Jacobin Radio: Imperialism Today w/ Robert Brenner

<p>On October 8, the <a href="https://freeboris.info/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign</a> held an online conference on “Boris Kagarlitsky and the Challenges of the Left.” Although Kagarlitsky is serving a five-year sentence in a Russian penal colony, he has just published a book called <a href="https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745350288/the-long-retreat/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><em>The Long Retreat: Strategies to Reverse the Decline of the Left</em></a>. The conference addressed Kagarlitsky’s wide-ranging analysis of the left’s dilemmas in the face of multiple global crises, including the rise of right-wing authoritarianism. We will bring the whole conference to <em>Jacobin Radio</em> with a stellar lineup of international scholars and activists.</p><br /><p>Today we hear the panel “Imperialism(s) Today,” looking at the nature of imperialism historically and in the present. <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/authors/brenner-robert" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Robert Brenner</a> begins with the theory of imperialism from before WWI through the post-war period and up to the present, essentially arguing that in the present period of American hegemony, imperialism is the weapon of weaker powers. <a href="https://jacobin.com/author/ilya-matveev" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Ilya Matveev</a> follows by examining three theorists of imperialism—Lenin, Schumpeter, and Mearsheimer—and looks at the Russian case through the lens of their different theories. <a href="https://links.org.au/hanna-perekhoda-ukraine-thinking-about-solutions-we-must-least-not-mistake-causes" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Hanna Perekhoda</a>, originally from Donetsk in the contested Donbas region, examines Putin's view of Ukraine as a creation by Russia's enemies. According to Putin, Lenin's support of the self-determination of Ukraine divided Russia, preventing it from becoming a leading power in the world. For proponents of this view, Russian sovereignty is under threat so long as Ukraine exists.</p><br /><p><em>Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman</em> features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.</p>