Podcasts about breht

  • 39PODCASTS
  • 683EPISODES
  • 1h 35mAVG DURATION
  • 5WEEKLY NEW EPISODES
  • Jul 24, 2026LATEST

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Best podcasts about breht

Latest podcast episodes about breht

Red Menace
Substance, Spirit, Struggle: From Spinoza through Hegel to Marx (and Beyond)

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2026 82:40


In this unlocked patreon episode Breht traces and explains a subterranean philosophical lineage running from Spinoza through Hegel to Marx and Louis Althusser. Beginning with Spinoza's conception of God or Nature as a single, immanent Substance, he explores how Hegel transforms Substance into a self-developing Subject, how Marx grounds the dialectic in material social life and class struggle, and how Althusser attempts to remove the final hidden Subject from Marxist theory. Along the way, he examines the concept of immanent critique, Kant's transcendental idealism, Hegel's master-slave dialectic, Marx's materialist transformation of idealism, and Althusser's concepts of overdetermination, interpellation, theoretical anti-humanism, and history as a "process without a Subject." What emerges is an ongoing struggle over immanence, contradiction, human agency, and whether history possesses either a sovereign author or a guaranteed destination. Listen to these related episodes to learn more: Economics and Philosophical manuscripts of 1844 Louis Althusser: Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses The Nature of All Things: Spinoza's Philosophical Odyssey Intro to German Idealism: Kant, Fichte, Schelling, & Hegel Hegelian Dialectics: Contradiction, Marxism, & the Freudian Unconscious   Check out our new merch designs and support the show HERE Learn more here: https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Substance, Spirit, Struggle: From Spinoza through Hegel to Marx (and Beyond)

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2026 82:40


In this unlocked patreon episode Breht traces and explains a subterranean philosophical lineage running from Spinoza through Hegel to Marx and Louis Althusser. Beginning with Spinoza's conception of God or Nature as a single, immanent Substance, he explores how Hegel transforms Substance into a self-developing Subject, how Marx grounds the dialectic in material social life and class struggle, and how Althusser attempts to remove the final hidden Subject from Marxist theory. Along the way, he examines the concept of immanent critique, Kant's transcendental idealism, Hegel's master-slave dialectic, Marx's materialist transformation of idealism, and Althusser's concepts of overdetermination, interpellation, theoretical anti-humanism, and history as a "process without a Subject." What emerges is an ongoing struggle over immanence, contradiction, human agency, and whether history possesses either a sovereign author or a guaranteed destination. Listen to these related episodes to learn more: Economics and Philosophical manuscripts of 1844 Louis Althusser: Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses The Nature of All Things: Spinoza's Philosophical Odyssey Intro to German Idealism: Kant, Fichte, Schelling, & Hegel Hegelian Dialectics: Contradiction, Marxism, & the Freudian Unconscious   Check out our new merch designs and support the show HERE Learn more here: https://revleftradio.com/  

Revolutionary Left Radio
From Theory to Praxis: Lenin's Revolutionary Formula w/ Breht O'Shea

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 106:03


"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need." Steve's guest, Breht O'Shea of Rev Left Radio and Red Menace podcast, believes that dedicating one's life to fighting for this vision, even without knowing the outcome, is more meaningful than pursuing capital's vision of wealth and status. Steve invited Breht to help tackle one of the most misunderstood and weaponized texts in Marxist theory: Vladimir Lenin's Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder, a book sometimes misused as a cudgel to pressure leftists into voting for the Democratic Party. To set the record straight, Breht places the 1920 pamphlet in its proper historical context. It was written after the successful Bolshevik Revolution to advise European socialist movements on how to avoid fatal mistakes. Together, Breht and Steve break down Lenin's dual critique: the ultra-left "infantile" error of purity-spiraled sectarianism, and the right-wing "opportunist" error of liquidating the revolutionary movement into bourgeois liberal politics. Lenin's strategic genius lies in maintaining firm revolutionary principles while remaining tactically flexible. The discussion extends beyond the text to cover the necessity of organization and discipline (democratic centralism), the constant threat of counter-revolution, the failure of social democracy, and how fascism functions as capitalism's immune response to left-wing threats. Breht O'Shea is the host of Rev Left Radio, the co-host of the Red Menace podcast, and author of the upcoming book "Letters to a Young Revolutionary" published by Iskra Books.  Check out Real Progressives website HERE Check out Macro n' Cheese podcast HERE Subscribe to their Substack HERE Sub to their YouTube page HERE

Revolutionary Left Radio
Practical Dialectics: The Dialectics of Everyday Life

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2026 126:42


Chris Alfonso joins Breht to have a wide ranging discussion on the dialectics of our personal and political lives. In the process, they discuss Marxist philosophy, Dialectial materialism, the mass line and its development, Chris's oragnizing and education work in prisons, the profound radicalism of Buddhism, Hegelian Freedom and its unfolding through history, thoughts on pedogogy and organizing, how we can contribute to and participate in human evolution, the importance of putting love and compassion at the center of our lives and work, responding to egoism in ourselves and others, ego/insecurity vs. confidence/humility, and so much more!   Follow Chris and his work on IG HERE No Casino in Queens HERE No Brooklyn Jail HERE ------------- Buy tickets to the Socialism Conference HERE Learn more and support the show at https://revleftradio.com/ Check out Unlearning Capitalism for more political educational resources

Red Menace
Democratic Socialist Electoral Victories and the Implications for American Politics

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2026 78:49


Alyson and Breht reflect on recent Democratic Socialist electoral victories, the ongoing contradiction between the progressive left and the corporate center within the Democratic Party, the principled and strategic approach to this development that Marxists should take, the implications for the near future of american politics, what it all means for the broader socialist left in this country, proletarian internationalism, the anti-imperialist red line, and much more.    Learn more and support the show at https://revleftradio.com/ Check out Unlearning Capitalism for more political educational resources

Revolutionary Left Radio
Democratic Socialist Electoral Victories and the Implications for American Politics

