Pants on Fire: Exposing Ruling Class Lies

Professor Norman Markowitz joins us to talk about the imperialist history behind the Israel-Palestine conflict. We discuss the dangerous escalation of violence in the region today as the US government reaffirms its unwavering strategic and military support to the right-wing Israeli regime.

Professor Markowitz is a historian and longtime member of the CPUSA, currently serving on the Peace & Solidarity Commission.

Notes:

Dr. Ofer Cassif is a member of the Communist Party of Israel and an elected member of the Knesset, Israel's parliament. He was recently suspended for 45 days for his criticism of the Israeli government. We talk about Palestinian liberation, the fight against fascism in Israel, and much more.

Alvaro joins us to discuss the latest political stunt at the US-Mexico border. The US Justice Department sued the state of Texas for installing an illegal floating barrier in the Rio Grande River in a cruel attempt to stop migrant crossings into the US. Almost 80% of the large buoys are on Mexican territory, increasing tensions between the two countries. A judge ordered Texas to move the buoys, but the US Court of Appeals stayed that decision. The case is still being deliberated by the courts, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowing to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. 

As US imperialism remains determined in its strategy of encircling China from all sides, President Biden announced his intention to travel to Vietnam in an effort to "upgrade" US-Vietnam relations. In this episode, we talk to Amiad about the core tenets of Vietnam's foreign policy, including the "Four Nos" and Bamboo Diplomacy. Unlike the US, Vietnam's foreign policy approach focuses on peace and prosperity for the Vietnamese people while never wavering in international solidarity.

Amiad is a journalist living and studying in Vietnam for over 10 years. He writes for the People's World and is an editor of the Political Theory Journal - Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

Notes:

Rossana, co-chair of CPUSA, joins us to discuss her recent visit to China to learn about the country's modernization and poverty alleviation initiatives. She had a chance to sit down with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka to talk about his experience studying in the Soviet Union in the late 80s. He discusses the differences between what he witnessed in the Soviet Union and what he's witnessing in China today.

Register for the July 29th International Conference today by visiting Red World Review: https://redworldreview.org/

Alvaro, Amiad, and Andrew from the International Department's secretariat stop by to talk about the upcoming international conference on July 29th. We discuss internationalism, anti-imperialism, and Cold War 2.0. 

The conference starts at 12pm Eastern Time on Saturday, July 29th. Visit Red World Review to register: https://redworldreview.org/

View recordings from last year's conference on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLods-eFzXUgJgSWhQCPs7OW8CN-EIsaUx

Follow us on Twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/cpusadepartment

Norman Markowitz is a historian and professor at Rutgers University. He joins us to discuss the concept of proletarian internationalism and the question of war between nations, which Marx established in the First International.

Show notes:

Chicago Tribune interview with Karl Marx that Norman mentions: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/bio/media/marx/79_01_05.htm

Norman's articles in People's World: https://www.peoplesworld.org/authors/norman-markowitz/

Emily from Beijing joins us to discuss the ongoing claim from mainstream media that China is creating "debt traps" for developing countries. Emily is a Chinese-American researcher and member of CPUSA's Peace and Solidarity Commission, and she shares her strategy to "decolonize" her brain. Those of us in the imperial core are surrounded by propaganda and anti-China hysteria. How can we dig deeper and develop Marxist analysis skills to break free from the colonial brainwash?

Show notes:

Friends of Socialist China: https://socialistchina.org/

Dongsheng News: https://dongshengnews.org/en/

In this special episode in observance of Earth Day, environmental/peace activist Len Yannielli joins us to discuss this day's true origins. Len has written numerous books about peace and the environment, and he is an active member of CPUSA.

Show notes:

Merle Ratner joins us to discuss the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) and the important work they're doing to hold the US accountable for its use of chemical weapons during the Vietnam War. The campaign is an initiative of US veterans, Vietnamese Americans, and all concerned about peace and justice. The US has a moral and legal responsibility to compensate the victims of Agent Orange, and Merle discusses the history of the campaign and what it's doing today to make sure that all victims of US imperialism are compensated.

VAORRC website: https://vn-agentorange.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SurvivingAgentOrange/