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
Zohran Mamdani is the new Mayor of New York City. By running a campaign that promised to take on the billionaires and better the lives of working class New Yorkers, he tapped into anti-establishment, working class anger that is growing not only in New York but across the world. But the struggle has only just begun. Already, Trump has declared war by cutting off funding to New York. Meanwhile, billionaires and Democrats are attempting to court Mamdani and get him to water down his programme. The question remains whether Mamdani will resist this pressure and carry out his programme.
Meanwhile, in Sudan, the RSF have taken control of El-Fasher, and is now carrying out a genocide against the population. Why is this happening? What can we do? And what can revolutionaries learn from the whole tragic path, from revolution to counter-revolution, that brought Sudan to this?
Over the last few weeks, Trump has been brazenly ratcheting up tensions with Venezuela. Having declared its president, Maduro, the leader of a drug cartel, he has moved a tenth of America’s navy and B-52 bombers to menace the country. Hot off making ‘peace’ in Gaza, Trump seems to be headed straight towards a new war.
Will the US go to war in Venezuela? What is the Trump administration seeking? And what would be the implications of such an adventure for South America?
To answer these questions Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh sat down for another episode of Against the Stream, the Marxist current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International.
📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖
Will Donald J Trump ever be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
🔗 https://marxist.com/will-donald-j-trump-ever-be-awarded-the-nobel-peace-prize.htm
Hands off Colombia and Venezuela!
🔗 https://marxist.com/hands-off-colombia-and-venezuela.htm
The Venezuelan Revolution: A Marxist Perspective
🔗 https://wellred-books.com/the-venezuelan-revolution-a-marxist-perspective/
This week, the collapse of Tricolour and First Brand sent a ripple of fear through the capitals of the world. From giddy boasts that the ‘bull’ market would never come down, capitalists are now reckoning with the fact that there is a gigantic bubble in the world economy, which threatens to pop.
But the bubble – which they are powerless to fix – is symptomatic of a much deeper crisis. Capitalism has reached its limits. For years, they have used bailouts to delay the day of reckoning. Now they are crushed under a mountain of debt, which threatens an avalanche of bankruptcies.
With economies around the world sliding into recession, overproduction, endless political instability, tariffs, and inter-imperialist competition, it is only a matter of time before the crash arrives. When it does, it will have devastating implications for the entire world economic system.
Most of all, as Francesco Merli and Hamid Alizadeh explain in this week's episode of Against the Stream, it will be a recipe for class struggle, as the capitalists and bankers try to force workers to pay the bill.
📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖
The Big Crash: Are we really heading for another 1929?
🔗 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/11/big-crash-are-we-really-heading-another-1929/
Gita Gopinath on the crash that could torch $35trn of wealth
🔗 https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2025/10/15/gita-gopinath-on-the-crash-that-could-torch-35trn-of-wealth
What the stock market bubble can tell us about the state of the US economy
🔗 https://marxist.com/what-the-stock-market-bubble-can-tell-us-about-the-state-of-the-us-economy.htm
Zombies: Ranks of world’s most debt-hobbled companies are soaring, and not all will survive
🔗 https://apnews.com/article/zombie-business-corporate-debt-investing-interest-borrowing-52bd9ebbe1dd98983d39fe7d14e3c7fd
📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖
A Federal Critical Mineral Processing Initiative: Securing U.S. Mineral Independence from China
🔗 https://warontherocks.com/2025/04/a-federal-critical-mineral-processing-initiative-securing-u-s-mineral-independence-from-china/
Israel’s two-year Gaza war nears its end, but questions of victory remain
🔗 https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-870569#google_vignette
A high-stakes gamble Ukraine has successfully slowed Russia’s advance in central Donbas — but at the cost of its defenses elsewhere
🔗 https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/10/06/a-high-stakes-gamble
The meaning of the ceasefire in Gaza
🔗 https://marxist.com/the-meaning-of-the-ceasefire-in-gaza.htm
This week, after two years of the genocide in Gaza, Trump struck a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But who benefits? And will it last?
Meanwhile, the Palestine solidarity movement continues to escalate in Europe. Italy has shown the way forward with a general strike which has inspired activists across the continent. In France, yet another government has collapsed.