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2026 78:49


Alyson and Breht reflect on recent Democratic Socialist electoral victories, the ongoing contradiction between the progressive left and the corporate center within the Democratic Party, the principled and strategic approach to this development that Marxists should take, the implications for the near future of american politics, what it all means for the broader socialist left in this country, proletarian internationalism, the anti-imperialist red line, and much more.    Learn more and support the show at https://revleftradio.com/ Check out Unlearning Capitalism for more political educational resources  

Macro n Cheese
Ep 388 - From Theory to Praxis: Lenin's Revolutionary Formula with Breht O'Shea

Macro n Cheese

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2026 106:03 Transcription Available


**We're listening to and discussing this episode on Tuesday, July 14 at 8pm ET/5pm PT, in our online gathering Macro ‘n Chill. We've invited Breht to join us, so bring your questions. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/PXkazv5WTWW7b7kMExA8uw"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need." Steve's guest, Breht O'Shea of Rev Left Radio and Red Menace podcast, believes that dedicating one's life to fighting for this vision, even without knowing the outcome, is more meaningful than pursuing capital's vision of wealth and status.Steve invited Breht to help tackle one of the most misunderstood and weaponized texts in Marxist theory: Vladimir Lenin's Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder, a book sometimes misused as a cudgel to pressure leftists into voting for the Democratic Party.To set the record straight, Breht places the 1920 pamphlet in its proper historical context. It was written after the successful Bolshevik Revolution to advise European socialist movements on how to avoid fatal mistakes.Together, Breht and Steve break down Lenin's dual critique: the ultra-left "infantile" error of purity-spiraled sectarianism, and the right-wing "opportunist" error of liquidating the revolutionary movement into bourgeois liberal politics. Lenin's strategic genius lies in maintaining firm revolutionary principles while remaining tactically flexible.The discussion extends beyond the text to cover the necessity of organization and discipline (democratic centralism), the constant threat of counter-revolution, the failure of social democracy, and how fascism functions as capitalism's immune response to left-wing threats.Breht O'Shea is the host of Rev Left Radio, the co-host of the Red Menace podcast, and author of the upcoming book “Letters to a Young Revolutionary” published by Iskra Books. Breht is also a longtime organizer in Omaha, Nebraska, a union electrician, and married father of three.

Revolutionary Left Radio
Expropriate the Rich: Billionaire Rule, Class War, and the Socialist Solution

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2026 79:25


Economist Rob Larson joins Breht to discuss his book Mastering the Universe: The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do With Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More. Together they explore the billionaire class not merely as a collection of rich individuals, but as a ruling class whose ownership of corporations, finance, media, housing, technology, and political access gives them extraordinary power over society. They discuss the staggering scale of wealth inequality, the grotesque lifestyles of the ultra-rich, the myths used to justify their rule, and the psychological and social damage that extreme inequality inflicts on everyone; rich and non-rich alike. They also examine how concentrated wealth makes genuine democracy impossible, why capitalism is structurally incapable of solving the major crises of the 21st century, and why taxing the rich is not enough. Finally, Rob makes the case for socialist expropriation: taking the productive wealth of the ruling class out of private hands and reorganizing society around democracy, human need, ecological sanity, and collective flourishing -- before advancing his positive vision of human civilization after capitalism.   Check out our other two episodes with Rob HERE Outro Music: "Rich People" by Carsie Blanton   ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our brand new merch here: https://rev-left-merch.myshopify.com Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Empire in the Stars: Science Fiction, Ideology, and Colonialist-Imperialist Realism (Feat. The Left Page)

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 90:17


In this episode, Breht goes on The Left Page podcast as a guest to explore the role that science fiction plays as part of the cultural superstructure of empire: a genre born in the shadow of British and American imperial power, shaped by colonial assumptions, and increasingly haunted by attempts to critique the very structures it once blindly reproduced. From early invasion fiction and dreams of space conquest to modern works like Dune, Blade Runner, The Expanse, and The Three-Body Problem, Leon, Frank and Breht examine how sci-fi imagines the future through the unresolved contradictions of the present: capitalism, colonialism, racial hierarchy, technological domination, corporate sovereignty, and imperial war. Along the way, they discuss the role of Rome in the Western political imaginary, especially for reactionaries and fascists; extend Mark Fisher's concept of capitalist realism into colonial and imperialist realism; and ask why science fiction can so easily imagine interstellar travel, artificial life, alien civilizations, and cosmic catastrophe, yet so often struggles to imagine a future beyond empire and capital.   Check out The Left Page podcast HERE 

Revolutionary Left Radio
Philosophy of Mind: Marxism, Materialism, and Dialectical Monism

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 123:46


In this episode, Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante join forces for a deep philosophical conversation on Marxism, consciousness, and the mind-body problem. Using China Miéville's essay on consciousness and materialism as a starting point, they explore why the nature of subjective experience remains such a profound challenge for crude or reductionist forms of materialism -- and why this question matters for Marxists. Alyson begins by carefully summarizing Miéville's original essay and its challenge to conventional Marxist materialism. From there, Breht lays out several major positions in the philosophy of mind, including dualism, physicalism, idealism, panpsychism, neutral monism, emergentism, eliminativism, and epiphenomenalism. Together, they then work through two responses to Miéville's essay, clarifying the arguments, tensions, and stakes of the debate. In the second half, Breht argues for a different approach: a dialectical monism informed by dependent origination. Rather than reducing consciousness to matter, escaping into idealism, or treating mind and matter as separate substances, this view understands reality as a single, dynamic, relational process in which consciousness, embodiment, nature, society, and practice arise interdependently. The conversation closes by bringing Buddhist philosophy and phenomenology into dialogue with Marxism, exploring emptiness, experience, nonduality, and the limits of conceptual thought. What emerges is not a rejection of materialism, but a call to deepen it -- beyond reductionism, beyond dualism, and toward a more dialectical understanding of consciousness & reality. Find Fluss and Frim's response (Their Materialism and Ours) to Mieville HERE Find Pineda's response (Naturalized Dialectics) to Mieville HERE ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Red Menace
Philosophy of Mind: Marxism, Materialism, and Dialectical Monism

