Millennials Are Killing Capitalism

In this episode, we sit down with Gerald Perreira, longtime Guyanese anti-imperialist activist, educator, and organizer, for a conversation on Cuba, U.S. power, and the unfinished struggle for true independence in the Caribbean and broader Global South. We unpack the tightening of U.S. pressure on Cuba, including the attack on Cuban medical brigades across the region, and examine why Guyana's recent political decisions represent a historic betrayal of transnational solidarity. From Cuba's lifesaving medical internationalism and its decisive role in defeating apartheid forces in Angola and South Africa, to the erosion of Caribbean sovereignty under neoliberalism, we trace the deeper structures of neocolonialism and empire. Perreira situates today's crises within a broader historical arc: the legacy of plantation economies, the transformation of postcolonial elites into managers of foreign interests, the limits of liberal democracy, and the rise of a global axis of resistance. Gerald A. Perreira is a liberation theologian, educator and political activist. He is chairperson of Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP) based in Guyana, a member of the Governing Council of the Global Pan African Movement (Harare) and an executive member of the Caribbean Pan-African Network (CPAN). He lived in the Libyan Jamahiriya for many years and was a founding member of the World Mathaba. He can be reached at mojadi94(at)gmail(dot)com. To support our work please contribute to our patreon Guyana: A Pawn of US Imperialism https://www.ovpguyana.org/

In this episode, longtime revolutionary activist and author Torkil Lauesen returns to the show. Our conversation revolves around two of his recent works published by Iskra Books: The Long Transition to Socialism and the End of Capitalism and Unequal Exchange: Past, Present, and Future. Drawing on a lifetime of political engagement and his close relationship with theorist Arghiri Emmanuel, Lauesen discusses his motivation for writing these books as a means of passing down hard-won knowledge to a new generation of organizers. We examine the "long transition" from capitalism to socialism, a process Lauesen frames through the lens of historical materialism. He also explains how the transfer of value from the periphery to the core through unequal exchange created a dynamic center, enabling capitalism to survive the 20th century. Now, with the decline of US economic hegemony and the rise of a multipolar world system centered on a resurgent China, Lauesen argues we are entering a new phase where the conditions for a genuine transition may finally be emerging. We tackle the critical question of revolutionary method, discussing how to identify the principal contradiction to orient our practice and the difficult strategic choices this framework demands. From the revolutionary history of China to the current geopolitical landscape and the intensifying repression of anti-imperialist movements, Lauesen offers a sobering yet urgent call to organize for the decisive struggles ahead. One quick note, there is a little conversation about Iran in this discussion. This interview was recorded on February 20th so a little before the current war took shape. While you get a little bit of Torkil Lauesen's perspective on Iran and the question of anti-imperialism today, if you want more complete analysis on the topic, there are ten videos up on our youtube page where we've delved into the current war with guests like Adnan Husain, Abdaljawad Omar, Lara Sheehi, Nora Barrows-Friedman, Sina Rahmani, and Hiram Rivera among others. This week we have discussions coming with Bikrum Gill and Nina Farnia from the Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective. So make sure you are subscribed and have turned on notifications on our youtube page if you want that current analysis amid this world historical struggle. Make sure to head over to Iskra Books to buy copies of these texts we discussed with Torkil Lauesen, and even if you want to check out just remember there are always free PDF copies available on Iskrabooks.org. And of course if you like what we do become a patron of the show to support our work you can do so for as little as $1 a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekilingcapitalism I know these are trying times economically, but also remember that our ability to bring you these conversations is based on your ability as an audience to support the work we do. And a huge thank you to all of you who do support the show. Previously we interviewed Torkil Lauesen about his book Riding The Wave: Sweden's Integration into the Imperialist World System

In this conversation a group of us interviewed Dr. Ali Kadri about his book The Accumulation of Waste: A Political Economy of Systemic Destruction. This conversation was the final discussion in a study group which began last October and involved participants from all over the world. The book provides a theoretical framework which understands waste as a value making process where war-making, the wasting of social classes, and the wasting of social nature become central to capitalist accumulation and to how capital resolves crises in accumulation. The questions in this discussion were those that remained for some of the members upon reading and discussing the work over the last few months. In some cases you will hear members of the group ask their questions directly, in others I ask based on individual questions provided by members or common themes that came up among multiple participants from the group. We get into the imperialist aggression against Iran, the role of patriarchy and racism within Dr. Kadri's analysis, and questions of optimism or hope against the death dealing forces of imperialism. To gain a further understanding of Dr. Ali Kadri's work, check out the first interview we conducted with him back in 2023, and of course check out his books as well as various interviews available online, we will link some of these in the show description. This study group was really rewarding once again, thank you to all of our participants and to Dr. Ali Kadri. In our current study group - which is already full - we are discussing Lenin's Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism. Our next one will be announced in March, so to ensure you have an opportunity to join us, since they almost always fill up quite quickly, make sure you are signed up on our patreon for as little as $1 a month, all patrons are welcome to join us in these study groups and they are a great place to deepen our knowledge and analysis collectively. Links: European Class Struggle Starts at the Bottom of the Sea with Iker Suárez "War Is the Basis of Accumulation" - Ali Kadri on Genocide, Waste, Imperialism, and the Commodification of Death Check out Guerrilla History's Ali Kadri archives Resistance Is Fertile also has some interviews with Ali Kadri

