Jacobin Radio

Jacobin

4.7 (1.5K)
POLITICS
UPDATED WEEKLY

News, politics, history and more from Jacobin. Featuring The Dig, Long Reads, Confronting Capitalism, Behind the News, Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman, and occasional specials.

1D AGO

Jacobin Radio: What Happened in Chile? w/ Oscar Mendoza and Pablo Abufom

Chile has just elected its most extreme far-right president since the Pinochet dictatorship. José Antonio Kast won the December 14 runoff by a commanding margin — a stunning reversal in a country that in 2019 experienced a massive social uprising over the unaffordability of life and extreme inequality. The social revolt ended with the pandemic lockdown, but the following year a broad leftist coalition swept into power, electing the 34-year-old former radical student leader Gabriel Boric, whose government promised to bury neoliberalism once and for all. How did Chile move so quickly from an anti-neoliberal social rebellion to the return of the hard right? Was this a vote for authoritarianism — or a vote against insecurity, inflation, and political stalemate? What does Kast’s victory tell us about the global resurgence of the far right, from Latin America to Europe and the United States? Suzi examines Chile’s political reversal with two Chilean analysts: Oscar Mendoza explains this electoral shift by looking at the failed constitutional process, the role of mandatory voting, media panic over crime and immigration, and the institutional constraints Kast will face in office. Pablo Abufom situates Kast’s victory in a longer historical trajectory, arguing that this is the first democratic government of pinochetismo — a project combining authoritarian neoliberalism, moral conservatism and anticommunism, now aligned with a global far-right resurgence. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

1h 8m
2D AGO

Confronting Capitalism: The Golden Age of Social Democracy

After World War II, political parties championing redistribution, full employment, and egalitarianism gained power across the globe, especially in Western Europe. But why did these social democrats give up the ambition to transition to socialism? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber explains why the golden age of capitalism was a rare period of triumph for the Left, even though the movement faced serious challenges from class enemies, state structures, and tensions within its own coalition. Any leftist trying to change the balance of class power would benefit from understanding why social democracy achieved such lasting success even as it remains in the political minority today. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code, CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

57 min
3D AGO

Behind the News: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature w/ Alyssa Battistoni

Thea Riofrancos, author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, looks at the complications of using lithium batteries to green our future. Alyssa Battistoni, author of Free Gifts, examines the weird relationship between capitalism and nature. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

53 min
5D AGO

The Dig: NYC and the Hegemonic Project

Featuring Sumaya Awad, Sumathy Kumar, and Nathan Gusdorf on building power on the ground as our allies exercise it from above in the service of a larger hegemonic project to transform the United States. As Zohran Mamdani takes office on January 1, it’s time for governance—and all of the opportunities, constraints, and contradictions that entails. A recording of last week’s live Dig in Brooklyn. Support The Dig (and check out our cool new merch) at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy After Savagery at Haymarketbooks.org Buy From the Clinics to the Capitol at UCPress.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

1h 37m
DEC 18

Long Reads: Western Sahara’s Struggle for Freedom w/ Jacob Mundy (Part 1)

The occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco has now lasted for half a century. The anniversary of the invasion passed at the beginning of November. It came just as the Trump administration was working at the United Nations to legitimize permanent Moroccan rule over the land and its people, including the indigenous Sahrawis. Today’s episode is the first part of a two-part interview on the history of Western Sahara. Part one is going to cover the experience of Spanish colonial rule and the emergence of a movement for independence before the invasion by Morocco in 1975. Part two will carry the story up to the present day. Our guest Jacob Mundy is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Colgate University. He’s the co-author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Read his piece for Jacobin, “For 50 Years, Morocco Has Denied Western Sahara Freedom”: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/morocco-western-sahara-freedom-colonialism Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