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 123:46


In this episode, Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante join forces for a deep philosophical conversation on Marxism, consciousness, and the mind-body problem. Using China Miéville's essay on consciousness and materialism as a starting point, they explore why the nature of subjective experience remains such a profound challenge for crude or reductionist forms of materialism -- and why this question matters for Marxists. Alyson begins by carefully summarizing Miéville's original essay and its challenge to conventional Marxist materialism. From there, Breht lays out several major positions in the philosophy of mind, including dualism, physicalism, idealism, panpsychism, neutral monism, emergentism, eliminativism, and epiphenomenalism. Together, they then work through two responses to Miéville's essay, clarifying the arguments, tensions, and stakes of the debate. In the second half, Breht argues for a different approach: a dialectical monism informed by dependent origination. Rather than reducing consciousness to matter, escaping into idealism, or treating mind and matter as separate substances, this view understands reality as a single, dynamic, relational process in which consciousness, embodiment, nature, society, and practice arise interdependently. The conversation closes by bringing Buddhist philosophy and phenomenology into dialogue with Marxism, exploring emptiness, experience, nonduality, and the limits of conceptual thought. What emerges is not a rejection of materialism, but a call to deepen it -- beyond reductionism, beyond dualism, and toward a more dialectical understanding of consciousness & reality. Find Fluss and Frim's response (Their Materialism and Ours) to Mieville HERE Find Pineda's response (Naturalized Dialectics) to Mieville HERE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Understanding Sudan: Revolution, Civil War, and the Fight for the Future

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2026 119:49


In this episode, Breht sits down with Mohamed Khougali, author of Politically Unconscious: The Psychic Aftermath of the Sudanese Revolution (Iskra Books) for a sweeping and deeply illuminating conversation on Sudanese history, revolution, counterrevolution, and the current catastrophe unfolding in Sudan. Together, they discuss the 2018–19 Sudanese Revolution, how it erupted, what forces animated it, his direct participation in it, how it was contained, and what its aftermath reveals about the dynamics of counter-revolution and co-optation. Mohamed also walks us through the history of the revolutionary left in Sudan, from the period after independence through the rise and repression of the Sudanese Communist Party, and the weakened but still significant state of the Left today. Along the way, we touch on the civil war, Darfur, the RSF, the unfathomable human suffering and staggering acts of brutality taking place in Sudan, and why revolutionaries everywhere need a much deeper understanding of this country, its people, and its unfinished struggle for liberation. Politically Unconscious: The Psychic Aftermath of the Sudanese Revolution is Mohamed Khougali's reflection on what it means to organize and think after a revolution has been usurped. Written as both a participant in Sudan's 2018-19 uprising and a working psychotherapist, Khougali weaves together a history of the Sudanese Left, an account of the current war and the racialized financialization that informed the various factions, alongside the development of a new clinical modality he calls "praxis psychotherapy." Refusing the reductive binaries of international media coverage and the moral puritanism he sees paralyzing contemporary leftist thought, Khougali argues that Sudan cannot be understood apart from a longer "irrational revolution" linking Khartoum to Darfur, and Sudan to Palestine, through the same circuits of imperial accumulation and waste. At once political history and clinical experiment, Politically Unconscious is a work with lessons for comrades involved in the struggle; in Sudan, and far beyond. Check Out Mohamed's podcast Black Radicals HERE   Follow Black Radicals on Instagram HERE     Outro music: Lunch Break by spinitch ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Marxist Feminism and the Socialist Left

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2026 95:44


In this episode, Breht is joined by organizer, educator, and Marxist feminist scholar Comrade Gabi for a discussion on patriarchy, misogyny, and power within contemporary socialist and organizing spaces. Together they explore the relationship between capitalism and patriarchy, the contributions of Marxist feminism, the persistence of sexist attitudes and behaviors among those committed to liberation, the politics of the sex trade, and the challenges of building healthy cultures of accountability. Grounded in both theory and lived organizing experience, this conversation examines what it would take to cultivate a genuinely anti-patriarchal socialist movement capable of embodying the liberatory values it seeks to bring into the world. Check out more of Gabi's work here: https://medium.com/@comrade_gabi   ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH collab with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

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Revolutionary Left Radio
[UNLOCKED] Alyson and Breht Answer Your Questions

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2026 193:27


Breht and Alyson spend over three hours answering your questions on a wide range of topics! Subscribe to Rev Left Radio on YouTube to be notified about future livestreams like this one HERE   ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

unlocked rev left radio breht revleft
Revolutionary Left Radio
All Too Human: Dr. John Ukadike on his Experiences in Emergency Medicine

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2026 103:39


In this installment of our All Too Human interview series, Breht and Dave welcome Dr. John Ukadike, a physician and emergency medicine specialist, into the Shoeless Shed to have a fascinating conversation about his experiences as an ER doctor, his treatment of many patients who struggle with addiction in various forms, his personal relationship with religion and death, his understanding of and approach to general health, the challenges of informing family members that a loved one has passed away, his critiques of the for-profit American healthcare system, and so much more!  Check out John's articles on a wide range of topics here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=john+ukadike Follow John on IG HERE ------------------------------ Contact us, support us, follow us, or learn more about the show here: https://www.shoelessinsouthdakota.com Learn More about Rev Left Radio here: https://revleftradio.com/   Outro music: Millionth Time - Spinitch https://spinitch.bandcamp.com/album/run-for-the-arts-spinstrumentals  

Shoeless in South Dakota
All Too Human: Dr. John Ukadike on his Experiences in Emergency Medicine

Shoeless in South Dakota

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2026 103:39


In this installment of our All Too Human interview series, Breht and Dave welcome Dr. John Ukadike, a physician and emergency medicine specialist, into the Shoeless Shed to have a fascinating conversation about his experiences as an ER doctor, his treatment of many patients who struggle with addiction in various forms, his personal relationship with religion and death, his understanding of and approach to general health, the challenges of informing family members that a loved one has passed away, his critiques of the for-profit American healthcare system, and so much more!  Check out John's articles on a wide range of topics here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=john+ukadike Follow John on IG HERE   Contact us, support us, follow us, or learn more about the show here: https://www.shoelessinsouthdakota.com   Outro music: Millionth Time - Spinitch https://spinitch.bandcamp.com/album/run-for-the-arts-spinstrumentals

