thebarricade

"On the Barricades" - s04e18 The diplomatic front of the war is discussed in the second part of the discussion with ex-US military man and scholar Mark Sleboda on the war in Ukraine. Some commentators argue that the Russians are implementing a strategy that Western politicians and even military personnel do not fully comprehend. Russians, for example, are mocked for suffering far more casualties than the US Army did in Iraq during the same time period. The Russian philosophy appears to be that they are willing to accept losses rather than bombing or shelling the cities, towns, or villages ahead of them to the ground to avoid casualties on their end. They are also conducting negotiations and making military advances at the same time. Again, something strange if viewed through Western eyes. What do Russia and Ukraine hope to gain from the talks? Moscow has stated unequivocally that it will not compromise on the terms it has proposed, and Ukrainian authorities have stated unequivocally that they will not back down from those terms. What exactly is there to discuss? Are we witnessing a replay of the Syrian scenario?

"On the Barricades" - s04e17 "If wars were won by spreading memes, the Russians would have lost many times over," says the special guest on this episode of "On the Barricades," Mark Sleboda. He is a former US Navy specialist, a military expert, and an academic who attended the London School of Economics before becoming a senior lecturer at Moscow State University. He is still in Moscow, and he provides a very serious, sober, and specific evaluation of the current on the ground, analyzing all of the major events of the last three weeks that are directly or indirectly related to the ongoing military campaign. Together with the show's hosts, Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski Mark discusses the evolving military and political situation and offers insights and comments that you are unlikely to ever see in the mainstream media anywhere in the Western world. We discuss the military errors made by Russian strategists, the unrealistic initial Russian expectations, and some of the rather inexplicable (at least by simple logic) moves made by both the official Ukrainian authorities and the Russian offensive forces. We also talk about the hopes that both sides of this horrifying war seem to have.

"On the Barricades" - s04e16 The second part of this conversation with Pat Byrne, a political analyst, author, and historian of the European left, is about the leftist media and their coverage of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Since Russia's invasion on February 24th, only a few leftist outlets with large audiences have been able to defend themselves against an unprecedented avalanche of Western propaganda, which is clearly becoming a global craze. Many people have unfortunately fallen for it, and we're trying to figure out why in this discussion. What is it that is causing the authors and hosts of many leftist platforms to applaud more war and join the Western jingoistic campaign? Is this an indication of ideological frailty? Is this a result of a lack of journalistic training? Or is it just another opportunistic moment?

”On the Barricades” - s04e15 #onthebarricades Of course, this edition of the program is dedicated to the war in Ukraine, as have nearly all of our programs over the last three weeks. And this time, we'll focus on the media war, also known as the information war or, to put it bluntly, propaganda. We'll look at how Russia and Ukraine have used propaganda, as well as how the international media has reacted to it or has been complicit in it. Pat Byrne, a great analyst and friend of the show, has been invited to help us with this. He has been a socialist left activist in the United Kingdom and other European countries for many years; he has lived in the Great Britain, Turkey, and is now in Brazil. He has written numerous articles on the history of the European left and is working on a book about China. Finally, he is the central figure in our podcast series "Divided We Fall," in which we examine the left's mistakes both now and in the past. Why is it important to debate how the media is handling the war? How has this war's propaganda replicated features from previous wars? What distinguishes this war's propaganda? What coverage has the mainstream media given to the causes of the war?

”On the Barricades” - s04e13 This is the second part of our interview with Russian political scientist Stanislav Byshok, who decided to sit down with the hosts of "On the Barricades" and discuss the crisis and how the Russian public perceives the situation overall, despite recent harsh measures against critical voices imposed by the authorities. In the previous segment, we discussed how, in general, the initial reactions to the invasion shifted rather quickly. In this episode, we discuss the sanctions and the massive campaign to cancel Russia and Russians in the Western world. Are any of the West's hopes even realistic? Could deficits in Coca-Cola or iPhones really cause a public outpouring of rage against the government and the president? Are the Russians deeply offended by the strong reactions in the majority of European countries? How has life in Russia changed since the 24th of February? This and more will be covered in the second installment of our conversation with Stanislav Byshok, which will be broadcast on YouTube, Rumble, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and SoundCloud, and it will be available on other platforms soon!

”On the Barricades” - s04e14 #onthebarricades This is the third installment of our interview with Stanislav Byshok, a Russian political scientist and Ukrainian affairs expert. Stanislav provides an interesting critical perspective from Russia, and the hosts of "On the Barricades" discuss with him the web of unintended consequences that emerged a few days after Moscow launched the invasion. We're talking about difficult, unexpected, and dangerous political events, as well as economic ones. We also talk briefly about how to try to make sense of what's going on in Ukraine on the ground and how to get past "the fog of war in the media," as Stanislav put it.

