In this episode, Pranay and I look back at the debate that took place at the Communist International in 1920 between Lenin and Indian Communist M.N. Roy on the national and colonial question. At its heart, the debate sought to figure out what form the struggle for national liberation could take in the colonies as part of a world revolution, and especially, what role the indigenous bourgeoisie would play in this national liberation struggle.
In the first half of the episode, we go through Lenin’s and M.N. Roy’s positions on the national question, we look at where there are overlaps, and where there are differences. In the second half of the episode, we fast forward just over a century and explore the resonances of this debate in our current moment, specifically as they relate to China and Palestine.
Pranay Somayajula is an Indian-American writer, researcher, and political educator whose work focuses on the structures of global imperialism, as well as questions of decolonization, internationalism, and anti-imperialist resistance—both historically and in the present day. He is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Minnesota, specializing in political theory and international relations from a Third World Marxist perspective, and is the host of the podcast Return to Bandung. Pranay’s writing has appeared in numerous outlets including Protean, Jacobin, and Monthly Review, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock.
Return to Bandung podcast: https://www.returntobandung.com/
Pranay's Substack - Culture Shock: https://www.culture-shock.xyz/
Journal of International Solidarity Links
Patreon: https://patreon.com/internationalsolidaritypodcast/
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In this episode, I have a wide-ranging discussion with Adnan Husain tracing the history behind why Islam and Muslims are uniquely demonized in the West, as well as the role Islam has played in anticolonial and anti-imperialist liberation struggles around the world, among other things.
Adnan Husain is an Associate Professor at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario specializing in the Medieval Mediterranean and Islamic World. He also hosts the Adnan Husain Show on Youtube and co-hosts the Guerrilla History Podcast.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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Lifeline4Gaza: https://lifeline4gaza.com/
One of the Sameer Project's several campaigns across the Gaza Strip: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject
In this episode of our West Asia series, we discuss the ongoing hunger strike taken up by 6 Palestine solidarity activists being held in prison in the UK, the state of the Palestine solidarity movement in the west, and the need to develop a psychic militancy as part of continuing this internationalist struggle.
Filton 24 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethefilton24/
Filton 24 on Substack: https://filton23.substack.com/
Prisoners4Palestine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prisoners4palestine/
Calla Walsh’s Substack: https://calla.substack.com/
Raven’s Substack: https://ravensreflections.substack.com/
Raven’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/indefenseofliberation/
Journal of Intl Solidarity Links
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In this episode, I talk to Immanuel Ness about his book ‘Migration as Economic Imperialism’. We look at the place of migration in the broader world-system of capitalism and imperialism, and why migration in fact does not contribute to the overall development of the countries people are migrating from.
Immanuel Ness is a Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York. He is a Marxist scholar whose work looks at migration and workers’ struggles. He is also a longtime labour organizer.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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PLEASE SUPPORT:
Lifeline4Gaza: https://lifeline4gaza.com/
One of the Sameer Project's several campaigns across the Gaza Strip: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject/
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In this episode, Carl Zha discusses with me his recent trip to China, and specifically to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. We discuss what role tourism plays in the Chinese economy, and specifically in the economy of Xinjiang, how Xinjiang’s economy is increasingly being linked up with the eastern parts of China to share the fruits of development, in addition to the some of the security and separatism challenges faced by those in the region, and more.Carl Zha is the host of the Silk and Steel Podcast.Journal of International Solidarity Links
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In this episode, I have a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Ken Hammond about the place of Chinese culture in the Chinese revolution more broadly. We touch on the role of Confucianism in Chinese history and through different phases of the Chinese revolution until today, we discuss language policy in China, how the study of Marxism is being revitalized, as well as the changing attitudes in China about the west.
Ken Hammond is a Professor at the Department of History at New Mexico State University, he is an expert in Chinese and East Asian history, having worked and lived in China for several periods over the past 40 years. He is the author of several books including ‘From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History’ and ‘China’s Revolution and the Quest for a Socialist Future’.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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In this episode, I talk to Atul Chandra about Kerala becoming the first Indian state that has eradicated extreme poverty. Throughout the conversation, we cover how Kerala’s socialist-oriented model of development over the past seven decades has laid the groundwork for this to take place, how exactly this program was conducted, how it compares to China’s targeted poverty alleviation strategy, and how it can inspire the rest of the global South.
