The Anti Empire Project with Justin Podur

The New Zealand Parliament Protest inspired by Canada’s Trucker Convoy and with similarly hard-to-read politics; the continuing urgency of Maori sovereignty; An in-depth discussion of Donna Awatere’s extraordinary 1984 text, Maori Sovereignty; the connection between Chile and New Zealand; and a history of the Maori struggle since colonialism. With Simon Barber, Gabriella Brayne, and Arama … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/05/09/aer-125-maori-sovereignty-or-death/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 125: Maori Sovereignty or Death!"</span></a>

Stan and I talk about two of his articles from April: the first on Atlanta’s “Cop City”, which one activist has already been killed by police over, and why it’s an environmental disaster as well as other kinds; and another article on Republicans trying to locally legislate to prevent any climate action from happening at … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/05/08/in-real-time-with-stan-cox-11-atlantas-cop-city-and-anti-climate-legislation/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time with Stan Cox 11: Atlanta’s Cop City and Anti-Climate Legislation"</span></a>

Obregon defeats Zapata and Villa in battle. Carranza betrays the workers’ unions. The Morelos commune lives on, though its leaders fall one by one until Zapata himself. Villa too. And Obregon. And Carranza. We ask, what was it all for? And we give you the answers of some historians of the revolution: it was not … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/05/05/the-mexican-revolution-pt3-the-downfall/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "The Mexican Revolution pt3: The Downfall"</span></a>

Porfirio is out, Madero is in, but he has the same problem: how to stop the invincible peasant revolution now in motion? And the answer is, he can’t! Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata take the capital, but the seeds of their downfall and of their glorious peasant revolution are already laid. Part 2 of our … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/04/28/mexican-revolution-pt2-villa-and-zapata-take-mexico-city/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Mexican Revolution pt2: Villa and Zapata take Mexico City"</span></a>

The Mexican Revolution was an extraordinary event in 20th century history. In part 1 of our miniseries on the revolution we give the background from the Mexican-American war to the end of the quarter decade of Porfirio Diaz. The class balance of forces leading to the revolution and the dramatic events. We also talk about … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/04/23/the-mexican-revolution-pt1-the-end-of-the-porfiriato/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "The Mexican Revolution pt1: The end of the Porfiriato"</span></a>

We talk about the fearsome dreadnought, the race to build it, the Le Queax novels that were the Red Dawn of the 19th century, the Heartland theory of history, and conclude our discussion of the naval race. The tensions are getting high…

Carl Zha is back and I try to explain to him the hysteria of the accusations by the CSIS leaker in Canada of Chinese electoral interference. He can’t find a word of it in Chinese media which leads to the horrible possibility that Canada doesn’t matter very much to China. I try to explain to … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/04/07/aer-124-chinas-use-of-telepathy-and-wechat-to-control-canadian-elections-with-carl-zha/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 124: China’s use of telepathy and WeChat to control Canadian elections, with Carl Zha"</span></a>

Part 1 of 2 on the Anglo-German Naval Race. We start with a modern theorist, Paul Kennedy, and his thesis that industrial power translates to military power. Then some earlier imperialist theorists we’ve mentioned before: Mahan and Mackinder, who Justin finally read. Then, the practitioners of naval power, Admiral Tirpitz on the German side and … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/04/06/world-war-civ-14a-anglo-german-naval-race-pt1-theorists-and-practitioners-of-world-domination/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 14a: Anglo-German Naval Race pt1 – Theorists and Practitioners of World Domination"</span></a>

Back with Stan Cox on the environmental file. Stan’s written a dispatch on the Farm Bill. How the 5-year Farm Bills used to have consensus but how even that might be breaking, and then we talk about Wes Jackson’s ideas about a 50-year farm bill, thinking on the scale we probably need to be thinking … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/04/04/in-real-time-10-a-5-year-and-a-50-year-farm-bill/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time 10: A 5-year and a 50-year farm bill"</span></a>

