The Anti Empire Project with Justin Podur

John Brown routed 75 men with 14, defended Lawrence from raiders, wrote a manual for the Underground Railroad, and began the war that ended slavery. Frederick Douglass, talking about Brown’s actions in Kansas, wrote that one could not read the history “without feeling that the man who in all this bewildering broil was least the … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/11/17/civilizations-23b-this-question-is-still-to-be-settled-john-brown-and-the-civil-war-pt2/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations 23b: “This question is still to be settled”: John Brown and the Civil War pt2"</span></a>

I’m joined by the Anti-Empire Project’s special correspondent for Pakistan, Saadia Toor, professor at CSI CUNY and author of the State of Islam: Culture and Cold War Politics in Pakistan. Saadia gives us a quick sweep of Pakistan’s history including the key role of the left in the many twists and turns. We get caught … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/11/14/aep-73-pakistans-hybrid-civil-military-regime-with-saadia-toor/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 73: Pakistan’s Hybrid Civil-Military Regime, with Saadia Toor"</span></a>

Civilizations begins our study (at least four parts) of the American Civil War. We start with the abolitionist movement in the decades before the war, and the conflict between the British Empire and the United States over abolition. This episode relies on (among other sources) Kellie Carter Jackson’s book Force and Freedom, and Gerald Horne’s … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/11/10/civilizations-23a-american-civil-war-part-1-abolition-and-distant-causes/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations 23a – American Civil War Part 1: Abolition and distant causes"</span></a>

Step off of the Artificial Intelligence hype train with me and my guest Yarden Katz. Yarden is the author of Artificial Whiteness: Politics and Ideology in Artificial Intelligence. AI is a squishy concept, and under scrutiny it is full of imperialist and racial assumptions. We go over some of the many ideas in this idea-packed … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/11/04/aep-72-artificial-whiteness-with-yarden-katz/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 72: Artificial Whiteness with Yarden Katz"</span></a>

The name most associated with the unification of Germany is that of Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck was the great puppet master of Europe in the 1860s, but he may just have set things up for future conflagrations.

I’m joined by scholar and campaigner Sameer Dossani. A PhD student at the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI) in South Africa and an activist at PeaceVigil.net, Sameer wrote the paper “Ecological Catastrophe, Capitalist Excess or Ongoing Colonialism – How should we understand the crisis?” – which outlines what I call “colonial determinism“, a … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/10/27/aep-71-the-colonial-determinist-world-view-with-sameer-dossani/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 71: The Colonial Determinist World View, with Sameer Dossani"</span></a>

Two very different characters – Cavour and Garibaldi – were instrumental in orchestrating the unification of Italy in the 1860s. We talk unification and consequences, and give a mention to Garibaldi’s famous letters to Abraham Lincoln of 1861 and 1863.

The Delhi Liberated Zone under Bahadur Shah Zafar falls; Tatia Tope and others fight on for another two years; the British kill perhaps 10 million Indian people (7% of the population); the 1857 has some victories even in defeat. But what does it all mean? We conclude our discussion with the concept of a point-of-view … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/10/13/civilizations-20b-india-1857-pt-2-the-revolution-defeated/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations 20b: India 1857 pt 2 – the Revolution Defeated"</span></a>

Are we really doing this? One podcaster with Indian roots and another with British roots, trying to do the history of 1857 India? This is the Civilizations podcast, so yes we are! I’m arguing that 1857 is up there with the other great revolutions of this time – 1848 or 1870 in Europe, or Bolivar’s … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/10/10/civilizations-20a-1857-indias-war-of-independence-pt1/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations 20a: 1857 – India’s War of Independence, pt1"</span></a>

On the last day of defense evidence in the Assange Trial (September 30/20), a statement from Chomsky was read into the record. This is a solo episode where I go over Chomsky’s succinct, remarkable statement about power, propaganda, and the importance of Assange’s work.

Isa Blumi is a professor at Stockholm University in Sweden and a scholar of the Empire. We talk about a range of imperial methods, including the creation of a ‘traditional-modern’ or ‘backward-forward’ dichotomy; humanitarianism; debt; depopulating villages; recruiting some classes of colonials to administer the imperial project, and survey the bleak landscape for anti-imperialists today.

How did a military debacle lead to the abolition of serfdom in Russia? How did a disagreement over the nature of breakfast lead to a military loss? How bad was the Charge of the Light Brigade, really? Civilizations goes to the Crimean War, where Britain, France, and Turkey fought Russia from 1853-1856.

This episode is about how the US became the territorial empire that it is. We cover the Mexican-American War 1846-8, as well as the repeat performance when France invaded under Louis Napoleon. We end talking about US expansionism and its many 19th century wars with Indigenous nations.