In this conversation we speak with Ed Vogel from Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure about the rapid expansion of various police surveillance programs. We talk about the nexus of private corporations, policing agencies, and nonprofit foundations and organizations that facilitate the expansion of these technologies and how they seek to circumvent democratic processes and oversight mechanisms. We discuss ICE, Customs & Border Patrol, Atlanta's Cop City, Shot Spotter, Flock Safety, Fusus, and automated license plate readers. Ed also talks about what we do and don't know about the role played by corporations like Target and Home Depot in the policing surveillance network. As we see the terror that ICE is enacting in Minneapolis, this conversation offers a set of analyses that can help us understand the problem of ICE's power beyond simply the goons kidnapping or executing people in the street. Rather than just focusing on the expanding problem, we do talk about some of the ways that local communities are fighting back and winning campaigns against the adoption of these technologies. We also talk about maintaining good digital hygiene as an act of solidarity for people in social movements. There are a number of articles that Ed either authored, co-authored, or contributed documents to in the show description. We reference these throughout the conversation and recommend you read them for further details. Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure has a hands-on digital security workshop Wednesday, February 4th. During the session they will walk through how to better protect yourself and community against how ICE is accessing phone data for their kidnappings. Follow SASSI on IG or Bluesky or visit their website. Recently we also featured Dwayne Monroe during one of our livestreams to talk about ICE's use of the surveillance program known as Webloc, the SASSI training will address how to protect cellphone data from this program. If you like the work that we do, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism. It is through the support of our listeners and viewers that we sustain this work and the ability to bring you these conversations. By Enabling Police Surveillance, Elected Officials Fuel Trump's Agenda A Nashville Proposal Could Outsource Surveillance and Policing to a Nonprofit ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows ACPC and Lucy Parsons Labs win open records lawsuit against Atlanta Police Foundation Police surveillance tech and Cop Cities are the State's complementary counterinsurgency strategy Safety from Surveillance Turning Death into a Commodity Background Photo Credit Chad Davis

In this episode, we're joined by Austin Cole to discuss the three-part series Black/African Liberation & Grassroots Economies, beginning with part one: "Rootedness for our people, our economies, our liberation." We start with Toni Morrison's concept of rootedness and how it informs urban planning and economic development. From there, we'll dig into Strategies of Counter-war—how fascists are shaping local policy, and how BAP-Baltimore is building alternatives from the ground up. We examine the threat of elite capture and the strategic use of municipal power: how can engagement with the state enable collective self-determination rather than dilute it? Can it do such a thing? We also explore expanded notions of self-defense, the Black commune as theorized by George Jackson and Orisanmi Burton, and the four principles guiding grassroots efforts toward that vision. Finally, we'll sit with the question of mass consciousness—what it demands of us now, and how we might cultivate it together. Austin Cole was raised in Springfield, Ohio, and his people come from the Mississippi Delta and Birmingham, Alabama. He is an organizer, writer, and community development planning practitioner. His professional work focuses on environmental/climate justice, transforming economic systems, and Black/African liberation. He is a member of and currently serves as National Co-Coordinator for the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) and co-coordinates of BAP's Haiti/Americas Team. Support our work via patreon! Black/African Liberation & Grassroots Economies PT. I: "Rootedness" for Our People, Our Economies, Our Liberation Black/African Liberation & Grassroots Economies PT. II: Situating 'Economy' and Ourselves in the Struggle from the Internal (Neo)Colony Additional writings (not yet released as of the recording of this episode in late 2024) Black/African Liberation & Grassroots Economies PT. III: Constructing the Counter-War That Our Liberation Demands Black/African Liberation & Grassroots Economies PT. IV: Collective Struggle Is Our past and Future