"Communist-led Kerala is eradicating extreme poverty" – Atul Chandra: https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/05/26/communist-led-kerala-is-eradicating-extreme-poverty/
Previous episode on China's poverty alleviation: https://youtu.be/tDjtEeWuFew?si=vXWIiQlIzXP07bXq/
Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research: https://thetricontinental.org/
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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In this collaborative episode between Return To Bandung and the Intl Solidarity pod, Pranay Somayajula and I discuss navigating Western academia as Third World Marxists, we try to work through what the aims of our two respective podcasts are, what political education really means, who our respective audiences are, what our methods are, and more.Pranay Somayajula is an Indian-American writer, researcher, and political educator whose work focuses on the structures of global imperialism, as well as questions of decolonization, internationalism, and anti-imperialist resistance—both historically and in the present day. He is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Minnesota, specializing in political theory and international relations from a Third World Marxist perspective, and is the host of the podcast Return to Bandung. Pranay’s writing has appeared in numerous outlets including Protean, Jacobin, and Monthly Review, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock.Journal of International Solidarity Links
Patreon: https://patreon.com/internationalsolidaritypodcast/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/journalofintlsolidarity/
Substack: https://intlsolidarity.substack.com/
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@journalofintlsolidarity/
PLEASE SUPPORT:
Lifeline4Gaza: https://lifeline4gaza.com/
One of the Sameer Project's several campaigns across the Gaza Strip: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject
In this episode of our West Asia Series, we’re joined by Tara Alami for a discussion that covers the state of the “ceasefire” thus far, the state of Palestinian politics at this critical juncture, as well as how we must continue to resist against zionism in the west.
Tara Alami is an organizer with the Palestinian Feminist Collective and writer. You can find her work at: https://taraalami.substack.com/
Raven’s Substack: https://ravensreflections.substack.com/
Raven’s Instagram: https:/instagram.com/indefenseofliberation/
Journal of Intl Solidarity Links
Patreon: https://patreon.com/internationalsolidaritypodcast/
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In this episode, I talk to Mimi Zhu about what China’s cities are like ad what socialism has to do with the development of these cities. We touch on public infrastructure, women’s safety, urban-rural connectivity, public washrooms, public transit, electric vehicles and more.
Mimi Zhu is the host of the Roughly Chinese podcast on Wave Media, which can be found here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCCEbOA5sniwG9Wwryc1hwUX7s_wAUg5Y&si=XcJSBH9gsyzTKHaD
This is a collabrative episode between the International Solidarity Podcast and the Roughly Chinese Podcast. The full episode, including the first half where I was interviewed by Mimi about Canada-China relations, Hong Kong’s colonial legacy, and combatting western propaganda about China, can be found here: https://youtu.be/B-jFQ9h2Hhw?si=ggJNTdBecsNC1JeI
Thank you so much to Wave Media for the high quality editing on this episode and for making it available to cross-post on my channel as well!
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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Lifeline4Gaza: https://lifeline4gaza.com/
One of the Sameer Project's several campaigns across the Gaza Strip: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject/
In this 2nd episode of our West Asia Series, we talk with Max Ajl about Trump's so-called ‘peace’ plan and Hamas’ response to it, we discuss the two year anniversary of October 7, prospects for war with Iran, who is in charge between Israel and the US, and the role of China in West Asia.
Max Ajl is a researcher at the Tunisian Observatory for Food Sovereignty and the Environment. His work focuses on, among other things, settler colonialism, Palestine and the Arab-Iranian region. He is also an associate editor at the Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy and Middle East Critique.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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In this episode, I have a wide-ranging conversation with Zahra Haider on patriarchy in South Asia, particularly Pakistan, its connections with colonialism and imperialism, feminist resistance in South Asia against patriarchy, as well as patriarchy in the west and its connections to capitalism more broadly.Zahra Haider is a multidisciplinary artist from Islamabad, Pakistan. Her work explores state fractures, otherness, nationalism, and identity, particularly in relation to Pakistan and its diaspora. She has been featured on BBC, CNN, VICE, and more, sparking conversations on class, gender, sexuality, and gender-based violence and women’s trauma in Pakistan. You can read her newsletter, Zero Point, on Substack or listen to her podcast, Armpit Intellectuals.'Zero Point' Substack newsletter: https://zahrahaider.substack.com/PLEASE SUPPORT:Lifeline4Gaza: https://lifeline4gaza.com/One of the Sameer Projects several campaigns across the Gaza Strip: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject/Journal of International Solidarity LinksPatreon: https://patreon.com/InternationalSolidarityPodcast/Instagram: https://instagram.com/journalofintlsolidarity/Substack: https://intlsolidarity.substack.com/
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@journalofintlsolidarity/
This is the first episode of our new West Asia series, which is dedicated to covering the latest developments out of Palestine and the Arab-Iranian region more broadly.Please support:Lifeline4Gaza: https://lifeline4gaza.com/One of the Sameer Projects several campaigns across the Gaza Strip: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject/In this episode, we cover:
Dimitri Lascaris is an activist and lawyer based between Canada and Greece.Journal of International Solidarity LinksPatreon: https://patreon.com/internationalsolidaritypodcast/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/journalofintlsolidarity/ Substack: https://intlsolidarity.substack.com/
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In this episode, I’m joined by 2 members of the Qiao Collective to discuss a number of things related to the 80th anniversary of the victory against fascism in Asia. We first discuss the new Chinese film ‘Dead to Rights’ whose story looks at the Nanjing massacre, a key moment of World War 2 in China. We then discuss China’s broader role in WW2 and how its contributions are severely underappreciated in western narratives of the war. Finally we discuss the significance of China's victory day parade that took place on Sept 3, as well as the US’ drive for war against China today.