Joe Emersberger and I talk about the Steve Donziger case, in which an environmental lawyer who won a landmark settlement against one of the world’s most powerful oil corporations (Chevron) is now disbarred and under house arrest, persecuted by a pro-business judge and the entire US corporate-legal nexus. In the second half, we talk about … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/09/18/aep-68-the-donziger-case-and-the-assange-trial/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 68: The Donziger Case and the Assange Trial"</span></a>

There were many revolutions in Europe in 1848, with complex and contradictory results and lessons learned by all parties for future revolutionary rounds. We spend most of the time in France, a bit of time in Prussia, and do a quick tour of the rest.

I’m joined by Kira Paulemon of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR.net), co-author with Jake Johnston of a recent report about a State Department contract to a politically-connected firm in Haiti. We talk about the contract, the two years of demonstrations in Haiti, the current president’s rule by decree, contrasts with the US … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/09/10/aep-67-haiti-arms-trade-and-the-us-state-department/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 67: Haiti Arms Trade and The US State Department"</span></a>

We investigate Britain around 1848. Why was there no revolution? We look at the Chartist and Reform movements in Britain and in Canada, Robert Peel and the origins of modern policing, Australia and the early debates about how to create misery in prisons, the Irish famines and their repercussions.

In Chiapas, Mexico, the Indigenous Zapatista rebels have raised the alarm about an intensification of paramilitary attacks on their communities. Manuel Rozental and I are joined by author John Gibler to talk about Mexican politics and how it is that a Mexican government led by a leftist president continues the historical pattern of dirty war … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/09/01/aep-66-lopez-obrador-takes-on-the-zapatistas/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 66: Lopez Obrador takes on the Zapatistas"</span></a>

Your Western Civilization course covers the French Revolution of 1830. But the Civilizations Series gives you that and Muhammad Ali of Egypt, France’s colonizing Algeria, and the slave rebellions of Denmark Vesey in South Carolina, Nat Turner in Virginia, and Sam Sharpe in Jamaica.

A different angle this episode: my guest is my martial arts instructor, Shawn Zirger, who teaches Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and other martial arts at the Zirger Academy. We talk about Bruce Lee’s approach to knowledge, how martial artists think about cultural appropriation, the problem of trying to “find geniuses” when teaching, our own … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/08/26/aep-65-thinking-about-teaching-through-martial-arts-with-shawn-zirger/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 65: Thinking about teaching, through martial arts, with Shawn Zirger"</span></a>

A sixteen minute solo episode about James Kabarebe, special presidential advisor in Rwanda, and his recent threatening comments towards Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege. Read my profile of Mukwege from 2013 Why is Rwanda so afraid of Dr. Mukwege? france-rwanda August 14, 2020 A petition from Bukavu – end impunity in Congo August 2020 The UN … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/08/20/aep-64-rwanda-threatens-congolese-doctor/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 64: Rwanda threatens Congolese doctor"</span></a>

Independent journalist Yanis Iqbal, based in India, has written a series of articles about commodities and imperialism in Latin America. He presents some of his findings on coffee in Colombia, tourism and the displacement of Indigenous people in Honduras, and lithium imperialism in Chile and Bolivia.

Another one in the Kung Fu Yoga series, with Carl Zha. This time we’re comparing the situations in Kashmir and Xinjiang, reporting what we’ve studied about state violence, censorship, economy, freedom of religion, popular agendas and state agendas of India and China in Kashmir and in Xinjiang.

Why do Indian boys love Jordan Peterson? If war is hell, as Jocko Willink says, why do they keep doing it? And is it unfair to consider Joe Rogan conservative? To debate these questions, I’m joined by screenwriter and comedian Amish Patel, who analyzes fake gurus on the coffeezilla podcast. This episode is kind of … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/08/08/aep-61-mens-self-help-and-propaganda-from-jordan-peterson-to-jocko-willink-with-amish-patel/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 61: Men’s self-help and propaganda from Jordan Peterson to Jocko Willink – with Amish Patel"</span></a>

With Manuel Rozental. On August 4 2020, the Supreme Court of Colombia ordered ex-president Alvaro Uribe Velez, now a senator, under house arrest pending an investigation that he suborned witnesses in a case about paramilitarism. Mayor of Medellin in 1982, governor of Antioquia from 1995-1998, and president of Colombia from 2002-2010, Alvaro Uribe Velez has … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/08/06/aep-60-colombian-ex-president-alvaro-uribe-velez-under-house-arrest/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 60: Colombian ex-president Alvaro Uribe Velez under house arrest"</span></a>