In this week's episode of Against the Stream, Fred Weston and Hamid Alizadeh take stock of this whirlwind of events, explain where things are leading, and point out the tasks for revolutionary communists today.
Against the Stream is the current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. It airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6pm London time.
Yesterday, Israel once again attacked a peaceful flotilla travelling towards Gaza to break the naval blockade and deliver humanitarian aid. In the following hours, millions came pouring onto streets across Europe to protest the assault and demand an end to the genocide. In Italy, a general strike has been called for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Trump and Netanyahu have presented their criminal ‘peace plan’ for Gaza. And, Gen Z revolutions are erupting across the world on an almost daily basis. In this week's Against the Stream, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh take stock of the whirlwind of events and point out the tasks for communists today.Against the Stream is the current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. It airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6pm London time.📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖“Israel has intercepted the flotilla: block everything! – For a workers’ boycott and general strike!” by the RCI🔗 https://marxist.com/israel-has-intercepted-the-flotilla-block-everything-for-a-workers-boycott-and-general-strike.htm“‘Dockers don’t work for war’: international dockworkers’ meeting in Genoa shows the way forward!” by Francesco Salmeri, Partito Comunista Rivoluzionario🔗 https://marxist.com/dockers-don-t-work-for-war-international-dockworkers-meeting-in-genoa-shows-the-way-forward.htm“GenZ212: Moroccan youth rise up and open a new chapter in the class struggle!” by Anas Rahimi 🔗 https://marxist.com/genz212-moroccan-youth-rise-up-and-open-a-new-chapter-in-the-class-struggle.htm“Madagascar: GenZ protest movement develops towards a national uprising” Jorge Martín🔗 https://marxist.com/madagascar-genz-protest-movement-develops-towards-a-national-uprising.htm“The world turned upside down – a system in crisis” by The RCI 🔗 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/
With his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump has once again caused shock and awe around the world. But what does his apparent change of heart on the war in Ukraine actually signify? And what does it mean for Europe?
Meanwhile, Italy has seen half a million on the streets over Israel’s genocide in Gaza. And it’s not only Italy that’s heating up. France, Nepal, Indonesia, Peru, the Philippines. Today, Madagascar. All across the world, the capitalist crisis is igniting revolutionary class struggle.
In this week's Against the Stream, Fred Weston and Hamid Alizadeh break down these turbulent events and explain, most importantly, how communists should prepare.
Against the Stream is the current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. It airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6pm London time.
📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖
“Italy: the dam has burst, half a million on the streets for Gaza!” by Claudio Bellotti – Partito Comunista Rivoluzionario 🔗 https://marxist.com/italy-the-dam-has-burst-half-a-million-on-the-streets-for-gaza.htm
“Sri Lanka to Nepal: lessons from the revolutionary wave” by Ben Curry🔗 https://marxist.com/sri-lanka-to-nepal-lessons-from-the-revolutionary-wave.htm
“France: success on 18 September – what now?” by Parti Communiste Révolutionnaire
🔗 https://marxist.com/france-success-on-18-september-what-now.htm
“East Timorese youth follow the example of Indonesia and Nepal” by Max Robert🔗 https://marxist.com/east-timorese-youth-follow-the-example-of-indonesia-and-nepal.htm
Last week saw hundreds of thousands attend the biggest right wing demonstration in decades. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer’s Labour-government is facing a meltdown after just a year in office. How should the left respond, and what are the reasons for the rise of the right and the political crisis in the first place?In this week on Against the Stream Niklas Albin Svensson and Hamid Alizadeh discuss the background of the crisis of British capitalism, Starmer’s future, the prospects and problems of Corbyn’s new party and the tasks facing marxists in the period ahead.
