

Against the Stream is live on YouTube every Thursday at 3pm GMT. You can also listen to it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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Articles discussed in this episode:
The devastating impact of 15 months of war on Gaza
Hamas Has Another Sinwar. And He’s Rebuilding
Will Trump pull America back from the world
“Democracy itself is at risk” – El País’ hypocrisy exposed
Car industry closures reveal depth of European crisis
The edge of anarchy

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Against the Stream

Trump, Biden and the crisis of the American regime

With just two weeks before Trump re-enters the White House, the outgoing Democrats are doing everything they can to undermine the next president. In Ukraine in particular, where they fear a drastic change of course in the policy of US imperialism, they are funnelling in as much money as they can get away with, as well as escalating the war by allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with US bombs.

This conflict at the top of the world’s strongest imperialist power has huge consequences for the whole planet.

And this is not the only problem facing the capitalist system. On all continents, governments are falling like dominos, imperialist powers are coming into greater and greater conflict, and the world economy – riven by tariffs – is slowing down. Just days into the new year, 2025 is already proving to be yet another historic year in the crisis of the capitalist system and, as a result, full of crisis, war, and revolution.

To break all this down from a Marxist perspective, Alan Woods joined Against the Stream for a special episode.

This podcast was streamed live on YouTube. You can also listen to it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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 Articles discussed in this episode:

UK bills could rise – as Europe’s gas consumption falls by ‘unprecedented’ amount – Sky News

US ‘prepared Syrian rebel group to help topple Bashar al-Assad’ – The Telegraph

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Against the Stream

Imperialists circling Syria, the Kurdish struggle, and Germany in crisis

Defined by political crises all over the world, spiralling tensions between the imperialist powers, and revolutions in Bangladesh and Kenya, 2024 was an historic year in the crisis of the capitalist system. But now, with Trump days away from power, Ukraine headed unavoidably towards a humiliating and bloody defeat, and with no end in sight to the complete destabilisation of the Middle East, this new year looks to be even more explosive.

At the end of last year, the Assad regime in Syria collapsed. Since then the imperialist powers – including Turkey, the USA, and Israel, which has taken the opportunity to occupy even more of Syria – have tried to get in on the action. At the same time, the Kurdish enclave of Rojava has come under attack from Turkish backed forces, and Kurdish fighters are now being pressured by the ruling ‘rebel’ group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, to disarm.

Meanwhile, Germany is in a profound political crisis, as the governing coalition has collapsed, the establishment parties have been discredited, the economy is coming to a screeching halt, and the far-right AFD is on the rise. The same process can be seen all across the world, including in France, Britain, and the USA.

In order to explain these developments from a Marxist perspective and to lay out what 2025 has in store for us, Hamid Alizadeh and Fred Weston from the International Secretariat sat down for another episode of Against the Stream.

This podcast was streamed live on YouTube. Tune in every Thursday at 3pm GMT, or catch up on Spotify or Apple Music. 

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Articles discussed in this episode:

German elections: no matter who wins, war, crisis and austerity remain! – In Defence of Marxism

The Progressive Moment in Global Politics Is Over – The Wall Street Journal

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