Ep 337 of RevolutionZ displays connections between Netanyahu's viscious brutality and Trump's cruel authoritarianism. It examines the psychological mechanisms that enable or oppose both by discussing the need to maintain humanity while confronting inhumanity. "Can we hate the acts yet somehow recognize that those involved are people like us?" From snipers targeting children in Gaza to the creeping normalization of fascist cruelty in America, we witness power that "corrupts, coerces, incarcerates, kidnaps and, increasingly, murders." Yet resistance movements continue to grow to put "steadily growing pressure on elites of all kinds."

The episode dissects the three phony rationales that prop up both Trumpism and Netanyahu's policies: protect "meritocracy," promot "efficiency," and fight "anti-Semitism." Each concept has been grotesquely perverted to justify oppression. Under ththe accompanying twisted logic, "merit" comes to mean conformity to power, "efficiency" comes to mean advancing elite interests regardless of human cost, and "anti-Semitism" is weaponized against critics of Zionism while actual Nazi sympathizers receive embraces. The real agenda—to establish one-man rule and enhance profit and power of the already rich and powerful—stands nakedly visible for anyone willing to see.

This episode also warns of the confusion many will experience when Trump claims victories and occasionally even implements policies with positive elements. The challenge will be to recognize that even as some battles appear to end, the war against fascism must continue. The episode argues  that we all need to join the growing resistance—because Trump's and Netanyahu's only real strength is our submission.

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Episode 336 of RevolutionZ takes up issues of education as it is, as it should be, and how to go from the former to the latter. Trump, Vance, and their allies know that truth and critical thinking threaten their power. That's why they're launching unprecedented attacks on education—they want compliant, uncritical citizens who will accept authoritarianism without question.

Current education? Among other aults, our schools track students into predetermined social roles: roughly 2% owners, 20% coordinators (managers, professionals), and 80% workers. This is a deliberate system to prepare each group for their designated place in society's hierarchies.

The elite response to the Sixties? The Carnegie Commission concluded there was "too much education" in the 1960s? Students had been educated to expect dignity and agency. We widely rebelled when those expectations were crushed. The mainstream's solution? Reduce educational quality and access for most people while preserving elite pathways for the few—a trend Trump seeks to finalize.

But another educational world is possible. Schools could develop each person's full potential while fostering solidarity, equity, and self-management. This episode further explores these  possibilities and proposes steps for both higher education and K-12 institutions such as to establish worker-student councils, create fair compensation systems, and transform curricula to empower all participants. Such changes would not only improve current conditions but build momentum toward fundamental transformation.

The battle for education is ultimately about what kind of humans—and what kind of society—we wish to become. Visit 4liberation.org to explore the 20 Theses for Liberation which this episode jumps off from. Don't we all need to join a movement to reclaim education as a liberating force in our struggle against fascism and for a just world. What educational future will you help create?

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Episode 335 of RevolutionZ notes that when millions took to the streets after Trump's first election victory, a crucial question arose: "What can people do next?" and how can they connect with it? The new All of Us Directory (at allofusdirectory.org) creates easy means for everyday people and seasoned activists like to connect with grassroots organizations where they can exercise their collective power.

Longtime community activist Cynthia Peters shares with RevolutionZ the vision behind this searchable database of grassroots organizations that she and other conveners including myself have recently created to assist resistance to Trump and beyond. Peters shares compelling stories from her years of organizing tenant associations in Boston. She describes how tenants shift from isolated individuals with their only option being to beg landlords for concessions to unified groups capable of wielding real power as in a tenant association that stands together to prevent eviction of one of their members, even when the landlord had legal grounds, demonstrating how collective power can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

From the directory project discussion that addresses the challenges now facing nonprofit organizations, the tensions between preservation and growth, and how fear of repression can lead to self-censorship Peters describes  the discipline required for effective organizing while acknowledging the necessity of creating spaces where people can make mistakes and grow together.

Throughout this discussion runs a powerful optimism—not naive optimism, but informed hope grounded in concrete experiences of what people can accomplish when they organize effectively. As Peters puts it, using a powerful metaphor from a kayaking experience: sometimes we need to "paddle as if our lives depend on it," and we're much more likely to succeed when we paddle together.

