Against the Stream

• 2025: A year of capitalist chaos

  As 2025 draws to a close, workers and young people around the world will look back on a year that has starkly exposed the blind alley of world capitalism. Trump’s return to the White House has only deepened the disorder, with his administration’s foreign and economic policies causing chaos on the world stage. The recently released National Security Strategy makes one thing unmistakably clear: the United States is not in the position it used to be, no longer capable of policing the globe on its own.This redivision of the world will not unfold calmly or peacefully – as the events of 2025 have shown. The relentless succession of crises is shaking consciousness on a mass scale, pushing hundreds of millions to question the status quo. Increasingly, people are searching for a way out of society’s dead end, and a growing layer is becoming receptive to communist ideas.In this episode of Against the Stream, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh look back on the tumultuous year, discuss what lies ahead, and explore how communists should prepare for the struggles to come.Against the Stream is the Marxist current-affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. New episodes air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube.📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖National Security Strategy of the United States of America🔗https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf“Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds”https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/dec/10/just-0001-hold-three-times-the-wealth-of-poorest-half-of-humanity-report-findsThe meaning of China’s $1tn trade surplus🔗https://www.ft.com/content/80933ccf-a23f-43ab-b83c-1d2055e5995dLabour is slow-marching working people to populism🔗https://www.ft.com/content/1052957c-90ef-4e00-b599-e45643c5c8e4How asset managers like BlackRock took over the world🔗https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2025/06/16/how-asset-managers-like-blackrock-took-over-the-world-vulture-capitalism-extract-grace-blakeley/#:~:text=In%20this%20extract%20from%20her,concentration%20of%20money%20and%20power.The world turned upside down – a system in crisis🔗https://marxist.com/world-perspectives-2025.htm🌐 LINKS 🌐✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

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• Zarah Sultana calls to nationalise economy + Trump plots coup in Venezuela

  This week, in Britain, Your Party – led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana – held its inaugural conference. Zarah Sultana spoke there about not only taxing the rich, but of nationalising the entire economy! What does this development signify? And what would it take for Your Party to pose a real threat to capitalism in Britain?Meanwhile, amid a growing dispute within the US government over strikes on alleged drug-running vessels, Donald Trump announced that he will soon authorise military action against targets inside Venezuela. What lies behind this latest act of imperialist bullying and escalation? And what consequences would a new war have on the global situationIn this episode of Against the Stream, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh explore these questions and outline the communist perspective on them.Against the Stream is the Marxist current-affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. New episodes air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube.📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖Britain: Gary, Jeremy, and the super-rich – how do we make the billionaires pay for this crisis?🔗https://marxist.com/britain-gary-jeremy-and-the-super-rich-how-do-we-make-the-billionaires-pay-for-this-crisis.htmFrench lessons: what Corbyn can learn from Mitterrand's mistakes🔗https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2017/10/french-lessons-what-corbyn-can-learn-mitterrands-mistakesUS imperialism and Latin America: Trump threatens war on Venezuela🔗https://marxist.com/us-imperialism-and-latin-america-trump-threatens-war-on-venezuela.htmThe High Stakes in Venezuela🔗https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-high-stakes-in-venezuela-08382e2d⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️1:40 Venezuela update17:12 Zarah Sultana & Your Party58:55 Answering viewers' questions🌐 LINKS 🌐✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/

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• Trump’s peace deal prepares Europe’s downfall

  With Trump’s proposed peace plan in Ukraine, Europe is once again finding itself sidelined by its former ally and benefactor, the United States. Having staked their crisis-ridden regimes on a Russian defeat in Ukraine, the Europeans are now waking up to the stark reality – Ukraine has lost the war, and Zelensky has his back against the wall. Although the European leaders would be the first to deny it, the continent where capitalism was born has now been left to rot on the vine. As Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh discuss in this episode of Against the Stream, the decline of the European economy in a period of rising imperialist competition is creating an explosive situation all across the continent. Against the Stream is the Marxist current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. It airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6pm GMT.📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖China is making trade impossible🔗 https://www.ft.com/content/f294be55-98c4-48f0-abce-9041ed236a44Why Trump pushed for peace — again🔗 https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2025/11/ukraine-peace-push-russia-trump-zelensky/685045/Top U.S. negotiator warned Europeans that Russia is stockpiling missiles🔗 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/world/europe/ukraine-peace-talks-russia-missiles.htmlHow can Europe pay for things that it cannot afford?🔗 https://www.imf.org/en/-/media/files/publications/imf-notes/2025/english/insea2025004.pdf🌐 LINKS 🌐✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 🎧 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/

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• The 'Epstein class' and the crisis of Trumpism

  The biggest crisis of Trump’s second term is unfolding over the Epstein files. Having initially promised to release the trove of documents detailing Epstein’s crimes and his rich and powerful customers, Trump – one of those customers – quickly changed his tune once in power. However, this opened a rift within the MAGA movement and woke many up to the fact that Trump, far from “draining the swamp”, is part and parcel of it. Now he’s U-turned again and is expected to finally publish the files. But this threatens to shine a light on depravity, debauchery and unaccountability of the ruling class. Meanwhile, the regime in Ukraine is facing a crisis on the frontlines as well as within the regime. City after city is being taken by the Russian army, while a corruption scandal is implicating more and more of Zelensky’s inner circle. In this week’s episode of Against the Stream, Josh Holroyd and Hamid Alizadeh sit down to discuss all this and more. Against the Stream is the Marxist current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. It airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6 p.m. GMT.📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖🔗 https://communistusa.org/maga-mutiny-over-epstein-forces-trump-u-turn/🔗 https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/dangerous-ideas/201910/psychology-s-dark-triad-and-the-billionaire-class🔗 https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/trump-ukraine-peace-plan-russia-donbas🔗 https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/ukraine-peace-plan-trump-russia-witkoff🌐 LINKS 🌐✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm 🎧 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/

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• Knives out for Zelensky and the collapse of the British establishment

  A major corruption scandal is rocking Ukraine. Cabinet ministers and one of Volodymyr Zelensky’s own business partners are implicated in a war profiteering scheme worth more than 100 million dollars. Meanwhile, on the front, the situation is getting even worse. Pokrovsk – a key defensive position in the Donbass – is falling to the Russians. Zelensky’s days are numbered.But corruption and crisis are far from confined to Ukraine. In Britain, over the past month, every pillar of the established order has experienced some sort of disaster. From the stripping of Prince Andrew’s titles over his relations with Epstein, to the historic collapse of Labour in the polls, to the BBC being attacked by Donald Trump, the ‘old order’ is being discredited in the eyes of millions.  What is behind this rot? And how can we as communists connect with the rising anger that it is producing? In this week’s episode of Against the Stream, Ben Curry and Hamid Alizadeh sit down to discuss all this and more.📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖 Inside the Wes Streeting plot 🔗 https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/inside-the-wes-streeting-plot/ Britain: one prince isn’t enough – Abolish the monarchy! Clear out the parasites! 🔗 https://marxist.com/britain-one-prince-isn-t-enough-abolish-the-monarchy-clear-out-the-parasites.htm The BBC ‘coup’: A ruling class at war with itself 🔗 https://communist.red/the-bbc-coup-a-ruling-class-at-war-with-itself/ Reeves must get whatever growth she can 🔗 https://www.ft.com/content/20d6d434-0ae7-4305-b1c9-db1e26182931 The Ukrainian war: an internationalist class position – RCI Statement 🔗 https://marxist.com/the-ukrainian-war-an-internationalist-class-position-imt-statement.htm

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