Against the Stream is a current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International, which airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6pm London time.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️0:00 Introduction1:57 Massive far-right march in London25:06 The left's response33:08 'Your Party' - Britain's new left party42:41 How to fight the far-right54:40 The UK's political crisis1:14:51 Summing up1:18:58 BONUS: Conflict in 'Your Party'📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖Migration crisis: Who is to blame? by Ben Gliniecki: 🔗 https://communist.red/migration-crisis-who-is-to-blame/“Britain's largest right-wing demo in a generation – a damning indictment of the left” by The Revolutionary Communist Party🔗 https://marxist.com/britain-the-meaning-of-13-september-a-damning-indictment-of-the-left.htm“UK Living Standards Review 2025” by the National Institute of Economic and SocialResearch 🔗 https://niesr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JC871-NIESR-UK-Living-Standards-Review-2025-final-version.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/
Lenin once said that there are weeks where decades happen. This is one of those weeks. The French government collapsed. Revolutions broke out in Indonesia and Nepal. Israel bombed peace negotiations in Qatar. And just yesterday, right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed.
It’s easy to be disoriented by the speed of events these days. But revolutionaries most of all must have a clear grasp of what’s going on beneath the surface. For that reason, to break these lightning-fast developments down from a Marxist perspective, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh met for another episode of Against the Stream, the current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International, which airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6pm London time.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️
0:00 Introduction
2:32 Charlie Kirk assassination
13:26 Mass protests in France
40:00 Israeli strikes on Doha
49:54 Revolution in Nepal
📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖
On Charlie Kirk assasination: “Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism” by Leon Trotsky:
🔗 https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1911/11/tia09.htm
On events in Nepal: “Rulers cower as Nepalese masses seek to burn the system down”
🔗 https://marxist.com/rulers-cower-as-nepalese-masses-seek-to-burn-the-system-down.htm
Background article on Nepalese revolution of 2006-2008: “Victory of Nepalese Maoists in elections – where to now?”
🔗 https://marxist.com/victory-nepalese-maoists-elections.htm
On events in France: “After 10 September, what now?”:🔗 https://marxist.com/france-10-september-the-first-thunderclap.htm
Background article: “Causes and consequences of the decline of French capitalism”:
🔗 https://marxist.com/causes-and-consequences-of-the-decline-of-french-capitalism.htm
🌐 LINKS 🌐
✊ Join the Revolutionary Communist International: https://marxist.com/join-us.htm
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@revcomintern
📱 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-stream/id1777793987
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcomintern/
💬 Twitter: https://x.com/revcomintern/
Against the Stream is back for another season of weekly Marxist analysis! This week, Hamid Alizadeh and Jorge Martín catch up on all the convulsive developments over the summer: the further decline of western imperialism and the rise of China, the crisis of the regime in France, and the revolutionary explosion in Indonesia.
Against the Stream, the current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International, airs weekly on YouTube on Thursdays at 6pm London time.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS ⏱️
0:00 Introduction
4:07 Trump inadvertently strengthens China
31:03 Europe: The crisis deepens
1:01:20 Revolution in Indonesia
1:12:45 Let's build a revolutionary organisation!
📖 RECOMENDED READING 📖
US and China:
► “China’s Military Is Now Leading”, in Foreign Policy 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/ycy24fwa
► “World Perspectives 2025: the world turned upside down”, Revolutionary Communist International 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/h76nys8z
France:
► Bayrou declares war on the working class, by Parti Communiste Révolutionnaire 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/hpfm89we
►Let’s block everything! For a workers’ government!, by Parti Communiste Révolutionnaire 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/253s2rd4
Indonesia:
► Protests getting larger after ride-share driver killed, by Bima Wicaksana 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/36prk7eu
► The wheel of revolution has turned, by Bima Wicaksana 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/yne9xdna
🌐 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
This week, in a dramatic turn of events, Trump – who campaigned on the promise to end US ‘forever wars’ – decided to get involved in Israel’s war on Iran by dropping bombs on its nuclear facilities.
Now, after an attack on a US base and some strong words, Trump has enforced a ceasefire between the warring parties. In the aftermath, Trump has celebrated his ‘12 day’ war as a stunning success, which “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme.
However, this chaotic escalation of the situation in the Middle East is bound to have consequences on the stability not only of the region, but the entire world. Reports are coming out that show Iran’s nuclear programme is still very much intact. Oil prices have been on a rollercoaster ride. And, in America, Trump has been faced by a barrage of criticism from the very people that brought him to power.
To explain the consequences of this latest adventure by US imperialism, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International sat down for a special, bonus episode of Against the Stream, the weekly current affairs podcast of the RCI. This episode premieres on YouTube at 6pm London time.
