Jacobin Radio

Emile Torres on the posthumanists. Quinn Slobodian on eugenics and neoliberalism. Femi Taiwo on DEI and the war on it. Kristin Du Mez on white Christian nationalism. Anatol Lieven on the Trumpian worldview. Laleh Khalili on the relationship between the Pentagon and US capitalism. And Susannah Glickman on similar. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Featuring Andrew Epstein on the Zohran campaign’s savvy, funny, sharp, disciplined, and moving comms operation. As one hundred thousand volunteers knocked three million doors, Andrew and a team of strategists, speechwriters, designers, and filmmakers wrote a giant love letter to New York City and inoculated voters against a lavishly-funded fusillade of smears and attacks. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy After Savagery at Haymarketbooks.org Buy From Apartheid to Democracy at UCPress.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Social-democratic politics have been part of the socialist movement for over a century. Some features, like the commitment to pursuing economic rights for the working class via the state, have remained consistent over time. But when did social-democratic ambitions to overthrow capitalism turn into efforts to reform the system? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber takes a broad look at the early agenda of social-democratic parties. Through an examination of their views on the state, class, and socialism, he unpacks social democracy’s relationship to the Left’s politics 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.

David Adler and Matt Kirkegaard of the Progressive International debrief the Honduran elections. Elfadil Ibrahim examines the Sudanese civil war. And finally Eric Blanc, drawing from Milwaukee’s decades of “sewer socialism,” offers lessons for Mamdani and Wilson. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Featuring Tascha Van Auken on how Zohran’s campaign mobilized an army of 100,000 volunteers to knock three million doors. Van Auken has been an architect of NYC-DSA’s field operation and its general electoral strategy since the beginning. Organizers everywhere have a lot to learn. Guest hosted by Micah Uetricht. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Live Dig episode in Brooklyn on December 10: Zohran and the Return of Municipal Socialism. Navigating opportunities and contradictions of governance with NYC-DSA leaders Sumathy Kumar and Sumaya Awad alongside the Fiscal Policy Institute’s Nathan Gusdorf. Free entry but please RSVP. Party afterwards! eventbrite.com/e/zohran-and-the-return-of-municipal-socialism-tickets-1972951976472 Buy No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine at Haymarketbooks.org Read the latest issue from The Nation‘s Books & the Arts section TheNation.com/books-and-the-arts The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Featuring Malcolm Harris on What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis. An open-minded and anti-sectarian discussion about an ecumenical book that plots out three paths forward for the Left — arguing we must embrace all three simultaneously. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Live episode of The Dig in Brooklyn on December 10: “Zohran and the Return of Municipal Socialism.” Navigating opportunities and contradictions of governance with NYC-DSA leaders Sumathy Kumar and Sumaya Awad alongside the Fiscal Policy Institute’s Nathan Gusdorf. Free entry but please RSVP. Party afterwards! eventbrite.com/e/zohran-and-the-return-of-municipal-socialism-tickets-1972951976472 Buy No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine and Solidarity With Children: An Essay Against Adult Supremacy at Haymarketbooks.org The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Since Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have killed more than 300 Palestinians. They also continue to occupy large parts of Gaza and have vowed not to withdraw. Despite the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank alike, Western states clearly want to move on as if the atrocities of the past two years had never happened. Yet Israel is still facing efforts to hold it accountable under international law. South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention. And the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. To discuss the ongoing case, Long Reads is joined by John Reynolds, a professor of law at Maynooth University. He’s the author of Empire, Emergency, and International Law. Find John’s previous interviews with Long Reads here: https://jacobin.com/author/john-reynolds Support for this episode comes from Revol Press: revolpress.com 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.

Suzi talks with historian Eric Blanc about a timely chapter in American socialist history: the rise — and limits — of Milwaukee’s “sewer socialists.” His article, “Socialists in City Hall? A New Look at Sewer Socialism in Wisconsin,” reexamines this often-disparaged experiment in municipal socialism at a moment when New York prepares for Zohran Mamdani’s administration. Mamdani’s victory — built on years of organizing in immigrant and working-class neighborhoods — reopens the question of whether socialists can not only win, but govern in America’s most unequal cities. A century ago, Milwaukee elected socialist mayors who delivered clean, efficient, working-class governance — public power, parks, housing, and real material improvements. They weren’t making a revolution; they were governing within capitalism, and ran up against its limits: employer backlash, national political shifts, and the hard reality that municipal power can only go so far without broader working-class strength. Eric argues that this history offers essential lessons for the Left today: how to build durable political organization, use office to win tangible gains, and govern competently while expanding working-class power — without mistaking municipal office for municipal socialism, or making the sewers more important than the socialism. 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.

Mosaab Baba, who wrote an article about Sudan for Black Agenda Report, looks at what’s behind the horrendous civil war. Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who’s been living in Japan for almost 40 years, discusses that country’s reactionary new prime minister. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Featuring Brace Belden, Liz Franczak, Gabriel Winant, Aziz Rana, Sumaya Awad, Thea Riofrancos, and Alex Lewis. Toasts and roasts celebrating 500 episodes of The Dig. Plus a short speech from Dan. Live at Brooklyn’s Littlefield. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig On December 10th in Brooklyn, join us for a live-recorded Dig episode: “Zohran and the Return of Municipal Socialism.” Navigating opportunities and contradictions of governance with NYC-DSA leaders Sumathy Kumar and Sumaya Awad alongside the Fiscal Policy Institute’s Nathan Gusdorf. Free entry but please RSVP. Party afterwards! eventbrite.com/e/zohran-and-the-return-of-municipal-socialism-tickets-1972951976472 The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

While Democrats recently scored some much-needed electoral wins, the party remains in crisis. Recent reports like Welcome PAC’s “Deciding to Win” argue that the Democrats must drop unpopular cultural positions and recenter economic demands. Can a populist economic agenda shorn of unpopular identity politics get the party back on track? On this episode of Confronting Capitlism, Vivek Chibber evaluates these reports and examines the pros and cons of this approach. Based on recent polling data, working class voters have rejected elitist cultural demands but support social-democratic economic solutions. The latest issue of Catalyst Journal 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.

Zohran Mamdani’s decisive mayoral victory was powered by a coalition of tenants, immigrants, and workers. Suzi talks to Alina Shen, organizing director of CAAAV Voice, Jagpreet Singh, political director of DRUM Beats (Desis Rising Up and Moving), and Alicé Nascimento, political director of NYCC (New York Communities for Change) — representatives of three organizations that, along with the New York City branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, helped make this victory possible. They discuss how grassroots groups expanded the electorate and built the People’s Majority Alliance, a movement for housing, justice, and democracy. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.