The Triploi Podcast

  Is piracy just criminal chaos or the mirror to colonial empire? In this episode, we dive into the world of piracy, from the 16th century to the modern era. Join Triploi as we look at how the world’s oceans became highways of extraction, creating a golden age of piracy that would parallel the rise of colonial empires. Over four centuries we look at the wars that trained and armed sailors, the peace times that discard them, and how ports like Nassau would help turn outlaw life into an organised crime economy, with rules, shares, elections, and a ruthless ideology that grew from the exploitation all around them. Then into the modern world, where piracy has evolved with the technology and the times, trying to survive a global system where control of trade routes still decides who gets called a “criminal”… and who gets called a “state.” References and reading list: David Cordingly, Under the Black Flag (1995) Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (1961) Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America (1971) C.L.R. James, The Black Jacobins (1938) Peter Linebaugh & Marcus Rediker, The Many-Headed Hydra (2000) Martin N. Murphy, Small Boats, Weak States, Dirty Money (2009) Vijay Prashad, The Darker Nations (2007) Marcus Rediker, Villains of All Nations (2004) Walter Rodney, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972) Janice E. Thomson, Mercenaries, Pirates, and Sovereigns (1994) Eric Williams, Capitalism and Slavery (1944)

Is Iran a colonial predator or colonial prey? In this episode, we dive into Iran’s history from 1500 to 2026. Looking at its long struggle over sovereignty, economic and political instability, and survival in a modern world shaped by colonial empires. Join Triploi as we trace Iran’s path from the Safavid Empire through to its 18th-century collapse and warlord fragmentation, and into the 19th-century, when industrial empires turned trade, debt, and diplomacy into weapons of global domination, and all the clever ways Iran avoids their traps. Then into the 20th century when the discovery of oil draws the eye of US imperialism, and all the horrors that would soon follow… And finally in the 21st century, where Iran’s story continues to ask the question, what is the price of sovereignty? Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast (available at other podcast sites too) The Triploi Podcast is 100% community funded. Please consider supporting the show 👉 Donate $1 to the show References and reading list: Ervand Abrahamian, A History of Modern Iran (2008) Hamid Dabashi, Iran: A People Interrupted (2007) Cosroe Chaqueri, The Left in Iran, 1905–1940 (2001) Afshin Matin‑Asgari, Iranian Student Opposition to the Shah (2002) Kamran Matin, Recasting Iranian Modernity: International Relations and Social Change (2013) Homa Katouzian, Khalil Maleki: The Human Face of Iranian Socialism (2018) David S. Painter & Gregory Brew, The Struggle for Iran: Oil, Autocracy, and the Cold War, 1951–1954 (2022) Hamid Dabashi, Iran in Revolt: Revolutionary Aspirations in a Post‑Democratic World (2025)

Why was Muammar Gaddafi so hated by the west? In this episode we dive into the life of Libya’s most polarising leader, from his childhood to his death, looking at the material conditions that shaped the life of the man who would decide Libya’s future. Join Triploi as we follow the young idealistic officer who would lead the 1969 coup that promised to free his people, end foreign occupation, and turn the new found oil wealth into schools, housing, health care, and national development. From the Green Book and the experiment of the Jamahiriya system, to his dream of pan-Africanism that would see decades of U.S. confrontation, sanctions, and bombardment. And ultimately to uprising, civil war, and the NATO destruction of the Libyan state — that left the world arguing over what Gaddafi truly represented: liberation, authoritarianism, or the price of defying empire. Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show     References and reading list: Alison Pargeter, Libya: The Rise and Fall of Qaddafi (2012) Lisa Anderson, The State and Social Transformation in Tunisia and Libya, 1830–1980 (1986) Ethan Chorin, Translating Libya: The Modern Libyan Experience (2007) Vijay Prashad, Arab Spring, Libyan Winter (2012) Muammar Gaddafi, The Green Book (1975)

Why is the United States so possessively obsessed with Cuba? In this episode we dive into the history of Cuba. From the native Taíno, Ciboney, and Guanahatabey societies that organised the island around community and cooperation, to their world being shattered by the Spanish invasion, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and the brutal extraction of Cuba’s resources that would lay the foundation for modern capitalism. Join Triploi as we look at the rise of Havana as an imperial hub, the sugar revolution, and the independence war that saw a dying empire replaced by an emerging one. From the US backed Batista dictatorship, to the 1959 Communist revolution, the brutal US embargo, and the resolver spirit that saw Cubans endure the unendurable. All the way to modern Cuba, where a declining US empire, looks onward at one final attempt to seize the island it could never let go. Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show     References and reading list: Ada Ferrer, Cuba: An American History (2021) Hugh Thomas, Cuba: The Pursuit of Freedom (1971) Sidney W. Mintz, Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History (1985) Fernando Martínez Heredia, In the Shadow of Marx: The Cuban Revolution and Socialist Thought (ed 2018) Ernesto Che Guevara, Guerrilla Warfare (1960) and Episodes of the Revolutionary War (1963) Carlos Rafael Rodríguez, Cuba in Revolution (1966). Samuel Farber, The Origins of the Cuban Revolution Reconsidered (2006) Steve Cushion, A Hidden History of the Cuban Revolution (2016)