To focus on the upcoming world congress of the Revolutionary Commnuist International, Against the Stream plans to take a break until the first Thursday of September. Until then, you can catch up on all our analysis on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Join us in building the Revolutionary Communist International! www.marxist.com/join
[Read Alan Woods' analysis of Israel's attack on Marxist.com]
This week, the turmoil in the Middle East reached new heights as Israel launched a series of attacks on Iran, targeting its military leadership and striking several of its nuclear facilities. This has since escalated dramatically with further attacks on Iran and Iranian retaliations against Israel.
Israel’s latest war represents a dramatic turn in the situation both in the Middle East and globally, as Trump is currently weighing up US involvement in the strikes against Iran. Despite a layer of the Republican establishment frothing at the mouth over the chance to deal a blow to a longstanding enemy, many prominent voices within Trump’s camp oppose US intervention as a betrayal of his initial promise to be the ‘peace President’ and bring an end to US support for ‘forever wars’.
With splits emerging within Trumpism over the future of US foreign policy, it is unclear how these events in the Middle East will develop. As Marxists, we cannot predict the course of events with absolute certainty, but this makes it all the more crucial to engage in a meticulous study of such twists and turns in the world situation.
For this reason, this week’s episode of Against the Stream welcomes Fred Weston and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International, to pick apart this week’s developments and what they mean for the situation in the Middle East and the US.
This is the last episode of Against the Stream until the first week of September. Catch up on all of our previous episodes on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Chapters:
0:00 – Israel attacks Iran
1:01 – Trumpism begins to unravel
1:19 – Why we produce Against the Stream
This week, thousands of workers flooded onto the streets of LA in response to ICE agents raiding workplaces and neighbourhoods. Since then, Trump has tried to crush the movement by calling in the Marines and the National Guard. But in so doing, he risks provoking a mass movement similar to Black Lives Matter, which forced him into hiding in the White House bunker five years ago.
The democrats have attempted to attach themselves to this wave of protests. Posing as the ‘resistance’ and a friend to immigrants, they are attempting to direct it into safe channels. But the truth is, they are just as much enemies of immigrants as Trump’s republicans. Like all capitalist politicians, they use immigrants as scapegoats while exploiting them as extremely vulnerable labourers.
Trump is not only facing opposition from workers. The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, this week entered into a public feud with Trump over the ‘big beautiful bill’. With the American economy stagnating and debt piling up, this spat reveals the fact that Trump is in an impossible position: he cannot fulfil the promises he has made to American workers and their bosses at the same time.
To break down how communists should approach these problems, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International sat down to discuss world perspectives on a special episode of Against the Stream, the weekly podcast of the RCI, giving you a Marxist analysis of world affairs.
Against the Stream, weekly current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International, at 6pm every Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the world crisis of capitalism.Join us in building the Revolutionary Communist International! www.marxist.com/join
Articles mentioned:ICE out of LA! Workers defend themselves against Trump’s raids -- https://marxist.com/ice-out-of-la-workers-defend-themselves-against-trump-s-raids.htmA Veteran, a Construction Worker, a Communist: The Many Faces of the L.A. Protests -- https://www.wsj.com/us-news/a-veteran-a-construction-worker-a-communist-the-many-faces-of-the-l-a-protests-e429894a?mod=hp_lead_pos8Theses on the Eastern Question -- https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/4th-congress/thesis-on-eastern-question.htmThe mounting pressure on bond markets -- https://www.ft.com/content/a07d5a72-2691-4da5-aee0-4af5136f737e
2025 marks a turning point in world history.
The tectonic plates of international relations are shifting, the globalised world economy is being torn apart, and the entire capitalist order is being shaken to its foundations by political, economic, environmental and social crises. An unstable new epoch – an epoch of war, revolution and counter-revolution – has opened up.
In preparation for the first congress of the Revolutionary Communist International, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International sat down to discuss world perspectives on a special episode of Against the Stream, the weekly podcast of the RCI, giving you a Marxist analysis of world affairs.