Back with Carl Zha of Silk & Steel podcast, who we last saw in our episode on the India-China border conflict. We’re thinking of calling this the Kung Fu Yoga series. In this one, Justin has just finished reading the terrifying book The American Trap by Frederic Pierucci (which Carl notes has 100,000 reviews for … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/08/03/aep-59-the-american-trap-sprung-on-tiktok-and-huawei-with-carl-zha/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 59: The American Trap sprung on Tiktok and Huawei, with Carl Zha"</span></a>

Choosing our avatars carefully, we take you through the political ideologies of the 19th century. Conservatism (Burke, Metternich); Liberalism (Paine, Locke); Radicalism (Condorcet, Gregoire); Anarchism (Bakunin, Kropotkin); Communism (Marx & Engels); and we throw a few more in as well (nationalism, humanitarianism, romanticism). This episode will set you up nicely for the next round of … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/08/02/civilizations-14-early-19th-century-political-ideologies/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations 14: Early 19th Century Political Ideologies"</span></a>

We cover the Industrial Revolution in England, from a few angles. Justin inserts his usual colonial determinism notes, as well as some environmental history about fossil fuels and energy sources for imperialism; Dave takes us through the revolution and what it meant; we talk about the rise of the working class, reveal that the Luddites … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/07/24/civilizations-13-the-industrial-revolution/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations 13: The Industrial Revolution"</span></a>

Manuel is back on the show for this one. How does an Indigenous community that has recovered land and autonomy end up back under state authority? How does a territory go from winning a life and death struggle for food sovereignty to growing a hemp monoculture? And how do mafias and ultra-rightwing (fascist) political movements … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/07/21/aep-58-mafiosity-the-current-stage-of-colombian-capitalism/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 58: Mafiosity, the current stage of Colombian capitalism"</span></a>

At the beginning we quickly tell the story of Mexico’s Wars of Independence – Hidalgo, Morelo, and Iturbide. Then we return to Simon Bolivar from the Angostura period to the liberation of Peru and an assessment of Bolivar’s politics and legacy. We conclude by quickly telling the story of Brazil’s Independence and discern some patterns … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/07/17/civilizations-12b-bolivar-and-latin-american-independence/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations 12b: Bolivar and Latin American Independence pt2"</span></a>

I forced Dan to listen to naval (Naval Ravikant)’s twitter stream/podcast about How to Get Rich Without Luck or Inheritance. Naval’s twitterstorm inspired me to create one of my own, about the real strategies used by the super-wealthy (spoiler: they aren’t available to you). But we spend an hour talking about where these “how to … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/07/12/super-wealth-through-the-right-mindset-a-breakdown-of-silicon-valley-ideology/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 57: Super-Wealth through the right mindset? A breakdown of Silicon Valley Ideology"</span></a>

The struggles for Independence against the Spanish Empire rocked the Western Hemisphere at the beginning of the 19th century and changed the world. We focus on Simon Bolivar to tell this story in two parts. In this part, the Precursor, Francisco de Miranda, and the first half of Simon Bolivar’s campaigns.

Dave and I go over a very long list of the statues that have been torn down or come down over the past month, the historical figures behind them, and the case for tearing down each statue. From Columbus to Colston, from Jefferson to Roosevelt and many in between, we answer the question – why … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/06/27/civilizations-bonus-episode-the-case-against-the-statues/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations BONUS EPISODE: The case against the statues"</span></a>

The United States is rocked by protests against police violence as hundreds of thousands march from coast to coast. We are joined from New York by MARGARET KIMBERLEY and from Boston by BENJAMIN DIXON. Episode: 012 Uprising in AmericaDate: 11 June 2020 | Length: 53:45

Dessalines became Emperor of Haiti in 1804, marking the end of the Haitian Revolution. Napoleon’s crowning as Emperor was the end of the French one. We talk about Napoleon’s wars, compare Napoleon’s exile and imprisonment to Toussaint’s, and talk about the momentous consequences of these revolutions.