”On the Barricades” - s04e11 #onthebarricades When we first tried to record this interview, the Kyiv-based sociologist and activist Oksana Dutchak had to quickly exit her home because of an air raid alarm. The ongoing war in her country had a dramatic effect on her life since she was forced to flee Kyiv with her family and move to the Western part of the country. Despite these dire circumstances, Oksana Dutchak sat down with Maria Cernat and tried to explain the current situation in Ukraine, how the situation is evolving, and most importantly, how ordinary people are coping with the situation. We discussed the tragedy of a war between very close people since the Ukrainian and Russian language are very similar and a significant proportion of the country’s population live in mixed families. Oksana Dutchak studied gender inequality in male-dominated professions in the Center for Social and Labor Research, a Kyiv-based NGO. She was a staunch anti-militarist feminist who criticized the Ukrainian government’s tendency to militarize the country. We discussed how her feminist ideals was challenged by the Russian military invasion and how life changed after this dramatic event.

"On the Barricades" - s04e12, #onthebarricades This is part 1 of our conversation with Stanislav Byshok. The Barricade brings you a reasonable, balanced, and critical voice from Russia; the hosts of "On the Barricades" invited Stanislav Byshok, a Russian political scientist and a frequent commentator on some Russian media outlets, as well as an expert in international relations of the NGO "Public Diplomacy" and author of numerous books, reports, and articles on the situation in Ukraine. What caused this to happen? What was the Russian people's initial reaction? Was this solely Putin's decision, and is the state's vast bureaucracy on his side? How has Russian public opinion changed in the last 20 days? What are Putin's approval ratings? Is there any representation of antiwar voices in Russian politics? How are the Russians reacting to the wave of hatred that is sweeping the West? This and much more will be available on the upcoming three recordings with Stanislav Byshok. We're releasing the first installment today (March 13), and the next two will be published the following Monday (March 14) and Tuesday (March 15).

"On the Barricades" - s04e10 #onthebarricades Mihnea Teodor Popescu is one of the most vocal members of a Romanian initiative seeking to oppose war and fight imperialism by denouncing both Russia and NATO. This initiative was formed by a group of undergraduate and graduate collegians–the Union of Militant Students–and it advances progressive ideas and values such as anti-imperialism and social justice. The members of this organization recently attended a pro-Ukraine protest in Bucharest organized by Remus Cernea, a former MP, where they were met with violence simply because they held banners condemning Russia and NATO. Pro-NATO organizers demanded that police remove the group from the protest. It's becoming harder and harder to oppose both Russia and NATO, especially in today's ultra-tense environment with accusations of treason and collaboration with Russia so predominant in the public discourse. It's the ultimate cancellation attempt! Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski invited Mihnea Teodor Popescu to discuss this initiative and his role in it and also to talk about the incident at the pro-Ukraine protest. Join the conversation to find out more and also to learn about possible ways forward for actual pacifists!

"On the Barricades" - s04e09 #onthebarricades Social media and the constant commercialization imperatives of journalistic discourse have made the public receptive to very simplistic narratives. The war is no exception. The media narrative pushed in the public arena is that of the “real” man—advancing his agenda (Vladimir Putin) or bravely defending his country (Zelensky). As the violent invasion of Ukraine continues, the Romanian public sphere is dominated by narratives in which we have a powerful hero or anti-hero. In this episode of On the Barricades, Maria Cernat presented some of these narratives, showing how Romanian right-wingers are ready to project onto Vladimir Putin the kind of masculinity they aspire to, displaying a love/hate relationship with the Russian leader, while progressive and liberal circles seem quite taken by the image of Zelensky, the hero that is supposed to save not just Ukraine, but the whole world from the Russians! Watch the show to learn more about this very interesting dynamic!

"On the Barricades" — s04e02 #onthebarricades As the world enters the sixth day of the Ukraine war, the hosts of "On the barricades" sit down to discuss the reactions in the mainstream media as well as the public, particularly the commentariat on (anti)social media. As if the war wasn't already atrocious enough, the West is calling for more of it! There is widespread support for an all-out war with the Russian Federation. Any possibility of even a minimally rational debate is removed from the public sphere. There is only good versus evil, and only aggressive tribal emotions appear to be permitted at this time. In the midst of this madness, Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat are attempting to analyze the reactions, with a focus on Eastern Europe. Furthermore, Dr. Maria Cernat explains the mechanisms of the current warmongering agitation, using historical examples. As a result of pro-war propaganda, the general public develops completely irrational and dangerous sentiments. In such circumstances, what is the way forward? (That is, assuming there is any.) Maria Cernat also explains the most recent convoluted ideological (even philosophical) twists of some feminist currents, who suddenly began openly supporting what they used to criticize as 'toxic masculinity'; it appears that anything is acceptable as long as it is directed against a consensual enemy.

