The Socialist Program

Brian Becker and Kemal Okuyan -- the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) -- discuss Turkey's role in Syria, Turkish President Erdogan's aspirations for a neo-Ottoman era, and the dynamics of a changing Middle East region.

Here is a link to the TKP statement mentioned in this show, on the fall of the Assad government in Syria: https://www.tkp.org.tr/en/agenda/tkp-cc-statement-following-the-success-of-the-imperialist-plan-for-disintegration-of-syria-we-will-win-our-country-not-lose-it/

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

Cuba and Venezuela are in the crosshairs of the new Trump administration, and Trump has already put Cuba back on the heavily sanctioned state sponsor of terrorism list without reason. With declarations of a “Monroe Doctrine 2.0” and threats to seize the Panama Canal, the sovereignty of all of Latin America is at stake.

Brian is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, the executive director of The People’s Forum in New York, to discuss the tactics used in this hybrid war by U.S. imperialism against the country, which possesses the largest oil reserves in the world.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

On today's episode Nicole Roussell and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss Trump and the billionaires' priorities and plans now that Trump is in the White House.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

On this patrons-only episode, Brian & Layan discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and why Netanyahu was finally forced to sign the agreement.

Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.

This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content including live Q&A seminars with Brian Becker, and help keep this show on the air.

A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel has been announced in Qatar. The Israeli cabinet is expected to formally approve the agreement Thursday morning. What does this mean for Palestine, the region, and the world?

Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer, popular educator, and the Education Director at The People’s Forum.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

On today's episode, Brian and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the mass fires engulfing many Los Angeles neighborhoods, killing 24 already and displacing over 100,000 people. As politicians and the media start to point fingers and find scapegoats to blame, Brian and Richard uncover the real culprit: capitalism and the profit motive.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

Trump previewed his priorities in a press conference this week, saying he would consider military force to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland, declare the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America,’ and that “all hell will break out” if the Israeli hostages are not returned by the day he takes office on January 20, 2025.

Brian Becker and Eugene Puryear discuss the real priorities and policies to expect from the incoming government of billionaires.

Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, an author and political organizer, and co-host of The Freedom Side LIVE, a live video show every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern on BreakThrough News.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

2024 confirmed that there are three intersecting crises shaping world politics and shaking the capitalist system. Brian reviews how the Gaza genocide, and the mass movement in response to it, became the dominant geopolitical issue, and explains what he thinks is coming next.

This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content including live Q&A seminars with Brian Becker, and help keep this show on the air.

Peter Mertens, Secretary General of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PVDA-PTB) sits for a wide-ranging interview with Brian Becker, longtime socialist organizer and founding member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. 

They discuss everything from Europe’s economic and political crisis, the window of opportunity for socialism, the U.S.’s goal of encircling China, to how the PYB renewed itself as a mass force in Belgian politics by changing its internal culture and digging deeper roots into the working class. The interview is full of lessons and insights from the movement in Europe and the United States.

Mertens is a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2019, and as a Municipal Councillor in Antwerp since 2013.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

On this patrons-only episode, Brian & Layan discuss Trump‘s plans for NATO, Trump‘s threat to reconquer Panama, U.S. economic warfare against China, the U.S. bombing of Syria and Yemen—which continues—and who’s who in the Trump billionaire cabinet.

Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.

This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content including live Q&A seminars with Brian Becker, and help keep this show on the air.