Savage Minds

Savage Minds
  • 4.6 (47)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Investigative reporting and social commentary on public culture, the arts, science, and politics. savageminds.substack.com

  1. Radhika Desai

    1D AGO

    Radhika Desai

    Radhika Desai, professor of Political Studies and director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group at the University of Manitoba, brings her historical materialist framework to bear on what she calls the “senile” or “moribund phase” of capitalism—marked by deindustrialisation, financialisation, speculative necromancy, ecological destruction, a precipitous decline in political leadership quality, and the imperial wars now ravaging Venezuela, Cuba and Iran. Desai traces the arc from Karl Marx’s monopoly phase thesis through the post-war golden age, the neoliberal turn and its miserly, punitive politics towards working people, to the present moment in which the US-Israeli war on Iran is accelerating the collapse of dollar hegemony and the everything bubble. She connects cultural neoliberalism—identity politics, DEI, pronoun politics—to a deliberate corporate strategy for generating a patina of progressivism while delivering nothing material to working people, with the professional managerial class administering this hypocritical regime. Desai addresses the BRICS question with characteristic nuance, distinguishing between countries that have genuinely rejected neoliberalism and those, like Modi’s India, whose multipolar rhetoric conceals a servile comprador relationship with Washington. Her analysis of the everything bubble, the Triffin dilemma and Iran-driven inflation carries a stark warning—when interest rates rise far enough to contain the oil shock, the dollar system will come down with them. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 30m
  2. Olga Cherevko

    4D AGO

    Olga Cherevko

    Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, draws on over twenty years of experience working in conflict zones across Liberia, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen to bear witness to what she describes as a level of destruction without parallel in her career. Beginning with the physical transformation of Gaza since her first deployment there in 2014, Cherevko traces the systematic obliteration of water, sanitation, and healthcare infrastructure, explaining how humanitarian teams are reduced to improvising repairs with the wrong materials because the right ones are blocked at the crossing. Cherevko challenges the public perception that humanitarian assistance is simply about food parcels, arguing that it is fundamentally about restoring dignity, and identifies the dual-use classification system and NGO registration restrictions as among the most consequential obstacles to scaling up the response. Addressing the psychological dimension of the crisis—the dimension she argues receives the least attention—Cherevko describes children who no longer flinch at explosions, parents shattered beyond recovery, and a population whose light of hope she watched dim month by month. She warns that a ceasefire does not end suffering, noting that the moment the world looks away is often the moment conditions deteriorate further, and closes with an appeal to keep Gaza on the global conscience long after the guns fall silent. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m
  3. Michael Fox

    MAR 5

    Michael Fox

    Michael Fox, a multimedia journalist based in Latin America with two decades of on-the-ground experience, dissects US interventions across the hemisphere—from the Monroe Doctrine’s enduring legacy and Trump’s “Dunro Doctrine” to the January 3rd invasion of Venezuela, capture of Nicolás Maduro, and parallels with the 1989 Panama operation under the guise of drug wars masking oil grabs and geopolitical plays against Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico. As host and producer of podcasts like Brazil on Fire, Stories of Resistance, and season two of Under the Shadow, Fox exposes the weaponization of AI-generated misinformation—fake crowds cheering US troops, manipulated images of Maduro’s detention—and hybrid warfare tactics that erode sovereignty while regional leaders like Gustavo Petro invoke the jaguar awakening resistance amid rightward governmental shifts in Chile, Argentina, and Honduras. Critiquing the true costs of bombings in Caracas—100 dead, millions traumatized—he contrasts mainstream narratives of “clean” tech strikes with harrowing victim testimonies from affected neighborhoods, revealing how US policies fuel migration yet demonize migrants as a boogeyman. Fox draws direct lineages to historical regime changes, puppet installations, and resource colonialism, emphasizing grassroots protests chanting “Down with the Monroe Doctrine” and Caribbean nations’ vocal opposition to boat strikes in their waters. His reporting for NPR, The Intercept, and The Nation prioritizes ground truth over viral fakes, unpacking the human toll of empire’s revival in a multipolar world Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 20m
  4. Kathryn Sikkink