I’m joined by Dock Currie with another episode on the gift that keeps on giving, the CSIS-leaking China panic in Canadian politics. We talk about the recent walk-back from the most ridiculous allegations against Han Dong, the pivot to more aggressive demonization of China in Canadian culture starting in 2018, the Meng Wanzhou case and … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/03/26/aer-123-the-fruit-of-5-years-of-demonizing-china-in-canada/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 123: The fruit of 5 years of demonizing China in Canada"</span></a>

Waqas is back to keep us up to date on the Imran Khan file. The entire Pakistan establishment is united in trying to keep Imran Khan from returning to power in an election through court cases, violent repression, and electoral delay; but the people’s protests don’t seem to stop. Pakistan and Imran Khan at an … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/03/17/aer-122-attempts-to-arrest-imran-khan-and-the-lahore-high-court-rallies/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 122: Attempts to arrest Imran Khan and the Lahore High Court rallies"</span></a>

Sina’s back to talk to me about my latest Substack article, “Multiculturalism is over in Canada. It’s back to Sinophobia.” It’s about the scandal unfolding in the Canadian media since Fife & Chase broke their anonymous CSIS-leak-sourced story about Chinese interference in Canadian elections in February. I’m worried about racist incitement and scandal-mongering. Sina thinks … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/03/16/aer-121-multiculturalism-is-over-in-canada/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 121: Multiculturalism is over in Canada"</span></a>

First we announce Civ Books, where you can buy some of the best Civilizations Podcast transcripts in hard copy. Then, we reveal two of the most long-standing geopolitical disagreements that Dave and Justin have hitherto unresolved: one on the rights and wrongs of the Yugoslav war of 1999, and the other on the status of … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/03/07/world-war-civ-13-the-bosnian-crisis-1908/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 13: The Bosnian Crisis 1908"</span></a>

Scott Ritter is back after a year as we build a chronology of events of the Russia-Ukraine war so far. What were Russia’s goals? Did they succeed or fail? What were NATO’s goals? Why did Russia’s initial offensive not bring a negotiation? Why did sanctions on Russia fail? How can we determine who is winning … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/03/03/aer-120-russia-ukraine-year-1-who-is-winning-who-is-lying-with-scott-ritter/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 120: Russia Ukraine Year 1: Who is winning? Who is lying? With Scott Ritter"</span></a>

Talking to Amaresh Mishra, author of the giant book India 1857: War of Civilisations about the immense scale of the Indian revolution against British imperialism that year: the scale of Hindu-Muslim unity, the class aspect of the revoution, the scale of the genocidal British massacres that followed (Mishra’s estimate is that the British killed 10 … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/02/28/aer-119-that-time-when-britain-killed-10-million-indian-people-with-amaresh-mishra/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 119: That time when Britain killed 10 million Indian people, with Amaresh Mishra"</span></a>

I joined Nora and Jon from The Brief to talk about the new Resistance in the West Bank and Israel’s ongoing spiral out of control.

The Young Ottomans and then the Young Turks make a constitutional revolution in Turkey in 1908. We talk about them, the ideas (science, constitutionalism) that motivated them as well as the ideas that didn’t (socialism, equality). And of course how what’s happening in the Ottoman empire is an antecedent for WWI.

We are back on the environment file with Stan Cox, to discuss his latest two dispatches. January’s on who is attacking the US electrical grid? February’s on the curious defense of gas stoves from the fearful lobby, Big Indoor Air Quality. Justin starts us off with some discussion on the growing body of evidence of … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/02/17/in-real-time-9-attacks-on-the-us-electrical-grid-defenses-of-us-gas-stoves/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time 9: Attacks on the US electrical grid, defenses of US gas stoves"</span></a>

France’s incremental takeover of Morocco based on their colonization of Algeria; Germany declares that it will protect Morocco’s sovereignty, which it doesn’t actually do. See how Morocco’s colonization became another cause of World War 1. Also listen to Dave’s mic improve in the last half hour!

The Austro-Hungarian Empire lasted hundreds of years but could not survive WWI. We look at its makeup, its economy, its socialist movement, at Franz Josef and the glamorous empress Sissi, and wonder whether the end of Austria-Hungary was inevitable.

