Against the Stream

This week, after claiming victory in the German election, Friedrich Merz declared that Germany would now stand up to the USA, Russia and China and make the EU into a ‘great power’. Similarly, Keir Starmer declared that Britain would stand by Ukraine for 100 years and threatened to put British troops on the group as a ‘peacekeeping force’, while Macron travelled to the White House in a ‘show of strength’ to Trump. Clearly, the liberal European establishment has gone mad. In reality, Europe is facing a catastrophic crisis. It is being outcompeted and squeezed between the real great powers, has been abandoned by its American protector, and is looking on helplessly as Russia claims victory in the Ukraine war, a war they have spent hundreds of billions of dollars prolonging. On top of that, the despised establishment parties across the continent are facing the meteoric rise of right-wing populist contenders. Their bragging and posturing could not be more out of touch with reality, for there is no way out of this mess on a capitalist basis.To explain the method in the madness, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh of the international leadership of the RCI, met for another episode of Against the Stream, the weekly current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International.This episode was streamed on YouTube. Tune in every Thursday at 3pm GMT, or catch up on Spotify or Apple Music.

Storm clouds are gathering over the world economy. Already, it is faced with slowing growth, rising interest and inflation rates, and astronomical debts. Now Trump’s ‘America First’ policy and his promise of tariffs threaten to make all of that worse. As America wanes as the undisputed, dominant world power, the epoch of globalisation that it policed is coming to an end. Instead, an era of intense competition between hostile blocs of imperialist powers is opening up. All this cannot fail to have devastating consequences on the world economic situation, which is already headed towards a catastrophic crisis. To break down these processes from a Marxist perspective, Hamid Alizadeh and Niklas Albin Svensson from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met for a special episode of Against the Stream all about the world economy and the gigantic crisis headed its way.  This podcast was streamed live on YouTube. Tune in every Thursday at 3pm GMT, or catch up on Spotify or Apple Music.

On 18 June, the Cuban National Assembly approved a sweeping package of economic reforms. If implemented, they mean the end of the planned economy and the full restoration of capitalism on the island, which is currently under extreme pressure as the United States tightens a near-total blockade that has caused twenty-two-hour electricity cuts, food shortages, and the suspension of non-emergency surgery.In this special episode of Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín go through the measures point by point, explain why this is capitalism and not a step towards socialism, and draw out the broader lessons for communists around the world.They cover the Chinese and Vietnamese models, what the NEP actually was and wasn't, the role of the Cuban leadership in the collapse of the Venezuelan revolution, and why the only way out is workers' democracy and world revolution.New episodes of Against the Stream return in mid-September.📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖⁠Cuban communist intellectuals discuss the future of socialism (2010) https://marxist.com/cuban-communist-intellectuals-discuss-socialism.htm⁠Where is Cuba going? Towards Capitalism or Socialism? (2010)https://marxist.com/where-is-cuba-going-capitalism-or-socialism.htmPunto y Aparte · Cuba, El Fantasma Y Las Reformas (2026)https://www.facebook.com/pyacuba/posts/pfbid02otuLyoB3Qpqx9LNCUWn6FMbDJJBZzbD83orK2zBr2DNxBermrt7ju2VNteEorDRbl¿Hay otra alternativa para Cuba? - Juventud Técnica (2026)https://www.juventudtecnica.cu/articulos/hay-otra-alternativa-para-cuba/The State and Revolution – V.I. Lenin (1917)https://marxist.com/the-state-and-revolution.htmThe story of Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution | AGAINST THE STREAM (2026)https://youtu.be/nnGzwqX25Jk?si=FoDPGRM5nigsNKoA⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️🌐 LINKS 🌐 🫵 Join the Revolutionary Communist International:https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📚 Marxist literature: https://wellred-books.com/🎧 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443 📱 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987 📸 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/💬 Twitter:https://x.com/revcomintern/

World School of Communism 2026: https://schoolofcommunism.com/-The United States and Iran have signed a deal to end the war. Looking through the fourteen points of the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’, it becomes clear that America has conceded everything Iran demanded, and Iran has given up nothing in return.In this week's Against the Stream, Hamid Alizadeh and Ben Curry break down the deal point by point: the three hundred billion dollar reconstruction fund, the end of sanctions, Iran's new control over the Strait of Hormuz, the prospect of Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and the collapse of America’s regime change agenda. They explain the meaning of a defeat that many are calling worse than Vietnam, what it means for Israel, the Gulf states, China, Russia, and the world economy, and why this represents a turning point in America’s imperial decline.New episodes of Against the Stream return in mid-September.📖 Recommended reading 📖Does Israel control the United States? – https://marxist.com/does-israel-control-the-united-states.htmIsraelis angry over U.S.-Iran peace deal lash out at Netanyahu – https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israelis-argry-over-u-s-iran-peace-deal-lash-out-at-netanyahu‘American Surrender’: Conservatives React in Horror to Formal Iran Deal Announcement – https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/american-surrender-conservatives-react-in-horror-to-formal-iran-deal-announcement/Iran Is a Bigger Defeat Than Vietnam – https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/16/iran-vietnam-strategy-defeat/⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️0:00 Intro2:15 The peace deal point by point19:22 What does this mean for the US?25:40 Splits in the MAGA-movement33:26 Freedom of navigation no more37:29 What does this mean for Israel?58:40 What does this mean for Europe?1:03:25 The impact on world relations1:08:06 The impact on the world economy1:13:57 Will the deal hold?🫵 Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📚 Marxist literature: https://wellred-books.com/📸 Instagram: / revcomintern 💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

Five hundred days of Trump in power. No more forever wars – except there is a war. The biggest paychecks in history – except hundreds of millions of Americans say the cost of living is the worst they can ever remember. And thirty-four percent of young Americans now hold a favourable view of communism.In this week's episode of Against the Stream, Victor Murray and Fred Weston take stock of Trump's second term so far, discuss the shifting consciousness of the American working class, and how communists need to fill the vacuum on the left.The episode traces the roots of Trump's appeal to the long-term decline of US capitalism, the betrayals of the Democrats, and the lessons of lesser-evilism in Italy and asks: with Minneapolis, Mamdani, and the growing RCA, is a genuine revolutionary alternative beginning to take shape in the belly of the beast?New episodes of Against the Stream every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube.📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖Lesser-evilism, Italian style – and how it destroyed the left🔗 https://marxist.com/lesser-evilism-italy.htmItaly: Meloni becomes lame duck premier after referendum defeat🔗 https://marxist.com/italy-meloni-becomes-lame-duck-premier-after-referendum-defeat.htmThe RCA’s third national congress: preparing for the next American revolution🔗 https://marxist.com/the-rca-s-third-national-congress-preparing-for-the-next-american-revolution.htm⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️🌐 LINKS 🌐🫵 Join the Revolutionary Communist International:https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📚 Marxist literature: https://wellred-books.com/🎧 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/68nGNHz5lB8UZXICGIDMva?si=682ef70551644443 📱 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/