The Anti Empire Project with Justin Podur

A report with Jon Elmer on the fierce fighting in Gaza on day 224 of the war and a breakdown of Qassam spokesman Abu Obeida’s speech on that day.

General Allenby, Sharif Hussein and his son Feisal, and their handler TE Lawrence array the forces of the British Empire and the Arab Revolt against the Turco-German forces in Palestine. The battle starts in Gaza and ends with Allenby walking into the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem. The story of the fateful campaign that brought British … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/05/13/world-war-civ-40-how-britain-took-palestine-in-1917/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 40: How Britain Took Palestine in 1917"</span></a>

On the Anti-Empire Project Youtube Channel there are frequent situation reports or Sit Reps that are posted late at night. Not all of them are reposted here to this podcast, but we’re posting this one on the day of the Rafah invasion. A breakdown of the ceasefire negotatiations and an assessment of where the war … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/05/07/aer-141-gaza-war-sit-rep-day-213-the-invasion-of-rafah-has-begun/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 141: Gaza War Sit Rep Day 213 – the invasion of Rafah has begun"</span></a>

From crashing test flights to close air support and strategic bombing – on the breakneck innovation in aerial warfare over the course of WW1. An issue with some implications today, you’ll agree?

It could be argued that World War I was decided at sea. The British blockade; the Germans try unrestricted submarine warfare, and massive consequences follow. We talk about Jutland, Skaggerak, the Luistania, and civilian hardships, in the war at sea.

Among the many changes wrought by WW1 was an irrevocable change in the status of women. “Munitions girls”, women running the Paris Metro and the buses in London, policewomen and auxilaries. We conclude with some notes on a conscription crisis in Canada that also played a role in women getting the vote.

The conditions may not have been optimal but they didn’t look to be getting better – so the Irish Revolutionaries made their move in Easter 1916. A week of urban warfare followed – the revolutionaries lost – but they succeeded in transforming the Irish question forever and setting the nation on the inevitable road to … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/03/23/ww-civ-36-the-easter-rising-in-ireland-1916/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "WW Civ 36: The Easter Rising in Ireland 1916"</span></a>

We didn’t have quorum for a tankie therapy session but we got together anyway – Matteo and Alex joined for a discussion of several psychological warfare methods being used on us: normalizing crimes, treating the criminals like they are a natural phenomenon, and the abuser’s method of “look what you made me do”, absolving the … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/03/17/tankie-therapy-on-day-163-do-we-debate-genocide/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Tankie Therapy on Day 163: Do we debate genocide?"</span></a>

The battles of Verdun, the Somme, and the Brusilov Offensive. Epic, tragic military errors, horrors of trenches, battles that killed hundreds of thousands and changed the course of history.

The siege on Gaza and the role of the Palestinian Authority are critical context for the Israel’s assault on Gaza. On this episode we take a look at the history of the blockade and how Israel has ghettoized the Palestinian population. Co-production with The Brief.

Genocides happen in broad daylight – it is only afterwards that they are covered up. There are still fewer countries that recognize the Armenian Genocide than countries that do not. We read scholars that take the view that it was a genocide as well as a scholar that describes the events without using the label, … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/02/21/world-war-civ-34-the-armenian-genocide-1915-16/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 34: The Armenian Genocide 1915-16"</span></a>

Waqas Ahmad is back and we recap Pakistan politics since the 2022 coup against Imran Khan. After assassination attempts, vexatious lawsuits, thousands of arrests, torture, and the banning of Imran Khan’s party and symbol, voters still foiled the best-laid plans of the Pakistan military. Where things stand after the elections of February 8, 2024 in … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/02/17/aer-139-pakistan-election-rigging-fails/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 139: Pakistan Election Rigging Fails"</span></a>

In desperation, the European empires turn to the people they’ve colonized and press them into sacrificing their lives for their imperial masters, setting off a chain of events that makes decolonization in a few decades inevitable.

Israeli media recently published a minute-by-minute chronology of the morning of October 7th from the Israeli military perspective. Jon and I go over it as part of my youtube series of Gaza Sit Reps (for Day 104). Cross-posted over at The Brief, reposted here in case you missed it.

