thebarricade

“On the Barricades” s05e35 This is the third episode of an “On the Barricades” series devoted to busting myths about “Marxist education” by explaining the presence of Marxism in the universities and general education system of the former Eastern bloc countries during socialism, in contrast to the present reality after three decades of capitalist restoration. In this release hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski speak with Prof. Doru Pop, a leftist and media studies scholar at 7 Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Doru has a lifetime of experience in the Romanian education system from elementary school when he was a young hawk of the nation, to membership in the Union of Young Communists, through to the capitalist restoration and his current academic career in which he is surrounded by many right-wing intellectuals. He shares his experience of different positive and negative aspects of Romanian socialist education: the nationalist propaganda of the Ceaușescu regime, the depth to which principles of “Marxism” was taught to young people, the status and respect that teachers were granted by society, and the various rituals meant to prepare socialist-minded citizens, and more. The hosts and Doru comment on the change in academic freedom brought about by capitalism and the commodification of education, and how the education system became subjugated to the demands of the labour market for compliant workers, not necessarily with a broad or high level of cultural literacy.

“On the Barricades” s05e40 This is the fourth installment of our monthly series which “On the Barricades” co-produces and co-hosts with Youri Smouter of 1+1. Co-hosts Boyan Stanislavski, Maria Cernat speak with Youri about the following: 2:00 EU reform or Left-exit? 4:15 The engine of international politics: American imperialism. Its many faces: neo-cons, neoliberals, and woke-ism 9:50 Woke anti-oppressiion politics funded by the West and enforced by the “civil society”– and wrecking the left in Eastern Europe 19:50 The need for a society-wide debate, not intellectual debates in bubbles 21:10 Elitism of calling the wider layers of impoverished society fascists (Maria) 22:35 Youri on, Why are the various movements so separate? 25:00 Critique of identity politics 30:30 Boyan recommends “Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State” by Engels

“On the Barricades” s05e34 In the last month and days we have seen a major, historic turning point in the nature of the conflict in Ukraine. In order to pursue its military objectives the Russian government has decided to mobilize 300 000 reserves in a new stage of escalation against what has become a NATO army manned by Ukrainians. Meanwhile, in the coming days referendums will take place in the independent territories of the Donbass region to incorporate them into the Russian nation. In Scott Ritter’s words, “Let’s stop pretending this is a war where Russia has brutally invaded a viable democracy, that this is a struggle between autocracy and democracy.” Scott is one of the most respected and qualified military analysts providing insight on the development of the war in Ukraine, having become a critic of US foreign policy after serving as US Marine intelligence officer and a UN weapons inspector. He recently authored a book called “Disarmament in the Time of Perestroika: Arms Control and the End of the Soviet Union”: https://bit.ly/3UtTmm7 “On the Barricades” is thrilled to bring Scott as a guest to cut through propagandistic distortions and to provide a military-strategic assessment of the reality unfolding in Ukraine at this critical point, as well as what the revolutionary or at least world-shattering consequences will be for Europe and the entire world. Hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat discuss with Scott the interpretations of the recent mobilization of Russian reserve forces – the explanation for which requires understanding the driving factors of the war and a realistic portrayal of how the Russian military conducts itself. Scott summarizes the war thus far as a law-bound and measured response from the Russian government to increasing NATO expansionism and military aggression. Scott explains why the peaceful alternative avenue to what is now playing out – the new European security framework that the Kremlin had tried to bring to the table prior to February this year – failed. What is the role of military intelligence and why couldn’t Russia use the US-style regime change tactics to attain its objectives? Looking forward to the upcoming months and ramifications of the war on the world, Scott explains how the European countries supporting sanctions on Russia managed to commit to economic suicide. And, how he believes the Russian political and military decision makers are viewing all of this, from the point of view of their aims and of protecting “the Russian nation.”

