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
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