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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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Against the Stream

Assad regime falls, the Kurds under attack, Zelensky hated in Ukraine, and CEO assassination reveals class hatred

Once again, this week has been defined by sharp turns in world politics. In Syria, the Assad regime collapsed after a sudden offensive by Islamist groups, taking the whole world by surprise. In the US, the assassination of a US healthcare CEO was met with an enormous outpouring of sympathy for the killer, in a clear expression of the simmering class rage beneath the surface. In Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly clear that Zelensky – darling of the West – is becoming hated by the population.

It would be understandable, however, if the bourgeois media’s reporting on these events have left you confused. In Syria, the media has branded the Al-Qaeda group placed in power by the collapse as ‘rebels’, and the US and UK are even debating removing them from their terrorist list. In Ukraine, they have been propagandising about this war as one of freedom and self determination, and not a proxy war between NATO and Russia. And – if you only read the mainstream papers – you would be under the impression that the death of this CEO was an unmitigated tragedy, and not the just deserts of someone who has profited off the death of thousands of sick, vulnerable people.

At Against the Stream, we intend to cut through the fog of the liberal media and explain what is really going on. Furthermore, these developments raise a whole number of questions: for example, what does the fall of the Assad regime mean for the Middle East? What does it mean for the Kurds? How will the Ukraine war end? And where is America going? 

To answer those questions, Hamid Alizadeh and Fred Weston from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met 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.

Articles discussed in this episode:

Assad falls, Islamists take over Syria – https://marxist.com/assad-falls-islamists-take-over-syria.htm

The deepening unpopularity of Zelensky – https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-deepening-unpopularity-of-zelensky/

Why the assassination of Brian Thompson ignited American politics – https://www.newstatesman.com/world/americas/north-america/us/2024/12/why-the-assassination-of-brian-thompson-ignited-american-politics

Class hatred and the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO – https://marxist.com/class-hatred-and-the-assassination-of-unitedhealthcare-s-ceo.htm

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Against the Stream

French government falls, Syrian Civil war reignites, Biden pardons corrupt son, and Korean President gambles on martial law

This week has been full of sharp and sudden turns. The Syrian civil war has suddenly reignited due to the shock advance of a Turkey-backed rebel group. The French president was forced to resign after trying to force through an austerity budget. Joe Biden has used his last few weeks in power to pardon his corrupt son. And, to top things off, the president of South Korea declared martial law, only to be quickly defeated by opposition from the whole of parliament and mass mobilisations. 


Everywhere we see increasing instability, war and political turmoil. All of these are symptoms of the profound economic and social crisis, a product of the complete impasse of the capitalist system.

Such developments can be incredibly disorienting. So in order to break them down, link them together, and draw out the general processes driving them forwards, Hamid and Jorge from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International sat down for another episode of Against the Stream.

If you’re hungry for more communist analysis of an increasingly unstable world situation, tune in to Against the Stream every week on Thursday at 3pm GMT.

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Against the Stream

Biden escalates Ukraine war, Trump vs the ‘deep state’, and the death of the American dream

In this episode of Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Niklas Albin Svensson, from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International, discussed the reckless escalation of the Ukraine war by Biden, Trump’s controversial picks for his administration, and the death of the American Dream.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind in world politics. As the hosts of Against the Stream have discussed, the German government has collapsed, the Spanish monarch has been pelted with mud, Trump has returned to power, and Biden has now escalated the Ukraine war by permitting the Ukrainians to strike into Russia with American long-range missiles.

In order to penetrate the fog created by the hysterical media and liberal establishment, Hamid and Niklas focused on the incoming Trump presidency and its implications for world imperialism relations.

As we have discussed in previous weeks, Trump’s victory was based on his demagogic appeal to the working class, as well as his promise to pull the US out of the costly war in Ukraine. Now, months away from power, he has started to appoint a coterie of loyalists, all set on purging the state of any opposition to Trump’s programme of tariffs and deportations.

In the meantime, Biden has tried to undermine his arch nemesis Trump by enabling Ukraine to strike into Russia with American missiles, to which Russia has responded with the launch of an ICBM.

All this chaos, on the backdrop of the crisis of the world economy will usher in mighty class struggles which will shake American imperialism to its foundations. 