“On the Barricades” s05e36 In this episode of “On the Barricades”, we have hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski discussing their thoughts on some questions surrounding that of the legitimacy of the war in Ukraine, from the point of view of geopolitics and the national interests involved, ideological factors, a humanitarian perspective, and economic interests. Various positions are put forth in the public discourse claiming to be pro-war or pro-peace, but what do these actually represent? How do we distinguish between hollow jingoistic rhetoric, naive or philosophical pacificm, versus a more substantial or perhaps realist leftist anti-war and anti-imperialist position?

“On the Barricades” s05e33 As temperatures drop, the “Stand with Ukraine” and blame-Putin propaganda campaign will become too thin a cover to hide what has been a massive shortsightedness and mismanagement of the energy supply by European politicians– especially now that Putin has stopped the flow of gas in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. On this special release of “On the Barricades,” hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat invite repeat-guest Irina Slav to provide a sense of how the winter will look for normal people, how the politicians will try to abate panic, and how this is more proof that liberalization of the market has utterly failed on its promise to provide energy at affordable prices, if it can provide any at all. Some countries expect government intervention into energy markets with price caps, and/or a cut-off of energy to consumers, neither of which will solve the problem. Irina, Boyan, and Maria discuss the situations particular to Romania (which has its own gas production which gets siphoned away onto the EU market), Bulgaria (with its supposedly viable deal to secure gas from Azerbaijan), and Poland (which is awash with coal it no longer has the infrastructure to mine, and which awaits a miniscule gift of coal from Zelensky in Ukraine). Why can the politicians not back down and go in reverse to their anti-Putin line? And will this literal freeze and darkness lead to a mass movement to take down the current governments across Europe, as some claim is Putin’s intention? Irina Slav is a Bulgarian specialist in the production and trade of energy. In addition to being an author at OilPrice.com, she is also the proprietor of an independent blog, which can be found on Substack: https://irinaslav.substack.com/

“On the Barricades” s05e32 In this special release of “On the Barricades,” we have some solo commentary from host Boyan Stanislavski responding to recent news concerning Poland. Boyan discusses two cases of incredibly ridiculous news items coming from the Law and Justice Party, part of their efforts to divert public attention from the deteriorating economic conditions, energy crisis, etc. in Poland. The first is a made-up, baseless thesis from Deputy Defense Minister Marcin Ociepa that “There is a significant risk of war with Russia which we will face in the next 10 years,” and that “We must make the most of this time to rearm the Polish military.” Boyan explains why there is no sense to this hypothesis. Boyan also answers a question asked by some of our viewers about the news of the Polish government’s demand to Germany for 1.3 trillion Euros in WWII reparations. What is the background making this, too, nothing more than a ludicrous move from the Law and Justice party meant to further aggravate the Polish population, while irritating both German and Russian powers?

“On the Barricades” s05e31 To assess the changing balance of forces and situation in Ukraine, “On the Barricades” has the pleasure of bringing repeat-guest Mark Sleboda onto the show for a two-part release. Mark is a former US Navy specialist, military expert, and academic who attended the London School of Economics before becoming a senior lecturer at Moscow State University. After our first episode’s dissection of events on the ground in Ukraine, in this second episode, hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski take a dive with Mark into some broader philosophical and human-existential questions raised by the current reality in Ukraine and globally. We begin with the question of whether peace is possible in the long or short term – the chances that the conflict will freeze any time soon at a bargaining table. With war as with peace, the question is on whose terms? And what drives war and the mass support we see for it anyway– the system enslaving us to the profit motive or some more basic human condition and prone-ness to othering? Speaking on existential-scale problems humanity faces and what they actually look like: there is not only the potential of World War 3, but also the looming threat of climate crisis, another area of Mark’s interest. War and added impacts of climate change will make the current energy crisis and impending food crisis in Europe and elsewhere a drastically dire, prolonged situation. But is it hopeless?