"On the Barricades" — s04e01 #onthebarricades We are deeply disturbed by the events in Ukraine, which have once again turned Eastern Europe into a theater of deadly war. We are heartbroken to see brotherly nations killing each other again, as they did in the Balkans in the early 1990s. The hosts of "On the Barricades" have recorded this special edition of the program to analyze the current military and political circumstances that the public is being informed about, as well as to attempt to make sense of the often contradictory, if not entirely exclusive, statements made by multiple outlets on both sides of this conflict. Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski also discuss the current wave of extremely unhinged emotional upheaval, as well as the emotional derangement in public opinion, in which everyone appears to be suddenly OK with more war, and even demand it.

"On the Barricades" — s04e08 #onthebarricades This is the final segment of our current special coverage of the Ukrainian war, in which the co-host of "On the Barricades" spoke with Pat Byrne, a political analyst, socialist activist, and historian of the European left, on March 1. Ways forward for Ukraine are discussed in this installment. Pat and Boyan begin by asking why the conflict's resolution and next steps aren't even being discussed. Some ideas, such as "Finlandization" of Ukraine, are quickly dismissed. Some speculate that the Russian army will only take parts of the country. Others argue that the goal is to cover the entire territory. There are rumors that once the military operation is completed, Ukraine will hold a series of referendums. So far, the negotiations in Belarus have been fruitless. Pat Byrne proposes a socialist program for Ukraine that is practical (not utopian) and explains how reorganizing the economy, society, and thus politics can alter the current situation and be applied.

"On the Barricades" — s04e06 #onthebarricades As we have stated numerous times in previous segments, there is no doubt that any war of aggression should be condemned. All such wars are bad, and it takes a psychopath to 'like' them. Moral statements and virtue signaling, on the other hand, are insufficient. Not least in Eastern Europe, which has once again become a theater of war. We must ask questions such as what caused this war (as we did in the previous section of this discussion) and what goals Vladimir Putin and his administration are attempting to achieve. And this is exactly what Boyan Stanislavski, co-host of "On the Barricades," will discuss with his guest, Pat Byrne, a longtime socialist activist, political analyst, and historian of the European left, in this installment.

"On the Barricades" — s04e07 #onthebarricades In the previous segment, Boyan Stanislavski, the host of "On the Barricades," and his guest Pat Byrne, a political analyst, socialist activist, and historian of the European left, discussed the goals that Putin may be pursuing by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. In this segment, Boyan and Pat discuss Russia's internal political process and the role that the current war may play in this regard. Will Russia see a massive anti-war movement? Will Putin's approval rating fall or rise? This and more can be found in the fifth installment of the special edition six-part discussion on the war in Ukraine that "On the Barricades" recorded on March 1.

"On the Barricades" — s04e05 #onthebarricades In this third installment of our six-part discussion with Pat Byrne, a political analyst, socialist activist, and historian of the European left, we continue to examine the processes that led up to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as well as internal contradictions that existed in that country and the ways western imperialism attempted to exploit them in the past. We mention the 2004 colored revolution, the plight that Russia and Ukraine faced following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the economic and social problems that arose as a result, becoming a major trauma in both of those countries (and other former soviet republics). Pat Byrne and the show's host, Boyan Stanislavski, also discuss the problem of far-right elements and their role in Ukrainian politics before and after 'the Maidan,' as well as how the US used this extremist factor to launch this regime change operation. They then go on to discuss why Vladimir Putin decided to launch the invasion right now, as well as the reasons for his popularity in Russia.

On the Barricades" — s04e04 #onthebarricades This is the second of six parts in which Boyan Stanislavski, one of the hosts of "On the Barricades," sat down with Pat Byrne, a political analyst, longtime socialist activist, and historian of the European left, to discuss the war in Ukraine and the international situation in general. Pat and Boyan provide the historical context, beginning with the dissolution of the USSR, and explain the processes that were constantly building tensions that were taken to a whole new level by the events in Kiev in 2014, as well as analyze how the situation evolved after the 'Euromaidan.' They also discuss concepts such as "spreading democracy" and other similar ideas that have accompanied the West's increasingly hostile attitude toward Russia (and other countries the governments of which they were not able to control). Aside from that, Pat and Boyan bring up many historical examples and analyze comparisons that are frequently made, such as the early 1960s Cuban missile crisis.