So please visit allofusdirectory.org to find organizations and projects you might wish to work with. Search among hundreds of options filtering to find those that match  your location, issues you care about, and the kinds of work you would like to contribute. And then tell others about it! This is the first public mention of the option. Help it along. As Peters notes, our future depends not just on what "someone else" might do, but on what all of us do together.

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Episode 334 of RevolutionZ assess three reactions to Trumpism, their causes, their effects, and their lessons for activism. The episode gets personal and in-depth to make a case  that collective resistance that envisions positive change rather than mere survival can transform these "worst of times" into the "best of times," and to indicate some features it might involve.

The three reactions to Trumpism the episode considers are first passive accommodation like some students and faculty obeying their Trustees, like some lawyers obeying their bosses, like some non-profits self censoring their web sites and budgets, and like some householders  bemoaning but not fighting Trumpism; second, active collaboration like some university trustees bowing to Trump, some law firm partners kissing Trump's ring, some elected officials marching with Trump in violent array, and I guess the Proud Boys too; and then, third, there is resistance, growing and diversifying.

Accommodation often reflects fear and exhaustion, but it also and perhaps mainly rests on beliefs that fighting corporate and political power is futile and in any event even if it won some change the gains would lead back to similar problems. Accommodation, afflicting tens of millions, can and must be respectfully overcome. In contrast, collaborators actively enable Trump's agenda despite and even due to knowing its effects. They lack empathy for those harmed. Collaboration must be overrun. Finally, to be really effective,  resistance must not just oppose Trump but offer positive alternatives that can inspire sustained involvement. Resistance wins by raising costs to elites until they abandon their agenda. Movements can accomplish that when they connect specific struggles to broader solidarity. Before signing off the episode indicates various program-like steps that resistance can continue unfolding, refine, and augment but then the  episode raises a troubling concern. Where are the young people in this movement--not a relative few but a great many? Hopefully they are meeting, talking, practicing, and preparing to explode onto the scene soon.

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Episode 333 of RevolutionZ addresses the question is there anything worth seeking beyond existing economics and in particular modes of allocation? It goes into some depth revealing the horrible intrinsic ills of markets and central planning. For example, it discusses how markets and central planning both yield top-down decision-making and a corporate division of labor and a coordinator class above workers. It shows how central planning is and induces further authoritarianism and how markets reward output and bargaining power while forcing antisocial competition. IT traces how even initially egalitarian workplaces under market pressure eventually recreate class divisions. It moves from critique to advocacy to  discuss how participatory planning involves workers and consumers in cooperatively determining production through councils, in enjoying income based on duration, intensity, and onerousness of socially valued labor, and enjoying conditions where my well-being becomes a condition of your well-being and vice  versa. The unifying message of the episode is that while immediate struggles against authoritarian threats and to stop Trump are essential, developing positive  vision is  also crucial to sustain motivation and avoid a return to the flawed pre-crisis status quo.
The episode also discusses the difficulty of advocating such a vision over the past few decades and seeks help in doing better. 

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Episode 332 of RevolutionZ has Hunter Dunn of Southern Cal 50501 as guest to share insight from his experiences with organizing the massive Southern Cal Unites protest in downtown LA, as part of the nationwide April 5th demonstrations against the Trump Administration. Hunter is a Senior at Pepperdine University and our conversation went beyond reporting April 5th tactics, scale, and mechanics to discuss the many factors shaping youth political engagement. Dunn explained how Gen Z members are pulled toward right wing involvement including talking about how right wing influencers and Trump as well as social media algorithms appeal to Gen Z economic despair at their future prospects and social awkwardness and loneliness, particularly among men even as other Gen Z youth are  shifting toward progressive solidarity.
Dunn relays how the loudest cheers at the demonstrations weren't just for opposition to Trump, but for bold proposals like universal healthcare, ranked choice voting, and meaningful climate action. He reports that the events revealed not just a growing resistance but growing positive commitment. Americans aren't merely fighting against something, reports Dunn from his campus, an historically conservative one at that, they're fighting for a fundamentally different future.
Dunn provides concrete ways to get involved because, as Dunn reminds us, "this isn't just about stopping one administration - it's about creating a society that works for everyone." 