“On the Barricades” s05e30 Loud in the press this week has been the major development in the NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine, what is described as a massive “Russian defeat” in the Kharkov region of east Ukraine. Russia’s manpower-lite and artillery-heavy military formation was forced to organize a withdrawal from Kharkov, facing multi-axis and casualty-heavy attacks from the Kiev forces, which unlike the now-destroyed Ukrainian military of some months ago, are fully equipped and operated as a NATO army manned by Ukranians. Despite evacuation efforts, this leaves behind Eastern Ukranians who will pay brutally with their lives as the Kiev bureaucracy implements what it has already announced as cleansing for anyone deemed a Russia-collaborator. There is now a massive movement of both NATO-Ukrainian and pro-Russian military building up in the south and south-east, preparing for a storm in the next weeks. To assess this situation, “On the Barricades” has the pleasure of bringing repeat-guest Mark Sleboda onto the show for a two-part series this weekend. Mark is a former US Navy specialist, military expert, and academic who attended the London School of Economics before becoming a senior lecturer at Moscow State University. In this first episode, hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski enlist Mark’s military analytical expertise to help piece together interpretations of the events in Kharkov, and to dissect the big questions that follow. He tells us about what’s happening on the ground, what military entities are engaged, what the events represent in terms of the Moscow and Kiev-NATO strategy, and what changes to the dynamic could come out of this now unstable balance of forces. We also hear updates about the role of Belarus in the war, the relevance of the renewed Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, as well as the general mood of the Russian population toward the Putin regime and their attitude toward escalating the conflict to a full-out mobilization for war with NATO.

“On the Barricades” s05e28 This is the second episode of an “On the Barricades” series devoted to busting myths about “Marxist education” by explaining the presence of Marxism in the universities and general education system of the former Eastern bloc countries during socialism, in contrast to the present reality after three decades of capitalist restoration. In this episode hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski continue dissecting this history which is seemingly lost to both the Left and pro-capitalists, of how school worked and on what ideological basis, in the school systems of the former Eastern block. Unlike what we currently have in the capitalist world, socialist education was based on a common curriculum studied uniformly throughout the state. And yes, school uniforms were a must. But why were such standardizations integral to the project of building socialist consciousness and society? How were teachers in these schools seen and valued by society– and what about those who were “forced” by the state to relocate to the rural areas to raise the educational level there? How did state policy and new property relations governing the agricultural system allow, for the first time, a huge portion of the rural youth and girls a chance at education? What was the “Pioneer” or “Hawk of the Nation” movement which prepared children for citizenship? What was the role of nationalist rhetoric and how did Romanian education eventually prop up a cult of communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu?

“On the Barricades” s05e27 This is the first episode of an “On the Barricades” series devoted to busting myths about “Marxist education” by explaining the presence of Marxism in the universities and general education system of the former Eastern bloc countries during socialism, in contrast to the present reality after three decades of capitalist restoration. In this episode hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski look at the socialist model of education and the role it played in society, drawing on their own experience in, respectively, the Romanian and Bulgarian systems. Was primary education somehow “traumatic” for children, as the Western narrative would tell us? What were the ideals on which this educational system was based, and how were new, socialist values instilled in schools for children? What was the general intellectual climate and quality of education achieved, say, by a student at the end of elementary school? And how did this fit with the attempt at a socialist approach to organizing the family and free time– the socialist summer vacation and educational camps for children?

“On the Barricades” s05e29 In this extra release of “On the Barricades”, hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat discuss a major item of recent news in Romania – a country wracked with some of the highest electricity prices in Europe in the last months, and which will be potentially closing schools and other institutions as a result. The Romanian government has been forced to grant an indirect concession to energy consumers and companies, promising them to compensate for natural gas and electricity costs when these costs reach a threshold. As the National Authority for Regulation in Energy admits, this is inconsistent with the free market, European values with which Romania was supposed to align, and for which the previously centrally controlled distribution of national energy resources was dismantled. What, if any logic, is going on here? Maria explains some historical background and how this drastic systemic failure is much more than a problem that Vladimir Putin can be blamed for.