    MAR 4

    Kathryn Sikkink

    Katherine Sikkink, international relations scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School and leading constructivist theorist, argues that human rights are a social construction—not in the sense that violations are unreal, but that the legal frameworks protecting people from them were built through sustained struggle. Legally enforceable international human rights protections only came into existence with the covenants on civil, political, economic and social rights in 1976, and they continue to require active defence. On transitional justice, Sikkink draws on her landmark work The Justice Cascade (2011) and her ongoing research through the Transitional Justice Evaluation Team. Her comparative data across countries shows that nations which implement transitional justice—through prosecutions, truth commissions and reparations—experience fewer future human rights violations and a lower recurrence of war. Prosecutions that reach senior officials and heads of state produce the largest measurable impact. Sikkink traces the origins of transitional justice to Greece and Portugal after their dictatorships, followed by Argentina’s landmark 1985 junta trials. She highlights the creative legal strategies activists have used to overcome obstacles such as amnesty laws and statutes of limitations, including leveraging international treaty obligations that prohibit statutes of limitations for crimes against humanity. On the current era, Sikkink warns that the Trump administration’s reliance on what she calls “weaponised interdependence”—using hard economic and political power to coerce other states—may yield short-term compliance but it fundamentally erodes the trust and reputation that sustain long-term international relations. She also cautions that US democracy is under genuine threat, stressing that the upcoming midterm elections represent the single most important avenue for citizens to push back, urging American citizens abroad. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m
  5. Kajsa Ekis Ekman

    FEB 28

    Kajsa Ekis Ekman

    Kajsa Ekis Ekman, a Swedish author, literary critic, and journalist, addresses the "two-front war" against women, marked by the conservative right's abortion rights backlash and the progressive left's problematic views on prostitution and gender identity. She critiques neoliberal and far-left perspectives on sex work, advocating for the term "prostitution" to highlight the dangers and exploitation within the industry, especially on platforms like OnlyFans. Ekman also discusses the global exploitation of surrogacy and calls for its ban due to the suffering of women and commodification of babies. Furthermore, she criticises the exploitation of empathy for women to justify military interventions and the selective empathy displayed by some feminists towards certain victims while ignoring others. Ekman defends feminism as a relevant force against violence and inequality, emphasising the importance of feminists focusing on the dialectical conflict between men and women and advocating for ad hoc movements and alliances to address specific issues like prostitution and surrogacy. She touches on the gendered fear-mongering used to garner support for geopolitical conflicts, the instrumentalisation of women's rights for Western agendas, and the need for feminists to hold their line and avoid conflating issues. She also reflects on the state of contemporary society, criticising the pursuit of money and fame at the expense of values and equality, drawing parallels with the Epstein scandal and the P. Diddy documentary. Finally, Ekman emphasises the need for analytical tools that fit the task at hand, arguing that feminism is not a geopolitical tool and should not be used to justify military interventions or ignore the complexities of international relations. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 24m
  6. David Rovics

    FEB 27

    David Rovics

    David Rovics, a Portland-based songwriter and podcaster, articulates his experiences with censorship and cancellation, noting a troubling trend of intolerance within both the left and right. He recounts his recent YouTube cancellation, during which his complete discography was removed and his channel deleted only to be restored later. Rovics explores the factors contributing to the current state of societal fragmentation, where individuals increasingly engage in social interactions primarily through social media platforms, driven by algorithmic addiction. He argues that these algorithms, while designed to keep users engaged, predominantly foster conflict and division, thereby maximizing advertising revenue through prolonged user engagement. To provide context, Rovics references historical struggles of industrial workers and free speech movements from the 1960s in Berkeley, reflecting on a time when political discourse centered around ideas rather than identity politics. He critiques the left's adoption of authoritarian tendencies, which have become fodder for ridicule from the right, sharing his encounter with efforts by Rose City Antifa to cancel him. Drawing a parallel to a scene in the film Barbie wherein Barbie goes into the high school cafeteria and is almost immediately called a “fascist,” Rovics asserts that today’s cancel culture, though pronounced, is not without precedent. Furthermore, he contrasts the current fixation with online habitual behavior to previous generations' “couch potato” lifestyle, suggesting that while the media landscape has transformed, the alienation from authentic life experiences persists. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    2h 9m
  7. Ricardo Vaz

