Episodes

Oct. 12, 2026

Christopher Mott & Oliver Bateman | Elections, Empire, & the Limits of American Democracy

Oliver Lee Bateman is an American journalist, sports historian, attorney, and competitive powerlifter. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Pittsburgh and works full-time as the Head of Content and Editorial at Perceptyx. Known for his extensive coverage of sports, legal history, and culture, his work has been featured in top-tier publications like The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The Ringer. He explores these topics deeply through his newsletter and podcast, available on the...
Sept. 28, 2026

The Fraud Economy: Christian Parenti on Cuba, Empire & the Deep State

Class Unity discusses political economy, the state, imperialism, and nationalism with Christian Parenti, who is a professor of economics at John Jay College and the author of many essays and books, the most recent of which is Radical Hamilton. “Cuba’s Real Crime in the Minds of American Elites,” June 18, 2026: https://covertactionmagazine.com/2026/06/18/cubas-real-crime-in-the-minds-of-american-elites/ “The great Covid reckoning: It’s essential to stopping the next pandemic,” August 28, 2026: h...
Sept. 14, 2026

Aaron Good | Imperialism, Nationalism, and the Deep State

Aaron Good earned his PhD in Political Science from Temple University. His doctoral dissertation was titled “American Exception: Hegemony and the Tripartite State,” which focused on elite criminality, US hegemony, and state structures. He has worked as a history and social science instructor (including at the George School) in the greater Philadelphia area, where he resides with his family. He also hosts the American Exception podcast. Published in 2022, Good’s book American Exception: Empire an...
Sept. 1, 2026

Oliver Lee Bateman | Politics, Marketing, and Pro Wrestling

Oliver Lee Bateman is an American journalist, sports historian, attorney, and competitive powerlifter. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Pittsburgh and works full-time as the Head of Content and Editorial at Perceptyx. Known for his extensive coverage of sports, legal history, and culture, his work has been featured in top-tier publications like The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The Ringer. He explores these topics deeply through his newsletter and podcast, available on the...
Aug. 20, 2026

Steve Keen & Michael Hudson | Iran, AI, & the Climate Crisis

Steve Keen is an Honorary Professor UCL, and Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategy Resilience & Security, University College London. Michael Hudson is an American economist who is Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and a researcher at the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College. For donations, educational courses, and membership inquiries please visit www.ClassUnity.org
Aug. 17, 2026

Michael Hudson & Steve Keen | The Federal Reserve, The Constitution, and the End US Hegemony

Steve Keen is an Honorary Professor UCL, and Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategy Resilience & Security, University College London. Michael Hudson is an American economist who is Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and a researcher at the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College. For donations, educational courses, and membership inquiries please visit http://www.ClassUnity.org
Aug. 2, 2026

Ali Alizedeh | Iran, Empire, and the New Global Order (re-upload)

Ali Alizadeh is an Iranian-British political commentator, broadcaster, and the founder of Jedaal TV, an independent internet-based media organization. Based in London, he provides commentary on international geopolitics, Middle Eastern affairs, and Iranian foreign policy. YouTube: ​⁠@jedaalenglish
May 11, 2026

Steve Hall | Crime, Finance Capitalism, and the Left

Steve Hall is Professor Emeritus of Criminology at Teeside University (UK). He writes on criminology, sociology, political economy and leftist politics. Among many other publications, is the author of The Rise of the Right (2017) and The Death of the Left (2022), which has a really interesting description: “The left is dead. Its ailments cannot be cured. The only way to resurrect what was once valuable in leftist politics is to declare the left dead and begin from the beginning again.” You can ...
March 23, 2026

David Abraham | Why Capitalism Can’t Fix This Crisis

Abraham taught German and European history at Princeton University from 1977 to 1985. After transitioning to law, he clerked for Judge Leonard Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1989 to 1990 and then worked as an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City. In 1991, he joined the faculty at the University of Miami School of Law, becoming a full Professor in 1996 and later Professor Emeritus. He has taught courses in Labor and Employment Law, Prop...
Feb. 11, 2026

L. Randall Wray | MMT, Heterodox Economics, and the Future of Economics

Prof. L. Randall Wray joined Class Unity to talk about Modern Monetary Theory, heterodox economics, and the future of economic studies. Prof. Wray is a professor of Economics at Bard College and Senior Scholar at the Levy Economics Institute. Previously, he was a professor at the University of Missouri–Kansas City in Kansas City. In this episode we are discussing his book, Macroeconomics; Author(s): William Mitchell, L. Randall Wray, Martin Watts; Red Globe Press, Macmillan International; Febr...
Feb. 9, 2026

William I. Robinson | The Epochal Crisis of Global Capitalism

We are joined by William I. Robinson for a conversation on the global implications of the recent US attack on Venezuela. The discussion will place this and other acts of US aggression within the broader crisis of world capitalism, the breakdown of the post-WWII international world order, and the emergence of a global police state. Prof. Robinson’s area of study is in macro and comparative sociology, globalization and transnationalism, political economy, political sociology, development and soci...
Jan. 26, 2026

Michael Hudson & Vijay Prashad | Hyper-Imperialism, Imperialism, and Global Politics

Welcome to another Class Unity speaker event. Today we will be joined by authors Vijay Prashad and Michael Hudson to discuss hyper-imperialism, imperialism, and the state of global politics. Michael Hudson is a professor of economics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, a researcher at the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College, and the author of many books and papers on political economy, the history of economics, economic history, finance, and imperialism. Vijay Prashad is an Indian ...
Jan. 20, 2026

Class Unity News Round Up #1

Members of class unity discuss recent events in domestic and geopolitics: Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, Denmark, Bulgaria, NATO, ICE, the Fed, Powell, Trump
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Jan. 19, 2026

Transmissions Ep. 20: Philip Cunliffe | Is Globalization Over?