“On the Barricades” s05e26 In this second installment of this week’s release of “On the Barricades,” hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat continue the discussion on the question of morality in politics and on the Left. How did we get to the current situation, in which leftists compete for moral superiority while alienating those not in their clique with hyper political correctness and demands on language? Boyan and Maria discuss how the trend of activists taking on such a role of holding individuals accountable for how anti-racist or anti-sexist they are, is far estranged from the classical socialist outlook on ethical matters, as well as from the essence of political action, which involves organizing people in massive party of labour to confront the capitalist system itself. Such a skewed emphasis on pseudo-morality disarms the socialist struggle. As the hosts discuss, there is a history of wealthy backers including the US government behind this ideological shift. Maria refers to Gabriel Rockhill’s article here: https://thephilosophicalsalon.com/the-cia-the-frankfurt-schools-anti-communism/ We had Gabriel on the show to discuss this background here: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Dw46WPF44 Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEopoXUU5wY

“On the Barricades” s05e25 In this week’s release of “On the Barricades,” hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat take up the question of morality in politics. Over the last decades the Left has developed a tendency to transform itself from a political entity to a moral high ground, while subjugating political categories to moral categories. As a result we have a political culture of “good” leftists abstracting and then distancing themselves from parts of society it determines to be “bad”-- the conservatives or “right wing populists” – to whom they toss insulting imperatives to no communicative effect, whilst posturing as prophets in a sectarian bubble. We historically assess this trend in its material conditions in the next episode – but the question remains of how do we address and think about morality as leftists and as socialists? How do we understand power and corruption, in relation to morality? Finally, what tools do we have that can enable us to leave the sect and re-enter the political and social process around us, as is necessary for genuine social transformation and struggle? Boyan quotes Leon’s Trotsky’s “Their Morals and Ours,” which can be found in English here: https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/morals/morals.htm

“On the Barricades” s05e24 This is a special release of “On the Barricades” dedicated to the question of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the role of Mikhail Gorbachev, its last leader whose recent death brings our attention to questions that are vital to the future work of the Left. What happened in this historical and political process, why, and did it have to happen or was there an alternative? What was the role of key individuals like Gorbachev? What are the consequences? Hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat speak with Pat Byrne, who is a long-standing activist and historian of the European left. Pat has been researching the history of the Soviet Union as well as the comparable development of Chinese socialism, his insights on which are a focus of today’s show. His latest book, preliminarily called “Why China will lead the world and what it could look like,” will be released in early 2023. 3:00 Background on Gorbachev’s biography 7:00 How was Gorbachev different from previous Soviet leaders? 8:30 Gorbachev’s attitude toward his own tasks with regards to the economy: to reinvigorate and reform, rather than rescue the economy from crisis 9:40 Gorbachev’s low popularity among Soviet people and what this signifies 11:00 The Left’s failure to discuss why the Soviet Union failed and what the lessons are; consequences 12:15 Was Gorbachev honest and sincere in his attempts to reform the economy? If so, what was the nature of his mistakes? Or was he a cynical traitor in cahoots with the US? 18:00 Treason – in that the population of the Soviet bloc was against dissolution. Boris Yelstin and CIA ties? 21:20 Gorbachev’s reforms and the mistakes made. Comparison with history of reforms from China’s policy post-Mao – and how these influenced Gorbachev’s (problematic) approach to reform. 39:30 Gorbachev’s campaign against alcohol as an example of the dysfunctional bureaucracy 42:12 Under Brezhnev’s rule. The massive increase in prices in raw materials in the second part of his rule, which masked the economic contradictions. How this created a hole in government finance when the boom ended. 51:10 Why did Gorbachev’s reforms fail? What could have had a better chance of success instead? 56:20 Gorbachev’s lack clear understanding of glasnost and democracy 58:25: Comparing China and USSR reforms, successful in China but a failure in the USSR 1:03:45 … How has China had such fantastic success? 1:08:20 China’s planning process– and its areas for improvement 1:11:15 Pat’s and Boyan’s personal anecdotes from living through the fall of the Soviet Union 1:19:42 The lack of opposition to the socialist regime, for example in Bulgaria 1:27:00 What conclusion should the Left take? Could the Soviet Union have been reformed rather than having to be dissolved? 1:31:20 Trotskyism, the opposition to Stalinism, and its lack of practical alternative to the ailing model 1:38:40 Maria on the situation in Romania during the socialist period and subsequent anti-communism 1:53:27 Closing remarks

