Against the Stream

RCI - www.marxist.com
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In Against the Stream, our weekly current affairs podcast, members of the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International sit down to discuss the main events shaping global affairs. In an increasingly turbulent world situation, these discussions look behind the headlines of the mainstream press and the statements of politicians, to bring out the real processes and interests at play.

  1. Communists Answer Your Toughest Questions

    1 day ago

    Communists Answer Your Toughest Questions

    What will be the future of Israel and the Gulf countries? What is the possible order of the Middle East and Asia? Those questions are the starting point for this week's Against the Stream – a special Q&A episode where Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín work through the best and toughest questions from our comment section. Starting with the events in Iran, Hamid and Jorge explain that any end to the war will not be a compromise on Iran's part. Iran has achieved all of its aims while the United States has achieved none. The Gulf states are quietly making their own arrangements with Tehran. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt are moving away from the American camp. China is positioned to broker the new regional order. Next, they dig into one of the most common theoretical questions in our comment section: is China capitalist? For Marxists this is a concrete question that can only be answered by looking at the real development of China. The past thirty years paint a clear picture: privatisation, industrial capacity sitting idle, hundreds of millions in precarious work, youth unemployment, and more billionaires than any country on earth. Understanding why and how this happened is key to putting forward a programme for socialism in China and internationally. From there the episode turns to Venezuela, and to a particular kind of argument that circulates on the left – that Western Marxists are too dogmatic, too Eurocentric, too theoretical to understand developments taking place in other continents. The answer lies in the facts. Since the kidnapping of Maduro, Venezuela has become a US protectorate. Its oil income goes into a Washington-controlled bank account. Chávez himself said in 2012 that the greatest mistake of the revolution was not taking it to its final conclusion. Only theory and an honest appraisal of events can give us foresight – and be an antidote to identity politics, which explains nothing at all. Finally, Hamid and Jorge answer whether international revolution is actually on the agenda – and whether there is any point in joining a union today. New episodes of Against the Stream every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 Revolution and counter-revolution in Venezuela: https://marxist.com/book-the-venezuelan-revolution-marxist-perspective/revolution-andnbspcounter-revolution-in-venezuela.htm China's long march to capitalism https://marxist.com/china-long-march-capitalism021006.htm Leon Trotsky: Trade Unions in the Epoch of Imperialist Decay (1940) https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1940/xx/tu.htm What is to be Done? How Lenin built a battle organisation https://marxist.com/what-is-to-be-done-how-lenin-built-a-battle-organisation.htm ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 00:01:24 How will the Iran war impact the future of the Middle East?00:14:56 Is China really capitalist?00:32:26 If China is capitalist, why do many own their own homes?00:40:05 Will multipolarity make China move towards socialism?00:44:19 Will defeating US imperialism benefit the Chinese/Iranian masses?00:48:37 Does the RCI only support 'pure and perfect' revolutionary struggles?01:00:44 Is international revolution possible?01:07:32 Is there any use joining the unions? 🫵 Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📚 Marxist literature: https://wellred-books.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1hr 18min
  2. Capitalism is ungovernable.

    21 May

    Capitalism is ungovernable.

    Six prime ministers in ten years. Labour just lost fifteen hundred council seats. Has Britain become ungovernable? In this week's Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh sits down with Adam Booth, editor of The Communist, the paper of the Revolutionary Communist Party in Britain, to give a Marxist answer to that question. And the answer is not what most commentators want to hear. The episode traces the deep roots of the British crisis: from the deindustrialisation that began over a century ago, to the Thatcherite turn to financialisation and the City of London, to the mountain of debt that now costs Britain 110 billion pounds a year in interest payments alone. That is three point six percent of everything the British working class produces every year, going straight into the pockets of the banks.The episode explains why the revolving door of prime ministers is not a problem of individual incompetence but a symptom of the terminal decline of British capitalism. Trotsky predicted this degeneration a hundred years ago, and the process he described has only accelerated. Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Keir Starmer are not anomalies. They are the natural political products of a speculative, financialised economy with no industrial base left to speak of. The episode also takes on the bond markets, the so-called vigilantes who now openly dictate who should lead the Labour Party. It explains concretely what a bond is, why the markets reacted the way they did to Liz Truss, and why no government, however well-intentioned, can simply ignore these mechanisms under capitalism. And crucially, it goes through the left alternatives on offer, including Modern Monetary Theory, borrowing to invest, taxing the rich, and defaulting on the debt, and explains clearly why none of these, on their own, offer a way out. Not because they are too radical, but because they do not go far enough. The only real solution is democratic control over the commanding heights of the economy. New episodes of Against the Stream every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 🌐 Links 🌐 🫵 Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📚 Marxist literature: https://wellred-books.com/ 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443 📱 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1hr 28min
  3. The meaning of Trump’s trip to China