"On the Barricades" — s04e03 #onthebarricades The Russian military invaded Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, 2022. It has shocked and awed people all over the world, but especially in Ukraine, Russia, and Eastern Europe. Regardless of where one stands on the Russian president, what one thinks of the Ukrainian government, whether one considers themselves to be leftist or rightist, or any other nuances, we should all stand united in our opposition to wars of aggression. So far in recent history, such wars have been launched by Western countries, most notably the United States. At the end of last month, the Russian government adopted the American foreign policy standard and launched what appears to be (at the time of this video's publication) a regime change operation. There should be no doubt that the left should protest that action and mobilize against the war — something the left hasn't done much of in the last decade. More than ever, the left must not call for more war in unison with many Western power and media centers, nor should it buy into the warmongering rhetoric of any of the conflict's sides, nor should it participate in the hysterical campaign launched in corporate media outlets since the invasion began. Numerous left-wing organizations and leaders have called for an immediate end to the war and massive diplomatic action to resolve the conflict, most notably our Transform!Europe (https://bit.ly/3sD5HIY) partners. We believe that this is the only correct political position at this time. Adopting such a stance does not, of course, imply that no questions should be raised or that political action should be limited to presenting a coherent position. "Our task is not to weep, nor to laugh, but to understand," said the great philosopher Spinonza. Which, in today's context, means that the left must carefully examine the conflict in Ukraine as well as the overarching international context: that is, Washington's aggressive imperialist campaign against Russia and China, which is being carried out by the US and its satellite governments all over the world, most notably those in Western Europe. "On the barricades," as an Eastern European-focused publication, has been actively contributing to explaining all the nuances of the situation in that region, including, of course, Ukraine and Russia. Today, we'd like to provide our audience with an exhaustive and in-depth discussion of the Ukrainian war with Pat Byrne, a great analyst, a longstanding socialist activist, a historian of the European left, and a great friend of the show. Pat sat down with one of the hosts of "On the Barricades" to discuss the political process that led to this war, as well as to propose solutions to the international chaos that ensued. This is the first installment of our six-part special edition. The links to the remaining episodes are provided below.

On the Barricades" s03e52, #onthebarricades In the second part of the talk with Judit Zeller from the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, the On the Barricades podcast focuses on the parallels between the state response to teachers' protests in Hungary and the attitudes toward educators in other countries of the region, such as Poland and Romania. What's next in the Hungarian teachers' protests? Are there right wingers trying to mess with what's happening there now?

"On the Barricades" — s03e51 #onthebarricades In the newest episode of On the Barricades, we discuss advocating for labor rights with Judit Zeller, a member of Hungarian Civil LIberties Union. The topic is the teachers strike in Hungary and disobedience declared by some teachers because of repressive measures by governments. All started in October 2021. After the joint action of the two largest labour unions in the domain, the courts become the arbiter for the resolution of the labour disputes, while the government heavily intervened against the teachers. Why are courts a significant player in teachers' protests? How is all that related to the essentiality of their work in corona virus times? "The government doesn't want workers to protest in any way", says Judit Zeller, discussing these and other issues.

"On the Barricades" — s03e50 #onthebarricades The dramatic events in Ukraine over the last 96 hours constitute a disaster, the full scope of which remains unknown. There is no doubt that the Russian president gave the order to invade, and he, as well as the Russian government, are directly responsible for the death toll and other atrocities that the ongoing war has resulted in thus far and will result in until the conflict is resolved. Moral condemnation, on the other hand, is insufficient. The public requires a clear recognition of the process of western chauvinism and imperialism attempting to prevent Russia from reclaiming its sovereignty after the utter humiliation it endured at the hands of the same western powers. War, on the other hand, is never a solution. The Russian government's current actions will have far-reaching consequences not only for Ukraine and Russia, but for Europe as a whole. This is only the beginning of a massive disaster that could have been avoided with the stroke of a pen. Had NATO and the United States not been too proud to put in writing that Ukraine will not join the Treaty, there would have been no war and diplomacy could have prevailed. This episode was supposed to be another in The Barricades' monthly series of thumbs-ups and thumbs-downs with Youri Smouter, the host of the political YouTube show "1+1." However, Youri sat down with the hosts of "On the Barricades" this time to exclusively discuss the catastrophic events in Ukraine. This is the first of two installments of a two-part discussion.