In this episode, we are joined by organizers from the Lowcountry Action Committee to discuss climate justice in South Carolina's Lowcountry. We begin with a discussion about climate reparations and the state's unfortunate priorities. We go on to explore the history of phosphate mining and its exploitation of newly emancipated Africans, the ecological destruction it caused, and its legacy of environmental racism. We then turn to hurricane season and the anxiety it provokes in vulnerable working-class and poor Black communities, followed by the toxic legacy of military pollution and "forever chemicals" in North Charleston. Finally, we reflect on political consciousness, the fight against capital, and whether the Gullah Geechee are punished for their self-determination—echoing Haiti's revolutionary legacy. Lowcountry Action Committee is a Black led grassroots organization dedicated to Black liberation through service, political education, and collective action in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. If you like what we do want to support our ability to have more conversations like this, please consider becoming a patron for as little as one dollar a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism, you can also support via a one-time donation at BuyMeACoffee.com/MAKCapitalism The piece the conversation is based on this issue of Surge: Lowcountry Climate Magazine Lowcountry Action Committee's Website, LinkTree, Youtube

In this conversation we speak with a labor organizer and people's historian who covers Latin American movements with connections to Ecuador, Colombia, and Cuba. Folks may know her by the twitter handle @SovietwithSazon. In this conversation she discusses recent struggles and developments in Ecuador. In particular a recent 38 day general strike, and the popular rejection of a recent referendum including measures which would have allowed the US to build military bases in Ecuador and cut public funding for political parties. Our guest contextualizes the current US-backed narco-military regime lead by Daniel Noboa. And she talks about the broader revenge campaign against former Pink Tide governments like Ecuador and Bolivia, now led by right wing forces. She discusses how the tactics we're seeing across Latin America against left-leaning governments, and the disappearances and assassinations of organizers, mark a return of the CIA's Operation Condor tactics. And she discusses how the capitalist class colludes with cartels to create crises that manufacture consent for the state of war decree that Ecuadorians are currently under. We'll include links to follow our guest on twitter, where she will be increasing her reporting on developments in Latin America, and to other episodes where we discuss recent developments with regard to Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and on the topic of general strikes, the general strike Italian workers led a couple months ago. Link to Black Alliance for Peace's Week of Action. As we approach the year end. We're offering up a 40% discount on yearly memberships, or 40% off the first month on monthly memberships for MAKC if you join at the $5 a month level or higher. Buy one for a friend, comrade, or relative. Support our work, help us continue to do more. Use code EOY25. Reminder, if you purchase a yearly subscription for as little as $10.80 per year, you gain access to study groups for all of 2026, our first study group next year won't start until February, but we will have at least 3 study groups you can take advantage of if you are a member. Join now at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism

This episode is part of a two part project covering the Puerto Rican Independence Movement from the beginning of the 19th Century until the present. For this conversation our guests are Francisco A. Santiago Cintrón and Sebastián Castrodad Reverón. Francisco A. Santiago Cintrón was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico. He is an activist that currently forms part of Democracia Socialista and works as a labor lawyer. He is also the founder of the journal "Critica: Cuaderno de Discusión Política" Sebastián Castrodad Reverón, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an organizer, documentarian, activist, and writer currently working out of Moca, Puerto Rico.

Abdaljawad Omar and Lara Sheehi joined us on the 2nd anniversary of the beginning of Tufan Al-Aqsa! From the youtube livestream (which I encourage people to watch): We will remember the morning of October 7th 2023. In the two years since then there has been a genocidal counterinsurgency war waged against the whole Palestinian population, most acutely through the apocalyptic decimation of the Gaza Strip. There has also been constant resistance in many forms. How do we consider the present moment, the possibilities (once again) of "ceasefire," the attempts to end the "Palestinian Question," the actuality of resistance and the possibilities for a resistance that will produce a liberated Palestine, and more broadly a world that we all want to inhabit. Remind yourself of some of the images from Tufan Al-Aqsa. Abdaljawad Omar is a Palestinian scholar, educator, and theorist whose work focuses on the politics of resistance, decolonization, and the Palestinian struggle. He has written extensively in Arabic. In English, in addition to being a frequent contributor to Millennials Are Killing Capitalism, he has contributed to Electronic Intifada, Ebb Magazine, Material, Mondoweiss, Communis, Monthly Review, and Rusted Radishes among other outlets. Lara Sheehi is a Research Fllow at the University of South Africa. She was the founding faculty director of the Psychoanalysis and the Arab World Lab. Lara's work takes up decolonial and anti-oppressive approaches to psychoanalysis, with a focus on liberation struggles in the Global South. She is co-author with Stephen Sheehi of Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine (Routledge, 2022) which won the Middle East Monitor's 2022 Palestine Book Award for Best Academic Book. Lara is the author of the forthcoming book, From the Clinic to the Street: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures (Pluto Press, 2026) Support Palestinians through the Sameer Project or Lifeline4Gaza"

