Rev Left Radio

With this episode of Guerrilla History, were continuing our series on African Revolutions and Decolonization with an outstanding case study on the Congo, looking at the process of colonization, how decolonization unfolded, Lumumba's short time as Prime Minister, and the transition to the Mobutu regime.  We really could not ask for a much better guest than Prof. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, who not on...

With this episode of Guerrilla History, we launch into Pan-Africanism as a great additional starting point to our series on African Revolutions and Decolonization .  We bring on two marvelous guests, Prof. Layla Brown and Jacquie Luqman, to discuss the history, theoretical currents, and modern expressions of Pan-Africanism.  This is a 2+ hour masterclass, you certainly won't want to miss a moment...

In this episode, Alyson and Breht welcome Brendan back on the show for the first time in a few years. Together, we dive deep into Leon Trotsky's Fascism: What It Is and How to Fight It , a sharp and urgent intervention written in the shadow of the Nazi rise to power. We unpack Trotsky's class analysis of fascism, the role of the petite bourgeoisie, his searing critiques of both sectarian isolation...

In this episode Breht sits down with Brian Becker, a longtime socialist organizer and leading member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), to break down the current political and economic crisis in the United States and the urgent need for revolutionary organization. As Trump-aligned forces consolidate power, billionaires tighten their grip over the state, and the feckless Democratic Pa...

(There was a small audio issue at the end of this episode, we fixed it and are re-releasing it) Breht goes on the Pokepreet Podcast as a guest to have a fun and fiery conversation about his ideological development, why the United States is so hostile to socialism even relative to other hyper-capitalist countries, the current grotesque state of global capitalism-imperialism, and much more! "In this...

Todd McGowan joins the show once again, this time to discuss his newest book "Pure Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity". Together, he and Breht discuss commodity fetishism, the tensions between Marxism and psychoanalysis, what a critique of the subjective aspects of capitalism offers anti-capitalist politics, the "superstructural malaise" of late capitalism, Desire and Lack, capitalism's death dr...

Breht listens to, reflects on, and critically engages with a public lecture by the late philosopher Michael Sugrue titled Marcus Aurelius' Meditations: The Stoic Ideal . He discusses the philosophy of Stoicism, its insights as well as its limitations, its commodification and bastardization under late capitalism, the dialectical inversion of the philosophy of a Roman Emperor for proletarian revolut...

Dawson Hicks from Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty joins Breht to discuss the organization, its founding by prisoners, its strategies and vision, the Alabama carceral system, the use of nitrogen hypoxia as the newest method of murdering inmates, the benefits of rehabilitation over punishment and slaughter, the utter moral depravity and intellectual mediocrity of U.S. politicians deciding...

In this episode of the brand new Adnan Husain Show , Professor Adnan Husain is joined by two outstanding scholars and thinkers, Drs. Peter Beattie and Karim Bettache of BettBeatMedia ( ‪@BettBeat_Media‬ ) .They discuss a number of interrelated topics including: the current geopolitical order, China's role in it, BRICS and political economy, anti-imperialist politics in the Trump era, the media, as...

Dr. Rory Dickson  is a professor of Islamic Religion and Culture and author of several publications on Sufism, the mystical path within Islam. He joins Breht to have an incredibly deep conversation about the Sufi poet Rumi, his life and work, Rumi's relationship to his teacher Shams of Tabriz, the concepts of fana  (annihilation of the self) and baqa (subsistence in God), the spiritual practices o...

Willy Massay returns to the show to discuss his recent (second) trip to Gaza as a medical volunteer. He got back two weeks ago and stayed for over a month. He discusses his heart-wrenching experiences, the wintry conditions and terrible air quality in Gaza and how both are impacting the health of every single Palestinian on the ground. He also discusses the ceasefire, the spirit of the Palestinian...

Breht discusses American Capitalism's Death Drive Accelerationism, how the only path that's left for capitalism is to return us to fuedalism "at a higher level", how dialactics plays out in this context, and why the purposeful cultivation of inner silence and stillness and love is more important than ever.  outro music: 'Breathe' by Alexi Murdoch Support Rev Left and get bonus episodes on Patreon...

