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The Socialist Correspondent attempts to get to the truth behind events. Using Marxist principles, it shines a light on those responsible for war, terrorism and exploitation and reports and analyses the struggles of working people across the globe. The Socialist Correspondent is partisan. It unashamedly supports those fighting for peace, justice and socialism.
151 Episodes
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Trumps radical foreign policy marks a seismic shift in US strategy and leaves the pretence of a rules based order reeling.
The world is more dangerous than it's ever been. The US has escalated a campaign of reckless violence across the globe to try to offset its long-term decline. This strategy is not a Trumpist aberration but is fully backed by the whole American machine. The extreme adventurism we are witnessing is more dangerous than US warmongering up to now, not only because it's so widespread, fire-raising in multiple theatres simultaneously, but because of the utterly brazen and provocative way it's being conducted. All pretence at restraint has been removed.
Class division remains a key element of Britain's political picture, but in a new way. Whereas working class people once formed the heart of the class structure and the focal point of political competition they now lack representation.
Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the South African Freedom Charter, adopted on 26 June 1955 by the Congress of the People at Kliptown, near Soweto, South Africa.
For centuries the Caucasus region has been fought over by various empires, most recently under the influence of the Soviet Union. The region comprises Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, along with the autonomous republics Nakhichevan, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. Current US actions and the expansion of NATO have threatened the sovereignty and security of the region.
The Department of War Studies at Kings College London is ostensibly a university department but the function it performs for the British State goes well beyond the academic study of military science and strategy.
In a climate of austerity, stagnation, and uncertainty about the future, along with the Tories and Labour both trying to draw support back from those now attracted to the Reform party, hostility towards immigrants has risen as have harsher attitudes towards them.
European powers have dramatically increased theirs arms budgets under pressure from the US. Europe's focus is on supporting the war in Ukraine while the US concentrates on China.
Labour and the Tories, both parties of the political establishment, are mired in problems they have failed to address. They cannot resolve the contradictions of neo-liberalism that alienate them from the electorate and halt the decline in living standards and decaying services whilst they also vigorously support a drive to war.
The challenges and successes of a planned economy focussing on the experience of the Soviet Union.
The US government under Donald Trump has recently been escalating its campaign to destabilise South Africa including false charges against the South African government as regards its treatment of the Africana population and fake videos claiming genocide against the white population. Trump is supported in these strategies by a group of ultra wealthy US individuals of South Afican origin who are determined to protect white privilege, waekjen the ANC and silence South African support for the Palestinian people.
A review of BAE systems, a private company in which the UK government holds a 'golden share' which gives it a veto over decisions. Its principle business is with the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia and it operates in all sectors of the defence market. With growing global tensions and rising military budgets the BAE share price is rising ever upward as the world gears up for war.
The current global trade war initiated by the US government is having a serious impact on European economies and other nations but has not managed to weaken its main target, China, which has demonstrated it can resist caving in to any sanctions the US tries to impose. As China moves towards achieving self reliance in energy and parity in technological innovation we will witness the West's two centuries of global capitalist military and technical supremacy unravel.
While the UK economy stagnates at home, the government plans to increase military spending to 3% per annum. To pay for this funds will be taken away from social welfare services and further austerity measures seem inevitable. Claims that increasing military expenditure is necessary to defend the UK in a hostile world lack credibility. The reality is that it is an attempt to maintain and strengthen Britain's imperial role in the world and prevent fundamental changes in the world order.
Britain's relationship with Russia abruptly changed with the ousting of Ukraine's President Yanukovych in 2014 from one of close trade and investment partnership to naming Russia as Britain's principal enemy. This sudden pivot is tied to the struggle to secure access to Ukraine's valuable mineral assets. In promoting and prolonging the war in Ukraine Britain also hopes to promote its global arms exports and become an important player in central and eastern Europe.
Although German Democratic Republic (GDR) ended 35 years ago its achievements demonstrate what is possible in a society committed to the welfare of its citizens. It did this against enormous odds. It was economically disadvantaged after the end of the second world war and faced the West's attempts to isolate it from the rest of the world. Significantly it was determined that war would never again emanate from German soil and advocated for peace.
There is a long history behind the West’s objective of destroying the government in Syria. The long campaign of military action and sanctions which eventually led to Assad’s defeat. His overthrow will have a profound impact on future prospects for Syria and the region, including the Palestinians whose cause has been weakened by these events. The West backs the terrorists who now control the country and who are oppressing and killing people from ethnic and religious minorities and women from all groups. Meanwhile the United States is still involved and Israel and Turkey are vying to carve up bits of Syria for themselves. The future looks grim for Syrians.
The threat from China to the US and the West is real but it is not a military one, as the media would have us believe, which is used as the pretext for increased arms spending. In fact, it is the US that has threatened to annex Canada, take over Greenland, take back the Panama Canal (which it has partly succeeded in) take over Ukrainian mineral resources and redevelop Gaza ethnically cleansed of Palestinians. By contrast, what China has been doing is developing its technology and industry so that it is now a leading force in hi tech and green industries. This came into sharp relief with the success of DeepSeek’s new artificial intelligence system. This is what motivates Trump. He wants to focus on the serious challenge that China poses to the United States status as the world’s one superpower.
Although Trump is notoriously erratic, beneath the surface of this and his egregious, insulting behaviour there are consistencies. One is that he will continue to support Israel as the bastion of US interests in the Middle East and Palestinians who continue to suffer from Israel’s genocidal actions both in Gaza and the West Bank. One bright spot in a rather grim political landscape in Britian has been the unified and determined campaigning by activists in solidarity with Palestine. In particular we can learn from the past success of the boycott of South African apartheid to mobilise people to boycott Israeli apartheid now.
Trump is motivated by a desire to ensure US supremacy in the face of China which is developing rapidly. No other country poses such a threat and he wants to clear the decks for that fight, hence his attempt to end the war in Ukraine on terms favourable to the United States. Other aspects of Trump’s imperial agenda – his designs on Greenland and Panama and also relate to his desire to prevent China challenging US power.
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