Jacobin Radio

The seventh episode in a series on the history of Indonesia: a hinge in the world system where colonialism and revolution have decisively shaped the trajectory of global history. This penultimate installment analyses the 1998 fall of Suharto and his New Order dictatorship. Basic political freedoms were established but the transition to democracy never included a transition away from oligarchy. And it happened in the absence of a mass organized left — a left that had been destroyed through the mass anti-communist killings of 1965 and ’66. We also trace the arc of three conflicts on Indonesia’s colonial periphery that have decisively shaped its recent history: West Papua, East Timor, and Aceh.

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The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

In another installment of The People’s Game on Jacobin Radio, co-hosts Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa speak with eminent sports historian David Goldblatt, who lays out all the ways in which, despite the corruption and controversy surrounding FIFA’s oligarchic nature and Trump’s bumbling attempt to put his thumb on the scale, the World Cup — and the game itself — will always belong to the people.

Josh Pechtalt, a longtime union activist in Los Angeles, also joins us live on air to talk about America’s previous pastime, baseball, and a campaign urging the champion Dodgers to reject Trump’s invitation to the White House.

Finally, we speak to comedian Ron Placone about the surreal and sometimes hilarious contradictions surrounding this year’s World Cup in Trump’s America.

Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Hettie O’Brien, author of The Asset Class, on the private equity racket — who they are, what they do.

Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

On July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille in Paris marked the transition of the French Revolution from an elite negotiation into a truly mass event. But what kicked off this insurgency and what does it have to do with left politics?

On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the radical origins of Bastille Day, examine the class politics of the French revolutionaries, and challenge the old Marxist notion of a bourgeois revolution.

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Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

On Jacobin Radio, the team behind the People’s Game podcast continue their unique coverage of the 2026 World Cup, analyzing the men’s football games on the field as well as the political, social and economic subtexts of the world’s most popular sporting event.

Guest hosts Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa are joined by Laurent Dubois, a professor of history at the University of Virginia. Laurent has two bodies of work of equal importance to the People’s Game: one on the history and culture of the Atlantic world, focusing on the Caribbean, Haiti, North America, and France, the second on fútbol, with a focus on the game in Africa, France, and the African diaspora. Laurent sings the praises of the French national team, who remain the favorites to win the tournament, celebrates a strong showing by Haiti, marvels at the brilliance of African diasporic players on countless teams, and explains why African soccer has developed so spectacularly in recent decades.

Then we’re joined by Hartzell Gray, a DSA- and PDA-endorsed candidate for Congress and Missouri’s 4th District. Until recently, Hartzell was the voice of Kansas City’s Major League Soccer team. He shares his thoughts about late capitalism’s greatest spectacle coming to his hometown — including the harrowing ICE raids across the Kansas City metropolitan area that coincided with the tournament.

Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.