Against the Stream

RCI - www.marxist.com
  • 4.9 (28)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. Iran war: How communists fight imperialism

    2D AGO

    Iran war: How communists fight imperialism

    As the war on Iran enters its third week, US imperialism finds itself mired in a deepening crisis. What Trump envisioned as a swift decapitation strike is rapidly proving to be the gravest blunder of his presidency – and perhaps one of the most catastrophic miscalculations in the history of American foreign policy. Iran, meanwhile, is raising the stakes. Oil and gas prices are soaring, and the spectre of a new global economic slump looms ever larger. Ordinary people are watching these events unfold with a mixture of shock, bewilderment, and rage. The question of how to fight back against imperialism and put an end to its unrelenting cycle of violence is weighing on the minds of millions. In this episode of Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Fred Weston examine how communists must take up the struggle against US imperialism today, contrasting the Marxist approach with the positions of both the reformist left and so-called third-worldism. New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 The war on Iran: where do communists stand? 🔗https://marxist.com/the-war-on-iran-where-do-communists-stand.htm Trump’s massive Iran aggression gamble becoming a catastrophic miscalculation 🔗https://marxist.com/trump-s-massive-iran-aggression-gamble-becoming-a-catastrophic-miscalculation.htm Financial Times – 'Iranians rethink the price of regime change' 🔗https://www.ft.com/content/4e048ed0-9bba-4392-8cee-7f1337c0b211 New York Times – 'Pace of Iran's retaliatory strikes appears to be slowing' 🔗https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/world/middleeast/iran-weapons-missiles-israel-gulf.html ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 00:00 – Intro and updates to the situation 15:15 – What is imperialism? 29:45 – The reformist 'solution' 48:55 – The 'Axis of Resistance' 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1h 11m
  2. Iran War: A Marxist Analysis

    MAR 5

    Iran War: A Marxist Analysis

    The United States and Israel have launched a war on Iran. Missiles and bombs are falling across Tehran and beyond, with strikes hitting schools, military installations, and government compounds throughout the country. Thousands of people are being killed and injured in yet another wave of imperialist bloodshed. On today's episode of Against The Stream, Hamid Alizadeh is joined by Niklas Albin Svensson to analyse this major turning point in world events from a communist perspective. Already, things aren't going the way Trump had hoped, with Iran firing back, US munitions stretched thin, and the threat of a prolonged conflict the US cannot afford… New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 The war on Iran: where do communists stand? 🔗https://marxist.com/the-war-on-iran-where-do-communists-stand.htm Trump’s massive Iran aggression gamble becoming a catastrophic miscalculation 🔗https://marxist.com/trump-s-massive-iran-aggression-gamble-becoming-a-catastrophic-miscalculation.htm Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan statement 🔗https://x.com/PDKIenglish/status/2028556271700549982 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1h 21m

  3. FEB 26

    Iran CATASTROPHE + Epstein scandal out of control | AGAINST THE STREAM

    Donald Trump is once again banging the war drums, threatening military action against Iran. He has now assembled the largest US naval build-up in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq – including two aircraft carriers and hundreds of fighter jets. The recent kidnapping of Maduro appears to have emboldened Trump and the warhawks in Washington, convincing them they can dictate terms through sheer force. But a war with Iran would not be a simple show of strength; it would risk spiralling far beyond US control. This looming conflict is not an isolated event, but the product of decades of US imperialist intervention that has sown chaos across the Middle East. As Ben Curry and Hamid Alizadeh discuss in this latest episode, new fault lines are opening, which threaten fresh and bloody clashes across the region. All this while crises at home, including the fallout from the Epstein files, expose the deep rot at the heart of American capitalism.Fittingly, this episode also tackles a key question sent in by a listener: will a revolution necessarily be violent New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 Red Sea rift: US allies split into armed camps 🔗https://marxist.com/middle-east-divide-fault-lines.htmThe establishment has been rocked before. Epstein is an existential threat 🔗https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/epstein-king-charles-british-monarchy-d7nxllfgq?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqfauVuwblbIy7ObbYJ5jMpOy4JSsVK2VWzBII0HGdoA2-CILWfjl88pZFz3PVE%3D&gaa_ts=69a06606&gaa_sig=VxBVBRNrLEXvVW-tWp7tZ0xwCM7-Z6MjuWqKNJGscxX_5bQsVJaV5_Q673BjJE7n-nCzvPxbFQGUzbDIRq9WVg%3D%3D ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 00:00 – Intro 01:15 – Iran military buildup 24:09 – Realignment of powers in the Middle East 46:48 – Epstein scandal out of control 01:04:16 – Question: do communists want violence? 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1h 13m

