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.

2D AGO

Long Reads: Latin America’s State of Siege w/ Tony Wood

This is a special, extra episode of Long Reads. It’s now two weeks since the US attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro. Donald Trump and Marco Rubio made explicit threats to countries like Colombia and Cuba in the aftermath, washed down with the usual fantasies about drug trafficking. Tony Wood joins Long Reads to discuss the attack on Venezuela and what it means for the Latin American left. How have left-wing governments and parties been reacting, and what are the long-term implications going to be? Tony is a professor of Latin American history at the University of Colorado Boulder and a regular contributor to publications such as New Left Review, the London Review of Books, and Jacobin: https://jacobin.com/author/tony-wood 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.

44 min
2D AGO

The Dig: MAGA Empire w/ Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin

Featuring Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin on the MAGA model of US imperialism. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Subscribe to the Unite and Win podcast at podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unite-and-win-a-guide-to-workplace-organizing/id1866713309 Check out equator.org for longform articles, public events, and reading groups. The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

1h 50m
4D AGO

Long Reads: Western Sahara’s Struggle for Freedom w/ Jacob Mundy (Part 2)

This week’s episode of Long Reads is the second part of a two-part interview about the history of Western Sahara. Our last episode covered events leading up to Morocco’s invasion of the country. This episode examines the fifty years of occupation and the recent push by the Trump administration to legitimize Moroccan rule. 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.

49 min
5D AGO

Behind the News: Maduro Kidnapped w/ Alejandro Velasco

Alejandro Velasco analyzes the situation in Venezuela. Eric Blanc defends Victor Berger, Milwaukee’s sewer socialist, against charges of racism. 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

Confronting Capitalism: The Coup in Venezuela

The kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro on January 3rd was a shocking escalation in the United States’s ongoing strangulation of Venezuela. This has immediately provoked questions about the domestic Venezuelan power struggle and the demise of the Bolivarian Revolution. In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber is joined by Gabriel Hetland, author of the Catalyst essay titled “From Chávez to Maduro.” Together, they analyze the US’s imperial meddling, Delcy Rodríguez’s shaky interim leadership, and Maduro’s legacy in the context of the Pink Tide. Read the essay here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2024/12/from-chavez-to-maduro 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.

36 min
6D AGO

Jacobin Radio: The Donroe Doctrine w/ Pedro Paulo Zahluth Bastos

Trump’s January 3rd military assault on Venezuela and abduction of President Nicolas Maduro marks a turning point in global politics. Trump made no humanitarian or democratic claims — only a blunt assertion of power, resources, and control. Suzi talks to Brazilian political economist Pedro Paulo Zahluth Bastos who says this new “Donroe Doctrine” is openly transactional, unapologetically imperial, and signals weakness: a declining hegemon turns to force to secure oil, minerals, and supply chains. We discuss why Venezuela was targeted, how China figures centrally in US strategy, and the trouble of defending Maduro in the name of “anti-imperialism.” That question — how to oppose US imperialism without defending corrupt regimes — leads directly to Ukraine. Denys Pilash of Ukraine’s democratic socialist organization Sotsialnyi Rukh draws on his scholarly work on Venezuela. He is speaking from Kyiv in blackout conditions, under bombardment and infrastructure attacks. We discuss why the struggle against Maduro’s government and the struggle against American imperialism are not opposites, but two sides of the same conflict, in which people become pawns in political games. Pilash says for this reason, as internationalists, "we must speak out in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, the same solidarity that Venezuelans showed towards Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression." He argues that accepting a world divided into imperial spheres of influence fatally undermines any consistent opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

1h 2m
JAN 8

The Dig: Venezuela w/ Alejandro Velasco, Gabriel Hetland, and Yoletty Bracho

Featuring Alejandro Velasco, Gabriel Hetland, and Yoletty Bracho on the US attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro. An expansive conversation analyzing Trump’s imperialist project and assessing Chavismo and its oppositions from Chávez through Maduro. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out equator.org for longform articles, public events, and reading groups Buy Middle Class New Deal 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 39m
JAN 7

Confronting Capitalism: Abundance Needs Socialism

Over the past year, Democrats have learned to embrace economic abundance thanks to Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s bestselling book. But is this the same kind of abundance the Left has traditionally argued for? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber is joined by Matt Huber, co-author alongside Fred Stafford and Leigh Phillips of a new Catalyst essay titled “The Left Has Always Fought for Abundance.” Together, they discuss the need for an energy infrastructure build out, the historic origins of stagnant state capacity, and what socialist abundance entails. Read the essay here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2025/12/the-left-has-always-fought-for-abundance 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.

46 min

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4.7

out of 5

1,460 Ratings

Jacobin Radio

12/07/2025

Jacobin Radio

Disciplined and focused discussion of the left. Much to learn
Compatible Left

3d ago

Crystalash

The Dig, Jacobin Radio, Confronting Capitalism, now Behind the News—the characterization of Maduro and Bolivarian revolution is no different from corporate media’s distortion, when there are empirical evidence and independent journalism to refute such lies. Replying on the same “experts” further siloed the view. Suzi has always been a bit sus (given her one-sided accounts of Russia), but the others also unveiled to be biased unfortunately confirms warnings I dismissed before. To compromise the most sacred value of the left seems to be the prerequisite to grow as big as Jacobin in the “belly of the beast”.
Very educational for building class consciousness

11/08/2025

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

08/08/2025

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.

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.