We’ll be back next week for a special episode on the world economy. As per usual, we’ll be streaming live to YouTube from 3pm GMT.

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Against the Stream

The implications of Trump’s victory, the Ukraine war, and protests in Spain

This week on Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martin from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International sat down once again to discuss the implications of Trump’s victory on the class struggle in America, the Ukraine war, and the floods in Valencia, Spain, which have led to protests of hundreds of thousands of people against the regime.

Every week, members of the International secretariat pick a number of flashpoints in current affairs to discuss, using articles from the billionaire press as a starting point.

Contrary to the liberals, who respond to these events with hysteria and confusion, we, as Marxists, seek to explain and understand what is going on beneath the surface, and what is driving these events forward.

Tune in to Against the Stream every Thursday at 3pm (GMT). New episodes are streamed live to YouTube. We’d love to hear your feedback along with any articles or questions you want discussed on the podcast.

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Rage against the ruling class in Spain, Trump and the class struggle in the US, and the German government collapses!

Closely following our special episode with Alan Woods covering Trump’s victory in the US election, Against the Stream went live again this week for another discussion. This time, Hamid Alizadeh and Fred Weston from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met to talk about the devastating floods in Spain and the resulting  rage of the masses against the ruling class, the abrupt collapse of the German government, and more on the implications of Trump’s victory.

Read the articles discussed by Hamid and Fred here:

Trump victory: a kick in the teeth for the establishment / https://marxist.com/trump-victory-2024.htm

How Trump Won the Economy-Is-Everything Election / https://www.wsj.com/economy/economy-election-trump-voters-c4c2e9a3

Germany’s coalition government falls apart — how it happened / https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-coalition-government-falls-apart-how-it-happened/a-70717066

Spain: monarchs pelted with mud as rage over avoidable deaths boils over in Valencia / https://marxist.com/spain-monarchs-pelted-with-mud-as-rage-over-avoidable-deaths-boils-over-in-valencia.htm

Feijóo and Sánchez take note of the social discontent and order to “calm down” the public battle / https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2024-11-05/feijoo-y-sanchez-toman-nota-hartazgo-social-ordenan-serenar-combate-publico_3997241/

The king surrounds himself with employers and unions with the message of avoiding the political battle after the altercation in Paiporta / https://www.eldiario.es/economia/rey-rodea-patronal-sindicatos-mensaje-evitar-batalla-politica-altercado-paiporta_1_11797536.html

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Trump’s victory: What does it mean? – A communist analysis with Alan Woods

This week, Against the Stream podcast went live for a very special episode. Now that the results of the US election have come in, Hamid Alizadeh and Alan Woods from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) sat down to discuss the implications of Trump’s victory and what it means to communists. Alan is the editor of marxist.com, the author of numerous books on Marxist theory and the lead theoretician of the RCI.

This year’s election has been one of the most turbulent in US history. It comes amidst rising class contradictions and great instability on the world stage.

Never before has American bourgeois democracy been so discredited, and never has it been so confronted with so many challenges to its position as the world imperialist power. Trump’s victory – against the hysterical attacks of the liberal establishment and media – will mark a milestone in the US’s tumble towards further crisis and instability.

A Marxist analysis of this election, and its implications on the already fragile world situation, is of huge importance to communists.

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Spanish floods, war in the Middle East, and the US elections

This week, Jorge and Hamid sat down to discuss three flashpoints in the world crisis of capitalism: the floods that are devastating Spain, the spiralling conflict in the Middle East, and the impending US election.

In each episode of our new podcast Against the Stream, members of the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International meet to talk about the most pressing events in the world today. With the help of a few articles selected from the capitalist press, they reveal the interests and processes guiding these developments which the mainstream media won’t talk about.

This week, Jorge and Hamid look at the current flooding in Spain, a symptom of climate catastrophe made dramatically worse by the short sighted, profit driven policy of the government; the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and Israel’s missile strikes on Iran, which for the first time put Iran and Israel in open, direct conflict; and the American election, the discrediting of the mainstream media, and the economic crisis in the USA which is driving deep polarisation.

This episode was streamed live to YouTube, and you can catch new episodes of Against the Stream weekly at 3pm (GMT). We’d love to hear your feedback along with any articles or questions you want discussed on the podcast.

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