    FEB 23

    Ricardo Vaz

    Ricardo Vaz, a journalist and political analyst in Venezuela, critically discusses the US operation to kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, highlighting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s framing of the incident as a domestic law enforcement issue, despite Venezuela being outside US jurisdiction. He critiques the role of corporate media, particularly The New York Times and The Washington Post, which he argues ignored the impending US military action to protect US soldiers, demonstrating their complicity in supporting US imperialist objectives. Vaz characterizes a division within the US political landscape, noting that while Democrats opposed the execution of the kidnapping due to the lack of a plan to install Maria Corina Machado, they continue to support underlying imperial ambitions. Vaz further explores the dynamics of Venezuelan politics, highlighting the long-standing resentment from elite factions towards both Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. He underscores the elites’ aspirations to re-establish themselves as US-aligned powers in Venezuela, illustrating their predicament where regaining control without US assistance has proven unfeasible. The ascendance of Chávez disrupted their ambitions and engendered a sense of entitlement among the elites who resented the prospect of working-class representation in government. Additionally, Vaz draws attention to the deteriorating situation in Cuba, establishing a critical link to Venezuela’s oil supply, which has been vital for Cuba’s public transportation, airline industry, and electricity generation for the past two decades. This connection emphasizes the broader implications of Venezuela’s political crisis on its regional relationships, marking it as a pivotal issue with significant socio-political ramifications. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 27m
  8. Alex Howlett

    FEB 20

    Alex Howlett

    Alex Howlett, an independent scholar affiliated with The Greshm Institute, discusses Universal Basic Income (UBI). Beginning with Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), an offshoot of post-Keynesianism, he addresses its key principles: notably Keynes’ belief that the Great Depression was caused by a deficiency in aggregate demand, leading to sustained involuntary unemployment that the market could not self-correct. Howlett deflates Keynesian theory that assumes that economic policy aims for full employment, asking, “To what extent actually does it make sense for people to be workers?” while explaining that labour is not the most effective or efficient way to get money to people. Howlett sees UBI as solving this problem of distributing money to people while dispensing with the need to ensure that everyone has a job, dispelling the notion that only if every single person is working can an economy run at full capacity. Assessing some of the major criticisms of UBI—from fiscal feasibility, economic incentives, and social justice—he responds to the fears of inflation, worries that borrowing will lead to reckless fiscal policy and a loss of central bank independence, or that UBI would dismantle already established welfare programmes. Responding to counter-arguments to UBI, such as the claim that the economy will not have the labour pool it requires or that people won’t be working as much, Howlett turns these arguments on their head demonstrating how the demand for labour is artificially inflated as a way of getting people jobs, noting the historical overstimulation of the financial sector to encourage firms to borrow so they hire workers. Howlett contends that with UBI, the economy does not have to play into the push and pull of labour supply and demand, stating, “You hear this fear that people aren’t going to work as much at the same time that you hear this fear that there aren’t going to be enough jobs available, right? It’s like, well, wait a minute…. Isn’t it good if those things kind of go together?” Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 29m
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4.6
out of 5
47 Ratings

About

Investigative reporting and social commentary on public culture, the arts, science, and politics. savageminds.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Savage Minds
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    215
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Savage Minds
  • Show Website
    Savage Minds

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