Revolutionary Left Radio
The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2026 61:19


Breht is joined by A.J.A. Woods, author of The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West. In this conversation, they explore the genealogy of the "Cultural Marxism" myth, the reactionary forces that shaped it, and the way it continues to animate right-wing attacks on liberation movements, critical thought, and social progress. Moving from the upheavals of the long 1960s through Lyndon LaRouche, the New Right, the Tea Party, and today's panics over "wokeness," CRT, and gender, Woods shows how "Cultural Marxism" functions less as a coherent theory than as a flexible ideological weapon: one that explains away popular struggles for equality and emancipation as elite manipulation, cultural subversion, and civilizational decay. The result is a rich historical and political analysis of one of the contemporary right's most influential myths, and of the broader culture-war terrain on which reaction, neoliberalism, and authoritarianism increasingly converge.   ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Red Menace
Alyson and Breht Answer Your Questions

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2026 193:27


Alyson and Breht spend three hours answering your questions about politics, theory, socialist stragey and much more! Watch the video version on Youtube HERE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/  

rev left radio breht
Revolutionary Left Radio
On Lebanon: Hezbollah, Faith, and the Struggle Against Zionism and Imperialism

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2026 107:37


Myriam Charabaty, a Lebanese political analyst and journalist, joins Breht for a wide-ranging discussion on Lebanon, the struggle against imperialism and Zionism, the nature of solidarity and resistance, and the rapidly shifting political landscape of West Asia. Drawing from both personal experience and political analysis, Myriam helps unpack the history, forces, and contradictions shaping the country while challenging many of the assumptions commonly found in Western media and political discourse. The conversation ranges from questions of sovereignty, faith, and national liberation to the human realities of war, occupation, and collective struggle. Along the way, Breht and Myriam explore the relationship between Christianity, Islam, and anti-imperialism, the criminal pager terrorist attack by Israel, what meaningful solidarity from those of us in the imperial core looks like, the role of Hezbollah in Lebanese society, the religious diversity within Lebanon, and the challenges facing those committed to self-determination and liberation in an era of deepening global crisis.   Follow Myriam and her work: X: https://x.com/miriam00961 Substack: https://substack.com/@myriamch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberationchronicles?igsh=c2NnenNscG5uZ3Zn   ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
UNLOCKED: Meister Eckhart, Christian Mysticism, and Buddhist Meditation

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2026 151:38


Breht listens, reacts, and elaborates on a lecture by the late professor Michael Sugrue on the religious philosophy of the famous German Christian Mystic and Theologian, Meister Eckhart. In the process Breht touches on a dizzying array of spiritual, existential and religious themes. This is a classic Rev Left "Spiritual" episode that doubles as a sort of weird Dharm Talk... capped off with a 15 minute guided meditation.   ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Nonviolence is Violence Too (Pt. 2): We're All In the Gunk

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2026 100:26


In this episode, Breht is joined by writer, intellectual, and poet Too Black to discuss his essay "Nonviolence is Violence, Too (Part 2)—We're All in the Gunk." Together, they critically examine the liberal mythology of "nonviolence" as a pure moral alternative to violence, arguing instead that all movements operate within conditions already structured by state, colonial, racial, and imperial violence. Drawing from the Black freedom struggle, Ghana's independence movement, Kwame Nkrumah, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the Black Panther Party, Gandhi, Indian independence, riots, armed resistance, and the "positive radical flank," Too Black shows how so-called nonviolent movements have often depended on the threat, presence, displacement, or redirection of violence in order to win concessions. Rather than offering a simplistic celebration of violence, this conversation asks us to think more honestly about power, confrontation, sacrifice, propaganda, state repression, and the real historical conditions under which oppressed people struggle to breathe beneath the boot. At its core, this is a discussion about what movements actually do, how victories are actually won, and why peace is not the absence of conflict, but something that must be fought for.   Listen to our previous discussion on Part 1 of Too Black's essay here: https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/nonviolence-is-violence-too-somebodys-gotta-die   Subscribe to Black Myths Podcast ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Iran Will Not Bend The Knee: National Cohesion, The Axis of Resistance, and Decolonizing West Asia

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2026 116:40


Historian David Yaghoubian joins Rev Left Radio to discuss the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the genocide in Gaza, the assault on Lebanon, and the broader imperial-Zionist project to dominate West Asia. Drawing from his 2014 monograph Ethnicity, Identity, and the Development of Nationalism in Iran, Yaghoubian explains why Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly misunderstood Iranian society, underestimated Iranian national cohesion, and fantasized that sanctions, bombing, covert operations, or minority pressure could fracture the country from within. Together, Breht and David explore Iran's history of resisting foreign domination, the reactionary nature of the Iranian diaspora in the United States, the ethno-religious complexity of Iranian society, Iranian national cohesion, the strategic significance of the Strait of Hormuz, the relationship between Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, and the ideological inversion through which the U.S. and Israel present themselves as defenders of "stability" while unleashing coups, sanctions, assassinations, occupations, and genocide across the region. They also discuss how anti-imperialists should defend Iran against U.S.-Zionist aggression without flattening Iranian society or denying its internal contradictions. This is a conversation about nationalism, sovereignty, resistance, and the failure of empire to understand the peoples it seeks to dominate. Dr. David N. Yaghoubian is Professor of Modern West Asian and Islamic History at California State University-San Bernardino and author of "Ethnicity, Identity, and the Development of Nationalism in Iran" (Syracuse, 2014) and co-editor of "Struggle and Survival in the Modern Middle East" (3rd edition forthcoming). ----------------------------------------- Check out a great new resource for revolutionary education, Unlearning Capitalism: https://unlearn.capital/ Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio   Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Cuba After Castro

