Podcasts about democratic federation

The Assad family ruled Syria under dictatorship for 40 years, formally denouncing the existence of Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmen and many other minorities, despite the rich tapestry of cultures and languages that have always inhabited these lands. In 2012, in the midst of the Syrian Civil War, the rule of the Assad Regime weakened in the Kurdish majority northern regions. Out of this conflict, and the Rojava Revolution in 2012, three pillars formed in the regions today governed by the Autonomous Administrations of North and East Syria (AANES) democracy, women's freedom and ecology. Birthing co-operatives, and a strong communal and women's economy. This morning, we are priviledged to welcome, live via phone, Salih Muslim, calling in from in Kobani, Syria, to chat with us about what's been happening in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. Salih Muslim Muhammad (Kurmanji Kurdish: Salih Muslim Mihemed, is the former co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main party of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. As the deputy coordinator of the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, he was the most prominent Kurdish representative for much of the Syrian Civil War. He was born in a Syrian village close to Kobani in 1951. After an education in Syria, he studied at the Chemical Engineering faculty of Istanbul Technical University from 1970 until graduating in 1977. After a brief stint in London, he worked in Saudi Arabia between 1978 and 1990, and opened an engineering office in 1993 in Aleppo

Listen to a podcast about the Women's International Democratic Federation during the  Cold War period and why is was important to women from the Nordic region to be involved. With Yulia Gradskova Associate Professor at Södertörn University and Nicola Witcombe, editor of nordics.info.Read more on nordics.info.

The future of EU - a democratic federation?Podcast with Yanis Varoufakis, economist, best-selling author and former Minister of Finance in Greece Yanis Varoufakis is a self-proclaimed ‘Europeanist’, who believes the EU is moving in the wrong direction. With the introduction of the single currency - the euro - we should have turned the EU into a democratic federal institution, if you ask the passionate economist and former finance minister of Greece. Yanis has many ideas on how to unleash the potential of Europe - including a minimum level of healthcare services, corporate tax and a new digital tax. He is also concerned by perceived decrease in collaboration and coherence across the EU. Tune in to hear how a 2000 EUR check from the European Central Bank to all EU citizens might do the trick. Yanis Varoufakis is a Greek economist, best-selling author and politician. He led the negotiations with the EU creditors during Greece’s debt crisis in 2015 and founded DiEM25 – Europe’s first transnational pan-European movement - in 2018.Host: Peter Mogensen, CEO of the Danish think tank, Kraka.Guests: Yanis Varoufakis, former Minister for Finance in Greece and Anders Dons, Nordic CEO of Deloitte

Full text https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lewis-herber-murray-bookchin-ecology-and-revolutionary-thought   Murray Bookchin (1921-2006) was an anarchist and libertarian socialist political theorist, historian, and author. He is perhaps best remembered as a thinker who fused critical ecology with anarchist thought, but his conceptions of democratic confederalism have influenced numerous social and political movements, including the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (also know as Rojava). In part 3, Bookchin discusses how classical libertarian principles can be combined with ecological thought in order to address the crises inherent to late-stage capitalism.

Read the Full text https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lewis-herber-murray-bookchin-ecology-and-revolutionary-thought Murray Bookchin (1921-2006) was an anarchist and libertarian socialist political theorist, historian, and author. He is perhaps best remembered as a thinker who fused critical ecology with anarchist thought, but his conceptions of democratic confederalism have influenced numerous social and political movements, including the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (also know as Rojava). In part 2, Bookchin discusses how the increased centralization of society has led to increased environmental damage through energy usage and pollution. The solution, he contends, is to decentralize society through anarchist revolution in order to create a society that is in harmony with nature. For humanity to reach any ecological goal, it must become decentralized and anarchistic, thereby allowing individuals to create diverse social and ecological relationships.

Read the full text: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/lewis-herber-murray-bookchin-ecology-and-revolutionary-thought Murray Bookchin (1921-2006) was an anarchist and libertarian socialist political theorist, historian, and author. He is perhaps best remembered as a thinker who fused critical ecology with anarchist thought, but his conceptions of democratic confederalism have influenced numerous social and political movements, including the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (also know as Rojava). In part 1 of Ecology and Revolutionary Thought, Bookchin addresses the environmental catastrophes that have been produced by imperialistic capitalism and the widespread disconnect between humanity and the environment caused by hierarchical social relationships.

On this edition of the Crypto.IQ Daily Radio Show we do a deep dive market analysis. Bitcoin (BTC) is retreating from the $4,000 resistance level and the crypto market is in the red. Hear about how the Bitmain IPO application has been rejected by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. We discuss how the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria is trying to use blockchain and cryptocurrency to form a decentralized government, in order to avoid the mistakes of the past that caused the Syrian Civil War. Learn about the nonsensical bet that Tim Draper made with the Argentinian president, where if Bitcoin (BTC) falls below the value of a peso Draper will invest double in Argentina. The Argentinian Peso is only worth $0.024 and constantly losing value, so this would never happen. We also discuss how Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas was trying to raise money with Bitcoin (BTC) after being cut-off by Qatar, and they have barely raised any money at all. Hear about how the ‘benevolent dictator’ of Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is quitting Bitcoin Unlimited, continuing the trend of increasing schisms in the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) space, and potentially paving the way for yet another fork.