This is an unlocked patreon episode. To get bonus episodes like this every month, and access to our back catalogue of hundreds of bonus eps like this one, support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/revleftradio In this patreon exclusive, Breht discusses the second Trump administration, mass deportations, the crescendo of neoliberalism, the US Oligarchy, the implications and possible trajectories...

Professor of philosophy Colin Bodayle joins Breht to dive into the profound, unique, and almost mystical philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. Together, they discuss the value of philosophy for all of us, Spinoza as a "philosopher's philosopher", his life and death in 17th century western Europe, his complex geometrical structure of writing, God as Nature as Substance, his forward thinking politics, Athei...

Breht listens to, reflects on, and critically engages with a public lecture by the late philosopher  Michael Sugrue entitled "Nietzsche and the Death of God" . He discusses the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, the politics of modern day Nietzscheans, the death of god and consumer capitalism as a form a nihilism, the ongoing nature of human civilizational and spiritual evolution, the biography of...

Breht is a guest on Left of the Projector  (along with Amanda Joy Moon). Together, with the host Evan, the three discuss Soviet Filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's film "Mirror" from 1975. This is our fourth episode focusing on the films of Tarkovsky. You can find all our other episodes on Tarkovsky's films HERE Left of the Projector: Subscribe:  https://leftoftheprojector.com ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠:  https://bo...

Alyson - a lifelong and current resident of Los Angeles - and Breht discuss the wildfires ravaging L.A. Together they discuss the acute and structural causes of the fires, the role played by Climate Change, the reactionary propaganda surrounding the fires, the class dynamics at play, the self-serving careerist motivations of bourgeois politicans, the organized grassroots community response on the...

Thuraya, Angie , Mohammad, and Edward join Breht to discuss recent events in Syria. Together they discuss what happened, Syria under the Assad government, the hope and concerns of the the Syrian people,  the role Syria plays in the axis of resistance, Syria's connections to Palestine, current conditions in Gaza, Israel's ongoing genocide and its actions in Syria, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and th...

It's time for our annual Revolutionary Guerrilla Menace episode, where we crossover with Rev Left and the Red Menace in order to review the past year in world events and look forward to what we think will be coming in the next year. Breht, Alyson, Adnan, and Henry discuss Palestine, BRICS, the Alliance of Sahel States, global capitalism, and much more, so be sure to tune in and share widely! This...

Alyson and Breht were invited to join Robbie on the Upstream podcast to talk about Lenin's "Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism".  Capitalism, imperialism, monopoly—far from being separate concepts that just happen to take shape parallel to one another or to overlap from time to time, these terms all really refer to the exact same overall process. We call it capitalism because it's not al...

Torkil Lauesen joins Breht to discuss his newest book " The Long Transition Towards Socialism and the End of Capitalism ".  Together they discuss the book, why capitalism is ripe for replacement, the importance of historical and dialectical materialism, the history of socialist movements and revolutions, each revolutions unique contributions to the historical process of socialism, the core and per...

Alyson and Breht finally dive into the German Revolution of 1918! Together they discuss this rather ambigious revolution, give a detailed overview of events, and reflect on what lessons we can learn from it. From the toppling of the Kaiser, to the brutal fight between social democrats and communists (including the horrible murders of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht), to the rise of the Freikorp...

Breht gently and lovingly gives his unique and nuanced perspective on the murder of the CEO of Healthcare United.  Outro Song: To Cause Your Own Death by Mon Rovia Support Rev Left Radio and get access to more episodes like this here: Patreon.com/RevLeftRadio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio  

Inea, Noah, and Jack from Climate Vanguard join Breht to discuss their organization, the role of youth in the struggle for a livable future, the various ecological crises facing us, eco-leninism and the importance of the Party in eco-socialist struggle, practical revolutionary political strategy, the essential role of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism, degrowth, climate change, the interrelate...

Breht listens to, reflects on, and critically engages with a public lecture by the late philosopher Michael Sugrue entititled "Marx on Alienation and Ideology" . Professor Sugrue passed away recently, and Breht has always found his free, public lectures on philosophy to be helpful and really well done. In the spirit of free and open access to education, Breht offers his knowledge of Marxist philos...