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On Georgia's pivotal elections and its post-Soviet history.
[Full episode only for patrons]
Hans Gutbrod, who has been working in the Caucasus region since 1999 and now teaches at Ilia State University in Tblisi, talks to Alex about Georgia's choice between the EU and Russia. We discuss:
Who is Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose wealth is equal to 1/4 of GDP?
What is the ruling Georgian Dream's pitch to voters, and how has it turned 'rightward'?
Did Georgia witness the end of history, or merely the de-development of the post-Soviet years?
How has civil society become dominated by NGOs, and is this a problem?
Can Georgia flourish in a multipolar world, acting as an entrepôt between East and West?
Links:
In Georgia, a National Election Is a Geopolitical Struggle, Bryan Gigantino, Jacobin
Telling Time the New Way: 17 Years of Reform, Hans Gutbrod, Civil Georgia
Macbeth in the Caucasus: Omnipotence and Loneliness - Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream, Hans Gutbrod (PDF)
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On the US election, messaging and learning stupid lessons.
[Full episode only at Patreon]
We welcome Amber A'Lee Frost (California via Indiana and New York) and Ryan Zickgraf (Pennsylvania via Illinois and Georgia) to preview the US election. We discuss:
Why the campaigns have been so focused on micro-targeting demographics
Whether Russians or Brits are illegitimately swinging the election
How the Democrats have gone back to being smug
Why it feels like Pennsylvania is the only state voting (and not even there!)
Whether the US is going back to a pre-2016 period
How each side will react if they lose
Damage Magazine will hold a launch of its third print issue, "Mothers," in NYC on 23 November at 4-6pm at MoMA’s PS 1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens 11101. Catherine Liu will be in conversation with Dustin Guastella on the question of the family.
Links:
The Battleground State that Isn't, Ryan Zickgraf, Compact
The Gospel According to Elon Musk, Ryan Zickgraf, Compact
To win, Harris should talk more about working-class needs and less about Trump, Dustin Guastella, The Guardian
Obviousness, Scorn, and Losing Ground, Benjamin Fife, Damage
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On egg-freezing, 'having it all', and neoliberal liberty.
[Patreon Exclusive]
We welcome Damage editor and practicing psychologist Amber Trotter on to talk about "Frozen Freedom", Amber's piece on artificial reproductive technology and different kinds of freedom. Alex and George ask her about:
How empowering is female emancipation from biological limitations and compulsions?
Can women now "have it all"?
Do men feel the contradictions of this type of freedom too?
Is a proliferation of individual choice making us all neurotic?
The childhood fantasy of adulthood is of omnipotence – where did it come from?
What is the relationship between commitment, responsibility, collectivity, the individual, and freedom?
Links:
"Frozen Freedom", Amber Trotter – Damage issue #3
/440/ Dear Tradmother, Why Are You Sad? ft. Amber A'Lee Frost
/210/ Reading Club: Psychoanalysis & Spirit of Capitalism
/235/ Reading Club: Freedom – on mortality & freedom
Anti-Social Socialism Club, Dustin Guastella, Damage
Damage issue #3 launch event in NYC: Saturday 23 November, MoMA PS 1 Bookstore
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On the left-wing case for freedom.
Regular contributor Alex Gourevitch is back on to talk about how the Democrats are approaching the US presidential election. Alex talks us through an influential and widely-read article that he wrote in 2020 with Corey Robin on how the left needed to reclaim freedom as its own.
We discuss:
Why is the left suddenly talking about freedom?
When did it abandon freedom in favour of human rights, welfare, or identity?
What are the consequences of leaving "freedom" to the libertarians and oligarchs?
How would one critique what the Democrats are doing today from this perspective?
Plus: we hear about Alex’s debate with Tyler Cowen on whether capitalism is defensible.
Links:
Gaining freedom by escaping the unfreedom of the workplace - PNHP
Freedom Now, Alex Gourevitch & Corey Robin, Polity: Vol 52, No 3
The US presidential race will be fought over competing definitions of ‘freedom’, Eric Foner, The Guardian
The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner
/298/ Working For Freedom ft. Alex Gourevitch
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On Israel's invasion of Lebanon and beyond.
Karl Sharro (Lebanese-Iraqi architect and satirist @KarlreMarks) and Iranian writer and historian Arash Azizi join us to discuss war in the Middle East. We ask:
Is Israel finally waging the great war that will rid it of all enemies?