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2026 80:08


In this episode, Breht sits down with filmmakers and journalists Abby Martin and Matthew Belen from BreakThrough News to discuss their new documentary Cuba After Castro — an unprecedented and historic film featuring the first major interview Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has ever given to American journalists. At a moment when Cuba faces intensifying economic warfare, sanctions, destabilization efforts, and renewed aggression from the Trump administration, the film offers a rare look inside contemporary Cuban society beyond the lies, distortions, and Cold War mythology of U.S. corporate media. Together, they explore the realities of post-Castro Cuba, the enduring legacy of the Cuban Revolution, the devastating day-to-day effects of the U.S. blockade, the 2021 protests and media disinformation campaigns surrounding them, and the broader struggle for sovereignty against the most powerful empire on Earth. They also discuss why mainstream outlets refused to platform the film, what Abby and Matt observed while speaking with ordinary Cubans on the ground, and what Cuba's extraordinary endurance under more than six decades of siege can teach the international left today. Cuba After Castro is more than a documentary about Cuba — it is a meditation on imperialism, resistance, dignity, and the ongoing fight to build a world beyond capitalist domination. ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
The Shadow and the Specter: Carl Jung, Psychoanalysis, and Modern Politics

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2026 147:19


In this episode, Breht speaks with scholar Angie Bittar about the life, thought, and enduring relevance of Carl Jung. Together they explore Jung's understanding of the unconscious, archetypes, the shadow, individuation, dreams, symbols, myth, and the modern search for meaning. After introducing Jung on his own terms, Breht and Angie place Jung in conversation with Marxism, historical materialism, and revolutionary politics. They discuss alienation, spiritual hunger, reactionary projection, fascist myth, scapegoating, bourgeois individualism, and the ways unconscious forces shape ideology and political life. They also ask what radicals can usefully take from Jung, what they should remain cautious about, and how the left might confront its own shadow without reducing politics to therapy.   ----------------------------------------- Check out a great new resource for revolutionary education, Unlearning Capitalism: https://unlearn.capital/ Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio   Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
The Worldwide Family of Militant Women

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2026 94:16


In this episode, Breht and Alyson sit down with Arlene Eisen to discuss her new memoir, In the Worldwide Family of Militant Women. Eisen reflects on her political formation across the upheavals of the 1960s through the early 1980s, her encounters with Black liberation and anti-imperialist struggle, and the forgotten history of militant women who built relationships of solidarity across borders. Together they explore internationalism, revolutionary commitment, movement fragmentation, and what younger generations can still learn from an era when women fought empire not from the margins, but from the heart of the struggle. The result is a rich conversation about memory, political development, and the urgent need to build durable anti-imperialist movements in our own time.   ----------------------------------------- Check out a great new resource for revolutionary education, Unlearning Capitalism: https://unlearn.capital/ Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio   Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Red Menace
The Worldwide Family of Militant Women

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2026 94:16


In this episode, Breht and Alyson sit down with Arlene Eisen to discuss her new memoir, In the Worldwide Family of Militant Women. Eisen reflects on her political formation across the upheavals of the 1960s through the early 1980s, her encounters with Black liberation and anti-imperialist struggle, and the forgotten history of militant women who built relationships of solidarity across borders. Together they explore internationalism, revolutionary commitment, movement fragmentation, and what younger generations can still learn from an era when women fought empire not from the margins, but from the heart of the struggle. The result is a rich conversation about memory, political development, and the urgent need to build durable anti-imperialist movements in our own time. ----------------------------- Check out a great new resource for revolutionary education, Unlearning Capitalism: https://unlearn.capital/ Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
From Palestine: Suffering, Dignity, & Resistance

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2026 118:04


In this episode, Breht speaks with Mohanad Alsayed about his memoir Scars and Medals (Iskra Books), a powerful and deeply human account of growing up Palestinian under occupation, carrying exile across continents, and trying to make sense of memory, loss, family, and resistance. Through the story of his grandmother Jamila, his missing uncle Ghazi, and his own journey from Palestine to the United States, Alsayed offers an intimate portrait of how dispossession enters not only history and politics, but childhood, identity, and the inner life. The conversation explores occupation as a lived and psychological reality, the tension between assimilation and memory, the many meanings of resistance, and the current situation across West Asia - including how Palestinians view Iran. At once personal and collective, Scars and Medals opens onto the wider Palestinian experience with honesty, dignity, and emotional force.   Buy or get a FREE pdf of Scars and Medals here: https://www.iskrabooks.org/books/p/scars-and-medals   ----------------------------------------- Check out a great new resource for revolutionary education, Unlearning Capitalism: https://unlearn.capital/ Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio   Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Breaking the Spell: Patriarchy, Dismemberment, and Pure Awareness

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2026 120:42


In this episode, Breht sits down with Suzin Green, author of The Goddess Remedy, to explore the psychological, spiritual, and civilizational roots of modern disconnection. Moving beyond conventional political understandings of patriarchy, Green presents it as a deeper structure of domination that shapes not only institutions, but consciousness itself -- fueling alienation, compulsive striving, inner fragmentation, and a profound loss of connection to self, others and the living world. Together, they unpack Green's concepts of "dismemberment," the "inner patriarch," and the tension between "being" and "doing," while probing the experiential realities beneath the book's symbolic language. The conversation explores how ego, social conditioning, and modern systems of competition shape subjectivity; whether inner healing can meaningfully intersect with broader social transformation; and what it might mean to reclaim wholeness in an age defined by burnout, anxiety, and disconnection. Drawing connections between mysticism, psychology, and political life, this dialogue examines the possibility that genuine transformation may require not only structural change, but a radical reorientation of consciousness itself. For listeners interested in spirituality, liberation, psychology, and the crisis of modern life, this is a rich exploration of what it means to heal both self and society. Outro Song: Semolina Pudding by Spinitch ---------------------------------------------------- Check out a great new resource for revolutionary education, Unlearning Capitalism, HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/      

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Revolutionary Left Radio
China's Green Development: Anti-Imperialist and Socialist