Early in the Great War Britain decided to dismantle the Turkish Empire and made promises to Arab leaders of independence if they would rebel against Britain’s Turkish enemy. While one British leader was making these promises, another, Mark Sykes, was making a deal with other imperialists for the division of Arab lands between them. Follow … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/01/20/world-war-civ-32-britains-plans-for-arab-lands-sykes-picot-1916/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 32: Britain’s plans for Arab lands – Sykes-Picot, 1916"</span></a>

By the end the World War had mobilized 65 million troops, killed 20 million people and wounded 21 million more. The money was supposed to run out in a year, the armies were big but never that big. How did the war go on? Because the belligerents made immense and irreversible changes to their economies … <a href="https://podur.org/2024/01/13/world-war-civ-31-towards-total-war/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 31: Towards Total War"</span></a>

Solo episode discussing Nasrallah’s speech about the war on the Israel-Lebanon border and an analysis of the 2006 war based on a US military analyst’s paper titled, “We Were Caught Unprepared”.

Germans use poison gas on the battlefield at Ypres, British lose 60,000 and Germans 40,000. French attack at Artois with casualties of 100,000 and German 75,000. Russians lose 2 million casualties fighting Germany on the Eastern front. British defeated at Loos, lose 50,000 and Germany 20,000. French offensive in Champagne results in 190,000 casualties and … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/12/30/world-war-civ-30-allied-disasters-1915/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 30: Allied Disasters 1915"</span></a>

Our usual group gets together to talk about the Gaza War but this time we’re joined by Lara, an actual therapist, who guides us through as we try to understand where things stand on Day 78 of the war.

World War 1 goes global in 1915, as Japan takes advantage to seize more territory in Asia; Turkey fatefully aligns with Germany; Italy joins the Entente.

Joined by Nora and Jon from The Brief / Electronic Intifada to talk about the War in Gaza. More information emerges about what happened on October 7; New atrocities committed since Refaat Alareer’s murder, including bulldozing patients at a hospital and snipers killing women at a church. Some strategic speculations using the history of the … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/12/18/aer-135-gaza-war-day-73/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 135: Gaza War Day 73"</span></a>

Our usual group gets together to talk about the Gaza War, this time we all share some words about literature prof, teacher, poet and hero Refaat Alareer, assassinated by Israel a couple of days ago. Some discussion of military tactics and strategies as always.

Russia invades Germany and loses badly at Tannenberg. Austria-Hungary fights Serbia. The Russian losses in 1914 force a reevaluation of the whole strategy pursued by the Russia-France-England alliance, and before long will cause even bigger changes than that.

Nora, Matteo, Rania, and Alex are gathered to talk about what we’re seeing and trying to make sense of on Israel’s War on Gaza after 8 weeks, a couple of days after the end of the “humanitarian pause”. We open with a discussion of the five premature babies left to die in Al-Nasr hospital when … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/12/04/aer-133-tankie-group-therapy-5-gaza-war-resumes-after-pause/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 133: Tankie Group Therapy #5 Gaza War resumes after pause"</span></a>

Germany brings the big guns to Belgium, sacks Louvain and follows the doctrine of terrorizing civilians. The British Expeditionary Force whose commander’s name is French, joins France for some battles. A war of maneuver ends with a non-breakthrough on the Marne and the race to the coast. 1914 ends with no winner, and no one’s … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/12/02/world-war-civ-27-western-front-1914-from-belgium-to-the-marne/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 27: Western front 1914 from Belgium to the Marne"</span></a>

Stan Cox is back to talk about climate refugees, rebellious scientists, and of course Gaza. Our monthly chat finds us both a bit discombobulated by the war, but we try to survey the climate situation anyway.