  4. FEB 19

    Cuba under siege – how to defend the revolution

    The Cuban revolution is in grave danger! Trump's oil blockade has cut off the island's fuel supplies, plunging the country into prolonged blackouts, halting public transport, and threatening a full-scale humanitarian crisis. With Venezuelan oil cut off and Mexico bowing to US threats, Trump is tightening the noose to asphyxiate the island after 67 years of relentless pressure. The aim of the US is to crush a revolution that refuses to submit to imperialist domination. Trump demands Cuba sever ties with Russia and China, open its economy to US capital, and surrender its sovereignty. The stakes couldn’t be clearer: the survival of the revolution depends not on bourgeois governments, but on the mobilisation of the working class and oppressed worldwide. In this episode of our Marxist current affairs podcast, Against the Stream, Jorgé Martín and Hamid Alizadeh analyse the latest developments in the imperialist siege and discuss the history of the Cuban Revolution and how it got where it is today. New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Mallory) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) 🔗https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v06/d499 Cuba 50 years later – where is the revolution going? 🔗https://marxist.com/cuba-50-years-later.htm Rise up with Cuba, peoples of the world! 🔗https://medium.com/la-tiza/lev%C3%A1ntense-con-cuba-pueblos-del-mundo-2cf19db7647c "This is Not a Dress Rehearsal": U.S. Engaged in Massive Military Buildup as Threat To Bomb Iran Grows 🔗https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️ 00:00 – Intro 01:17 – What is going on in Cuba? 14:05 – Impact of blockade 23:58 – Why does the US care about Cuba? 27:50 – Is Cuba a socialist country? 46:51 – Iran 55:39 – Viewer's question: Why would people go to work under communism? 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1h 5m
  5. The rise and fall of the Kurdish liberation movement + Epstein files

    FEB 13

    The rise and fall of the Kurdish liberation movement + Epstein files

    Over the last month, we have seen shocking images come out of Syria. ISIS flags waving over Raqqa. Jihadist militants knocking over the gravestones of Kurdish fighters. When it was set up, the Kurdish statelet of Rojava inspired people worldwide. Later, they beat back ISIS. Now ISIS have returned, and the Kurds are fighting for their lives. How has it come to this? Meanwhile, the world has been left aghast by the release of millions more files related to billionaire pedophile Jeffery Epstein. This is not only the exposure of the sordid dealings of a lone sex trafficker, but his friends: the most powerful people in the world. Here, for the whole world to see, is an unprecedented insight into the sociology and morality of the ruling class. Moreover, as the perpetrators walk scott free, the release of increasingly shocking dirt is stirring up a guillotine mood in society. As communists, we more than anyone need to understand the significance and meaning of these events. In this episode of our Marxist current affairs podcast, Against the Stream, Fred Weston and Hamid Alizadeh sat down to do just that. New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖 Donald Trump and the ‘Epstein Class’ 🔗https://marxist.com/donald-trump-and-the-epstein-class.htm Kurds under siege in Rojava 🔗https://marxist.com/kurds-under-siege-in-rojava-only-revolutionary-struggle-against-imperialism-can-prevent-a-massacre.htm FT: The Epstein rot goes deep 🔗https://www.ft.com/content/3f8277cd-2b47-49ff-b264-fd7ce89c924f Syria, Turkey, and the Oppression of the Kurds: 🔗https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivBJ4vpzsqs

    1h 17m
  6. The story of Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution