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2026 99:07


In this episode, Breht sits down with Ashwin Shantha to discuss the argument that China's green development is not only an environmental achievement, but also a profoundly political one. Drawing on Ashwin's essay "China's Green Development is Both Anti-Imperialist and Socialist," the conversation explores how China became the global leader in solar, wind, and electric vehicles through long-term planning, industrial policy, state capacity, and the disciplining of capital to broader social goals. Together, they examine the relationship between green development, national sovereignty, and anti-imperialism, asking why China has been able to carry out a large-scale green industrial transition while Western capitalist states have largely failed. The discussion also takes up the deeper theoretical question at the heart of the essay: whether China's model is best understood not as "state capitalism," but as a socialist market economy in which capital is subordinated to national development, ecological sustainability, and public need. Read more essays at Journal of International Solidarity HERE Follow Ashwin's International Solidarity on IG HERE Check out Breht's appearance on International Solidarity podcast HERE ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
A History of Iran-U.S. Relations

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2026 108:35


In this episode, Breht speaks with professor of history Dr. Afshin Matin-Asgari to discuss his book Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–US Relations, about the long arc of Iranian–American relations from the nineteenth century to the present. Matin-Asgari argues that U.S. policy toward Iran has been structured by enduring "imperial priorities," a framework that reframes familiar episodes such as the 1953 coup, the consolidation of the Shah (Pahlavi) client state, the revolutionary rupture of 1978–79, the hostage crisis, and the sanctions-and-war paradigm of the twenty-first century . Together, they discuss how state power, oil, militarization, the Israel lobby, imperialist aggression, American arrogance, and transnational political movements shaped this relationship. Finally, they analyze the current war in Iran through the lens of the history discussed. ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

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Revolutionary Left Radio
The Iran War: A Dialectical and Historical Materialist Analysis

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2026 145:01


Alyson and Breht apply dialectical and historical materialist analysis to the current war of aggression in Iran. Together they break down the Marxist methodology into its three main parts - dialectics, materialism, and history - and showcase how they apply to the US and Israeli war on Iran, before bringing them back together into a coherent whole. Then they compare and contrast dialectical and historical materialism as a mode of analysis to other forms of analysis: from academic modes like liberal internationalism and Realism to common popular modes like conspiracy theories and moralism. Throughout the process, they aim to show the superior clarity and demystification offered by Marxism in understanding our world, as it unfolds in real time.    ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Red Menace
The Iran War: A Dialectical and Historical Materialist Analysis

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2026 145:01


Alyson and Breht apply dialectical and historical materialist analysis to the current war of aggression in Iran. Together they break down the Marxist methodology into its three main parts - dialectics, materialism, and history - and showcase how they apply to the US and Israeli war on Iran, before bringing them back together into a coherent whole. Then they compare and contrast dialectical and historical materialism as a mode of analysis to other forms of analysis: from academic modes like liberal internationalism and Realism to common popular modes like conspiracy theories and moralism. Throughout the process, they aim to show the superior clarity and demystification offered by Marxism in understanding our world, as it unfolds in real time.    ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
The Bush Years: 9/11, War Crimes, and Economic Collapse

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2026 121:22


In this episode, public school history teacher Gianni joins Breht to trace the historical roots of our current political and economic crisis -- democratic breakdown, endless war, institutional distrust, rising authoritarianism, and deepening inequality -- back through the George W. Bush administration and the early 2000s. Together, they explore the contested election of 2000 and the Supreme Court's decisive intervention, the burial of that crisis in American political memory, the continuation and intensification of neoliberal economics through tax cuts, deregulation, and financialization, the role of No Child Left Behind in reshaping public education along market lines, the rise of neoconservatism and the ideological drive toward the Iraq War, the structural forces behind U.S. imperial policy across administrations, the relationship between U.S. foreign policy and Israeli strategic interests, the 2008 financial collapse and the total lack of accountability for elites, the devastation of working-class communities through war and economic crisis, the transition from Bush to Obama and the limits of liberal restoration, the conditions that gave rise to Trump, and more! Follow Gianni and The People's Classroom on Instagram @thepeoplesclassroom315    Check out his full lectures on YouTube HERE ---------------------------------------------------- Check out our NEW REV LEFT MERCH with Goods For The People HERE Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
From Iran: Letter to the American People

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2026 39:43


Breht reads and reacts to "A Letter To The American People" written by Masoud Pezeschkian, the Iranian president, as a ground invasion of some sort seems imminent. Check out our new design in collaboration with Goods for the People HERE   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get bonus episodes on Patreon Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow RLR on IG HERE Learn more about Rev Left HERE

Shoeless in South Dakota
All Too Human: Damien's Struggle with Drugs and Alcohol

Shoeless in South Dakota

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2026 131:02


In this installment of our All Too Human interview series, Breht and Dave welcome Damien into the Shoeless Shed to have an honest conversation about his struggles with alcoholism, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and incarceration; as well as his admirable path to recovery and sustained sobriety!  With these All Too Human interviews, we aim to highlight and destigmatize the mental health and addiction struggles of regular working class people in hopes that we can provide insight into this type of human suffering, help others who struggle with similar things feel less alone, and deepen our understanding of the modern human condition.   Contact us, support us, follow us, or learn more about the show here: https://www.shoelessinsouthdakota.com

Revolutionary Left Radio
Dialectics Without Destiny: Marx, Darwin, and the Natural History of the Climate Crisis

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2026 125:32


In this episode, we're joined by professor Joel Wainwright (co-author of Climate Leviathan) to discuss his newest book, The End: Marx, Darwin, and the Natural History of the Climate Crisis. Together, Breht and Joel explore the intellectual impact Charles Darwin had on Karl Marx, and why it matters for the ecological crisis of our time. Wainwright argues that Marx's study of Darwin helped him develop a distinctly Marxian concept of natural history, reshaping how he understood history, nature, and capitalism itself. Reading Capital through this lens, they unpack how Marx's critique becomes an ecological critique: capitalism as a social formation that reorganizes the human–Earth relation, producing crisis, "surplus" populations, and new forms of domination - and have some fun disagreements along the way. They close by asking what this natural-historical Marx can contribute to building an eco-socialist alternative beyond capitalist growth and climate catastrophe. Check out Breht and Alyson's previous episode on Climate Leviathan HERE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get bonus episodes on Patreon Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow RLR on IG HERE Learn more about Rev Left HERE