In this episode, we speak with Iker Suárez, who authored a searing piece in the Monthly Review titled "The Migrant Genocide: Toward a Third World Analysis of European Class Struggle." In it, he challenges the dominant humanitarian framing of migrant deaths at sea, arguing that it isn't a moral crisis but a structural necessity of late imperialism. What unfolds on Europe's shores, he contends, is but a violent expression of global capital's unraveling. Further, diving into the works of scholars like Ali Kadri and Samir Amin, we explore how unresolved agrarian contradictions in the Global South, the accumulation of waste, and the labor-capital contradiction are converging in the form of the systemic genocide of migrants. We unpack why immigration is not a peripheral issue, but the return of capital's deepest contradiction to the imperial core—and how this rupture shapes Europe's ideological terrain, from the failures of social democracy to the rise of fascism. Iker Suarez is an author and doctoral researcher. He studies neocolonialism in Europe and organizes in socialist, anti-racist and anti-imperialist movements in Madrid and New York. His work revolves around European borders, class struggle, and immigration politics from a political economy perspective grounded in the Third World. He co-authored a book on Spain's southern border enclave in northern Morocco (Melilla), focusing on the neocolonial dynamics that undergird European social democracies. His current research focuses on linking European state racism with a holistic understanding of imperialism to better think through strategy. You can follow his work at @ikersuarz. If you like what we do and want to support our ability to have more conversations like this. Please consider becoming a Patron. You can do so for as little as a 1 Dollar a month. Related: "War Is the Basis of Accumulation" - Ali Kadri on Genocide, Waste, Imperialism, and the Commodification of Death Study Group Ali Kadri's Accumulation of Waste (only about 5 spots left)

In this discussion we talk with Professor Corinna Mullin who is a member of the Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective. Corinna Mullin is an anti-imperialist academic who teaches political science and economics. Her research examines the historical legacies of colonialism and the role of capitalist expansion and imperialist imbrications in producing peripheral state "security dependency," with a focus on unequal exchange, super-exploitation, resource extraction, and other forms of surplus value drain/transfer as well as resistance. Corinna has also researched and published academic works on border imperialism, struggles around the colonial-capitalist university, fascism, multipolarity, and national liberation, with a focus on the Maghreb, West Asia, and Turtle Island. Corinna was a member of the Steering Committee for the International Peoples' Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism and organizes with CUNY for Palestine and Labor for Palestine. She serves on the Steering Committee of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC)-CUNY's International Committee and is a member of the Delegate Assembly. Full bio from AISC. In this discussion we primarily discuss her piece, Zionism, Imperialism, and the Struggle Against Global Fascism: Palestine as the 'Hornet's Nest' of US Empire from the Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective blog The Pen Is My Machete And a little bit on her piece The 'War on Terror' as Primitive Accumulation in Tunisia: US-Led Imperialism and the Post-2010-2011 Revolt/Security Conjuncture from Middle East Critique Also I say more about this in the episode, but Dr. Mullin was fired from CUNY as a result of her stance and organizing with respect to Palestine. We will include a statement from AISC on this and a Statement in Solidarity with CUNY Faculty and Students Facing McCarthyite Retaliation for Palestine Solidarity which we have signed. There are also a number of other calls to action for faculty and students at CUNY that we will include in the show description. Corinna talks about those at the end of the episode and we strongly encourage folks to support those calls to action it only takes a minute of your time. In this discussion Dr. Mullin talks a little bit about Dr. Ali Kadri's The Accumulation of Waste: A Political Economy of Systemic Destruction and it just so happens that we have a study group on that exact book starting on October 1st, it's available to everyone who supports the show, whether through patreon, BuyMeACoffee or as a YouTube member of the show. Details on that study group and how to join it are linked in the show description. But just to note that there are only about 40 spots left in the group as we publish this, so if you want to join us, make sure you do so ASAP to reserve your space. Calls to Action: "Hadeeqa Arzoo Malik is being made an example of for the sake of setting the tone across the nation at public universities, as they seek further control over the student movement for Palestine. City College President Vincent Boudreau has already denied her appeal for a drop to the charges, without even an acknowledgement to the 2,000+ calls and emails from the community that demanded her reinstatement. Now, it is time to escalate both our tactics against CUNY and whom we pressure— Take it to the Board of Trustees. Your rage is needed to make it loud and clear that CUNY's repression will not go uninterrupted. CALL CUNY STUDENT AFFAIRS: 646-664-8800 EMAIL THE BOT: https://tinyurl.com/Defendhadeeqaarzoo" Free Tarek Bazrouk! Tarek is a 20-year-old Palestinian from NYC, unjustly convicted of federal charges stemming from his participation in protests against the genocide in Gaza. "Demand Immediate Reinstatement of Terminated Adjunct Faculty and Defend Academic Freedom Send a letter to Brooklyn College President Michelle Anderson, CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez, and CUNY Board Chairperson William Thompson urging them to reinstate the fired adjunct faculty and protect the rights of CUNY students and workers who stand in solidarity with Palestine. The targeting of these individuals is part of a broader assault on higher education and academic freedom. Their fight is our fight—silencing them is an attack on us all. Send your letter here ➔" Sanctuary & Popular University Network (SPUN statement & instagram) Related conversations: War is the Basis of Accumulation with Ali Kadri Charisse Burden-Stelly on Black Scare/Red Scare Link to the latest issue of Middle East Critique & the conversation with Matteo Capasso "Attica Is an Ongoing Structure of Revolt" - Orisanmi Burton on Tip of the Spear, Black Radicalism, Prison Rebellion, and the Long Attica Revolt Heading Towards Invasion? The US Empire's Campaign Against Venezuela with José Luis Granados Ceja Palestine's Great Flood with Max Ajl