"On the Barricades" s05e23 #CancelCulture #LGTBQ+ #Transphobia #Pride #Left #FreeSpeech #Azis This is the third of three installments on this week's “On the Barricades'' release. This episode is part of our regular series, which we co-produce and co-host with Youri Smouter of 1+1. Boyan and Youri continue the discussion of cancel culture on the left as commonly surrounds, and hampers, debate on LGTBQ+ issues. What plagues such debates? What are the roles of the NGOs who advocate for these groups in Eastern Europe? And what is the educational approach that would take the left forward toward queer liberation and in general? 1:50 Youri on cancel culture to do with transphobia. He recommends Laura Miles’ book on socialism and trans liberation, and the documentary “The Codes of Gender” 5:20 Boyan on what education can achieve – need for a universal solution for all oppressed groups 7:30 Boyan on the scale of transphobia and homophobia, and role of the NGOs in Poland 9:15 Gay marriage and trans rights in Poland 14:25 Gender identity in the public sphere – side-tracking the Left? 18:55 NGOs’ portrayal of Eastern Europe as less progressive than the West on LGTBQ+ issues 19:50 Azis, the Bulgarian musician 23:45 What’s the way forward? Not the model of the west-backed NGOs. 29:00 The need for debate on morality on the left

"On the Barricades" s05e22 This is the second of three installments on this week's “On the Barricades” release. This episode is part of our regular series, which we co-produce and co-host with Youri Smouter of 1+1. Boyan and Youri continue the discussion of cancel culture on the left, as a reflection of a wider problem of ignorance and ideological misguidedness on the left. Thumbs down to shutting down media outlets and censoring, which downgrades the public debate; thumbs up to education and rational thinking. 2:15 war in Ukraine and Zelensky’s shutting down political opposition 3:05 Boyan on illogical conclusion-drawing on the left. Why would removing media outlets from the public debate improve the public debate? 6:45 Youri on the SWP in Britain and background knowledge deficit 9:50 Where are the educational systems in the collective west falling short, quantitatively as opposed to inherently? What is in reach via reforms? 12:20 Exploitation of emotions and coercion as predominant the political culture on the left– a civilization step back from Enlightenment gains and the promotion of rationality, analysis or even basic logic 16:47 People who claim to be face of left, instead of having a responsibility to transmit a snippet of knowledge, use their position to run up this emotional disbalancing effect 20:33 Boyan on the lack of rational participants, needed to have a rational conversation 25:00 the need for education study groups, and rational participation of people who don’t necessarily agree with one another 27:00 Lack of confidence among leftists in taking an ideological stand

"On the Barricades" s05e21 This is the first installment of this week's “On the Barricades” release. This episode is part of our regular series, which we co-produce and co-host with Youri Smouter of 1+1. Boyan and Youri discuss their general thumbs down toward cancel culture and the caricature of political correctness on the left which has been made norm by the liberal establishment. This broader and growing pathological political culture on the left served as ideological leverage of the left’s cheering of the morally reprehensible murder of Darya Dugina, the Russian journalist. How did the left get so carried away? 5:30 Youri’s thumbs down to leftists that don’t support independent leftist media outlets 6:30 Youri on the attack on Salman Rushdie 8:25 Boyan on the assassination of Darya Dugina, and how terrorism serves reaction 14:21 The case of Joe Rogan, a major success yet prone to cancellation attempts– the problem of conflating aesthetics and politics. 18:35 Leftist anti-communism and self-red-baiting 20:35 Boyan on why leftists don’t go on leftist independent shows, and why it’s a problem 26:20 Youri on what are the implications of trying to be a ‘respectable leftist’ 27:30 Ignorance on the left and the role a political organization in educating leftists 31:20 Boyan on the example of Lewica Razem, the leftist political organization in Poland which fails to take ideas to practice

