Episode #39: The Rojava Revolution, Part II

Categories:

cdn.crimethinc.com/assets/articles/2015/07/29/1b1.jpg

#39: The Rojava Revolution, Part II - In the latest episode of the Ex-Worker, we continue our discussion of the unfolding social revolution in the autonomous Kurdish territories of Rojava. Building on our coverage in Episode 36, we share two interviews themed around international solidarity with the struggle for autonomy and the fight against ISIS. In the first, a member of Rojava Solidarity NYC, the group of American anarchists that produced the book “A Small Key Can Open a Large Door”, discusses democratic confederalism and the council system in the cantons, compares and contrasts the Zapatista uprising with the Rojava revolution, and describes the solidarity projects they’ve undertaken and what’s at stake for anarchists in our response to the events in Kurdistan. In the second, a member of the Turkish anarchist group Social Insurrection discusses his experience fighting with the United Freedom Forces militia. We address some critiques of the revolutionary structures in Rojava as well as our coverage of them and trace the emergence of international solidarity brigades. A member of Antifa International announces the formation of an International Anti-fascist Defense Fund, and we share info about several recently released anarchist publications. Our discussion of the news takes on Obama’s sudden transformation into a prison reform advocate, indigenous resistance to profiteering off alcoholism, and the outing of a corporate infiltrator into the animal rights movement, while our indignant coverage of Syriza’s entirely predictable betrayal of Greek social movements in their EU bailout austerity proposal concludes with a helpful diagnosis of “The Five Stages of Leftism”.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com. You can also call us 24 hours a day at 202–59-NOWRK, that is, 202–596–6975.