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Episode 331 of RevolutionZ has as guest long-time labor organizer Stephen Lerner to provide strategic clarity and emotive urgency about our current situation.

Lerner describes a coordinated assault by "billionaires, the fossil fuel industry, and Silicon Valley" to "dominate every aspect of the country." Make public institutions "broke on purpose, "deliberately underfund vital services, and finally privatize them.

Lerner argues that in addition to protesting government buildings we need to target the economic interests of billionaires bankrolling authoritarianism. From pension fund divestment to strategic disruption of luxury resorts and businesses, Lerner urges imposing real costs on those who drive inequality. Seek multi union and constituency alliances.

Lerner also addresses the paralyzing fear that now prevails. As universities, law firms, and even some unions quickly cave to political pressure, Lerner emphasizes that "to be driven by fear means to give up." He calls for "heroic moments" to inspire others to move "from fear to bravery." And crucially, he warns against fighting merely to return to pre-Trump conditions. He urges the need for positive vision of better.

Trump, Musk, and their buddies? For Lerner "These are flawed, billionaire, whiny clowns, and if we get our act together, we will win something much better than the past."

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Episode 330 of RevolutionZ confronts the growing threat of fascism by examining what constitutes genuine resistance versus complicity or apathy. 
The episode says we face three choices: bow and scrape to fascism, ignore what's happening, or stand and fight. University presidents and private law firms that collaborate with authoritarian demands represent profiles in cowardice. They bow and scrape. Anyone looking around and saying oh no, but who then does nothing more, ignores reality. But students can stand and fight by speaking up in classrooms, dining halls, and dorms to build campus movements that protest and disobey. Workers facing MAGA-aligned employers can stand and fight through solidarity, refusal to comply, and collective action. 

"Stand and fight" isn't just a rallying cry—it's our only viable path to stop fascism. Episode 330 examines what meaningful opposition looks like. It  dismantles the temptations to submit or ignore what's happening, and instead provides practical examples of how resistance can take shape on college campuses, in workplaces, and throughout communities.

More, it urges that resistance must go beyond simply defending against Trump's agenda. To sustain itself and ultimately succeed, resistance must simultaneously plant seeds for a better future that addresses the fundamental flaws that led to our current crisis. This dual approach of defense plus offense can not only energize supporters but potentially reach Trump voters who begin to recognize their interests align more with progressive than reactionary change.

The episode concludes by examining three crucial warnings: don't attack attention to trans, race, and gender issues, don't create divisions between defensive and transformative activists, and most importantly, don't succumb to fear. Don't surrender disobey. Realize that nobody is going to win this by themselves. Realize that through collective action and persistent disobedience, we can not only defeat fascism but build something better in its place. 

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Episode 329 of RevolutionZ tackles the issue of reform versus revolution in context of the growing resistance to Trumpism and fascism in America. The episode recounts hopeful signs of resistance building across campuses, unions, and communities. But with this surge may come a familiar challenge: will those seeking immediate reforms and those advocating for revolutionary change work together or in opposition?

The episode distinguishes between reforms (specific policy changes) and revolution (transforming underlying institutions). It navigates the concerns of both camps: revolutionaries who fear reforms merely accept the existing system, and reformists who see revolutionary rhetoric as distracting from achievable goals. 

To those who advocate revolution, the episode proposes that fundamental change may be the ultimate goal, but stopping fascism requires coalition with those who find revolution unrealistic. To those who favor only ws reforms, he suggests that resistance benefits from both defensive tactics and positive aspirations that extend beyond single campaigns. Let's try to  immediate struggles that reduce suffering while building toward additional possibilities.

The episode offers that "Reformism that ignores anything beyond immediate campaigns is counterproductive. But reforms are essential," And that "revolutionary commitment that ignores the importance of winning reforms and denies existing reality are also counterproductive." For the most powerful resistance can we  combine practical action with visionary thinking, immediate defense with long-term commitment.