Brazil’s new far-right government plunges the country into fascism. We speak with Brazilian scholar and activist DIANA AGUIAR about the downfall of the Worker’s Party and the rise of Jair Bolsonaro. Episode: 011 Bolsonaro’s BrazilDate: 2 June 2020 | Length: 71:47

I talk to the incomparable Carl Zha of the Silk & Steel podcast about the border clashes between India and China in the Galwan Valley. We talked about the many changes in Indian politics with the rise of fascism over the past decade. In the second hour, we go into details of the McMahon line … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/06/21/aep-56-the-india-china-border-clash-of-june-2020-with-carl-zha/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 56: The India China Border Clash of June 2020, with Carl Zha"</span></a>

We’ve covered the legal treachery of the Meng Wanzhou case (part 1) and the history of Canadian racism (part 2). Now in part 3, a deep dive into 5G technology, Huawei, its founder and Meng’s father Ren Zhengfei, the semiconductor industry, and US sabotage of its rivals, with writer and analyst George Koo. This episode … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/06/18/aep-55-the-meng-wanzhou-case-part-3-with-george-koo/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 55: The Meng Wanzhou case part 3 with George Koo"</span></a>

It took Dessalines to complete the job of winning Haitian Independence, after Napoleon had Toussaint captured and imprisoned to die in France. Napoleon went on to make himself Emperor of France and start what seemed like an interminable series of wars. This takes us to the end of both revolutions.

This phase of the French and Haitian Revolutions was dominated by two very dominating figures: Toussaint L’Ouverture and Napoleon Bonaparte. We talk about their rise and how they surpassed their rivals and would end up facing one another.

The Haitian Revolution started with a well-planned conspiracy led by a slave named Boukman in 1791. The French Revolutionaries scrambled to figure out how to preserve the crown jewel of their colonies while accommodating their newfound principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. In France, the revolution went from monarchy to Republic to the best-known symbol … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/06/13/civilizations-series-episode-11b-haitian-and-french-revolutions-pt2/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations Series Episode 11b: Haitian and French Revolutions pt2"</span></a>

Chinese diplomat Zhou Enlai may or may not have said 200 years later that it’s too early to tell what the consequences of the French Revolution are, but we are dedicating five full episodes to it and doing it right, which means treating the French and Haitian revolutions together. In part 1 we go from … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/06/12/civilizations-series-episode-11a-french-and-haitian-revolutions-pt1/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations Series Episode 11a: French and Haitian Revolutions pt1"</span></a>

Manuel Rozental talks about the mobilizations of November 2019 in Colombia, through to the pandemic, and the latest news of US troops arriving in Colombia ostensibly to fight “narcotrafficking”.

Manuel Rozental nos de un analisis de la coyuntura en Colombia, desde las movilizaciones del noviembre 2019 hasta la pandemia y las noticias de la llegada de tropas de los Estados Unidos en el pais

Lord Elgin, who gave Canada Responsible Government, also burned the summer palace in China during the British Empire’s Opium War. Sir John A. MacDonald sung the glories of the Aryan Race from the floor the House of Commons in 1885. The poem “White Canada Forever” was aimed specifically at the supposed “Yellow Peril”. And apparently … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/06/04/aep-54-on-the-roots-of-structural-racism-in-canada-on-the-meng-wanzhou-case-part-2/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 54 – On the roots of structural racism in Canada: On the Meng Wanzhou case, part 2"</span></a>

Saudi Arabia’s $14 billion weapons deal puts Canadian armoured vehicles on the frontlines of the war in Yemen. We are joined by ANTHONY FENTON to discuss the machinations of Canada’s junior-partner imperialism. Episode: 010 Canada’s Saudi arms dealDate: 16 May 2020 | Length: 66:00

An executive of one of China’s largest tech companies is detained in Canada accused of violating US sanctions against Iran. This story has many threads, and each one reveals something very important about our world. In Part 1, I talk to activist and writer KJ Noh about the BC Supreme Court’s decision to keep Meng … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/06/01/aep-53-the-kidnapping-of-meng-wanzhou-and-what-it-reveals-about-how-the-world-works-part-1-with-kj-noh/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "AEP 53: The Kidnapping of Meng Wanzhou and what it reveals about how the world works. Part 1, with KJ Noh"</span></a>

In world history, the American Revolution created a republic that continued slavery and expanded a continuous war against Indigenous nations in North America. We look at the British imperial geopolitics, the propaganda, and the history. Why wasn’t the American Revolution the inspiration that the French Revolution was? Special mention to two sources: John Grenier and … <a href="https://podur.org/2020/05/31/civilizations-series-episode-10-the-american-counter-revolution/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Civilizations Series Episode 10: The American (Counter) Revolution"</span></a>

From the Habsburg marriage alliances to the War of Spanish Succession, to the War of Jenkins’ Ear and the Seven Years War; to the Anarchy in India after Aurangzeb’s death and the founding of Afghanistan by Ahmad Shah Durrani. Some glimpses of three centuries of power politics in world history.

Stefan Kipfer and I talk about the lessons we learned from reading the revolutionary Frantz Fanon, author of The Wretched of the Earth and Black Skin, White Masks.