Novara Media

The War on Terror ended in 2021, with the US and British militaries’ catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the consequences of that decade of conflict in the Middle East continue to play out both overseas and at home. On Downstream this week, Aaron Bastani sits down with investigative journalist and author Matt Kennard, to discuss the updated findings in his book Irregular Army: How the US Military Recruited Neo-Nazis, Gang Members, and Criminals. Matt is the founder of Declassified UK, and an expert on the US and British war machines. What happened to the US military when recruitment standards were abandoned, in the early 2000s? What do Pete Hegseth’s tattoos tell us about his fanatical far-right beliefs? How did such a person rise to become Secretary of War (formerly Defense)? What do the Trump administrations’ actions in the Middle East tell us about the status of the US empire? And how has the US government been captured by Netanyahu, in his pursuit of a so-called Greater Israel?

British politics is in turmoil. The two party system has collapsed, the far right has won huge gains across the country. Crises of this scale can create huge opportunities for socialists too, but only when the left is organised and ready. Peter Mertens is the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Belgium. If recent years in British politics have had a manic-depressive quality, with extreme highs and extreme lows, the Workers’ Party of Belgium under Mertens takes a very different approach. They might be relatively unknown in the UK, but as we speak, they’re fourth in the national polls, and leading in Brussels. They’ve got 15 parliamentary seats – not bad for out and proud Marxist-Leninists. How have they done it? By growing cautiously and deliberately. They run community health clinics, organise locally, and impose strict internal discipline. Their party prioritises unity and strategy. But how well-placed is it to take on the overlapping crises of the 21st Century? What advice does Mertens have for Zack Polanski? How can we stop middle class people taking over and dominating the left? And how is politics like football?

David Harvey is a legendary Marxist geographer. He’s taught Marx for over half a century – maybe you’ve even been one of his millions of students. He’s the author of the new The Story of Capital as well as many others, such as the classic The Limits to Capital. Talking from his home town of New York City, he told Richard Hames what he’s learned from decades of studying the most important radical in history, why contradictions appear everywhere in our lives, and what he really thinks of his new mayor.   Do Your Own Research is a new show about the systems that make the modern world possible. Music by Iglooghost.