Does Israel have any real plan? What motivates its actions in Gaza and Lebanon?
What is the impact on Hezbollah of losing its leadership layers?
How will Iran respond and what is the balance between moderates and hardliners there?
If Hezbollah is severely weakened, what happens to the Lebanese state?
What should we make of the global culture war around Israel, Palestine and the rest
Links
Lebanon in the heart of the storm, Akram Belkaïd, Monde Diplo
Israel is not ‘saving western civilisation’. Nor is Hamas leading ‘the resistance’, Kenan Malik, The Guardian
Iran Is Not Ready for War With Israel, Arash Azizi, The Atlantic
/225/ Wokeistan & Lebanonworld ft. Karl Sharro
/141/ Oh Lebanon, What Now? ft. Rima Majed
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On Nations & Nationalism since 1870.
[Patreon Exclusive]
We start by dealing with your questions regarding last month's RC, on Stalin, Zhukhov and WWII.
Then we read and discuss Eric Hobsbawm's classic work in which he emphasises that nations are exclusively modern constructions. We discuss:
How succulent Hobsbawm's account is
Whether he was wrong about globalisation eclipsing nationalism – and why he argued this
Whether the revolutionary-democratic aspects of nationalism can be rescued from its later ethnic-particularist elements
What the relationship is between citizenship, patriotism and nationalism
How nationalism intersected with revolution - and fascism
And whether the nation is any more solid an exit from our political vacuum than whatever other postmodern BS
Links:
Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality, Eric Hobsbawm
Film: Eric Hobsbawm: The Consolations of History, LRB
Some reflections on 'The Break-up of Britain', Eric Hobsbawm, New Left Review (pdf)
/421/ Who Are the Wrong Ukrainians? ft. Volodymyr Ishchenko
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On France's permacrisis.
[Patreon Exclusive]
French sociologist Nathan Sperber talks to George and Alex about his new essay in the New Left Review, "The French Crisis: Organic or Conjunctural". We catch up with what has happened in France since Macron gambled and called impromptu elections in the summer. We discuss:
Why does France always seem to be more in crisis than its neighbours?
How has France ended up with hollow "leaderist" parties?
Is Macron a true neoliberal or a reactive emergency politician?
Did the left-wing France Insoumise miss its shot?
How inevitable is a Le Pen government, and will it be co-opted by the French bureaucracy?
What's the difference between an organic and a conjunctural crisis – and which one is France in?
Readings:
The French Crisis: Organic or Conjunctural?, Nathan Sperber, New Left Review (pdf attached)An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci: His Life, Thought and Legacy, George Hoare & Nathan Sperber, Bloomsbury (Feb 2025) -
On liberal takes on the end of the End of History.
[Patreon Exclusive]
We start by discussing Yasha Mounk's dismissal of an end to the End of History. Does he underestimate liberal democracy's inability to legitimise itself anymore? Is the talk of populism a way of deflecting from liberalism's undoing?
We then deal with your comments and questions [for patrons only, subscribe at patreon.com/bungacast]
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On tradwives, influencers, and boys.
[Patreon Exclusive]
Amber is back on the pod, talking to Alex and George about her forthcoming piece on neo-traditionalism and women, in Damage issue 3, which will be on Mothers. We discuss:
What are the models of 'tradwives' out there?
If homemakers make homes, do tradwives make content?
Does the tradwife phenomenon speak to sense of exhaustion with being a neoliberal girlboss?
When does internet crap start being real? Do influencers actually influence?
What is the political upshot of all this?
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On "eco-modernism".
Ted Nordhaus, co-founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, talks to Leigh and Alex the 20th anniversary of "The Death of Environmentalism" and the 10th anniversary of "The Ecomodernist Manifesto". We discuss:
The fundamental philosophical differences between "building-out" and "restraint".
Whether industrial policy like the Inflation Reduction Act is in line with the ecomodern approach
Why environmentalism differs in the US versus Western Europe
Why modernisation gets lost in discussions on the environment
What techno-optimism and what techno-fixes are
What the Abundance Agenda is
Links:
The Death of Environmentalism, Breakthrough Institute
An ECOMODERNIST MANIFESTO
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On the US culture wars, then and now.
Historian Andrew Hartman, author of A War for the Soul of America, talks to Alex about how US Americans have been sorted into cultural camps over the past fifty years. We discuss:
Who started it? And who perpetuates it?
What is the "culture" in the culture war? And is it a war, or a series of skirmishes?