We hosted an emergency livestream with Hala Sabbah of the Sameer Project back on July 21st to talk about the absolutely horrific situation in Gaza as a result of the US-funded and supported Israeli enacted genocide. Since conditions have not changed substantially, I wanted to also make sure to get a lightly edited version of that conversation out to our audio podcast feed. Just a reminder that due to our own limitations these days most of our work is on our YouTube page, where we host multiple conversations per week. This is our third conversation with Hala Sabbah from the Sameer Project since its founding during this genocide. We have a playlist with all three. You can support the Sameer Project via their linktree which we will include in the show description as well Another conversation we held this week that I will link in the show description is our interview of Nora Barrows-Friedman of the Electronic Intifada, which we just hosted on Monday. Please continue to do what you can, wherever you can, to support people in Gaza and to put political pressure on all of those complicit in this genocide to make their position untenable. Tomorrow, Thursday August 7th at 10 AM EDT we will host a livestream with socialist and Pro-Palestine barrister Franck Magennis. We encourage people to tune into that conversation as well. And on Monday August 11th we'll have a livestream with Abdaljawad Omar once again. For the month of August if folks contribute at the $5 per month level or hiring we're offering a 30% discount to new patrons for their first month, or if you do a yearly subscription you can get 30% off the entire year. You can do that at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism or if you prefer to make a one-time contribution you can do so via our buymeacofee page: https://buymeacoffee.com/makcapitalism

This is part two of a two-part episode. This part of the conversation deals more with the actions that led to Mann's political imprisoment and his experiences as a political prisoner. In this two-part episode, we are joined by special cohost PM, and we speak with veteran civil rights organizer Eric Mann about his journey from his upbringing in New York to his involvement in political struggles during the 1960s. Mann discusses his early influences, including his parents' activism. He reflects on his work with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), highlighting key campaigns such as the Trailways boycott and the 1968 Columbia University student strike. Mann also recounts his time as a political prisoner, offering insights into the carceral system and the impact of incarceration on his life and activism. He emphasizes the importance of building a black-led united front against imperialism and shares his ongoing work with the Labor Community Strategy Center in Los Angeles. Mann's narrative highlights the importance of organizing, strategic alliances, and the ongoing liberation struggle. Eric Mann is the co-director of the Labor/Community Strategy Center in South Central Los Angeles. He is the author of Comrade George: An Investigation into the Life, Political Thought, and Assassination of George Jackson, Playbook for Progressives: The 16 Qualities of the Successful Organizer, and the forthcoming We Made the Revolution with Our Bodies on the Line. PM Irvin is a PhD candidate researching the political thought of W.E.B. Du Bois and 20th-century Black radicalism This episode was edited and produced by Aidan Elias. Music, as always, by Televangel. If you like what we do and want to support our ability to have more conversations like this. Please consider becoming a Patron. You can do so for as little as a 1 Dollar a month. We bring you these conversations totally independently with no corporate, state, or grant funding.