It’s just me on this emergency broadcast in the spirit of “do a coup, get a pod”. Angry opponents of the Lula’s newly elected government in Brazil (with some security forces help) stormed government buildings on January 8 claiming fraud. Lula’s government survived and is now taking measures against future coups. These are being called … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/01/16/aer-118-emergency-broadcast-on-the-attempted-coup-in-brazil/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 118: Emergency broadcast on the Attempted Coup in Brazil!"</span></a>

Of all the mysteries of the World Wars, Germany’s is perhaps the most mysterious. We discuss this country with the fastest growing industrial power, the largest and most powerful socialist movement, and (perhaps) the most arrogant imperialist at the helm. We conclude with some notes on some interesting (but not especially well liked by us) … <a href="https://podur.org/2023/01/07/wwciv-9-imperial-resentment-industrial-power-inevitable-socialism-germany-before-ww1/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "WWCiv 9: Imperial Resentment, Industrial Power, Inevitable Socialism: Germany before WW1"</span></a>

The 1905 Russian Revolution was, though no one knew it at the time, the rehearsal for the 1917 Russian Revolution. Dave takes us from Bloody Sunday to the calculations and miscalculations of the Tsar; Justin uses everyone from Lars Lih to Isaac Deutscher to Simon Sebag Montefiore to draw some pictures of what Lenin, Trotsky, … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/12/27/world-war-civ-8-the-1905-russian-revolution/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 8: The 1905 Russian Revolution"</span></a>

The earth-shaking event where an Asian power defeated a European power in a war, leading to a revolution in Russia and a major shakeup in world affairs. We talk about the role education played in Japan’s victory; the Russian fleet that had to sail around the world; and the qualities of Tsar Nicholas that made … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/12/16/world-war-civ-7-the-russo-japanese-war-1905/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 7: The Russo-Japanese War 1905"</span></a>

Peru’s president Pedro Castillo has been overthrown in a coup and is in Peruvian jail while the former Vice President Dina Boluarte has taken over, vowing NOT to hold an election any time soon. People have taken to the streets in Lima to protest and demand new elections and a constitutional referendum. Meanwhile in Argentina, … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/12/10/aer-117-perus-president-pedro-castillo-overthrown-in-a-coup/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 117: Peru’s President Pedro Castillo overthrown in a coup"</span></a>

First one of a mini-series about the 1905 Russian Revolution, we talk about the economic, political, and social conditions of Russia on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War. Foreign investment, infrastructural deficits, the question of nationalities. We also talk about the disastrous summer of 1874 when the revolutionaries went down to the countryside, debates about … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/12/03/world-war-civ-6-russia-in-1900/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 6: Russia in 1900"</span></a>

Stan Cox is back with his November dispatch about the US midterm elections, in which the feared Red Wave didn’t materialize — but Stan wastes no time in warning us that 2024 is also going to be scary. We geek out on the election results, look at a shocking admission by a conservative that big … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/11/27/in-real-time-with-stan-cox-8-no-red-wave-plenty-of-red-flags/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time with Stan Cox 8: No Red Wave, Plenty of Red Flags"</span></a>

There is no better entree into pre-WWI France than the sordid Dreyfus Affair. The whole story in all its gory detail including its implications for the France-Russia alliance and the echoes of 1871 casting a cloud over 1895 France. Anti-semitism, frame ups, spies, corruption, incompetence, trials, retrials, people of conscience, and echoes a century later.

Waqas is back to talk about the Nov 3 attempt on Imran Khan’s life; the assassination in Kenya of journalist Arshad Sharif; Similarities and differences between the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the attempt on Imran Khan; the possibility that the Pakistani military might find a way out of this (by having Bajwa step down … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/11/11/anti-empire-radio-episode-116-the-assassination-attempt-on-imran-khan/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Anti-Empire Radio episode 116: The Assassination Attempt on Imran Khan"</span></a>

On October 30, Lula was elected to the presidency after surviving a political persecution that threw him behind bars and kept him from running in 2018, paving the way for Bolsonaro’s disastrous term. Brazilian scholar-activist Diana Aguiar is back to answer questions like: is Lula’s government coup-proof? What will he be able to do in … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/11/03/aer-115-lulas-back-will-there-be-another-coup/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 115: Lula’s back! Will there be another coup?"</span></a>