    14 May

    The meaning of Trump’s trip to China

    Trump is in Beijing. He thinks he has gone to negotiate from a position of strength, but in reality, he is negotiating from a position of weakness. That is the story of American imperialism in 2026. In this week's episode of Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín give a Marxist analysis of what the Iran War has done to American power, what it means for China, and what it reveals about the deeper historical decline of US imperialism. The episode covers a lot of ground. Analysing two extraordinary pieces from the American press – one by a MAGA theoretician in the New York Times, one by neocon hawk Robert Kagan in the Atlantic – it is clear that even parts of the American ruling class are now writing obituaries for American hegemony. A CIA intelligence assessment confirms that Iran retains 70 percent of its pre-war missile stockpiles and 80 percent of its mobile launchers. Operation Freedom, the US attempt to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, lasted just 36 hours. American weapons stocks will take three to five years to replace. And Trump has, for the first time in US history, agreed to discuss arms deliveries to Taiwan with China. Meanwhile, China has 1.2 billion barrels of oil in reserve and hasn't touched them. It controls 90 percent of global rare earth refining. It produces over 3.5 million STEM graduates a year – compared to 820,000 in the US. And it is now the go-to power for everyone from the Philippines to Venezuela who needs an alternative to Washington. The episode also asks the deeper question: how did we get here? Is China just better run, or is something more fundamental going on? And is the decline of American imperialism actually a good thing for the working class of the world? New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 Recommended reading Opinion | America Is Officially an Empire in Decline - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/opinion/iran-us-empire.html Checkmate in Iran - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/05/iran-war-trump-losing/687094/ Ted Grant - Will There Be A Slump? https://www.marxists.org/archive/grant/1960/slump.htm

    1hr 5min
  4. Why is Europe falling apart? A Marxist analysis

    7 May

    Why is Europe falling apart? A Marxist analysis

    Europe was the birthplace of capitalism. Now it's in freefall.In this week’s Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín dive into the deepening crisis gripping the continent. Germany is launching a trillion-euro rearmament drive while simultaneously slashing 38 billion euros from pensions and healthcare. France can't pass a budget. The AfD is overtaking the CDU in the polls. And across Europe, the old political centre is collapsing.In reality, European rearmament has nothing to do with defending ordinary people. It's about defending imperialist interests, maintaining spheres of influence, and keeping up with a rising Russia that has won a proxy war against the whole of NATO in Ukraine.Then there's the economy. Energy prices have doubled or tripled since the war in Ukraine began. German industrial output in chemicals, steel and glass is nosediving. Europe is buying expensive American LNG while its industry bleeds out. And China is flooding world markets with cheap goods that European companies simply cannot compete with.The response from the European ruling classes all led to a dead end. While they might pay lip-service to EU integration, this is impossible under capitalism, as Lenin explained in 1915. The only real way out is the Socialist United States of Europe.New episodes of Against the Stream every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube.

    1hr 4min
  5. Will AI destroy capitalism? A Marxist analysis

    30 Apr

    Will AI destroy capitalism? A Marxist analysis

    Is AI a revolutionary leap forward for humanity – or the latest crisis capitalism has engineered for itself? In this episode of Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Fred Weston cut through the hype to give a Marxist analysis of the AI bubble, its roots in capitalist crisis, and what it means for the working class. From the S&P 500's absurd tech valuations to OpenAI's pyramid-scheme economics, they expose how artificial intelligence – far from rescuing the global economy – is accelerating the same contradictions Marx diagnosed 150 years ago. The episode covers the AI stock bubble, the threat of mass unemployment, the de-skilling of the middle class, the collapse of European industry, the global debt crisis, and why the Luddites were right to be angry but wrong in their methods. Most importantly the episode discussed why this technology could liberate humanity entirely – but only if it's taken out of the hands of the capitalists who own it. New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 0:00 — Intro 1:34 — AI bubble 15:37 — World economy on the brink 16:32 — Unemployment 36:03 — Alienation 44:59 — The Luddites 50:35 — The potential under communism 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443 📱 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1hr 6min
  6. How to destroy US imperialism | AGAINST THE STREAM