So how will we engage in resistance? Whether through campus organizing, union solidarity, immigrant protection, or public demonstrations, shouldn't we pursue immediate justice while keeping our eyes on more fundamental transformations that might follow so we don't only go back to the status quo that birthed Trump in the first place? 

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Episode 328 of RevolutionZ has as guest Yves Engler, a Canadian writer and political activist who shares his experience of being recently jailed for criticizing a pro-genocide influencer online and facing subsequent charges for "harassing the police" when he publicized his case. We discuss the growing criminalization of pro-Palestinian speech and the importance of solidarity in fighting back against repression.

Engler describes growing Canadian support for Palestine activism including how students at universities like Concordia have voted overwhelmingly for BDS resolutions while university administrations remain aligned with pro-Israel donors

We discuss the challenge of maintaining activism when results aren't immediate and in light of family and other responsibilities, doubts about winning, and other obstacles to activism. 

Engler also describes how Canadian nationalism has been inflamed by Trump's recent tariff threats and we consider Trump's possible motives as well as differences and parallels between repression in Canada and the United States. and mainly how to successfully counter each. 

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Episode 327 of RevolutionZ takes up the question, can  nine different post-capitalist economic visions find common ground in a single unifying framework? 

Rather than viewing Mainstream Marxist Economy, Councilist Marxist Economy, Anarchist Economy, Solidarity Economy, Green Economy, Degrowth Economy, Feminist Economy, Intercommunalist Economy, and Anti-authoritarian Economy as competing frameworks, what if we highlight   their essential virtues to identify  areas of compatibility?

At the heart of this unification project lies Participatory Economics—a vision featuring a productive commons instead of private ownership, self-managing councils intest of top down authority, balanced job complexes instead of a corporate division of labor, equitable remuneration instead of profit seeking exploitation, and participatory planning instead of markets or central planning. Can this tenth perspective  satisfy the core demands of the nine other approaches while violating none of their essential principles?

Each perspective contributes vital elements to a comprehensive economic vision: from eliminating capitalist class domination and preventing coordinator class rule to ensuring environmental sustainability, fostering solidarity, and preventing systemic disadvantages based on identity or community. What emerges is a synthesis that strengthens rather than dilutes each perspective's most valuable insights.

For activists and thinkers seeking both a defensive strategy against authoritarian capitalism and a positive vision ultimately win, does this synthesis offer a promising path forward? Can the left unite behind a shared economic vision that honors its diverse traditions while providing practical, revolutionary alternatives? That is our focus and challenge this episode.

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Ep 326 of RevolutionZ discusses Trump's unique role in contemporary politics, the problems of a purely defensive strategy, and enlarging resistance activism including reaching Trump voters. It proposes seeking a wealth tax, living wage, labor reforms, free quality education, day care, and health care, positive immigration reform, and various electoral, social, and environmental reforms as positive program to augment defending against Trumpian reactionary attacks. It  highlights the role of media and communication--their's and our's-- and emphasizes throughout the need to get beyond just preventing calamity.

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Episode 325 of RevolutionZ has as its guest the novelist and activist Rivera Sun. We discuss nonviolent resistance as a strategy to combat rising authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world. The episode reviews the historical effectiveness of nonviolent movements worldwide, the essentials of winning campaigns, the importance of active civil disobedience and of positively engaging allies,  the importance of narratives to movement communication and much more regarding organizing and activism, plus some discussion the efficacy and complexity of writing fiction.

