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Doug interviews Vanessa Lanteigne and Dr. Brendan Martin who had been fasting as a protest against Canada's purchase of new fighter jets.

Rabbi David Mivasair provides some background on the events of the NDP convention concerning a resolution calling for an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. [Resolution 4-10-20]. He also discusses the growing threat to public discussion posed by the IHRA, including in Hamilton, and why it needs to be opposed.

Brendan describes the upcoming event, "Genocide in Xinjiang? A Discovery Zoom Panel." You can learn more, here: http://hamiltoncoalitiontostopthewar.ca/2021/03/15/xinjiang-event/ [This promotion originally broadcast on March 17.]

Activist and scholar of East Asian affairs K J Noh discusses the U.S. encirclement of China as a continuation of the 'War on Terror,' and the attempts to maintain U.S. hegemony in the face of increased economic integration in Asia. Noh examines the views and decisions of U.S. policy-makers concerning China, and how things unfolded into the aggressive attempt to 'contain' China. The U.S. desire to...

Syria sanctions are intended to prevent its recovery | with Stephen Gowans: Although the Syrian government has succeeded in regaining much of its territory in opposition to a foreign-backed regime-change campaign, it faces a sustained campaign of crippling U.S. sanctions. Stephen Gowans points out that despite Syrian military successes against Contras and terrorists, the U.S. is determined to prev...

On August 31st, the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War hosted a meet-and-greet via Zoom with Dimitri Lascaris. Lascaris, a journalist, lawyer, and activist, is currently running for the leadership of Canada's Green Party. Lascaris gave a 15-minute presentation about his values and goals, and was able to take many questions from interested participants. The full video, from which this recording is...

One day before the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Doug interviews Tamara Lorincz of Voice of Women for Peace on this tragic event and the need for Canada to sign the Treaty for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. Canadian Hiroshima survivor Setsuku Thurlow, was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for her work on this Treaty. Sadly, our Prime Minister would not meet with he...

Aidan Jonah discusses his article in The Canada Files about the declining ability of Joshua Wong's Hong Kong political party to co-ordinate with foreign funders and planners under China's new legislation. Jonah argues that China is preventing a second Anglo colonization of China/HK by enacting new laws, and provides historical and contemporary context. Ultimately, many countries in the Global Sout...

Rick Sterling discusses his recent article about the 'Caesar sanctions.' In June, the U.S. introduced the "Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act," which is an intensification of sanctions against the beleaguered country. Sterling dismantles the sanctions and their justification: the original report was a propaganda exercise, and this will only intensify the burdens of Syrian civilians.

Dr. Tim Anderson's new book is as much about Empire as it is about Resistance. "The Axis of Resistance" details how U.S.-led imperialism uses sanctions, "humanitarian intervention" and juvenile propaganda in order to undermine the rights and protections of Global South states. It's also, naturally, a treatment of the elements that constitute resistance to U.S. power in West Asia (the "Middle East"...

Canada is not an innocent actor in Iran. In fact, it has been running a low-level war against independent Iranian governments for decades. Yves Engler describes Canada's support for U.S. policies of sanctions, theft, and military confrontation with Iran, and overall bad dealing. Despite their rhetorical opposition to Trump, Canada's Liberal government and commentariat largely fall in line with 'th...

On Remembrance Day, Black Alliance for Peace National Organizer Ajamu Baraka spoke in Hamilton on the subject of ending US/EU/NATO wars. Baraka, the 2016 Vice-Presidential Candidate for the Green Party, is presently touring Eastern Canada. The winner of awards for peace and journalism, Ajamu Baraka has been called "an inspiring voice against militarism."

Stephen Gowans describes how Israel was first created as an extension of 19th-century European colonialism, and functions today as a means of power projection for the United States. The U.S. seeks to dominate the Arab world, and Israel has demonstrated its value in weakening Arab forces that seek self-determination. Gowans traces the history, from the early marriage between the racist and pessimis...

