FAIR—In their book Cocaine, Death Squads and the War on Terror: US Imperialism and Class Struggle in Colombia, scholars Oliver Villar and Drew Cottle expose the whole US-backed war on drugs in Colombia for what it is: a war for the control of the drug trade and an excuse for US militarization. As Villar and Cottle write, the 1980s—heyday of Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel—“saw the consolidation of the Colombian drug trade as a source of profit for US capital via banks that were established to launder and invest drug money in legitimate US corporations.”

DW—Marouf details the Israeli military’s continued attempts to capture Ariah Hill near Nabatieh, characterizing their actions as “collective punishment” of the civilian population through heavy bombardment and the destruction of infrastructure, including historical and religious sites.
Syrian Instability (7:26 – 23:30): The conversation explores the deteriorating state of Syria, noting a total media blackout and severe humanitarian conditions. Marouf argues that the country is currently fragmented, with various areas controlled by external powers, and that the local economy has collapsed.
Regional Dynamics and the Axis of Resistance (26:43 – 41:10): The discussion analyzes the strategic posture of the Axis of Resistance. Marouf suggests that the group is increasingly unified and shifting toward a more offensive stance, particularly in light of developments in Yemen and the Persian Gulf.

RS—After Washington had orchestrated the December 2024 coup attempt in South Korea, and its plans to start a new Korean war became thwarted by the people’s resistance, Trump 2.0 came in to try tempting the DPRK with promises of fair treatment. The Trump White House’s strategy, at least at first, was to offer bribes to the corrupt officials inside countries that are partnered with China. The hope was that this would draw them into the empire’s orbit, and leave China isolated. But the DPRK is the least corrupt country, even out of all the other anti-imperialist states; so its only reply towards these manipulation attempts has been to close off any potential for becoming “friends” with the aggressor. Because pursuing “peace” with a country that only intends to advance a genocidal global blitz would only mean becoming a collaborator in this assault, and selling out your own people to the imperial blob.

GER—Colombia’s former President Gustavo Petro formally accused the USA and Israel of meddling in his country’s election to put in power new far-right leader Abelardo de la Espriella, a US citizen and Trump ally who worked as a lawyer for years in Miami, Florida, defending drug traffickers. Ben Norton explains.

MW—What could go wrong with a long war that includes shutting off a large percentage of global energy and other can’t-do-without resources—the war that Trump walked right into? Well, everything. I was just listening to Jeff Stein at Breaking Points talking about Trump’s desperation move to flood the bond market with liquidity via a massively inflationary support program. Wall Street luvs that, but as Stein put it, Trump’s war is risking the entire world economy.

DH—The West is increasing military equipment supplies to Kyiv, scaling them up, and trying to make them cheaper. The British themselves stated that they would supply Ukraine with approximately 120,000 drones by 2026. London’s direct participation in attacks on Russia should be met with a serious, not merely symbolic, response.

Rudenko proposes launching a full-scale hunt for the British instructors and technicians who have overrun the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ training grounds and command centers. At the same time, modern Onyx/Bastion anti-ship missiles and Geran rockets should be transferred to countries “fighting Western aggressors in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, which could close off shipping to the British Navy.” Another proposal is to use Russian submarines in the North Sea.