YPJ (Women's Protective Force) fighters in northern Syria The planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria is widely seen as a green light for Turkey to invade Northern Syria. What will that mean for the socialist feminist Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, colloquially known as Rojava? Reflecting on this prospect, we listen to excerpts from my interviews with Sinam Mohamed, representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., conducted as Turkish forces were occupying her home in Afrin, and with Janet Biehl, translator of Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy and Women's Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan. On a lighter note, the second half hour features a talk by Rachel Maines, author of The Technology of Orgasm: “Hysteria,” the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction. This 2011 talk, brought to us by WINGS: the International News Gathering Service, traces the history of the vibrator. The post Womens Magazine – December 31, 2018 appeared first on KPFA.

This week on the show Suse, Anisa and Rick discuss what's been happening in Rojava, now known as the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS), and some of the amazing lessons that our social change movements in Australia can learn from. The DFNS is an autonomous region in the Middle East working to create a truly democratic society. It is an incredibly inspiring alternative to our current capitalist colonialist paradigm of the nation state that role models potential ways of achieving revolution and cultural change toward a more equitable, joyful and sustainable society.We have excerps from the first lecture in a great series by Havin Guneser, who is a lifelong activist with the International Kurdish freedom movement. She is an engineer, journalist, and a women's rights activist. We're lucky to have access to Havin's words, and send our gratitude across the oceans for the collaborative efforts of systemic change activists.Please enjoy and we look forward to our next show where we will go into the second lecture by Havin Guneser.

*This is the audio version of a video originally made for Youtube: https://youtu.be/r8i4RAxLB-o* An excerpt from my previous video The Communes of Rojava: A Model In Societal Self-Direction (https://youtu.be/cDnenjIdnnE). This is the final excerpt I'll be releasing from this series, but be sure to go back to the original video and watch the call to action at the end. Where is the forefront of women's struggle for freedom? This question guided the creation of this video. The Middle East, and the Euphrates region particularly, has a long tradition of women's resistance against patriarchy that is often overlooked in the "Western world". Women were the first to tame plants, bringing on the agricultural revolution, and the advent of many rich cultures in settled society. In the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (Rojava), women are reclaiming that legacy and cultural knowledge, telling these washed-over stories, and building a free life, refusing to wait for after the revolution to address their needs. Not only have the women of Rojava made remarkable strides in the struggle for freedom, I would argue that their movement, articulated through "Jineologî" (the science of women and free life) and their own self-organized structures, represents the most successful and far-reaching mass societal women's movement to date. For those of us struggling against patriarchy around the world today, we have so much to learn from the women of Rojava. If you've seen previous excerpts from my Communes of Rojava video, feel free to skip to 2:19 to get past the introduction. I. A Short Introduction to the Commune System: 0:00-2:18 II. Women's Committee: Backbone of the Revolution (the main presentation): 2:19-10:56

*This is the audio version of a video originally made for Youtube: https://youtu.be/d-TT4qAKM4w* An excerpt from my previous video The Communes of Rojava: A Model In Societal Self-Direction (https://youtu.be/cDnenjIdnnE). I'll be releasing several other excerpts over the coming days covering each committee of the commune system. Can students and teachers learn together as equals? Are students capable of directing their own learning without coercion, rewards or punishment? These questions guided the creation of this video. In the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (Rojava), education is one of the most essential pillars of life, and there are a wide-range of places to learn, from more project-based schools to specialized academies to frequent self-organized workshops open to people of all ages on a wide variety of practical subjects in every neighborhood. The common theme uniting the community educational initiatives in Rojava is a diffusion of hierarchy between staff and students and room for flexibility and self-direction based on the learner's interest. Their seems to be a general self-image amongst the people of Rojava as "life-long learners. Rojava makes an excellent case study for those interested in self-directed learning, especially those of us in the West who often oversimplify or stereotype cultures in the Middle East. In building any self-directed society, a self-directed education paradigm is absolutely essential. Given the chance to build a society based on autonomy in all aspects in life, the exact opposite of life under Daesh (ISIS) and the state, the people of Rojava have embraced education as a means for preparation towards a free, communal life. If you've seen previous excerpts from my Communes of Rojava video, feel free to skip to 2:25 to get past the introduction. I. A Short Introduction to the Commune System: 0:00-2:25 II. Lifelong Learners: The Education Committees (the main presentation): 2:25-8:39