“On the Barricades” s05e20 On this second episode of this week’s release of “On the Barricades,” hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski continue on the question of the Russian bureaucracy’s domestic propaganda campaign with a Russian academic and analyst, Maria Ananyeva. Maria studies literature and political science, in particular how discourse works to manipulate certain agendas like the current war. The Russian establishment doesn’t have a comparable ability to project and exercise propaganda outside of Russia, compared to the pro-NATO side. Inside the country, however, the Kremlin manages to effectively persuade the population to support the war efforts, at least til now. Maria takes us through the soft power mechanisms she observes there– what facts and distortions about the international situation they’re based on, and how they manipulate– in comparison to the Western style.

“On the Barricades” s05e19 Russian propaganda– it’s been much fear-mongered, and blown out of proportion for its influence outside of Russia. Indeed, it seems the Kremlin is losing the info wars handily outside the country. But what about the war propaganda campaign inside Russia? How has the Russian bureaucracy managed to convince most of the population that it’s wise to pursue the current course of action in Ukraine, this ugly war? On this release of “On the Barricades” hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski discuss this question of domestic propaganda with a Russian academic and analyst, Maria Ananyeva. Maria studies literature and political science, in particular how discourse works to manipulate certain agendas like the current war. We invited her for her ability to give a multi-sided perspective on how propaganda works, analyzing the methods (and effectiveness) of both pro-NATO and pro-Kremlin mass media campaigns, on both sides of the border.

“On the Barricades” s05e18 Like in other Eastern European countries where the pro-Western government bases its support on Russiaphobic impulse, and operates by inviting collateral damage and in whatever other subservient role it can play for the larger geo-political and economic “strategy” of the West, the Polish government has aimed to present itself as a courageous leader in cutting economic ties with Russia since the war in Ukraine began– especially ties to fossil fuels. In this extra episode of “On the Barricades”, host Boyan Stanislavski provides some solo commentary on the fast-developing and devastating effect of the implementation of this policy of sanctions on Russia, on Polish industry. Boyan covers: How the Polish government’s refusal to buy Russian natural gas has led to the complete shutdown of two major fertilizer producers, due to not being able to afford gas, in the last days. This will spell disaster for the agriculture industry and likely contribute to a hike in food prices. How the cement industry is at risk of closing its plants, since it will run out of supply of coal in the next weeks. This will potentially cripple the construction industry and exacerbate the housing crisis.

“On the Barricades” s05e17 In this episode of “On the Barricades,” host Boyan Stanislavski discusses an issue which is surprising to see reported on in the major journal for the pro-Kiev line on the war in Ukraine, the English-language Kyiv Independent. The investigation brings to light a number of crimes committed by Polish mafia thug, Sasha Kuchynsky, is his role as commander of an international legion within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Before turning the case over to journalists, the battalion’s soldiers attempted to direct complaints of the offences Kuchynsky and his fellow commanders committed – from ordering suicide missions, stealing and selling weapons on the black marekt, and various other abuses – up through the Ukranian law enforcement channels, and finally in a letter to President Zelensky, without receiving a response. For those following the situation closely, and as Boyan overviews, such thuggish tactics and discontent on the ground are not exceptional but everyday dynamics in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. So why this sharp turn in the pro-West media toward criticizing the authorities who are directing the war?

“On the Barricades” s05e16 This week on “On the Barricades” hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat are speaking with guest Dorota Niemitz, an activist and political commentator of Polish origin. In this second episode they discuss the massive, although anti-climactic, social movement for abortion rights in Poland in recent years. What exactly was the legal context of the attack on abortion rights by Kaczyński in 2015-6, and then in 2020, which sparked the protests? Why, when abortion rights are so basic a part of the democratic rights supposedly guaranteed (especially in the EU), are they still contested this way? And when a mass movement with far reaches across social strata was produced in unity against such a move, why did it fail? Like discussed in the last episode, there is an utter void of leftist leadership in Poland. In its place, the pseudo-left identity politics liberal crowd co-opt the movement and put it to bed.

