In a biographical interview, Matt tells the story of how he became a left-fielder for the Uzbek and Russian baseball teams and wound up as a journalist for Rolling Stone and a best selling author. Matt Taibbi on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay.
The recent protests in Russia were more about the failed economic policies of Putin than support for Navalny, whose program may be even worse than Putin’s. The West loves Navalny because they think he will open Russia to U.S. finance capital. From Moscow, Prof. Alexander Buzgalin joins theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced December 23, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. After the fall of the Soviet Union, a dysfunctional and pro-American Russian President Yeltsin presided over the chaos of the 1990s; when Putin came to power, the West was very disappointed at the independent and nationalist character of the Putin led state and the demonization began.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced December 18, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. Trump’s stated aim is to reduce tensions with Russia, but is it motivated by peaceful objectives or is it preparations for aggression towards Iran and China – Stephen Cohen joins host Paul Jay for a spirited discussion.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 6, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. “I realized it wasn’t the Soviet Union that was the great danger, it was the potential of nuclear war, and it’s still the case today” – says Stephen Cohen.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced April 29, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. Prof. Stephen Cohen was a professor emeritus of politics at Princeton University and of Russian studies and history at New York University. In his book titled ‘War with Russia? From Putin and Ukraine to Trump and Russiagate’; Cohen discusses the forces that shaped his political thinking.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced April 16, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. “The claim that Russia attacked America during the 2016 presidential election is both exceedingly dangerous and a complete falsehood,” says Stephen Cohen.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the conditions for socialism did not exist in the 1920s but now they do, but there will be many zigs and zags getting there – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 29, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says Russian oligarchs find an oil-based economy too profitable to consider transitioning away from it – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 27, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the West doesn’t like Putin defying the American world order, but this does not make Russia a progressive country – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 25, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says under the slogans liberal democracy and market capitalism was delivered chaos and crime; Putin stands for traditional Russian values and culture, social order and making Russia great again – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 23, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says while Putin heads a powerful state, this is not a system of one man rule; more than 100 billionaires and a stratum of top bureaucrats have political power – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 22, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says after the chaotic ‘90s, the Russian oligarchs needed a stronger central state to defend their class interests, but Putin’s individual power should not be exaggerated – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 20, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the collapse of the Soviet Union was followed by the rise of billionaire oligarchs as the “free market” led to the impoverishment of the people – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 19, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says that he returned from a vacation in the countryside to find Gorbachev was arrested, Yeltsin was leader and the Soviet Union was no more – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 16, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says that many Communist Party leaders supported Gorbachev’s perestroika reforms, but what they really wanted, was to drop restrictions on accumulating great wealth – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 15, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says that “market fetishism”, the hunger for commodities, became a major obstacle to building socialism – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 13, 2018.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the threat of European fascism propelled the militarization and bureaucratization of the USSR. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 12, 2018.
In this segment of Reality Asserts Itself, Paul Jay and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern discuss the relationship between seeking to be the world’s single superpower and the resulting blowback and need to suppress dissent at home. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 4, 2013.