Is there something particularly American about culture wars?
The culture wars have followed the breakup of liberalism – so, what comes next?
Do culture wars necessarily presuppose identity politics?
Links:
A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars, Andrew Hartman, UC Press
The Culture Wars are Dead, Andrew Hartman, The Baffler
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On disinformation, misinformation and the popular will.
Holly Jean Buck, Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, joins us to talk about her recent pieces arguing that the climate movement's focus on disinformation is misguided. We discuss:
What is disinformation and misinformation in the climate context?
Are there parallels to be drawn with anti-disinfo campaigns on vaccines during the pandemic?
How is the deterioration in trust in elites and scientific institutions to be responded to?
What do Holly's focus groups tell her about popular views on climate politics?
Does the return to industrial policy mean we should focus on "people who know how to make and run stuff"?
And what is solar radiation management, carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide removal, and related technologies?
Links:
Obsessing Over Climate Disinformation Is a Wrong Turn, Holly Jean Buck, Jacobin
A Climate Disinformation Focus Takes Us the Wrong Way, Holly Jean Buck, Jacobin
Of Course "Misinformation" Isn’t the Cause of Climate Change, Alex Tremblath, Breakthrough Institute
Books:
After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration, Holly Jean Buck, Verso
Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero is Not Enough, Holly Jean Buck, Verso
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On corruption, charisma, populism & assassination in Slovakia.
Slovak sociologist Dominik Zelinksy joins us to discuss Slovakia's positioning between East and West. We discuss:
Why was Prime Minister Robert Fico a target of an assassination attempt?
Whether Fico – not a zany outsider but a competent insider – is a "populist"
Why Slovaks are not so anti-Russian, and why they are sceptical of NATO
How has anti-corruption politics played a role
What is "charismatic mimicry" and why have Western leaders aped Ukraine's Zelenskyy?
Links:
Slovakia's election: "more than a fight between democracy and autocracy", Dominik Zelinsky, LeftEast
Assassination Attempt Prompts Soul-Searching in Slovakia, Jakub Bokes, Jacobin
Slovakia’s Election Result Is About Declining Living Standards, Not Just Ukraine, Jakub Bokes, Jacobin
Charismatic Mimicry: Innovation and Imitation in the Case of Volodymyr Zelensky, Paul Joosse & Dominik Zelinsky, Sociological Theory. Thread on Twitter/X about the article
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On the electricity grid and the institutions involved.
[Episode originally released only to subscribers on 20 June 2024. Join us at patreon.com/bungacast]
Fred Stafford, a STEM professional, a writer on energy and power, and an editor at Damage, talks to Alex and regular contributor Leigh Phillips about the utility of utilities and his recent essay in the second print issue of Damage, "Deinstitutionalized"./
What actually is a utility: is it a question of ownership, structure, purpose..?
How did the 70s energy crisis, neoliberal economics, and environmentalism create a perfect storm that broke up regulated utilities?
How does the regulatory regime on energy in the US actually work?
Why have environmentalists been so keen to line up with neoliberal deregulation and to attack utilities – in Europe as well as the US?
Why should the left think about a restoration of the investor-owned utility model, and not just jump straight to public ownership?
Links:
The Utility of Utilities, Fred Stafford & Matt Huber, Damage
Big Public Power from the Atom, Matt Huber & Fred Stafford, Damage
Power Loss: The Origins of Deregulation and Restructuring in the American Electric Utility System, Richard F Hirsch
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On Geoffrey Roberts’ 2013 biography of Field Marshal Zhukov.
[Patreon Exclusive]
Who was the Soviet general and architect of Soviet victory on the Eastern Front during the Second World War? We discuss:
What does Zhukov’s life tell us about modern warfare?
What can we learn about the life and fate of the Soviet regime?
How should we view the Ukraine war and renewed geopolitical rivalry between the West and Russia today?
What are the popular perceptions and folk memories of world war?
Links:
Stalin's General: The Life of Georgy Zhukov, Geoffrey Roberts
Saving Private Ivan, Mike Davis, The Guardian
Negotiate Now, or Capitulate Later: Ten Incentives for Ukraine to Make Peace with Russia, Geoffrey Roberts, Brave New Europe
Putin’s Trump Card: Ukrainian Membership of NATO, Geoffrey Roberts, Brave New Europe
‘Now or Never’: The Immediate Origins of Putin’s Preventative War on Ukraine, Geoffrey Roberts, Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
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On the NGO-isation of the state.