    FEB 5

    The story of Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution

    IMPORTANT NOTICE: This video was pre-recorded a week in advance. We will return to normal programming on Thursday 12th February. A lot is said about Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution. The billionaire-owned media cry out indignantly that was a dictator who ruined life for ordinary Venezuelans. But over the course of his presidency, he won a total of 19 democratic elections and referendums with record voter turnout – how many bourgeois politicians can claim the same? In the meantime, the imperialists in Washington launched a number of coup attempts; all of which failed miserably, when brought face to face with the will of the organised masses. The power of the working class is like no other on Earth, and the Venezuelan Revolution offers an invaluable glimpse of what is possible when this power is unleashed. What was it about Chávez’ methods and outlook that allowed him to lead the most important revolutionary movement of the 21st century? And what was it about those same methods and outlook that ultimately led to its defeat after his death? Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh answer these questions and more on this week’s episode of Against the Stream. Tune in every Thursday at 6pm GMT for a Marxist analysis of world events. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' – Documentary on the failed 2002 coup 🔗https://vimeo.com/513876099 Carry Out the Legacy of Hugo Chávez 🔗https://marxist.com/carry-out-the-legacy-of-hugo-chavez.htm From Alan Woods' book 'The Venezuelan Revolution: A Marxist Perspective': Encounters with Hugo Chávez 🔗https://marxist.com/book-the-venezuelan-revolution-marxist-perspective/encounters-with-hugo-chavez.htm Marxists and the Venezuelan Revolution 🔗https://marxist.com/book-the-venezuelan-revolution-marxist-perspective/marxists-andnbspthe-venezuelan-revolution.htm 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1h 24m
  7. Minneapolis and the coming American revolution

    JAN 29

    Minneapolis and the coming American revolution

    The movement against ICE in Minneapolis is not just any ordinary protest – it is a microcosm of the revolutionary events that will shake the United States in the period ahead. With their class struggle methods, culminating in the first general strike in America in 80 years, the workers of Minneapolis not only forced Trump to retreat, they have also inspired millions across the country and the world. These events are a living and breathing lesson in the mechanics of revolution. They also show how, under the surface, the conditions for revolution – and particularly the consciousness of the classes – can develop undetected, before bursting to the surface in the form of dramatic events, which Trotsky described as the molecular processes of socialist revolution. With more revolutionary shocks inbound, we as communists need to study and explain what is going on. In this episode of our Marxist current affairs podcast, Against the Stream, Fred Weston and Hamid Alizadeh delve into the events playing out in the US, and address how we can intervene in the struggle and prepare for the battles ahead. New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube. 📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖 United States: the 2026 Minnesota general strike – a historic turning point 🔗https://marxist.com/united-states-the-2026-minnesota-general-strike-a-historic-turning-point.htm Welcome to the American Winter – The Atlantic 🔗https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/01/minneapolis-uprising/685755/ Minneapolis Makes History: Now Spread the General Strike! [Podcast] – Revolutionary Communists of America 🔗https://youtu.be/nFi3sJCU1AY?si=r40nsT37QGFPZq1o ICE Terrorizes Minneapolis: GENERAL STRIKE in the air [Podcast] – Revolutionary Communists of America 🔗https://youtu.be/EGBrOxhSqjs?si=5Eq9ycZ_E5xP7_qA 🌐 LINKS 🌐 ✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/ 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

    1h 26m
  8. Trump’s war against Europe + Minneapolis rising

    JAN 22

    Trump’s war against Europe + Minneapolis rising

    Donald Trump has bulldozed his way into 2026. Now, he has put the acquisition of Greenland at the top of his new year’s wishlist, sending the Europeans into panic and jeopardising trans-Atlantic relations even further. Why does Trump want Greenland? What would such a prospect mean for Europe on the world stage? And how are Trump’s actions abroad tied to the crisis at home, where the ICE murder of Renee Good has sparked an explosive movement. In this episode of our Marxist current affairs podcast, Against the Stream, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh discuss these questions and more, highlighting the underlying capitalist crisis that is driving all of these disasters.New episodes of Against the Stream air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube.📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖United States: anti-ICE rage surges in Minnesota — prepare for a general strike!https://marxist.com/united-states-anti-ice-rage-surges-in-minnesota-prepare-for-a-general-strike.htmAmerican imperialism increases pressure to take over Greenlandhttps://marxist.com/american-imperialism-increases-pressure-to-take-over-greenland.htm

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
28 Ratings

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
    61
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © RCI - www.marxist.com
  • Show Website
    Against the Stream

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