Reading Corelli Barnett, David Cannadine, and others, our stop today on the pre-WWI Europe tour is Britain, which has reached the very heights of world domination only to discover that they are being out-innovated and out-educated by rising imperial rivals. While social imperialists begged for consolidation of the white Anglosphere, a strategy given the old … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/10/29/wwc-4-causes-of-wwi-britains-slow-and-gentle-decline/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "WWC 4 – Causes of WWI – Britain’s slow and gentle decline"</span></a>

In this long episode we ask the question: what in the intellectualism of the early 20th century may have contributed to the climate that led to WW1? After reading Losurdo’s long book about Nietzsche, Justin does a deep dive into Nietzschean thinking about Great Men and genius and mediocrity; Dave covers militarism and nationalism; Justin … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/10/22/wwc-3-causes-of-ww1-pt-3-life-ideas/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "WWC 3 – Causes of WW1 pt 3 – Life & Ideas"</span></a>

Stan Cox is back for In Real Time episode 7, where we track the climate crisis and do other environmental talk. Stan reports back from some interviews he did with activists who are working locally on the climate crisis as we head towards two touchstones in November – the COP 27 conference in Egypt, from … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/10/19/in-real-time-7-a-thousand-rebellious-communities/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time with Stan Cox 7: A Thousand Rebellious Communities"</span></a>

How do you turn a local conflict into a world war? Create an intricate set of alliances that guarantees it! Dave takes us on a tour of the construction of the alliance system from the Emperors’ Leagues to the Congress of Berlin to the Triple Alliance to the Reinsurance Treaty and more. How British and … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/09/26/wwc-2-causes-of-world-war-1-pt2-the-alliance-system/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "WWC 2 – Causes of World War 1 pt2 – The Alliance System"</span></a>

CO2 pipelines are proof of the principle that “the greatest source of problems is solutions”. Stan Cox is back to shoot down the notion that CO2 pipelines are going to save us. Justin, meanwhile, has finally read Rachel Carson’s 1962 classic Silent Spring, which as an environmental prof he should have read decades ago. Find … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/09/21/in-real-time-with-stan-cox-6-challenging-co2-pipelines/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time with Stan Cox 6: Challenging CO2 Pipelines"</span></a>

The Scramble for Africa is over. Greedy European powers can now only expand at one another’s expense. Du Bois and Lenin both thought this made a big European war inevitable. But others at the time thought it impossible. After two years we are ready to begin the 20th century with something your history classes never … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/09/09/world-war-civ-1-the-intro/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "World War Civ 1: The Intro"</span></a>

Democracy means “the people rule”. But do the people rule in the “democratic” systems that form governments all over the world? Are these democratic governments less repressive or authoritarian than those without the democratic certification? And does the democratic system of frequent multiparty elections deliver the developmental goods? Talking to Vik Sohonie, former journalist who … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/09/05/aer-114-why-democracy-tm-fails-the-global-south/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 114: Why Democracy (TM) Fails the Global South"</span></a>

An update on the unfolding post-coup in Pakistan. Talking to Waqas Ahmad again about the threat to arrest Imran Khan, the remarkable result of the election in Punjab where PTI won 15/20 seats, the arrest and torture of Shehbaz Gill and many others, the articles in the NYT and Time Magazine about how the coup … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/08/26/aer-113-pakistan-government-threatens-to-arrest-imran-khan/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 113: Pakistan government threatens to arrest Imran Khan"</span></a>

At the peak of global colonialism no island however small was exempted from European greed. We conclude our Scramble for Oceania series with the scrambles for the many islands in the Pacific. Many of these are still colonies today, given names like “special overseas territory” to hide the fact. ALSO: I’m trying to do loudness … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/08/16/scramble-for-oceania-3-polynesia-melanesia-micronesia/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Scramble for Oceania 3: Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia"</span></a>

Our August 2022 dispatch with Stan Cox. Stan presents us this month with a discussion of the “Inflation Reduction Bill” – is climate change solved? Can Stan finally relax? We also get into a discussion of optimism and pessimism and which one is called for at this moment.

