The Forum

Jacobin founder and Nation magazine president Bhaskar Sunkara joins The Forum to make
the case for a socialism that can actually win elections and run cities. We cover the
DSA's growth past 100,000 members, what makes Zohran Mamdani's messaging distinct from
performative leftism, why the Teamsters' pivot toward Trump says more about Biden-era
politics than it does about workers, and whether AI displacement is a threat to the
labor movement or just the next chapter in a much older argument about who captures the
gains from productivity. Sunkara also traces "the American socialist" back further than
most people assume in modern history, through abolition, the New Deal, and civil rights, and makes the case that pessimism about the left's track record is itself a political problem.

This interview was recorded on February 23, 2026.

Hosted and produced by Lutfi Hakim Ariff
Co-hosted with Zahir Quader and Eli Seo.

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In this episode of UC3P’s The Forum, we speak with Brigadier General Zaiham Ab Halim of the Royal Malaysian Army about navigating the gap between military budget expectations and operational realities.

Gen. Zaiham underscores the importance of understanding local socio‑political and security contexts to strengthen civil–military relations.

Hosts: Lutfi Hakim Ariff, MPP'26, Azri Asyraf, MPP'24
Produced by: Lutfi Hakim Ariff
Edited by: Lutfi Hakim Ariff, Zahir Quader



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Joe Holberg, the first confirmed candidate for the next mayoral race for the city of Chicago, has graciously offered his time to discuss his experiences living in Chicago and what he feels should be the next steps taken to improve the city.


Host: Ben Huynh
Guest: Joe Holberg
Produced by Ben Huynh
Edited by Zahir Quader 

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Hey everyone! It's the New Executive Board! Cool dudes and dudettes introducing themselves and what we hope to accomplish in this organization rebirth! Get excited about a new era of podcasting and fun new episodes! Enjoy, hope you have fun and get excited to for what is to come!

Hosts: The UC3P Board (Gayatri, Lutfi, Ben, Aby, Zahir, Alec, Eunice)
Produced by Gayatri Sreeram
Edited by Zahir Quader and Lutfi Hakim Ariff



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Join us for an insightful discussion with Surya Hardiansyah (MPP ’25), author of the Asian Policy Forum’s (APF) Silk Journal article, "Steering the Future South China Sea Geopolitical Dynamics from Past Perspectives." We delve into his analysis of the growing diplomatic and green investment cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam, set against the backdrop of complex and often competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Read the full article in the APF Silk Journal: https://sites.google.com/view/asian-policy-forum-uchicago/apfs-silk-journal/silk-journal-08

Presenters: Ben Huynh, Prarthna Iyer
Producer: Lutfi Hakim Ariff

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On this episode of The Forum, we welcome athor and Executive Director of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Writing Program David Chrisinger for a discussion of his new book, "The Soldier's Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II". The conversation covers David's process writing the book, the state of current military media, and defense department accountability, and the recent War Horse Symposium.

This episode is published in cooperation with the Chicago Policy Review. For more information about CPR, you can find their website here: https://chicagopolicyreview.org/

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Charlie Lowe, Publisher of UC3P, is joined in the studio by his long-time friend and political communications expert Justin Giorgio to discuss the first round of Chicago's Mayoral election. Delving deep into the political intricacies of the race, they analyze the strategies, successes, and failures of the mayoral candidates from round one and preview the matchup between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson in April's runoff.

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On this episode of The Forum, we welcome the Democracy Fund's Senior Director of Governance Rudy Mehrbani in the studio for a discussion of government accountability and effectiveness. The conversation covers a series of topics including Rudy's experience in the Obama White House and his views on government personnel. Rudy provides critical insights into increasing government effectiveness and transparency in service of the American people.

This episode is published in cooperation with the Chicago Policy Review and the Center for Effective Government at UChicago.

Show Links:

Democracy Fund: https://democracyfund.org/

Chicago Policy Review: https://chicagopolicyreview.org/

Center for Effective Government at the University of Chicago: https://effectivegov.uchicago.edu/

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On this episode of The Forum, we welcome Liz Hempowicz, the Project on Government Oversight's (POGO) Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs, in studio for a conversation with Harris Student Graham Harwood. The conversation covers a wide range of topics surrounding making government work better for the American people including inspectors general, oversight reform, and transparency. This episode is published in cooperation with the Chicago Policy Review and the Center for Effective Government at UChicago.

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Hosts Zareen Hussein and Charlie Lowe interview human rights lawyer and professor, Dr. Teng Biao. Professor Biao provides an expert understanding of the current situation regarding the Uyghurs in Western China/Xinjiang, its significance from a policy level, and his personal experience facing persecution and imprisonment by the Chinese government.

Production assistance from Reema Saleh.

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Twitter/X: @TheUC3P