In this episode, we sit down with James Stout, a conflict reporter and author of Against the State: Anarchists and Comrades at War in Spain, Myanmar, and Rojava, to talk about solidarity, journalism, and what it means to document struggle without reproducing the logic of the state.

We begin with solidarity with Sudan and trace James’s path from growing up rural to finding anarchism and becoming a conflict reporter. From Venezuela to the Darién Gap, we explore what it looks like to practice kindness in conflict zones and why mainstream media so often misses the role of love, care, and mutual aid in struggle.

The conversation moves through communes, gardens, and the small everyday ways people resist, before digging into solidarity journalism and rejecting the myth of objectivity.

From there, we get into the core ideas behind his book, including lessons from Myanmar’s decentralized resistance, debates around anarchist military formations, and what history teaches us from Spain to today. We unpack questions of violence, accountability, dual power, alongside reflections on internationalism and unity under pressure.

We close with advice for ethical journalists, thoughts on revolutionary strategy, and a reminder that even in the harshest conditions, kindness and solidarity remain central to building a different world.

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Read more of James Stout's work....

📚Against The State By James Stout

patreon.com/Jamesstout

jamesstout.net

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01:00 Meet James Stout

02:10 Growing Up Rural

04:32 Finding Anarchism

11:54 Kindness in Conflict Zones

14:38 Venezuela Lessons

19:31 Communes and Gardens

23:23 Small Ways of Saying No

27:53 Solidarity Journalism

34:28 Rejecting Objectivity Myths

36:58 Darien Gap Reporting

37:44 Solidarity In The Darien

38:30 Why Media Misses Love

40:24 Becoming A Conflict Reporter

41:54 Decolonizing Outdoor Journalism

43:47 Cool Zone Origin Story

44:48 Myanmar 3D Printed Revolution

46:55 Editors Miss The Context

48:43 Podcasting Into Mutual Aid

53:37 What The Book Covers

53:51 Gen Z Army Consensus

56:48 Against The State Explained

01:02:44 Tech Mill And Critique

01:12:51 Internationalism And Unity

01:14:18 No Monopoly on Violence

01:15:43 Revolution Under Pressure

01:18:29 Mushroom Organizing and Dual Power

01:22:22 Why Anarcho Syndicalism Declined

01:27:08 Spain Timing and Counterfactuals

01:30:16 Afterlives of the Revolution

01:35:49 Accountable Armed Formations

01:39:21 Advice for Ethical Journalists

01:42:19 Anarchist Military Innovations

01:47:22 Closing Kindness and Where to Find

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Mentioned Media:

BOOKS 

📚Against The State By James Stout

Support independent bookstores by purchasing with our affiliate link on through Bookshop.org.

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