The Right Podcast

Website: https://www.therightpodcast.org/ [https://www.therightpodcast.org/] Check out the video on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@therightpodcast6403] Trump was never a peace candidate. From his early Reform Party days to his “America First” doctrine, he wasn’t seeking an end to U.S. empire. Instead he wanted to strip it of regulation, diplomacy, and disguise. In this episode, I unpack how Donald Trump’s foreign policy was misread from the start — first framed as less hawkish by figures like Glenn Greenwald than Hillary Clinton, later described by academics like John Mearsheimer as realist, whether Trump realized it or not. But from his 2000 Reform Party flirtation to his 2016 “America First” campaign, Trump never sought to dismantle empire — he wanted to privatize it. I trace how Trump repackaged old anti-globalist rhetoric with psuedo business logic, treating places like Gaza and Ukraine as assets to be claimed, not communities to be protected. He didn’t want peace. He wanted the end of the neoliberal world order — not to replace it with global justice, but with a deregulated empire unbound by alliances, international law, or oversight. Think less withdrawal, more hostile takeover. What’s chilling is how this wasn’t just tactical — it was ideological. Russian fascist Aleksandr Dugin saw Trump as a civilizational rupture, not a restrainer of empire but its metamorphosis into something new and authoritarian.  Dugin, in some ways, sees Trump clearer than the liberal media and politicians of the West. This episode dives into that fundamental misunderstanding — from the Reform Party to Gaza, Ukraine, and the post-liberal future Trump seems to imagine: an unapologetic, race- and class-coded imperial order in which stronger nations simply take what they want, and weaker ones are absorbed, relocated, or erased. . It’s not just empire without apology, it’s empire without brakes.

Catch up on ongoing projects, revisiting some that have stalled and others still in progress. I dive into the book I’m working on and reflect on articles written over the past few months. Topics span a wide range, from analyzing left and right reactions to the events of October 7 to Chomsky.  Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cerAMbKXz-w [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cerAMbKXz-w]  Website: https://www.therightpodcast.org/ [https://www.therightpodcast.org/] Buy me a book: https://buymeacoffee.com/therightpodcast [https://buymeacoffee.com/therightpodcast]

Article link https://therightpodcast.substack.com/p/in-times-of-division-unitys-our-mission [https://therightpodcast.substack.com/p/in-times-of-division-unitys-our-mission] Video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSfWJrC1Iz4 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSfWJrC1Iz4]  Join me as I read through "stumbling at times" an article I wrote on Substack about the election of Trump, highlighting key issues to watch and actionable steps for those newly inspired to resist a potential second Trump administration. The piece covers a range of topics, including inflation and the economy, Gen Z's role, the global rise of right-wing populism, the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, strategies for meaningful conversations with Trump voters, fresh opportunities for activism, practical tips for new advocates, and more.

https://linktr.ee/TheRightPodcast [https://linktr.ee/TheRightPodcast] This piece is a reading and discussion of a recent article focused on political syncretism in the 1990s. In the article, I share my personal experiences and juxtapose them with the broader political shifts of that era. Ultimately, it explores the dangers of conspiratorial thought and how populist rhetoric can serve as a pathway to such thinking, often leading to reactionary outcomes. I highlight various movements, including the anti-globalization protests, freight train riding, and radical environmentalism, while also addressing the far-right sentiments of the time, such as Traditionalism. Link to article: https://therightpodcast.substack.com/p/breaking-from-research-a-personal [https://therightpodcast.substack.com/p/breaking-from-research-a-personal]

This is an effort of love and volunteerism. No paywalls or super chats etc. Please consider liking and subscribing on YouTube as it boosts visibility. If you'd like to support then donate to the "buy me a book" link below.  All links: https://linktr.ee/TheRightPodcast [https://linktr.ee/TheRightPodcast] Elia Ayoub (he/him) is a writer, researcher and the founder of The Fire These Times podcast and co-founder of From the Periphery Media collective. He holds a PhD in Cultural Analysis from the University of Zurich, is an Affiliate Fellow of the Post Growth Institute and is a Project Manager at Shado Mag.   He has written for publications such as 972Mag, Al Jazeera, Commons (Ukraine), Al Jumhuriya (Syria), Newlines, L’Orient Le Jour, Crimethinc and Lausan. He blogs at iwritestuff.blog [http://iwritestuff.blog] and can be sometimes found on Instagram, Mastodon and Bluesky. Just a few examples of Elia's work and interviews:  The Fire These Times: https://thefirethesetimes.com/ [https://thefirethesetimes.com/] +972 Magazine: https://www.972mag.com/writer/elia-ayoub/ [https://www.972mag.com/writer/elia-ayoub/] Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/author/elia_ayoub [https://www.aljazeera.com/author/elia_ayoub] Commons: https://commons.com.ua/en/elia-dzh-ayub-interview/ [https://commons.com.ua/en/elia-dzh-ayub-interview/] Al Jumhuriya: https://aljumhuriya.net/en/2022/03/04/ukraine-in-syria-syria-in-ukraine/ [https://aljumhuriya.net/en/2022/03/04/ukraine-in-syria-syria-in-ukraine/] Newslines: https://newlinesmag.com/writers/joey-ayoub/ [https://newlinesmag.com/writers/joey-ayoub/] L'Orient Le Jour: https://www.lorientlejour.com/author/8629-joey-ayoub [https://www.lorientlejour.com/author/8629-joey-ayoub] Crimethinc: https://crimethinc.com/2020/02/24/lebanon-the-revolution-four-months-in-an-interview [https://crimethinc.com/2020/02/24/lebanon-the-revolution-four-months-in-an-interview]  Lausan: https://lausancollective.com/2021/periphery-has-no-time-for-binaries/ [https://lausancollective.com/2021/periphery-has-no-time-for-binaries/] iwritestuff.blog [http://iwritestuff.blog]: https://iwritestuff.blog/ [https://iwritestuff.blog/] Social Media Instagram: eliajayoub Bluesky: @ayoub.bsky.social Mastodon: @ayoub@spore.social