Welcome to Episode 20 of Class Unity: Transmissions. For this episode, Nick is joined by Class Unity member Dave for a wide-ranging conversation with Philip Cunliffe on the question of the national interest. Cunliffe is Associate Professor of International Relations at University College London, author of The National Interest: Politics After Globalization, and co-founder and contributing editor of Aufhebunga Bunga. The discussion centers on Cunliffe’s argument that the “national interest”—long...
Jan. 5, 2026

Ingo Schmidt | Economics as Class Struggle

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Professor Ingo Schmidt for a wide-ranging discussion on economic theory and left politics. Dr. Schmidt is a Professor of Labour Studies at Athabasca University in British Columbia, Canada. His PhD research focused on trade unions and Keynesianism, and his work has placed him at the center of critical debates in political economy. Originally from Germany, Schmidt is a blacklisted economist there and has long been active in peace and international solidarity mov...
Dec. 22, 2025

Clyde W. Barrow | Marxist State Theory Today

In this episode, we are joined by political theorist Clyde W. Barrow to revisit the classic debates in Marxist state theory and to consider their renewed relevance in the present conjuncture. Barrow was a guest speaker in the CU “State Theory” course that ran earlier this year, and we thought we’d invite him back for a more detailed discussion—and to explore how these debates might help guide the left through its current impasse. The conversation begins with the Poulantzas–Miliband debate of th...
Dec. 10, 2025

Benjamin Studebaker on The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy | A Q&A with Class Unity

Benjamin Studebaker talks with Class Unity about his new book, “The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy: The Way is Shut” (2023). You can find him here: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/about/ And his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Chronic-Crisis-American-Democracy-Shut/dp/3031282094 And you can find Class Unity here: https://classunity.org Please consider donating or joining today!
Dec. 3, 2025

Vivek Chibber on The Class Matrix | A Q & A with Class Unity

Vivek Chibber discusses his latest book, “The Class Matrix” (2022), as well as the so-called “cultural turn”, with Class Unity. You can find his book here: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674245136 And you can find Class Unity here: https://classunity.org
Nov. 27, 2025

Class, Higher Education, and Consciousness | Q&A with Gary Roth

Gary Roth talks to Class Unity about class, higher education, and consciousness. Gary teaches Sociology at Rutgers University. He is the author of “The Educated Underclass” (Pluto, 2019) and “Marxism in a Lost Century: A Biography of Paul Mattick” (Brill/Haymarket Books, 2015). For a sample of his work, see his essay “The Overproduction of Intelligence” at the Brooklyn Rail (https://brooklynrail.org/2015/10/field-notes/the-overproduction-of-intelligence-the-reshaping-of-social-classes-in-the-un...
Nov. 20, 2025

The Return of Inflation with Paul Mattick Jr. | A Q & A with Class Unity

Paul Mattick Jr. talks with Class Unity about his new book, “The Return of Inflation” (2023), about money, capital, capitalism, class, politics, and inflation. See the following interview for details about his latest book: https://brooklynrail.org/2024/02/field-notes/Understanding-Inflation-Friends-of-the-Classless-Society-speak-with-Paul-Mattick
Nov. 13, 2025

Sarah Knuth on “Rentiers and the Green Economy”

Sarah Knuth talks to Class Unity about rentiers, the political economy of green energy, neoliberalism, and capitalism. You can find her essay here: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1215052 And here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/current/thought-leadership/renewable-energy-us-tax-credits-for-wind-and-solar-mostly-benefit-big-banks/ Check out our website at: https://classunity.org
Nov. 6, 2025

Thomas Fazi on the European Union and the Contemporary Left

Thomas Fazi talks with Class Unity about the politics and economics as well as the problems of the European Union and issues with the contemporary left. He is the author of: “The Covid Consensus: The Global Assault on Democracy and the Poor: A Critique from the Left”, with Toby Green. Hurst. (2023) “Reclaiming the State: A Progressive Vision of Sovereignty for a Post-Neoliberal World”. Pluto. (2017) “The Battle for Europe: How an Elite Hijacked a Continent and How we Can Take it Back”. Pluto. ...
Nov. 3, 2025

Woke Imperium: How the U.S. Uses Social Justice to Sell Empire | Christopher Mott

In this episode, we discuss geopolitics and the emerging age of multipolarity with Dr. Christopher Mott, Research Fellow at the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy. Dr. Mott is an international relations scholar specializing in historical geopolitics, grand strategy, and the intersection of defensive realism and sovereignty in an increasingly multipolar world. Previously, he served as a fellow at Defense Priorities in Washington, D.C., and as a researcher at the U.S. Department of State. He holds a...
Oct. 30, 2025

Steve Keen on the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-8 | A Teach-in for Class Unity

Prof. Steve Keen talks with Class Unity about the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-8, the problems with mainstream understandings of it, and the contemporary situation. He is the author of: The New Economics. A manifesto. Polity. (2021) Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis? Polity. (2017) Developing an economics for the post-crisis world. World Economics Association and College Publications. (2015) Debunking Economics. Zed Books. (2011) Check out: Debunking Economics Podcast: with Phil Dobbie ...