Doug speaks with Hamilton-area activists David Rennie and Ken Stone, who formed part of the resistance to Justin Trudeau on Labour Day. The Prime Minister decided to crash the Labour Day parade and use it for election photo-ops, even though the Labour Council made clear that he was not welcome. Thanks to anti-war activists, indigenous justice advocates, and union members, Trudeau was chased uncere...

Canadian labour leader Sid Ryan discusses his new book, part autobiography, and part prescription for social movements and Labour. Sid recounts his early life, and how it developed his capacity to resist inequality and oppression. These lessons would serve him well as President of CUPE and the OFL. Fraught by divisions in Labour and the lack of synergy with the NDP, Sid calls for a social vision o...

Libby Davies recounts a particularly turbulent time in her career as an MP, in which a 'media' ambush turned her support for Palestine into a political football. Davies is presenting her revealing memoir "Outside In," about her personal life and political career, on Sunday June 9. Davies' book is an example of the challenges and struggles faced by trailblazing activists, and the attempts to improv...

Brendan interviews author and editor Ted Schmidt about his partly-autobiographical account of his emergence into supporting the Palestinian struggle, a daunting feat for a Catholic friend of Toronto's Jewish community. Schmidt's book is also a readable history of European anti-Semitism, the pressures that led to Zionism, and resistance to it within Judaism. There is a postcolonial dimension, in th...

Brendan and Rabbi Lucia Pizarro talk about various events in the community concerned with Palestine and liberation theology, including the Hamilton Palestine Film Festival, the upcoming book launch with Ted Schmidt, and the famous "Liberation Seders" that are organized by JELITHIN.

Yves Engler discusses his two most recent articles, about the SNC Lavalin scandal, and Canada's interference in Venezuela. It is possible to discuss the two issues together, because they are linked by a common denominator: the Canadian government operates on behalf of the Canadian business class. It protects corrupt corporations, and destabilizes foreign governments that practice resource national...

Brendan interviews Rabbi David Mivasair about recent developments in the campaign by Independent Jewish Voices and other concerned parties to end the tax exempt status for the "Jewish National Fund." The JNF is an Israeli tool for the dispossession of Palestinians. It has been used to erase Palestinian settlements, in one case replacing villages with "Canada Park." Use of occupied land for one eth...

Ft. Prof. Max Forte Syria has become a canvas upon which outsiders can project their fantasies. There has been a failure to adopt a truly 'decolonial' view that respects Syria's sovereignty and self-determination. If there is no resistance to "Team America's" neo-liberal world that reshapes borders as if they are clay, then there will be more Syrias and more refugee crises.

Brendan speaks with Corey Balsam and Geneviève Nevin, who are organizing the Independent Jewish Voices 10th Anniversary Conference. We discuss the role and direction of IJV, creating an alternative for Jewish youth, and efforts to enhance solidarity with the Palestinian people, through such means as encouraging political parties to support BDS, in Canada.

Yves Engler describes his important new book about how the Canadian 'left' fails to oppose Canada's militarism and imperialism. Yves investigates the NDP, unions, think tanks, and public intellectuals, and finds a leadership that largely follows the ideas and aims of the powerful. 'Left' politicos present a feel-good vision of Empire, where Canada is an 'aid superpower' and peacemaker that should...

Stephen Gowans recently launched his brand new book, "Patriots, Traitors and Empires: The Story of Korea's Struggle for Freedom." Following the Hamilton book launch, Unusual Sources recorded a special in-studio interview with Gowans. In the exclusive interview, Gowans discusses key aspects of the book, some of which were not featured heavily during the book tour.

Hamilton is no stranger to the "Liberation Seder," a new way of performing the Passover ritual in solidarity with groups that are oppressed, particularly the Palestinians. Israel's occupation of Palestine, and the ideologies that justify it, no longer resonate with a growing section of the Jewish and general communities. Equality, and the rights of nations to self-determination, are concepts incre...