*This is an audio version of a video originally intended for Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peyoc7-W0lc * An excerpt from my previous video The Communes of Rojava: A Model In Societal Self-Direction (https://youtu.be/cDnenjIdnnE). I'll be releasing several other excerpts over the coming days covering each committee of the commune system. Can an economy be run democratically? That is the question I explore in this video, using the directly democratic cooperatives controlled by the communes in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (Rojava) as a case study. As the global climate crisis heats up, economies under local control but linked together to meet people's needs on a large scale becomes direly necessary. Rojava's municipalized cooperatives lays the groundwork for just that, with its municipalized cooperatives, run through commune assemblies by the workers and the residents most affected by the work of the co-op. Much of the environmental crisis comes from those having the power to make decisions over communities that they never live in, pushing off environmental damage out of their sight. But a community that controls its economy through direct democracy of all residents is never going to vote to pollute their own neighborhood. It is that kind of economic autonomy that will be necessary to enhance our quality of life and prevent worsening climate catastrophe. If you've seen previous excerpts from my Communes of Rojava video, feel free to skip to 2:34 to get past the introduction. I. A Short Introduction to the Commune System: 0:00-2:29 II. Neighbor Economics: Cooperatives in Rojava (the main presentation): 2:34-9:53

*This is the audio version of a Youtube video: https://youtu.be/cDnenjIdnnE* An in-depth look into the inner workings of the commune system of Rojava and how they work in practice; I also call for people to form communes throughout North America and the world. 0:00-2:50 Defining The Commune 2:51-5:53 Defense Committee 5:54-11:09 Health Committee 11:10-15:29 Peace and Consensus Committee 15:30-23:40 Economic Committee 23:41-29:21 Education Committee 29:22-37:40 Women’s Committee 37:41-42:56 A Call for Communes Everywhere! Lots of self-criticism on this one: First, I should have mentioned that Rojava is a term no longer officially used their because it is rooted in the Kurdish struggle and is Kurd-centric as a name, but the society is being built as explicitly multi-ethnic so is now called the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria to reflect this diversity. I used the former term because, sadly, it is the word most people know. Also, my knowledge of Kurdish instrumental music is limited, so I used a couple of songs twice. This video is far too long. I will probably cut it up and release it in parts, showing each committee in a separate video. I also need a microphone. This took 20+ hours to edit and it still is sub-par as far as video and audio quality go. Criticism accepted and encouraged! The Internal System of the Communes In Rojava: https://mesopotamia.coop/the-internal-system-of-the-communes-in-rojava/ The Co-operative Contract of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria: https://mesopotamia.coop/the-co-operative-contract-of-the-democratic-federation-of-northern-syria/

*This is a audio version of a video originally made for Youtube: https://youtu.be/ojXxz1u1R4c* An excerpt from my previous video The Communes of Rojava: A Model In Societal Self-Direction (https://youtu.be/cDnenjIdnnE). I'll be releasing several other excerpts over the coming days covering each committee of the commune system. I try to provide insight into the question "Do we need police in order to be safe as a community?" by using the way people in Rojava/DFNS have come together to protect themselves as a case study. I look at the defense committees prevalent in many Rojavan communes as the outlines of a practical alternative to the police. The community defense members in the communes (HPC and HPC-Jin) are all: 1. Elected and from the community 2. Recallable 3. Mandated (only allowed to act as directly told by the commune members) 4. Enforcing norms that every commune member gets a democratic say on instead of rigid laws given from above 4. Rotating and dispersed to as many people as possible to prevent abuse of power and make community safety a collective responsibility 5. Undergo regular criticism and self-criticism sessions in front of the whole community This I argue makes them completely different from police, and a model I hope is incubated more to eventually replace the Asayish (regular security forces/police). I. A Short Introduction to the Commune System of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria 0:00-2:43 II. The Communal Defense Committee: An Alternative to Police 2:43-6:04

Author Meredith Tax reads her article on the latest update on one of the three cantons of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, Rojava. You can find his article in the June issue of The Indypendent or on our website https://bit.ly/2L7ppnj To support this podcast and our publication, it´s as easy as visiting our Patreon page and becoming a monthly subscriber. bit.ly/2xsDpR Photo by Joey L.

Rundown This week Mexie interviews Josh Walker, a comrade who fought with the YPG in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. Josh lays out the history and political ideology of the revolution, the extent to which feminist ideals are incorporated into their revolutionary praxis, and he addresses some of the common criticisms of the movement […]

Seven long years of civil war in Syria have displaced millions of people and empowered terrorists groups such as the Islamic State. But amid the chaos, a Kurdish-led coalition in the northern part of the country has established a self-governing democracy known as the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, or Rojava, dedicated to a socialist feminist vision of society built around grassroots civic participation. In this episode, Chicago DSA’s Charles Austin speaks about the movement for democracy and equality in Syria with activists in Chicago and a member of the YPG combat forces in Rojava.

In this Exclusive Propaganda, Chell talks with Cora Roelofs about food activism. They met up at the Overcoming Capitalist Modernity III conference in Hamburg, Germany, where Cora was invited to present a paper about collective ecological agriculture in Rojava, now the Democratic Federation of North Syria. In this interview, she discusses the political and social potential […] The post Cora Roelofs at the #ChalleningCapitalistModernityIII Conference – Exclusive Propaganda appeared first on The Moral Economy.