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Episode 324 of RevolutionZ gets personal, a bit strange, I hope a bit humorous, perhaps even a bit helpful. After over six years of episodes, I subject myself as interviewee to myself as a very aggressive interviewer, much more aggressive and even abrasive, than I have been with anyone else. I pounce on me as guest. I challenge me about my motivations.  I ask how I navigate the interplay of confidence and ignorance to discuss a wide range of topics that often go beyond what I have studied. Is it arrogance? Or what? I ask me how I select guests? How I choose topics? What's the balance between expertise, willingness to engage in unfamiliar conversations, and the importance of examining diverse non-expert perspectives? To get still more personal, I ask me rapid-fire questions meant to reveal my personal preferences from favorite athletes, scientists, movies, and writers to whimsical but purportedly revealing queries inspired by Colbert's questionnaire. I then even reflect on this episode's content when asked if I ever wonder why I did what I did. And so on looking behind the curtain. I will be curious to hear, I hope, whether anyone is horrified, amused, or edified, by this episode's approach and content. 

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Episode 323 of RevolutionZ has as guest Steve Early who discusses the vital role of the labor movement in the days of Trump. What is going on at work and in unions now? What are union organizers emphasizing? What might we expect from and contribute to worker activism in coming months? To address these matters, Early discusses coalitions between unions and veteran organizations, strategies against privatization, reaching out to attract and involve new union members, independent political action and working-class candidates, forging solidarity between  public and private sector unions, integrating climate issues into labor activism, nurturing solidarity across diverse worker demographics, and more. At a time when some  feel labor is lost, early shows it is not only not lost but on the move and pivotal to winning against Trump and then for positive change. 

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Ep 322 of RevolutionZ addresses our necessary battle against harmful policies and the structural changes that are meant to empower them under the Trump administration. How do we recognize the role of societal structures in policy implementation to effectively resist both? How do we develop a proactive stance to fight  against fascistic behavior that aims to install dictatorial rule. How do we address the aggressive policy agenda that threatens immigrants and civil rights? How do we thwart the structural shifts in governance that Trump seeks? How do we develop active resistance and non-compliance rather than succumbing to fear and intimidation to do Trump's work for him?  And finally, as a kind of addendum, how do we understand the recent emergence of Chinese AI and its implications?

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Ep 321 of RevolutionZ considers the I believe false choice of class or identity. We want to understand the world to change it. Why must we choose one focus above some other focus to best pursue effective change? How do class, race, gender, and power priorities and concepts intersect? What if marxism, anarchism, feminism, and nationalism are each correct and yet also each wrong? Is there  a way to think about social change able to combine the virtues of paying priority attention to gender, sexuality, race, culture, power, and class while jettisoning the debits that can accompany exclusive emphasis on feminism, anti-racism, marxism, or anarchism, each taken alone? If yes, do we need that approach to effectively combat fascism and attain a vastly better world? This episode addresses such questions.

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Episode 320 of RevolutionZ addresses the next few months of Trumpian challenge. What can we do? Howmight we do it? Who is we? How does it all work?  This episode addresses reaching way beyond current support with what we call non reformist reform struggles.  How do we assess our own choices? What constitutes success? What brings more success? 

Episode 320 takes up these and related questions to provoke, inspire, and aid coming activism even against feelings of fear and weakness that many now suffer.  Our target is the most corrupt, callous, and crazy administration, to quote the lead deranged asshole, that anyone has ever seen. Could there be a target with more weaknesses? Our goal is to not only stop Trump and severely weaken MAGA but to do so in a manner that causes all those involved to struggle on after that victory to still more fundamental changes.

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Episode 319 of RevolutionZ, inspired by the release of "A Complete Unknown," seeks to assist in one wish for the film -- to introduce new audience to Dylan's work. It isn't mandatory to study history in order to enjoy today's tunes, but to do so with Dylan opens us to much edification and enrichment. I let the movie select many of the songs to present, but not all. From hundreds Dylan has done, I of course had to settle for less than the whole. So here is a sliver of Dylan, sadly without his vocals and his music, yet nonetheless I hope my clumsy recitation with some brief commentary will prove worth your time and provoke further attention.

Consider the feminist undertones in "All I Really Want to Do" and then the sharp critique of misogyny in "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" Consider "Mr. Tambourine Man" and its multiple possible meanings. Consider "Like a Rolling Stone," a song that. electrified the music scene and redefined industry standards with its challenging imagery, length, and focus. Consider Dylan's exploration of relationships and power dynamics, and assess if his messages continue to resonate today. Take special note of "Farewell Angelina," with its exit message that we on the left should have given more attention to.