Revolutionary Left Radio
From Persia to Iran: Islam, Empire, and the Politics of West Asia

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2026 175:51


In this episode, Breht interviews Adnan Husain -- Professor of Medieval history and Chair of the Religious Studies department at Queens college -- about the deep historical roots of today's Middle East. The conversation traces the arc from ancient Persia to the Islamic era, explores how Iran became a center of Shi'a Islam, and examines the long rivalry between Persian and Ottoman power. Along the way, they unpack the Sunni-Shia split, the political role of Turkey in the region, the ways Western narratives about Islam were forged through the Crusades and carried forward into the modern world, Zionist Expansionism, and the ongoing illegal war of aggression waged by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, and indeed, the whole region. Check out Adnan's previous appearences on Rev Left HERE Subscribe to Adnan's YouTube channel HERE Watch Adnan's 2 Part episode on Yemen HERE Listen to Guerrilla History podcast HERE --------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get bonus episodes on Patreon Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow RLR on IG HERE Learn more about Rev Left HERE

Revolutionary Left Radio
War on the Iranian People and the American Mind (Workers' Lit & Rev Left Collab)

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2026 94:46


(recorded on 3/1/26) - Breht went on Workers' Lit as a guest! "The American ruling class is at war. Physically, they are at war with Iran, pummeling the country with unrelenting airstrikes, slaughtering civilians, and doing their best to make yet another nation unlivable. But they are fighting another war: a psychological war against every one of us. They are building a world of declining literacy, misinformation, confusion, and fear. Combine those two wars and you get an apathetic American populace even as its own country murders untold innocents Breht O'Shea of RevLeft joins Aysha, Jen, and Jacob to discuss these dual wars and how we can fight back." Check out more from Workers' Lit here: https://www.workerslit.com/ Make a donation to Socialist Night School via Venmo @OmahaNightSchool

Revolutionary Left Radio
Iran Under Attack by the Fourth Reich

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2026 103:52


On this YT livestream (3/1/26) Alyson and Breht discuss the illegal war of aggression launched by the US and Israel against Iran. Throughout the discussion they take live questions from the chat.   Subscribe to your YouTube Channel HERE   ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

israel iran attack yt fourth reich rev left radio breht revleft
Red Menace
Iran Under Attack

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2026 103:52


On this YT livestream (3/1/26) Alyson and Breht discuss the illegal war of aggression launched by the US and Israel against Iran. Throughout the discussion they take live questions from the chat. https://www.youtube.com/@revleftradio   ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

israel iran attack yt rev left radio breht revleft
Revolutionary Left Radio
Guillotines for the Epstein Class

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2026 106:42


Alyson and Breht discuss a range of current events, including Cuba, the Epstein Files, Iran and much more.  Make a donation to Socialist Night School via Venmo @OmahaNightSchool Outro Song: "to each their dot" by Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

class iran cuba epstein guillotines rev left radio breht revleft
Red Menace
Guillotines for the Epstein Class

Red Menace

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2026 106:42


Alyson and Breht discuss a range of current events, including Cuba, the Epstein Files, Iran and much more.  Make a donation to Socialist Night School via Venmo @OmahaNightSchool Outro Song: "to each their dot" by Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover

Revolutionary Left Radio
Manufacturing Syria: HTS, Rojava, Iran, and the Consequences of Regime Change

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2026 167:11


Syria is entering a new and terrifying phase. In this episode Breht is joined by a panel of scholars and activists (Angie Bittar, Adam, Joma, Nur and Jalyssa) to take a clear-eyed look at what's unfolded over the last year and how it fits into the longer arc of the Syrian civil war, including the rapid collapse of the Assad-era order and the emergence of a new regime centered around HTS and Ahmad al-Sharaa (Jolani). Together, they break down the latest waves of mass violence and displacement across the coast, Suwayda, Aleppo, and Rojava, and ask what these events reveal about the new Syria. From there, they turn to the Kurdish question. They discuss the SDF, the long history of US imperial instrumentalization of Kurdish forces, the recurring pattern of abandonment, and the growing pressure now facing Rojava amid shifting regional and international priorities. They also examine ongoing kidnappings and sect-based killings, the breakdown of accountability, and what the allegations surrounding Syrian security institutions tell us about the direction of the new order. Finally, they zoom out to the information war. They map the propaganda narratives being pushed in Western and Zionist media, and offer practical "tells" for separating genuine reporting from information operations. Then, they close by asking what Syria teaches us about the current political moment: imperial strategy, proxy warfare, sectarian fragmentation, and what real solidarity demands. Access a full list of all the sources used for this episode HERE Donate to Jalyssa on Cash App: $JalyssaDugrot Or donate at: BuyMeACoffee/Jalyssa Check out Joma's great podcast: JDPOD Previous Episodes on Syria and Rojava:  "The Situation in Syria" Episode w/ Angie last year "On Syria: Civil War and US Imperialism" with Rania Khalek from 2018  "The Kurds and Revolutionary Rojava" with Dr. Redcrow from 2017 Interview with Murray Bookchin's Daughter on his Life and Legacy ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/    

Revolutionary Left Radio
Minneapolis on Fire

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2026 83:23


Breht discusses recent events in Minneapolis... ------------------------------------ Outro Song: Song for Alicia by Haley Heynderickx and Max Garcia Conover

minneapolis haley heynderickx breht
Revolutionary Left Radio
The Political Economy of Love: Attention, Affection, & What Capitalism Can't Buy