"On the Barricades" — s03e49 #onthebarricades The dramatic events in Ukraine over the last 96 hours constitute a disaster, the full scope of which remains unknown. There is no doubt that the Russian president gave the order to invade, and he, as well as the Russian government, are directly responsible for the death toll and other atrocities that the ongoing war has resulted in thus far and will result in until the conflict is resolved. Moral condemnation, on the other hand, is insufficient. The public requires a clear recognition of the process of western chauvinism and imperialism attempting to prevent Russia from reclaiming its sovereignty after the utter humiliation it endured at the hands of the same western powers. War, on the other hand, is never a solution. The Russian government's current actions will have far-reaching consequences not only for Ukraine and Russia, but for Europe as a whole. This is only the beginning of a massive disaster that could have been avoided with the stroke of a pen. Had NATO and the United States not been too proud to put in writing that Ukraine will not join the Treaty, there would have been no war and diplomacy could have prevailed. This episode was supposed to be another in The Barricades' monthly series of thumbs-ups and thumbs-downs with Youri Smouter, the host of the political YouTube show "1+1." However, Youri sat down with the hosts of "On the Barricades" this time to exclusively discuss the catastrophic events in Ukraine. This is the first of two installments of a two-part discussion.

"On the Barricades" — s03e48 #onthebarricades Much has been said about the ongoing global conflict between American imperialism and the Russian bear, which appears to have awoken from its long winter slumber. Global public opinion has been bombarded with a slew of misinformation and misinterpretations based on the ideological biases of various media outlets. With massive propaganda exercises on both the Western and Russian sides, the information war has clearly reached a new high point. We appear to be witnessing a form of propaganda retaliation on the part of the Russians who were accused of wanting to invade and destabilize Ukraine in recent days. They are now accusing Ukraine of planning an attack on the country's two breakaway republics in the east. The big powers are treating Ukraine like a piece of garbage throughout this game. And no one is asking what the future of Ukrainian society should be. We all know that a full-fledged war is the worst-case scenario. But what are the alternatives? Can the powers that be in Russia, the United States, and Ukraine actually prevent war? Is it possible to reach some minimum agreements? Who is most interested in maintaining tensions and who is most interested in peace? This and more in the second installment of our interview with the Ukrainian security analyst and political commentator who lives in Kiev and is originally from Donbass - Andrey Buzarov.

"On the Barricades" — s03e47 #onthebarricades In the midst of the escalating tensions in and around Ukraine, the hosts of "On the barricades" have invited a special guest who is a political scientist, security analyst, and academic currently residing in Kiev. Andrey Buzarov is originally from Donyetsk, and he not only shares his expertise and comments on current events, but he also provides an insightful perspective of someone who is on the ground in Kiev and has relatives living in East Ukraine. Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski speak with Andrey about the events of the last 72 hours, which appear to show that another massive escalation is taking place. Is this just another propaganda exercise this time on the part of the Russians? Is a Ukrainian invasion of the breakaway republics really a threat? What do Ukrainian politicians hope for? Is Zelensky's game as clever as it appears? Are there any negotiations going on behind closed doors? How does the sudden escalation of tensions affect Ukrainian society? This and more can be found in our two-part interview with Andrey Buzarov, who speaks to us live from Kiev.

"On the Barricades" — s03e46 #onthebarricades In 2016, Poles took to the streets to protest a total ban on abortions imposed by the Law and Justice Polish party that took power in 2015. The movement was called “The Black protest” and it was a successful way of opposing the anti-abortion legislation. Unfortunately, in 2021, the Polish Catholic fundamentalists managed to enshrine a complete ban on abortion into the Polish constitution. The unprecedented success of the conservative forces made it almost impossible to fight this legislation into the streets since it would have taken the rewriting of the Constitution to do so. By maneuvering in the Polish legal system, the conservative forces managed to impose one of the most rigid legislation against women’s reproductive rights. In Poland, abortion is forbidden even if the fetus has congenital defects. Since it was translated into law two Polish pregnant women died in the hospital because doctors waited for their unviable fetuses to die before trying to save the life of the mothers. Urszula Kuczynska is a well-known Polish feminist that has been involved in politics since recently. She shared the faith of many feminists that deviated from what was considered the “right way” for feminism and were excluded from the Razem party. We invited her on our show to discuss this type of internal fight as a symptom of feminism not being able to build solidarity and to become a mass movement. We tried to identify some of the reasons why the movement started in 2016 failed to materialize into a political force able to translate the popularity on social media into real measures that would benefit Polish women.