NATO Expands, Again. Will the Ukraine War Spread? w/ Vijay Prashad
NATO leaders met in Lithuania this week, and Finland and Sweden are now joining NATO, continuing the vast expansion of the military alliance. Ukraine was promised a path to NATO membership — despite the risk of further widening the war in Ukraine. Where is the newly emerging world order headed? How will the increasing contradictions resolve? And how can we better understand this historical moment to bring about an end to the scourge of imperialist war? Brian Becker is joined by Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, and a prolific author, most recently with Noam Chomsky of “The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power.” Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at https://patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
13 Jul 202358min
Can U.S. Capitalists Really "Decouple" from China?
On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's trip to China for some of the highest-profile talks yet between the Chinese government and the Biden administration. As a fierce struggle over the future of the world economy plays out, the United States has maintained the Trump-era tariffs and is seeking to diminish China’s role in global trade. Will the two largest world economies “decouple”? Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
12 Jul 202329min
New Details on Wagner Coup — US Wanted Russia’s Collapse, Why It Failed
In the days after the attempted coup by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, what do we know? The Western media coverage was generally drooling. Why did Yevgeny Prigozhin start an armed coup attempt against the Russian government? Was the US involved? Brian Becker is joined by Eugene Puryear, author, activist, and co-host of The Freedom Side LIVE, which airs every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern on BreakThrough News. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at https://patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
29 Jun 202358min
Imperialism, China, and the World Economy
On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the decline of the U.S. world order and economic domination, as BRICS economies overtake those of the G7. Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com, and more about this discussion in his article The World Economy Is Changing—the People Know, But Their Leaders Don’t. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
28 Jun 202333min
The Failed Coup in Russia: Preliminary Assessment [Brian Becker Seminar Preview]
In this patrons-only Q&A seminar, Brian analyzes the attempted coup in Russia by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his troops from the mercenary Wagner group. Brian discusses who Prigozhin is, why mercenaries are working for Russia, how this happened, how this compares with Trump's efforts to stay in the White House after losing the 2020 election, and more. This episode is a preview of a longer seminar for Patrons in the TSP community. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest of this seminar, support the show, register for next time, and access the highly valuable archive of years of socialist analysis.
27 Jun 202313min
Blinken’s Visit and Biden’s True Colors: Imperialist Arrogance Toward China
The United States has made provocation after provocation toward China – and this week, the day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China to reduce U.S.-China tension, U.S. President Biden denigrated Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him a “dictator” and alleging that he didn’t know what was going on in his own country. Blinken’s trip was supposed to be months ago, but was rescheduled because of another provocation — when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon. Brian Becker is joined by Dr. Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University, founding director of the Confucius Institute at New Mexico State University, activist with Pivot to Peace, and author of the new book “China's Revolution and the Quest for a Socialist Future,” which was just released at 1804books.com. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
22 Jun 202355min
Teamsters and the Class Struggle
On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss UPS workers voting 97% for a strike for better conditions, better pay, and more full-time work. What does this militant vote among hundreds of thousands of UPS workers mean for the strength of the labor struggle? Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
21 Jun 202332min
Why Biden Wants Assange in Jail: Case at the Tipping Point
A London High Court judge rejected Wikileaks editor Julian Assange's appeal against his extradition to the United States. He now faces up to 175 years in prison — despite public opinion around the world and in his home country, Australia. The UN has declared his detention “arbitrary,” which usually results in the release of the detainee, but not so far. The fate of the man who revealed so many of the hidden crimes of the US empire hangs in the balance. Brian Becker is joined by Joe Lauria, editor in chief of Consortium News. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
15 Jun 202344min
