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The Socialist Program
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News and views about the world for those who want to change it.
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Episodes
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'Operation Ajax' in Iran: The CIA's Original Sin [Socialist History: S1 Episode 1]
Jun 3000:52:32Tap to summarizeIn 1953 the CIA secretly organized a coup to overthrow the democratically elected leader of Iran. This was the CIA's first regime change operation — code-named 'Operation Ajax' — becoming the playbook for later CIA operations. Its consequences are still reverberating around the world.In this episode we take a deep dive into how Operation Ajax was planned and executed, its motivations, the political context locally and globally, what happened in Iran after 1953, its impact on US-Iran relations up to today, and more.This is part of the first season of Socialist History, our new series on The Socialist Program. In each episode we unpack a different CIA or Pentagon operation, each of which was given its own code-name as Operation Ajax was.Join the The Socialist Program community at www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get access to the next episodes in this series, more exclusive content, and help keep this show on the air.Archival notes:0:01 - News report on declassification of Op. Ajax (2013)1:35 - Interview with Kermit Roosevelt Jr., leader of Op. Ajax, on how then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles briefed his team in 19532:21 - Newsreel on nationalization of Abadan oil refinery, narrator voiceover (1951)3:12 - British Petroleum (BP) ad, narrator voiceover (early 1980s)3:36 - Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain, speech to Parliament in 1940 (recorded in 1949, the original speech was never recorded).3:59 - Newsreel on British navy (WW2 era)4:28 - Newsreel on nationalization of Abadan oil refinery, narrator voiceover (1951)5:52 - Documentary on oil, narrator voiceover (1950s)6:19, 6:29 - Aramco corporation documentary, narrator voiceover (1950)6:52 - Documentary on Saudi Arabia, narrator voiceover (2005)9:17 - Newsreel on nationalization of Abadan oil refinery in Iran, narrator voiceover (1951)11:07 - Sir Gladwyn Jebb, United Kingdom rep. to the United Nations, speaking on Iran oil nationalization at UN Security Council (1951)11:48 - Newsreel on UK-Iran oil nationalization conflict, narrator voiceover (1951)13:30 - President Harry S Truman, speech on Korea (1950)14:10 - President Harry S Truman announcing surrender of Japan (1945)15:18, 15:39 - Newsreel on war in Korea, narrator voiceover (1950)16:14 - Newsreel on Cold War, narrator voiceover (1950s)19:23, 20:07 - Interview with Alan Dulles, former CIA Director (1965)21:23 - Newsreel on communist protests in Iran (1951)22:35 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses Congress (1953)24:52 - Interview with John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State 1953-1959, (1952)26:20. 26:39, 26:50 - Interviews with Kermit Roosevelt Jr., leader of Op. Ajax, on Op. Ajax27:41 - Interview with Stephen Kinzer, former NYT correspondent, on Op. Ajax29:10 - Interview with Kermit Roosevelt Jr., leader of Op. Ajax, on Op. Ajax 29:56 - Documentary on Op. Ajax, narrator voiceover30:09 - Newsreel on coup in Iran, narrator voiceover (1953)31:01 - Interview with Prof. Richard Cottam, former CIA officer in Iran32:01, 32:40, 33:00 - British newsreel on coup in Iran, narrator voiceover (1953)33:14 - Newsreel on coup in Iran, narrator voiceover (1953)33:53 - Interview with Alan Dulles, CIA Director 1953-1961, CIA Deputy Director 1951-1953 (1965)36:15 - Newsreel on coup in Iran, narrator voiceover (1953)36:32, 36:37 - Newsreels on trial of Mohammad Mosaddegh, narrator voiceover (1953)39:00, 39:34 - Interview with Kazem Allah, former Iranian political prisoner under the Shah40:40, 42:11, 43:40 - Iranian students protesting the Shah in Washington, DC (1975)44:35 - President Jimmy Carter’s toast to the Shah (1978)44:51 - Documentary on 1979 Iranian Revolution, narrator voiceover and source audio45:22 - Protests in Iran, source audio (1979)47:02 - News report on Ruhollah Khomeini’s return to Iran (1979)48:09 - News report on US Embassy takeover in Tehran (1979)
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Here Comes the Next Capitalist Economic Meltdown
Jun 2400:20:34Tap to summarizeBig Tech stocks lost hundreds of billions in just two days. Prof. Richard Wolff and Brian Becker examine the multiple, cascading crises that are destabilizing the capital system.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
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Socialism Is Making A Comeback In The Heart Of Global Capitalism