And then there is Dylan's social commentary represented here with "Blowing in the Wind," "Only A Pawn in Their Game," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)." "The Times They Are A Changin'," and "Dignity." For those familiar with all this, perhaps hearing it spoken with lyrics forefront and with some commentary, may prove inspiring. For those not familiar with Dylan, I offer this introduction to suggest that he is worth some of your attention.

And then, back to stopping Trump and winning a better world. Busy being born and not busy dying.

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Episode 318 of RevolutionZ has Jeremy Brecher as guest to discuss his recent exemplary pamphlet which explores strategies for winning against MAGA. The episode discusses Trumpian aims and both electoral and non-electoral forms of our own activism, emphasizing the power of strikes, public pressure, and unified resistance. Brecher describes  successful initiatives like North Carolina's Forward Together and the Poor People's Campaign to show how grassroots movements can bring about significant social transformation. He provides insights into local actions inspired by the Green New Deal, and emphasies the importance of community-driven efforts to foster sustainable justice. We also consider Trump's political character-- is he moron or genius of both--and its implications, as well as our need for extensive solidarity and mutual support.

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Episode 317 of RevolutionZ has as its guest Richard Solomon a grad student activist and organizer. We discuss the mindset, circumstances, and challenges faced by campus activism particularly about Palestine but more broadly as well including differences now as compared to years earlier. We consider the exemplary activist-generated "MIT Science for Genocide" report, the extensive carefully planned administrative repression against student dissent, insights on building coalitions for activism, insights on dealing dealing with widespread apathy, the importance of multi issue organizing, and the importance, of outreach and building face to face friendship and trust. 

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Episode 316 of RevoluitonZ begins with a short letter to a friend and the friend's response. The episode considers views about becoming active, online activity, today's situation's pluses and minuses and our options, and Trump's voters. Should I and you be despondent, step aside, and wait. Slow and steady patience will win the race. Or should I and you be militant, dive right in, and battle full bore? The early days will set the stage for later days. And what about Trump voters? A case for each side exists. I believe one is right and one is wrong. But which is which? My friend and I disagree. He has lots of support. I have you, I hope. 

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Episode 314 of RevolutionZ convey's an interview done before a large audience at MIT addressing the 1960s and now. What follows is a somewhat edited version of what an AI offered as a summary. 

From an unsuspecting student to a committed activist here are stories of how personal experiences and institutional dynamics paved the way for a lifetime of advocacy. From a fraternity with secrets as unsettling as bugging rooms and tapping phone calls to manipulate incoming Freshmen, to harboring fugitives and planning events and riots, plus anecdotes of intense meetings and strategic career offers, how do we deal with the moral and strategic dilemmas we face. Lessons learned from the strategic challenges faced by past and present leftist movements lead to discussing the left's "stickiness problem" and the need for the left to become more inclusive of working-class perspectives and leadership. Connecting the struggles of the 1960s with today's fight against fascism, this episode offers rich insights into the evolution of political engagement and the enduring need for viable, inclusive alternatives in our political landscape.

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Episode 315 of RevolutionZ presents a detailed, wide-ranging assessment of recent changes and coming prospects in Syria as well as beyond, including Russia, Turkey, the United States, and Israel. Joseph Dahar critically challenges the anti-imperialist perspective that too often oversimplifies regional dynamics. Can a coalition of Syrians break free from Assad, fundamentalism, and external domination to create a democratic society? Finally, I draw some unexpected lessons for the United States.

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Episode 313 of RevolutionZ continues to focus on resisting Trump and going beyond him to build better. It briefly shares feelings and fears that dog me and likely you too. It lays out three paths toward removing Trump. It offers a hypothesis about the potential impact of the first months of Trump's second administration. And it moves from the facts and the hypothesis it offers to a proposal about what we might do now. Along the way it also offers a way of thinking about Trump's voters that avoids writing them off, and a way of collectively resisting and beating Trump along with everyone who wants to resist that avoids becoming subservient to the  Democratic Party. 

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