[TEASER] Venezuela Pt. 4: The Empire vs. Venezuela w/ Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza and Saheli Chowdhury
Release Date: 10/28/2025
Upstream
Happy Holidays! In this annual tradition, Della is joined by two fellow podcast hosts to reflect on insights and questions from the past year and share visions for the year ahead. They discuss how to not get stuck in embitterment, concerns and questions about AI, and where they are currently finding hope in these dark times. Manda Scott is a novelist, smallholder, and host of the podcast, which showcases individuals and organizations at the emerging edge of our world to set the foundation for a future we’d be proud to leave to the generations that come after us. Manda’s latest...
info_outlineUpstream
This is a free preview of the episode "Reconnecting to the Land and to Place." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show, and it will...
info_outlineUpstream
In this episode, part 1 of a 2-part miniseries on US labor and imperialism, joins us for a conversation on how US labor aided and at times even led the US's global fight against communism throughout much of the 21st century. Jeff Schuhrke is a labor historian, journalist, union activist, and assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University. He’s the author of Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade, and No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine. In this conversation we...
info_outlineUpstream
This is a free preview of the episode "[TEASER] Mexico Pt. 2: Morena and The Fourth Transformation w/ Stephanie Weatherbee Brito." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great...
info_outlineUpstream
Patreon: www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast Mazlo: https://donate.mazloweb.com/donate/xsKGfZHZFXvoNMzVKaSvH In this episode we’re joined by Andrew Fanning for a conversation about doughnuts…no, not that kind of doughnut. We’re talking about Kate Raworth’s famous Doughnut from Doughnut Economics. Andrew Fanning is an ecological economist exploring how to move our interconnected societies towards the goal of meeting the needs of all people within the means of the living planet. He is particularly interested in finding ways to visualise progress towards this goal in data. Andrew is...
info_outlineUpstream
This is a free preview of the episode "Mexcio Pt. 1: A Socialist Introduction w/ Cecilia Guerrero." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly...
info_outlineUpstream
In this episode, part of our ongoing From the Frontlines series, and Josh Poe join us for a conversation about tenant organizing. Tara Raghuveer is a tenant organizer with KC Tenants based in Kansas City, Missouri and with the Tenant Union Federation. Josh Poe is the organizing director with the Kentucky Tenant Union, formerly known as the Louisville Tenant Union and organizes with the Tenant Union Federation along with Tara. Our conversation opens with a introduction to tenants unions before diving into the specific work that is being done by our guests. We discuss some of the ongoing fights...
info_outlineUpstream
This is a free preview of the episode "Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century w/ John Smith." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show,...
info_outlineUpstream
In Part 8 of we're joined by Yueren Zhang to discuss Mao Zedong and the political philosophy of Maoism. Yueran Zhang is Assistant Professor in the department of sociology at the University of Chicago. He specializes in the comparative studies of capitalism, socialism, and transitions in between, with a special emphasis on political economy and the dynamics of development in the Global South. The conversation opens by presenting a biographical and historical overview of Mao Zedong, the context in which the Chinese Revolution occured, and Mao's role in the Chinese Revolution. We then...
info_outlineUpstream
This is a free preview of the episode "Venezuela Pt. 4: The Empire vs. Venezuela w/ Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza and Saheli Chowdhury." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a...
info_outlineThis is a free preview of the episode "Venezuela Pt. 4: The Empire vs. Venezuela w/ Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza and Saheli Chowdhury." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast
As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show, and it will also give you access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes along with stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. You’ll also be helping to keep Upstream sustainable and allowing us to keep this project going.
In Part 4 of our ongoing series on Venezuela, Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza and Saheli Chowdhury of Orinoco Tribune join us to discuss the US empire’s attacks on Venezuela—both historically and into the present. Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza is an expert in international relations, Venezuelan politics, and communications and is the founding editor of Orinoco Tribune. Saheli Chowdhury is from West Bengal, India. She’s studying physics as a profession and has interests in history and global movements. Saheli is a co-editor of Orinoco Tribune, an independent media outlet that provides news and analysis from Venezuela, Latin America, and the Global South.
Our conversation begins with an update on the latest escalations of aggression by the United States before presenting a brief history of US aggression against Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution more broadly. We then discuss the grassroots and institutional response in Venezuela, including the role that the communes play in resisting US empire. We talk about María Corina Machado and the Venezuelan far right more broadly and the role they play in advancing the interests of the United States and transnational corporations. We talk about the geopolitical context of all of this, the war on drugs, and much more.
Further resources:
- Orinoco Tribune
- Support Orinoco Tribune's progressive, anti-imperialist news analysis
- The Empire vs. Venezuela: “War on Drugs” Chapter (Critical Theory Workshop)
Related episodes:
- Listen to our ongoing series on Venezuela
- Listen to our ongoing series on China
- Migration as Economic Imperialism w/ Immanuel Ness
- Iran Pt. 1: A Socialist Introduction w/ Séamus Malekafzali
- Our ongoing series on China
- Our ongoing series on the Alliance of Sahel States
Upstream is a labor of love—we couldn't keep this project going without the generosity of our listeners and fans. Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/upstreampodcast or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support
For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.