“On the Barricades” s05e15 This week on “On the Barricades” hosts Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat speak with guest Dorota Niemitz, an activist and freelance journalist of Polish origin. We discuss a morally and politically grotesque development in the pro-Ukraine war propaganda campaign which occurred recently there. That is, when the pseudo-radical leftist journal Krytyka Polityczna (“Political Critique”) organized a crowd-funding to solicit donations for a drone and other military-humanitarian support for Ukrainian forces. This campaign was jumped on by all walks of Polish celebrities and politicians, amounting to some 5 million euros. It served as advertising for the weapons manufacturer, who offered a “buy one get one free” kind of promotion. This is a perfect example, although at a new level of cynicism, of how the media and communication meticulously crafts PR campaigns based on liberal moralistic hysteria. This serves imperialist ends, to squeeze some more support for the war in a period when society is tired of it and suffering through an economic crisis, having already seen public resources funnelled away to Ukraine.

“On the Barricades” s05e14 While being fundamentally a tool of US imperialism and capitalist international social relations, the “critical theory” school that arose from the traditions of the French and German (Frankfurt) schools of philosophical thought have provided some potentially useful, although strictly limited, critique of capitalism. At core they have served to generate a capitalist-compatible left and discredit a communist left. But that doesn’t mean we can arrogantly brush the ideas aside. In fact they can be analyzed to expose the forces involved in the war of ideas taking place in society, which we see especially in the US and West. On this week’s release of “On the Barricades,” host Maria Cernat discusses this topic with the French-American writer, cultural critic, and activist Gabriel Rockhill. In this episode they continue with the question of evaluating critical theory for its contribution and non-contribution to the wider historical social struggle for liberation and genuine Marxist tradition around the world. They discuss a deep history of social chauvinism in Western so-called Marxism, which tends to place greater value on revolutionary ideas developed in Europe and abandon the defense of socialist revolution as soon as it materializes elsewhere. One famously-debated trend in the postmodern modality of thinking is “identity politics,” a counter-revolutionary political project pitted against the Marxist tradition, and which has links to the neoliberal assault on the socialist movement as developed from the 1970s on. Gabriel explains how this reduction of politics to identitarian issues and culturalism works. Gabriel completed his graduate studies under the direction of Jacques Derrida, Luce Irigaray and Alain Badiou, and is now a professor of philosophy at Villanova University. He founded the Critical Theory Workshop. His background and current study led him to such revelations on, and critique of, the bourgeois cultural and intellectual apparatus.

“On the Barricades” s05e13 On this week’s release of “On the Barricades,” host Maria Cernat speaks to the French-American writer, cultural critic, and activist, Gabriel Rockhill. Gabriel completed his graduate studies under the direction of Jacques Derrida, Luce Irigaray and Alain Badiou, and is now a professor of philosophy at Villanova University. Gabriel’s work in academia led him to a very close understanding of the bourgeois cultural and intellectual apparatus for its fundamental, historical role of bringing leftist thinking in line with the interests of the corporate elites and capitalist order. He wrote an article called “The CIA and the Frankfurt school’s anti-communism,” the content of which is the starting point inspiration for today’s discussion. In this episode Maria and Gabriel piece together a view of this bourgeois cultural apparatus and how it operates, touching on the historical role of the CIA in relation to the major arts and cultural institutions, as well as the main theoretical foundations for contemporary academic discourses– the Frankfurt school in Germany and the French school. These were funded by, under direct collaboration with, the US government. Gabriel outlines how this system of knowledge production serves to divide and conquer the left, rendering a “critical school” that’s devoid of systemic critique of imperialism. It promotes “anything but socialism”, that is, it refuses to promote an alternative to the problems of the capitalist system. The careers of the Frankfurt school philosophers Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, in particular Horkheimer’s pro-Vietnam war position (which is comparable to Slavoj Žižek’s pro-Ukraine war leaning), illustrate this propagandistic function.