    23 Apr

    How to destroy US imperialism | AGAINST THE STREAM

    After a four-week break, Against the Stream is back! Since our last episode, the world has been plunged deeper into crisis. With no end in sight for the Iran War, with energy prices and inflation rising, the global economy is teetering ever more precariously on the brink of a historic slump. With each passing day, it is becoming clearer that Donald Trump – who believed Iran could be crushed by the naked force of American imperialism – has blundered. The humiliating defeat of the US and Israel in the region is pulling the rug out from under his feet. His approval ratings are now lower than ever. At the same time, a sense of rage against the system is brewing in the US. Iranian propaganda videos are effectively tapping into the growing anti-war mood. In America, footage of a worker burning down their boss's warehouse has gone viral. This war has brought about nothing less than a sea change in the global situation. Trump now appears like a man stuck in quicksand: unable to act without worsening his position. He is fanning the flames of the decline of US imperialism. The moment for fighting back could not be more opportune. Tune in to this week’s episode, where Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín discuss the world-historic events we are living through today and offer the way forward for the world working class. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 Iran War deals devastating collateral damage to Bangladesh https://marxist.com/iran-war-deals-devastating-collateral-damage-to-bangladesh.htm Trump’s defeat in Iran and its worldwide consequences https://marxist.com/trump-s-defeat-in-iran-and-its-worldwide-consequences.htm ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 00:00 – Recap on Iran War 09:25 – What are America's options? 24:20 – Impact of US strategic defeat 30:19 – Looming economic crisis and food scarcity 38:55 – Brewing class anger 56:45 – How we can fight imperialism 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443 📱 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1hr 4min
  7. Iran War could crash world economy – here's how...

    26 Mar

    Iran War could crash world economy – here's how...

    All the warning lights are flashing. With the US and Israel relentlessly bombing Iran for nearly a month and the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed, the economic consequences of the Iran war are spelling serious trouble for economies worldwide. Stagflation, factory shutdowns, falling crop yields, and rising interest rates are no longer hypotheticals – they are unfolding in real time, and growing more severe by the day. Who will be hardest hit by the fallout from this US-Israeli aggression? As with any imperialist war, it is the working class who are made to pay the price. An estimated 45 million people are already projected to fall into severe poverty, pushing the figures to record highs. In the advanced capitalist economies, any gains made by ordinary people since the end of the pandemic are being wiped out in an instant. Serious bourgeois economists and commentators are growing anxious – not because their own fortunes are at stake, but because of the revolutionary implications of a new global slump. In this week's episode of Against the Stream, Hamid and Jorge examine the enormous economic fallout of the Iran war, and take on a viewer's question about whether socialism can be achieved through parliament. New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 International Debt Report 2025: When relief isn’t enough — LMICs face their largest external debt outflows in 50 years | World Bank 🔗https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/international-debt-report-2025--when-relief-isn-t-enough---lmics Why the Middle East conflict threatens record levels of hunger | World Food Programme 🔗https://www.wfp.org/stories/why-middle-east-conflict-threatens-record-levels-hunger ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 00:00 – Intro 01:10 – Developments in the war 18:05 – Impact on world economy 33:15 – The impending food catastrophe 43:54 – The crisis of debt 53:57 – Poor countries are hit hardest 01:01:52 – Q: Revolution through parliament? 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443 📱 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1hr 11min
  8. Iran opens civil war in Trump camp + Cuba crisis

    19 Mar

    Iran opens civil war in Trump camp + Cuba crisis

    "Head-spinning betrayal." These are the words of dissident Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene – and they are undoubtedly echoed by millions of Trump voters across America, who have watched their 'peace president' turn warmonger while they foot the bill at the gas pump and the grocery store. Three weeks into the war with Iran, the costs – both material and symbolic – are becoming an unsolvable problem for Donald Trump. As Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín discuss on this episode of Against the Stream, what appeared to be a solid and unified bloc when Trump was elected, has always been an illusion. MAGA is revealing itself as a heterogeneous movement of conflicting class interests, and the conclusions being drawn by ordinary people are anything but insignificant. The consequences for the American class struggle in the period ahead will be colossal. In this week's episode, Hamid and Jorge dig into the profound domestic fallout of the Iran war, while also turning their attention to another front in Trump's campaign of imperialist bullying: Cuba, which now finds itself in grave danger. New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 The Economist – America’s friends must help extricate it from an unlawful war 🔗https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2026/03/18/americas-friends-must-help-extricate-it-from-an-unlawful-war The Guardian – UK security adviser ‘attended’ US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach 🔗https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/17/uk-security-adviser-attended-us-iran-talks-and-judged-deal-was-within-reach ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 00:00 – Intro 01:25 – Iran war and its impact 37:23 – Do MAGA supporters want peace? 48:03 – Cuba update 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443 📱 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1hr 6min
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About

In Against the Stream, our weekly current affairs podcast, members of the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International sit down to discuss the main events shaping global affairs. In an increasingly turbulent world situation, these discussions look behind the headlines of the mainstream press and the statements of politicians, to bring out the real processes and interests at play.

Information

  • Creator
    RCI - www.marxist.com
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © RCI - www.marxist.com
  • Show Website
    Against the Stream

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