[Patreon Exclusive]
Researchers and writers Matthew Thompson and Jonny Gordon-Farleigh join us to discuss their recent Damage article with George Hoare.
Civil society was once occupied by popular forces that could function as a bulwark against both capitalist marketization and state authoritarianism. Today, it has been colonized by the NGO, which, in turn, colonizes our hollowed-out politics. We ask:
What are 'private NGOs', and what are quangos?
How has 'projectification' taken over?
What does the NGOisation of society mean? How does this kill public accountability?
What are concrete examples of this process?
What comes next? Any possibility for resurrecting things like Working Men’s Clubs?
Links:
Bodiless Bodies: The Rise of Para-Institutions, George, Matt & Jonny, Damage
Reconstructing Public Housing: Liverpool’s hidden history of collective alternatives, Matthew Thompson
The NGOization of the West, George Hoare, Café american
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On your questions & criticisms.
[Patreon Exclusive]
We respond with comments on episodes 420 to 432 and various other points you wanted to us to discuss. In this episode:
Does our politics lack self-critique?
When did the breakdown of the UK's political system begin?
How hegemonic is "settler" discourse?
Will there be a coup in France?
Do we need more analysis of the PMC?
How did victimhood become a means for the expression of political demands?
Links:
The Making of a New Political Subject, George Hoare, Café americain
Vulnerability as Ideology, Peter Ramsay, The Northern Star
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On Naomi Klein & Naomi Wolf and "political diagonalism"
Episode in association with Damage magazine. Patreon Exclusive.
Ben Burgis talks to Alex and George about his review in Damage of Naomi Klein's Doppelgangers. We discuss:
Whether Naomi Klein is representative of the average left-wing position this century
What Klein's trajectory and that of Naomi Wolf tell us about contemporary politics
What is "pipiking" – Philip Roth's term for making everything a farce?
What role do conspiracy theories play for the Right today? For the Left?
What's wrong with the idea of "settlers" and "indigenous", and how does it play out with regard to Jews and to Native Americans?
Are we right to hold up “proper left” and “proper right” as ideals to which the ideological confusion of our times should return?
Links:
Left Identitarianism Is Also A Mirror World, Ben Burgis, Damage
Ben Burgis' columns at Jacobin
What comes after wokeness?, Alex Hochuli, Substack
The Making of a New Political Subject, George Hoare, Café american
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On the structure of the Chinese state and its external relations.
[Patreon Exclusive: for the full episode, go to patreon.com/bungacast]
We welcome back Lee Jones and Shahar Hameiri to reflect on the outcome of the recent plenum of the Chinese Communist Party and to ask who, if anyone beyond Xi Jinping, is calling the shots.
How will the CCP respond to the US election?
Why is China not a monolithic, integrated state in the way some think?
How important is the the Sino-Russian alliance? Does it matter more to Russia or to China?
What happened to "wolf-warrior diplomacy"? Is it still a thing?
What's going on economically with the property bubble, and with Chinese manufacturing over-capacity?
Should we be worried about WWIII over Taiwan or the South China Sea?
Links:
China’s plenum must offer action not rote slogans, Financial Times
Views of China and Xi Jinping in 35 countries, Pew Research Centre
Fractured China: How State Transformation is Shaping China’s Rise, Lee Jones & Shahar Hameiri
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On the tourist city, the tourist industry, and its critics.
Renowned Italian journalist Marco d'Eramo joins us to talk about his wide-ranging inquiry into the age of tourism, The World in a Selfie. We also discuss how migration is the obverse of tourism, and take a look at Marco's most recent book, Masters, on the neoliberal revolution from above.
Why is hating tourists the main characteristic of being a tourist? Why is the tourist/traveller dichotomy a false one?
What is the threshold for a city becoming a place that exists primarily for tourists?
How should we understand tourism economically, and why is the tourist city a mono-industry?
Is the "authentic" travel experience ever possible?
Why do critiques of tourism so often slide into snobbery or outright class contempt?
How is the city changing under the impact not just of "over-tourism" but rising rents, exclusions, and remote working?
Links:
The World in a Selfie: An Inquiry into the Tourist Age, Marco d'Eramo, Verso
Masters: The Invisible War of the Powerful Against Their Subjects, Marco d'Eramo, Wiley
Barbed Wire, Marco D'Eramo, Sidecar
The cost of Europe’s backlash against tourists, Barney Jopson, Financial Times
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