We take advantage of some new scholarship of New Zealand history (Keenan, Wars Without End; Belch, New Zealand Wars; Simons, Soldiers, Scouts and Spies) to give you a hopefully fresh look at the 19th century scramble for colonies in New Zealand, which took the form of British wars against the Maori. Also featured – comparisons … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/08/06/scramble-for-oceania-2-the-land-wars-of-new-zealand/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Scramble for Oceania 2: The Land Wars of New Zealand"</span></a>

The fourth discussion with Stan Cox about his latest dispatch, “They’ll Show Up Armed – Countering Policy Murder and the Rising Violence of the Right”. We talk about a nonviolent march Stan participated in and a few of the historic movement debates about violence and nonviolence that we’ve seen over the decades. And we conclude … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/07/21/in-real-time-with-stan-cox-4-a-discussion-of-violence-and-policy-murder/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time with Stan Cox 4: A discussion of violence and policy murder"</span></a>

At the same time that the European empires were scrambling for Africa, they held a scramble in the Pacific. For the British Empire the base was Australia, and we begin with the scramble for Australia, the story of the theft of (another) continent beginning in 1788. Always was, always will be, aboriginal land.

The biggest player in the Scramble for Africa was England. Second place to France, third to Germany. But there were many other European powers at the Berlin Conference in 1884 and the plunder of Africa was shared among even the smallest of European countries. Who and how, in this episode of the Scramble for Africa.

In June 2022 a small activist group in Boston created mapliberation.org, a project mapping primarily policing institutions in Massechussetts and their connections to corporations, organizations, and politicians who are implicated in the prison-industry complex, in throwing people out of their homes to create investment opportunities, in grabbing Indigenous land, in colonizing Palestinian land, and other … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/07/02/aer-112-bds-boston-makes-a-map-and-chaos-ensues/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 112: BDS Boston makes a map and chaos ensues"</span></a>

In September 1904 several Nama scouts slipped away from the Germans after the battle of Waterberg and the genocide of the Herero, to warn their leader, Hendrik Witbooi, of what the Germans were capable of. Hendrik Witbooi then called all the Nama leaders to war, a war where they used guerrilla tactics to confound the … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/06/24/scramble-for-africa-20-germany-pt3-genocides-the-nama-1908/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Scramble for Africa 20: Germany (pt3) genocides the Nama, 1908"</span></a>

Colombia, in a run-off vote, elected Leftist ex-rebel Gustavo Petro to the presidency in a narrow, historic election. We are joined by Colombian doctor and political activist, MANUEL ROZENTAL. Justin Podur joins us for this roundtable on the impact of the elections in Colombia. This is a joint operation with The Anti-Empire Project and The … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/06/20/gustavo-petro-wins-colombias-presidency-what-next/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Gustavo Petro wins Colombia’s presidency – what next?"</span></a>

Stan Cox joins us for June’s dispatch of In Real Time. As he prepares to travel to Washington DC for a protest (the report on that will follow next dispatch) Stan actually talks to us about local struggles: Indigenous struggles against pipelines, and the remarkable story of the LA Bus Riders Union. All that and … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/06/14/in-real-time-with-stan-cox-3-the-people-vs-petrocracy/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "In Real Time with Stan Cox 3: The People vs Petrocracy"</span></a>

The devastating story of the Herero genocide, complete with von Trotha’s extermination order, Samuel Maharero’s resistance, the battle at the Waterberg, and the concentration camps at Swakopmund and elsewhere. We’re using Erichsen and Olusoga 2011, The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism.

An update on the dynamic situation in Pakistan. Fan favorite Waqas Ahmad (@worqas on twitter) is back to talk about the massive march and nationwide protest of May 25 in Pakistan, which ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan called. Imran Khan called the protest off on May 26 in the face of escalation and repression, giving … <a href="https://podur.org/2022/06/01/aer-111-imran-khans-long-march-in-pakistan/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AER 111: Imran Khan’s Long March in Pakistan"</span></a>