Jun 1700:20:21Tap to summarizeAccording to a recent national survey, 62 percent of Americans aged 18–29 say they hold a “favorable view” of socialism, and 34 percent say the same of communism. Why is this happening inside the very center of the world capitalist system? And what does it mean for the future? Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker discuss.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
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Trump Is Stuck In A Foreign Policy Dead End
Jun 1000:26:37Tap to summarizeIran is outmaneuvering the United States and Trump is furious. Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker discuss the current war in Iran and the future of the globe – as Russia, China, Iran, and other countries start to pry control from the United States.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
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Biggest Home Insurance Companies Denied Nearly Half of Last Year’s Claims
Jun 300:26:01Tap to summarizeA new Wall Street Journal study finds that the five biggest home insurers, Allstate, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, United Services Automobile Association, and Farmers Insurance, denied nearly half of all claims last year. The primary driver is an increase in deductibles, which insurers claim is being done to compensate for an increase in weather-related catastrophes. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell discuss.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
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Iran War Causing ‘Fundamental Shift’ In How Resources Are Distributed w/ Prof. Richard Wolff
May 2700:32:37Tap to summarizeAccording to the International Energy Agency, around 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade is transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, and the options to bypass it are limited. According to the UN Trade and Development Organization, around 30% of global seaborne fertilizer volumes pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Both have been significantly impacted by the US-Iran war. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell discuss.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
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U.S. Inequality Can’t Be Propped Up By Force Alone w/ Prof. Richard Wolff
May 2000:32:57Tap to summarizeAmericans are increasingly struggling to make ends meet, while the rich get even richer. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell debunk corporate media justifications for this inequality.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
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US Claims Cuba Planning Drone Attack, While Actually Planning To Attack Cuba [Preview]
May 1800:07:13Tap to summarizeTrump is planning the next war. The target is Cuba. Trump and his agents in the Pentagon and CIA are claiming that Cuba is threatening military action against the United States. The people in Cuba are preparing to resist and have said that they will fight to the death rather than surrender their independence and national sovereignty. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.
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Iran: A Bigger Defeat Than Vietnam? [Preview]
May 1300:06:20Tap to summarizeRobert Kagan, a leading architect of the 2003 Iraq invasion and the wider 'neocon' tendency in Washington, published an article this week titled 'Checkmate in Iran.' On today's show, Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss the latest headlines and react to this article, of which an excerpt reads:"The defeats in Vietnam and Afghanistan were costly but did not do lasting damage to America’s overall position in the world, because they were far from the main theaters of global competition. The initial failure in Iraq was mitigated by a shift in strategy that ultimately left Iraq relatively stable and unthreatening to its neighbors and kept the United States dominant in the region.Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored. There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be “open,” as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world."Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/05/iran-war-trump-losing/687094/?gift=hiiGzc0-UIJgig613c5z6zZjRf2WZbvFWlow-CamhFA&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareThis episode was recorded on May 12th 2026.
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Spirit Is Gone, But We Could Build A People’s Airline In The United States
May 1300:25:46Tap to summarizeLow-cost Spirit Airlines has gone bankrupt and closed, and the idea of nationalizing the airline has become hugely popular. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell discuss the mainstream media’s reaction, the feasibility of a nationalized airline, and how it could look and improve workers’ lives.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
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