The CAUKUSZIANS unite once again, this time to look at the Gaza war through a couple of different lenses: Arama through the lens of settler-Indigenous warfare in the wars fought by the Maori to defend their land from Anglo settlers, and Carl through the lens of protracted people’s war and the Chinese experience of fighting … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/11/21/aer-132-the-gaza-war-as-settler-indigenous-warfare-as-peoples-warfare-caukuszians-reunite/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 132: The Gaza War as settler-Indigenous warfare & as people’s warfare – CAUKUSZIANS reunite"</span></a>

The alliance between the East is a Podcast, the Brief, and the Anti-Empire Project continues as we discuss the Gaza War six weeks in (since October 7 2023). Structured as group therapy (the fourth in the series) we cover some of the news, the dynamic of aggression and resistance, military analysis of guerrilla war, the … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/11/20/tankie-group-therapy-4-gaza-war-week-6/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 131: Tankie Group Therapy #4: Gaza War Week 6"</span></a>

A discussion with Calla and Fergie from Palestine Action US about the theory of direct action and how activists have tried stop the flow of Western weapons that are being deployed against Palestinians in Gaza, instead of, e.g., moral suasion on Western politicians. The Palestine Action UK precedent and the reason for Palestine Action’s focus … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/11/18/anti-empire-radio-130-palestine-action-and-the-focus-on-elbit-systems/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Anti Empire Radio 130: Palestine Action and the focus on Elbit Systems"</span></a>

A horrible event shocks the world. The affected power, enraged, threatens war and gives an ultimatum. Looking around for allies, it’s given a “blank cheque” by its powerful patron – one of the great powers of the world. With that patron’s guarantee, the march to war starts. But the smaller power, about to be invaded, … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/11/02/wwciv-26-how-world-war-one-started/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "WWCiv 26: How World War One Started"</span></a>

Joined by Jon Elmer and Nora Barrows-Friedman from The Brief / Electronic Intifada to talk about the War on Gaza, including the preparation for ground invasion, the siege, and the attack of October 7.

The near-revolution in Spain in 1909 turns out to be more of a cause of World War 2 than a cause of World War 1 but it includes anarchism, conspiracy, revolution, and ends in a show trial. Our final pause before we roll into the immediate causes of WW1.

Leading up to 1914 socialist movements all over Europe, notably in France and Germany, had become so strong that they were in the very halls of power. But when faced with the onset of the Great War, the established socialists blinked, unwilling to risk their heard-earned position and possibly be arrested and have their parties … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/10/22/world-war-civ-24-why-socialists-failed-to-stop-the-war/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 24: Why socialists failed to stop the war"</span></a>

Was the collapse of the international gold standard – established in 1873 – in 1914, a sure sign that war was coming? Was gold a “peaceful metal”, as Michael Hudson has argued? Does the history of finance and money, tied up with states and war, provide a theory of everything? We go way back to … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/09/16/world-war-civ-23-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-gold-standard-1873-1914/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 23: The Rise and Fall of the Gold Standard, 1873-1914"</span></a>

In the August 2023 edition of In Real Time with Stan Cox (yes I know it’s September) we talk about his dispatch, “The Hubris of Plutocrats”, and the escape fantasies (and condos) of the super-rich. Stan argues they can’t escape the heat that’s coming, but at least some of our troubles stem from the fact … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/09/13/in-real-time-14-the-hubris-of-plutocrats/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time 14: The Hubris of Plutocrats"</span></a>

How close did Britain come to a civil war over the issue of Irish Home Rule? We talk about the long parliamentary road led by Parnell, the settler trick culminating in the seditious maneuvers in Ulster, and the final passage of the Home Rule Bill, rendered inoperative by World War I. This issue will be … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/08/31/world-war-civ-22-irish-home-rule-and-britains-near-civil-war-before-1914/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 22: Irish Home Rule and Britain’s near-civil war before 1914"</span></a>

In the First Balkan War, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro attacked the moribund Turkey to take its remaining territories and get Turkey out of Europe. In the Second Balkan War, they fought one another over those same territories. The Balkan Republics model themselves after Italy and Germany and hope to unify their nations at the … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/08/10/world-war-civ-21-balkan-wars-1912-1913/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 21: Balkan Wars 1912-1913"</span></a>

Stan Cox and I talk about Kim Stanley Robinson (KSR)’s 2020 book, The Ministry for the Future, which is a hugely important book because it pictures how we could get from our current situation to a world where CO2 emissions were actually trending downwards, saving human civilization from catastrophe. We talk about the climate events … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/07/29/in-real-time-13-do-we-need-states-to-solve-climate-change/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time 13: Do we need states to solve climate change?"</span></a>

After losing to Ethiopia, Italy tries to restore its reputation as a colonizer by invading Libya, following directly from France’s invasion of Morocco and leading directly to the Balkan War. The dominoes keep falling as the European colonizers keep grabbing. Libya becomes a battlefront for decades – one we will return to in future episodes.