Against the Stream premieres weekly on YouTube. Tune in every Thursday at 6pm London time, or catch up on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Articles mentioned:
Monopoly capitalism, imperialism, and the world economy – Marxist.com
Debt is crushing the developing world – Financial Times
Matthew Miller lying compilation – X
Pakistan: URGENT SOLIDARITY APPEAL – release arrested leaders of the Awaami Action Committee Gilgit Baltistan! – Marxist.com
Pakistan: protests continue for the release of comrades in Gilgit Baltistan despite state repression – Marxist.com
0:00 Intro
1:51 The changing world relations
16:11 Ukrainian drone attack
26:32 Why Russia is winning
32:50 Sabotaging peace negotiations
36:30 Biden spokesman admits Israel commits war crimes
39:48 Gaza has unmasked Western capitalism
53:34 Austerity at home, warfare abroad
58:16 The world economy in 2025
1:11:09 Renewed interest in communism
1:14:50 Comrades in Pakistan under attack
1:24:00 Get organised!
Against the Stream, weekly current affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International, at 6pm GMT every Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the world crisis of capitalism.
For a year and a half, the western imperialists have not only been defending Israel's right to massacre, starve and ethnically cleanse the population of Gaza – they have been selling them the weapons to do it. Now, all of a sudden, they’re criticising the “intolerable” suffering that Israel is causing. Does this mean that the imperialists have gained a conscience?
Certainly not. At a time when Netanyahu is escalating the genocide and explicitly declaring that Israel plans to conquer the territory and expel the Palestinians, what these blood-soaked hypocrites fear are the revolutionary implications of being associated with yet more horror. The consequences in the Middle East and beyond of Netanyahu’s policy – of recklessly dragging out the war to cling on to power – are forcing even Trump to look for other points of support in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Trump and Putin have continued to haggle over the fate of Ukraine. In the western media, Putin has been depicted as a stubborn obstacle to peace. In reality, it is Zelensky and the Europeans who have resisted the negotiation of an end to the war, for they refuse to concede what is becoming apparent to all: that Ukraine has lost.
Finally, in Pakistan-occupied Gigit Baltistan, leaders of the Awami Action Committee – including several members of the Pakistani section of the Revolutionary Communist International – have been scandalously arrested. In response to this brazen attack, which is an attempt to behead a growing mass movement against the Pakistani regime, the Revolutionary Communist International have launched an international campaign demanding that these political prisoners be set free.
To explain where these events are leading the world, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met for another episode of Against the Stream, the weekly current affairs podcast of the RCI.
The Revolutionary Communist International is fighting capitalism in over 60 countries – join us! www.marxist.com/join
_____
0:00 Intro
1:43 Shooting of Israeli embassy staff
16:15 Rift between the West and Israel
35:46 Kneecap member charged with terrorism
42:04 Ukraine peace negotiations
1:10:27 Comrades arrested in Pakistan
War between India and Pakistan. Revolutionary crisis in Serbia. Escalation of the genocide in Gaza. These are just a few of the mighty events piling up on one another at a breathtaking pace. Against the Stream is here to help revolutionaries navigate these tumultuous events. In Kashmir, India and Pakistan – both nuclear powers – once again briefly went to war. The countries have been in conflict since the partition of the subcontinent by British imperialism in 1947, but tensions have burst into the open again because of the profound change in the international balance of forces, and because both regimes are seeking to cut across the crises and class struggle they are facing on the home front. Against the atrocious position taken by the ‘communist’ parties of India, which have lined up behind their respective ruling class under the banner of ‘national unity’, genuine communists understand that this war serves no one but the rich, and that the elites of both countries must be overthrown if war is to be done away with altogether.Meanwhile, Israel’s genocidal imperialist rampage has escalated, with Netanyahu’s cabinet now explicitly declaring that they aim to conquer Gaza and to expel the Palestinians. Trump, however, has thrown a spanner in the works by moving to distance himself from Netanyahu. Having demoted Mike Waltz, who was one of the biggest advocates of Israel’s plan to bomb Iran, Trump is now touring the Middle East in an attempt to draw closer to the other Arab regimes.In the often rapid and complicated twists and turns in the situation, what underlies Trump’s strategy? And what position does this place Netanyahu in?In Serbia, on the other hand, a revolutionary crisis has erupted. From the student protests which emerged in response to the deaths of 16 people after the collapse of the concrete canopy at a major railway station, a powerful movement has developed which is now establishing Zborovi across the country: assemblies of students, and in some cases of workers too.These represent embryonic organs of popular power, as emerged on a higher level in the course of the Russian Revolution in the form of soviets. In embryo, as organs of power opposed to the capitalist government, they threaten the rule of not only Vučić, but the entire Serbian regime.To explain what attitudes communists should take to these dramatic events, Francesco Merli and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met for another episode of Against the Stream, the weekly current affairs podcast of the RCI.