Lifeline4Gaza is a vital resource for getting financial contributions to families that need it the most; please consider making a donation here: https://lifeline4gaza.com/Qiao Collective marks 80th anniversary of World Anti-Fascist War Victory (2 articles): https://www.qiaocollective.com/articles/victory-day-80th-anniversary
Make a contribution to the show: https://patreon.com/InternationalSolidarityPodcast/
Journal of International Solidarity LinksPatreon: https://patreon.com/InternationalSolidarityPodcast/Instagram: https://instagram.com/journalofintlsolidarity/Substack: https://intlsolidarity.substack.com/Youtube: https://youtube.com/@journalofintlsolidarity/
In this episode, I am joined by renowned Marxist scholar Radhika Desai to discuss India’s place in the world today, and particularly among the global south. We start off the conversation assessing the US threat of tariffs against India for purchasing Russian oil, why this has caused crisis among Indian political circles, why India’s economy is vulnerable to such threats, and whether this is pushing India closer to China, and closer to strengthening the political weight of the global south.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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In this episode, Carl Zha and I discuss the long trajectory of China’s socialist development, struggles within the Communist Party of China, as well as the US’ attempts so far to ‘contain’ China’s development trajectory.
Carl Zha (@carlzha) hosts the Silk and Steel podcast on his Youtube channel; check it out if you haven't already.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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Substack: https://intlsolidarity.substack.com/
In this latest episode, I'm joined by Breht O'Shea (who many of you will know as the host of Revolutionary Left Radio) for a pretty wide-ranging discussion.
We talk about the state of the left in the global north amidst the Gaza genocide and its inability to effectively do something about it, we talk about broader global shifts taking place at the moment, how the rest of this century is shaping up to look like, the role of spirituality or humanism in our left politics, combatting fear, cynicism, and individualism, the case for hope, and a whole bunch more.
Jyotishman Mudiar, host of India & Global Left, joins me this episode to discuss the history of the communist movement and the left in India. We discuss the labour and peasant agitations during the colonial period, the splits between the different Indian communist parties, the Maoist movement in India, the successes of people-oriented reforms at the state level, and the path moving forward, among other things.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
Instagram: https://instagram.com/@JournalofIntlSolidarity/
Substack: https://intlsolidarity.substack.com/
In this episode, we look at the history of class struggles on a world scale – including movements for decolonization and building socialism – and how to understand this history from our current moment. We discuss the changes that took place during the neoliberal period, how to understand our current political moment, and how to carry on the process of building socialism on a world scale.This book really serves as a manifesto of sorts for understanding the current historical juncture in order for a socialist movement to advance into the future. The book is called 'The Long Transition to Socialism and the End of Capitalism', published by Iskra Books.You can find a full-length, high-quality PDF of the book on Iskra Books' website, as they do with all of their books: https://www.iskrabooks.org/the-long-t...
Journal of International Solidarity Links
Instagram: https://instagram.com/@journalofintlsolidarity/
Substack: https://intlsolidarity.substack.com/
In this episode, we look at recent developments in Gaza and the region – including the state of famine imposed by the israeli regime – and attempt to contextualize it within a broader history of colonialism/anti-colonialism. We also discuss the so-called 'ceasefire negotiations' that appear to pop up every now and then, giving people hope, but that never come to fruition. Also discussed is the key role western media plays in upholding the imperialist world-system, as well as the role leaders have played during anti-colonial and liberation struggles of the past, among other things.
Note: This was recorded before France and the UK gestured to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September.
Journal of International Solidarity Links
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