The short Hafiziyya period in Morocco leads to the Treaty of Fez and annexation; Morocco’s lost its sovereignty but it’s Germany that feels aggrieved. More scrambling for Africa and another inter-imperial spat to inch us closer to WW1.

Arama Rata, independent Maori researcher, and Carl Zha of Silk & Steel podcast are both back! Carl reports on his lived experience as a survivor of the Prigozhin coup in Moscow; Arama outlines the anti-AUKUS speaking tour she is on with other journalists and activists; I continue my rant about the sheer plagiarism of Canada’s … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/07/08/aer-128-caukuzians-speak-out/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 128: CAUKUZians speak out!"</span></a>

Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1910 is scramble-like colonial behavior; it is the beginning of a long and bold resistance by Korean patriots whose names will return; it is the occasion for studying Japanese colonialism in East Asia as well as its disputes with Russia. A short episode on Korea’s struggles from the Russo-Japanese War … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/07/01/world-war-civ-18-japan-annexes-korea-1910/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 18: Japan annexes Korea 1910"</span></a>

The 1911 Chinese Revolution ends with Yuan Shikai in charge. He is ready to take the throne and become emperor except that he can’t sweep the foreigners away and ends up deepening the crisis. China enters the WW1 period in a state of fragmentation as the time of the warlords begins.

Stan Cox is back to talk about two essays. One, co-written with Priti Gulati Cox, “Between a Yoga Mat and a Hard Place”, about where India is headed. And another, “The Old Future is Gone and Technology Won’t Bring it Back”, by Stan himself. Justin goes on a mini-rant against doomerism at the end, and … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/06/22/in-real-time-with-stan-cox-12-india-dilemmas-and-how-tech-wont-save-us/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time with Stan Cox 12: India dilemmas and how tech won’t save us"</span></a>

The Qing dynasty desperately tries a reform to stay in power while secret societies plot against them; intellectuals debate how to modernize China while Western imperialists keep pressuring China after crushing the Boxer Rebellion. Sun Yat Sen leads a movement for a republic and a revolutionary moment sparks in 1911. Part 1 of 2.

On May 9 2023 ousted president Imran Khan was detained by the Pakistan army, who were forced immediately to release him. But in the month since, the crackdown on protesters (and their families) has been so widespread, reaching 10,000 arrests, that Imran Khan’s movement appears exhausted. The repression may have worked, but how long can … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/06/13/aer-127-has-imran-khan-lost-the-battle-with-pakistans-army/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 127: Has Imran Khan lost the battle with Pakistan’s Army?"</span></a>

Timeline of the constitutional revolutions that took place in Persia from 1905-1909 and Portugal in 1910. They weren’t social revolutions but shared important patterns for later events including a long nonviolent sit-in in Persia and a missed communication in Portugal (leading to a suicide!)

“Deeds Not Words!” was the slogan of the militant sufragettes who fought for the vote. We get into some of their dramatic acts and some of the reasonings of their leaders – which are not always discussed in their full detail today. Also the (non-socialist) part of the pacifist movement – a crowd the socialists … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/05/24/world-war-civ-15-sufragettes-and-pacifists/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 15: Sufragettes and Pacifists"</span></a>

Sam Gindin and Justin Podur, moderated with fairness and balance by Nora Barrows-Friedman, debate the proposition that the world is becoming multipolar as US hegemony declines. We clash over capitalism, colonialism, and the history of the past few centuries; as well as over the meaning of the Russia/Ukraine war and the relative power of Chinese … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/05/12/aer-126-multipolarity-schmultipolarity-a-debate-with-sam-gindin/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 126: Multipolarity? Schmultipolarity! A debate with Sam Gindin"</span></a>

While the Mexican Revolutionaries fought for the land, the Great Powers tried to pick the winner. Germany and Britain, Japan and of course the US, all schemed and intrigued. We talk about the Kaiser’s offer of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico to Carranza and why Carranza didn’t want them; why Japan thought German proposals “simply … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/05/11/the-mexican-revolution-pt4-schemes-of-the-great-powers/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "The Mexican Revolution pt4: Schemes of the Great Powers"</span></a>