____The Revolutionary Communist International is fighting capitalism in over 60 countries - join us! www.marxist.com/join____Articles mentioned:On the CPI, the CPIM and the war: no to Modi’s ‘national unity’!https://marxist.com/on-the-cpi-the-cpim-and-the-war-no-to-modi-s-national-unity.htmIndia and Pakistan enter another war: only class war can end all warshttps://marxist.com/india-and-pakistan-enter-another-war-only-class-war-can-end-all-wars.htmNeither India or Pakistan – for a Socialist Federation by Ted Granthttps://marxist.com/neither-india-or-pakistan-for-a-socialist-federation.htmRevolutionary crisis in Serbiahttps://marxist.com/revolutionary-crisis-in-serbia.htm___0:00 Intro2:30 Trump-Netanyahu clash21:53 India-Pakistan war48:28 Revolutionary movement in Serbia
Last week's byelections in the UK were an earthquake in British politics. For the first time since the rise of the Labour Party 100 years ago, the two-party system has been upended. Now, a new contender for power has decisively entered the race: Reform.It has been less than a year since the last general election in Britain. Since then, the Labour party has collapsed in popularity as a result of Starmer’s repeated attacks on the poor – chiefly his savage cut to winter fuel payments for pensioners and disability benefits. The Tory party, meanwhile – the oldest and most successful political party in the world – has continued to sink into irrelevance.In the meantime, Nigel Farage’s right-wing party, Reform, has shot up in popularity, and is now polling level with – even above – what have been the two main parties for at least a century. What is behind this upset? Does it mean that British people are getting more racist, more right-wing?
As this episode of Against the Stream explains, the resurgence of Farage is a product of the miserable state of broken Britain. For decades, the establishment parties have presided over austerity, privatisation and deindustrialisation. Boarded-up high streets, food banks, ambulance queues and pensioners freezing in their homes have become commonplace in Britain in 2025. As a result, anger is building against the politicians who have presided over this mess. For the time being, this anger is finding its outlet in the party of the only mainstream anti-establishment politician: Nigel Farage.
And this is not just the case in Britain. Similar right-wing populist figures like Trump, Weidel of the AfD, and Le Pen are popping up all across the western world and are gaining steam as the liberal establishment becomes more and more reviled.To uncover what is behind the rise of Reform, Niklas Albin Svensson and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met for another episode of Against the Stream, the weekly current affairs podcast of the RCI.Join us in building the Revolutionary Communist International!
www.marxist.com/join
Since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine three years ago, a flood of lies has gushed forth from western governments and the billionaire press alike to obscure the real nature of this war.
[Click here for a comprehensive reading list on the background to the Ukraine war: https://marxist.com/top-reads-on-the-ukraine-conflict-war-and-imperialism.htm]
Painting it as a simple battle between good and evil, they have remained totally silent about the fact that behind Ukraine is the world's foremost imperialist power, which has led Ukraine to the slaughter in pursuit of its interests.
Moreover, in their attempt to paint Zelensky as a beloved hero of democracy and Putin as a tyrant, they have concealed the real cause of the war, which did not begin in February 2022 but is the product of the aggressive thrust of western imperialism into Ukraine in the wake of the collapse of the USSR.
Today, Ukraine is shattered. Tens of thousands of young Ukrainians have been massacred in the trenches. As people around the world begin to ask, ‘What was it all for?’, it is vital that communists can explain what lies behind the conflict.
To explain who was really responsible for the destruction of Ukraine, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International met for another episode of Against the Stream, the weekly current affairs podcast of the RCI.
This episode premiered on YouTube. Tune in every Thursday at 6pm GMT, or catch up on Spotify or Apple Music.Join us in building the Revolutionary Communist International! www.marxist.com/join