It’s that time of year
The end of the year wouldn’t be complete without a list.
The rest of the blog
The end of the year wouldn’t be complete without a list.
Let’s be honest: most podcasts are fluff, background noise for the doomscroll. But every so often, you stumble across a few that feel vital, like they’re speaking directly to the part of you that knows something’s deeply off. These are the ones that respect the work of Peter Dale Scott, understand that the CIA has been playing dirty for decades, and quietly agree that Oliver Stone might have nailed it with JFK. From deep-state machinations and true crime to the gangsters, spies, and outright monsters shaping our unnerving present, these podcasts don’t just expose the cracks—they show you how deep they go.
In V13: Chronicle of a Trial, Emmanuel Carrère immerses readers in the unprecedented legal aftermath of the 2015 Paris terror attacks, illuminating the harrowing testimonies of survivors, the moral quandaries of justice, and the uneasy search for meaning amid almost unfathomable violence.
Picture a once-mighty empire, stripped to its underwear. Once hailed for its democratic values and global reach, the United States now staggers beneath the weight of its own contradictions—its institutions hollowed out, its alliances squandered, its climate left to burn. In the aftermath of a second Trump presidency, what was once dismissed as political theatre has morphed into a crisis so profound that even the most reluctant observers must confront the truth: the old order cannot endure.
In an interview with Posle Media, researcher and long-time activist Catherine Samary delves into the critical challenges facing the French left amidst a global rightward shift. She critiques the Macron-Barnier government’s austerity policies, rising xenophobia, and the growing influence of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, while advocating for grassroots mobilisation and international solidarity. Samary also addresses the complex dynamics of a left responses to the war in Ukraine, exploring the tensions between anti-imperialism and support for Ukraine’s resistance, and highlights the urgent need for a renewed internationalist strategy to counter neoliberalism, militarism, and environmental devastation. This wide-ranging discussion situates the French left’s struggles within broader global crises, offering a sobering yet hopeful call to action.
Richard Seymour’s “Dreaming of Downfall” provides a crucial analysis of the recent wave of racial violence across Britain, exposing the deep-rooted anxieties and deliberate provocations that have led to this disturbing moment in the nation’s history.
In light of the recent escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, it is imperative that the United States and the international community take a principled stance, working to de-escalate the situation and hold all parties accountable for actions that violate international norms and threaten regional stability.
The Labour Party’s hasty withdrawal of support for by-election candidate Azhar Ali over benign comments critical of Israel exemplifies a wider pattern of oversensitivity regarding any anti-Zionist perspectives in the post-Corbyn era.
The following recently published articles criticise the weaponisation of rape allegations to justify a brutal military action against Palestinians in Gaza. The authors contend that propagandistic reporting and double standards reveal deep-rooted racism used to advance the oppression of Gazans.
Simon Pearson analyses the multifaceted documentary Israelism and the difficult questions it raises about ideology, identity, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Middle East now stands on a knife’s edge as cycles of violence threaten to engulf the region in widening conflict. But even amid the drumbeats of war sounded by the powerful, hope persists in the solidarity of ordinary people demanding justice and charting a course away from the abyss.