48 min
DEC 16

Jacobin Radio: The Least Unjust Peace in Ukraine? w/ Oleksandr Kyselov

Suzi talks to Oleksandr Kyselov and Alyssa Oursler about what’s being sold to the world as “peace” in Ukraine, and what it looks like from the standpoint of Ukrainians who are actually living through the war. Trump’s 28-point plan for Ukraine — drafted behind closed doors by his real estate ally Steve Witkoff and a Russian sovereign wealth fund chief — reads less like diplomacy and more like a property deal: Russia gets the land, the US takes its cut, Europe foots the bill, and Ukraine is told to choose between surrendering now or surrendering later — with little input in the process. Ukrainian political analyst Oleksandr Kyselov argues that what’s on the table is not a just peace but an “imperial carve-up,” and that Ukrainians are forced to fight for “the least unjust peace” that can realistically be won today. Then journalist Alyssa Oursler, reporting from Kyiv, describes how Ukrainians are reacting to the plan — from sudden funerals to conversations with leftists and soldiers who say Trump has prolonged the war and treated Ukraine as a bargaining chip. We ask what a real peace would look like, why Ukrainians fear being forced into this deal, and what international solidarity from the Left ought to mean now. Read Oleksandr’s Jacobin article, “Ukraine Faces and Imperial Carve-Up”: https://jacobin.com/2025/12/ukraine-russia-war-concessions-trump Support for Jacobin Radio comes from The Regrettable Century podcast: https://regrettablecentury.buzzsprout.com/220523 Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

1h 18m
DEC 15

Behind the News: Trump’s Militaristic Master Plan w/ Anatol Lieven

Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute analyzes Trump’s official national security strategy. Susannah Glickman, recently interviewed by the New York Review of Books, looks at the transformation of the US government into a private equity firm. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

53 min
DEC 13

The Dig: Welcome to the Resistance w/ Eric Blanc, Leah Greenberg, Waleed Shahid

Featuring Eric Blanc, Leah Greenberg, and Waleed Shahid on the liberal resistance’s sharp left turn since Trump returned to the White House. Libs are voting Zohran at the ballot box, fighting ICE in the streets, and just generally looking favorably upon socialism. This discussion puts the moment in historic context and plots out the strategic exigencies and opportunities ahead. Rest in power Asad Haider. Check out our 2018 interview with Asad on his book Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump thedigradio.com/podcast/mistaking-identity-politics Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Learning to Live in the Dark at Haymarketbooks.org Buy Will Work for Food at UCPress.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

2h 5m

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Eric Blanc

Guest

4.7

out of 5

1,458 Ratings

Jacobin Radio

Dec 7

Jacobin Radio

Disciplined and focused discussion of the left. Much to learn
Very educational for building class consciousness

Nov 8

Lawn Rocket

Really enjoy this podcast overall. Very knowledgeable hosts and guests that bring a valuable mix of socialist perspectives across disciplines: history, economics, political science, labor organizing etc. Appreciate that it also gets beyond theory to questions of building political power to advance a people-focused agenda. Areas for improvement: I did find it a little hard to connect with at first…feels like there are 4 podcasts in one. Might be worth separating at least into 2 separate shows. Also I love Vivek’s insights on Confronting Capitalism, though the show’s format with Melissa always posing the questions like a student and Vivek being the “person with all the answers” can come off as a bit patronizing/borderline sexist at time. Probably not the intention, but might be helpful to rethink the structure to make it feel more like a dialogue than mansplaining.
july 2, 2025

Aug 8

midwestBlue

Suzi Weissman should let her guest talk more instead of trying to control the conversation. use a little more control of yourself Suzi, we are here to hear what your guests have to say. stop wanting to be the story and quit interrupting your guests. Suzi Weissman is annoying as an interviewer because she sees herself as the guest herself. not a fan of Suzi Weissman.
Confronting Capitalism

Jul 17

Crystalash

This show with Vivek Chibber restores some credibility of Jacobin. Please retire the namesake show with Suzi, or change the host. Her lopsided obsession with Russia—compared to the tepid take on the occasional other topics—and the glaringly absent coverage of Palestine are suspiciously incongruent with Jacobin and the rest of the channel.

News, politics, history and more from Jacobin. Featuring The Dig, Long Reads, Confronting Capitalism, Behind the News, Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman, and occasional specials.