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2026 86:32


In this episode, Breht is joined by Kristen R. Ghodsee to dig into her provocative essay on the political economy of love under capitalism. Using Marx's distinction between use value and exchange value, Ghodsee argues that love is not just a private feeling but a material necessity for human flourishing -- and that our economic system systematically depletes the time, energy, and security required to sustain it. Together, they explore how capitalism commodifies two core components of love, attention and affection, turning them into scarce resources bought and sold in everything from therapy and childcare to the attention economy and the market for professionalized intimacy. But the heart of the conversation is the one thing capitalism can't truly monetize: reciprocal flow -- the non-transactional rhythm of giving and receiving that emerges in long relationships, cooperative play, music, community, and solidarity itself. Breht and Ghodsee discuss how inequality and insecurity train people into transactionalism, why loneliness is not an individual failure but a structural outcome, and what a genuine politics of love might look like beyond mere self-help or lifestyle fixes. Learn more about Dr. Ghodsee and her work HERE Check out AK-47, Kristen's podcast dedicated to Alexandra Kollontai here: https://kristenghodsee.com/podcast ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

attention capitalism ak affection political economy alexandra kollontai rev left radio breht ghodsee kristen r ghodsee revleft
Revolutionary Left Radio
Western Marxism and The Imperial Theory Industry

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2026 88:58


In this episode, Breht is joined by philosopher, author, and cultural critic Gabriel Rockhill to discuss his new book Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism? The Intellectual World War: Marxism vs. the Imperial Theory Industry. Rockhill argues that the Cold War was not only fought with bombs, coups, and sanctions -- but with ideas, institutions and intellectuals. Drawing on extensive archival research, Rockhill shows how U.S. imperial power built a vast apparatus of foundations, universities, media outlets and cultural organizations to shape what kinds of Marxism were allowed to exist in the West. Rather than simply repressing Marxism, empire promoted a "compatible left"; a version of critical theory and Western Marxism that rejected actually existing socialist struggles and experiments, detached theory from mass struggle, and helped neutralize anti-imperialist politics. Together, they explore the role of the Frankfurt School, Herbert Marcuse, Cold War cultural warfare, and the long shadow this history still casts over today's left. This episode was recorded in the immediate wake of the U.S.'s invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife, which they discuss at the beginning of the conversation.  Check out Critical Theory Workshop HERE Follow Rockhill's work on his Substack HERE ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

Revolutionary Left Radio
Solidarity With Children: Love, Autonomy, Parenting, and Innocence

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2026 88:13


In this episode, Breht is joined by revolutionary feminist and author Madeline Lane-McKinley to discuss her recent book "Solidarity with Children: An Essay Against Adult Supremacy", in which she argues for a politics that centers young humans as essential comrades in the struggle for a better world! In the process they examine the concept of childhood as historically structured, which children are granted innocence and which are robbed of it, how to parent through a lens that respects children as unique and autonomous human beings instead of the property of their parents, and much more! You can follow Madeline @la_louve_rouge_ (on twitter and IG) ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

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Revolutionary Left Radio
[BEST OF 2025] From Reagan to Trump: Neoliberalism, Class War, and American Decadence

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2026 116:10


Nov 5, 2025   In this episode, public school history teacher Gianni Paul joins Breht to trace the historical roots of our current crisis — stagnant wages, mass homelessness, collapsing infrastructure, rising fascism, Gilded Age inequality, and a beaten down working class — back to Reagan's counter-revolution against the New Deal and the forty-year neoliberal project that followed. Together, they explore how neoliberalism emerged out of the crises of the 1970s, Carter's role in laying the groundwork before Reagan, the destruction of unions and working-class power, the ideological weaponization of anti-communism, the bipartisan consolidation of neoliberalism under Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden, the ways Reagan and Trump represent two phases of the same class project, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of capitalist triumphalism, the slow disintegration of America's middle class into debt and precarity, the explosion of homelessness and hopelessness, the erosion of U.S. imperial dominance alongside the emergence of a multipolar world, and why the U.S. repeatedly chooses reaction over social transformation — raising the question of whether genuine change can still emerge from within the imperial core or whether new possibilities are taking shape elsewhere. Understanding this history is key to understanding why everyday life in America feels increasingly unstable, and what futures remain possible beyond neoliberal decay. Follow Gianni and The People's Classroom on Instagram @thepeoplesclassroom315    Check out his full lectures on YouTube HERE ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/  

Revolutionary Left Radio
[BEST OF 2025] Farce, Finance & Fascism: Margaret Kimberley on Empire in Decay

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2026 77:42


Jun 18, 2025   In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, Margaret Kimberley—senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and a leader in Black Alliance for Peace—joins Breht to dissect the spectacle of American decline and, as usual, Kimberley offers a razor-sharp analysis of late-stage capitalism's collapse into cruelty, chaos, and confusion. Together, they explore the Democratic Party's complicity in ushering in this moment, U.S. weapons transfers to Ukraine in support of their proxy war against Russia, and the genocidal assault on Gaza as a revealing - if disturbing - lens into the true nature of the American empire. Kimberley also shares firsthand insights from delegations to Nicaragua, Venezuela, and China, illuminating how the Global South is resisting U.S. domination and reshaping global power. For those feeling the weight of worsening economic conditions, rising fascism, and political demobilization, Kimberley offers hard-won wisdom about organizing in the belly of the beast. We close with discussion about where real hope can still be found. Check out Black Agenda Report Black Agenda Radio -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio HERE Outro Beat Prod. by flip da hood

Revolutionary Left Radio
On Venezuela... (with Guerrilla History and Red Menace)

Revolutionary Left Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2026 110:31


recorded January 3rd 2026 Revolutionary Guerrilla Menace's 2025: A Year in History! A fantastic discussion with blistering analysis from the crew. We discussed US criminal assault on Venezuela and its consequences geopolitically and economically on US empire and its designs in Latin America and implications for West Asia and especially subversion or assault on Iran. We analyzed US/Western imperialism and how it is the primary contradiction in global capitalism. Other topics we touched on were far right politics and "divisions" obfuscating the central class politics, the demonization of refugees, climate/ecology, big tech and AI in the infrastructure of empire, and much more! Lots of great audience comments, provocations and interaction as well. Check out this annual year-end collaboration among Revolutionary Left Radio, Guerrilla History, and Red Menace podcasts with hosts Breht, Alyson, Henry, and Adnan. Check more of Adnan's work HERE Check out Guerrilla History HERE and HERE Check out Red Menace HERE  

history ai iran venezuela latin america adnan west asia red menace revolutionary left radio breht guerrilla history