If the Soviet Union achieved so much, why did it collapse in 1991? In this episode we dive into the history of the USSR. From the shockwave of the 1917 revolution, to its the hard won post WWII peak, and then the sudden, violent unspooling of the whole socialist project. Join Triploi as we follow the chain reaction of the Soviet meltdown, from de‑Stalinization to the threat of thermonuclear war, to the stagnation of the Soviet economy, the war in Afghanistan, the Chernobyl disaster, to the catastrophic misfire of glasnost and perestroika, and how all of it built up to break the Union for good. And looking back at the faded brutalist concrete of the Soviet Union’s memorials, we reflect on what lessons we may yet learn.   Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show   References and reading list: Isaac Deutscher - Russia After Stalin: With a Postscript on the Beria Affair (1953) Moshe Lewin - The Gorbachev Phenomenon: A Historical Interpretation (1991) David Kotz and Fred Weir - Revolution From Above: The Demise of the Soviet System (1997) Stephen F. Cohen - Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post-Communist Russia (2001) Samir Amin - The Future of Maoism (1983) Michael Parenti - Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism (1997) John Perkins - Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004) Max Hastings - Inferno: The World at War, 1939–1945 (2011)

When the colonialism earthquake rocked the world, what was it like living next to the epicentre? In this episode we dive into Ireland’s long fight against the British Empire at the height of its power. From the Tudor conquest, to the birth of capitalist plantations, famine, rebellion, revolution, partition, and the Troubles, all the way to today’s fight against corporate neo-colonialism. Join Triploi as we dive into this 500 year history of Ireland, and learn what it is like being the neighbour of history’s most insatiable colonial empire… and the price that must be paid for freedom. Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show   References and reading list: James Connolly - Labour in Irish History (1910) R.F. Foster - Modern Ireland 1600-1972 (1988) Christine Kinealy - This Great Calamity: The Irish Famine 1845-52 (1994) Charles Townshend - Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion (2005) Diarmaid Ferriter - The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000 (2004) J.J. Lee - Ireland 1912-1985: Politics and Society (1989) Fintan O'Toole - Ship of Fools: How Stupidity and Corruption Sank the Celtic Tiger (2009) Kieran Allen - The Corporate Takeover of Ireland (2007) Kevin Whelan - The Tree of Liberty: Radicalism, Catholicism and the Construction of Irish Identity 1760-1830 (1996) Mary P. Murphy - Ireland and the Politics of Change (2020)

If colonialism and capitalism were the earthquake that reshaped our world, and all the horrors and fascism we still face are the aftershocks, then what's the actual solution? Join Triploi as we break down, in the simplest terms, the principles of socialism; from dialectical materialism and the dictatorship of the proletariat, to seizing the means of production, environmental sustainability, decolonisation, and the ultimate goal of a classless, stateless communist society.  Whether you're new to socialism or deepening your understanding, this episode provides a comprehensive guide for building a world after the fall of capitalism. Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show   References and reading list: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels - The Communist Manifesto (1848) Vladimir Lenin - What Is to Be Done? (1902) Mao Zedong - Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung (various dates) Michael Parenti - Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism (1997) Bhaskar Sunkara (ed.) - The ABCs of Socialism (2016) Danny Katch - Socialism... Seriously: A Brief Guide to Human Liberation (2015)

Is it a curse to be a rich country? Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserve, yet its people face seemingly endless economic depression. How did this contradiction happen? Join Triploi as we explore Venezuela's journey from Spanish colony to the Bolivarian revolution, to the discovery of the world’s largest oil reserve, to economic collapse, and now imminent war with the United States. This is the story of a nation caught between the ghost of Simón Bolívar's dream and the enduring reality of living next door to world’s most aggressive and violent superpower. Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show   References and reading list: Eduardo Galeano - Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent (1971) Greg Grandin - Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism (2006) Naomi Klein - The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (2007) Mark Weisbrot - Failed: What the "Experts" Got Wrong About the Global Economy (2015) Jeffrey Sachs - A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism (2018) George Ciccariello-Maher - We Created Chávez: A People's History of the Venezuelan Revolution (2013) Fernando Coronil - The Magical State: Nature, Money, and Modernity in Venezuela (1997) Michael Parenti - Against Empire (1995) William Blum - Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II (2004) Vijay Prashad - The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World (2007) Walter Rodney - How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972) Simón Bolívar - Selected Writings (various, compiled editions) Terry Lynn Karl - The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States (1997) UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan - Report on Venezuela (2021)

Join Triploi in our first (and possibly only) Top 10 list! The top 10 most evil companies! From BP overthrowing governments and pretending oil spills are just "oopsies" instead of ecocide. Nestlé convincing mothers their addictive baby formula is better than breast milk (spoiler: it's not) to Bayer/Monsanto whose entire business model seems to be an insatiable hatred for humanity and life itself... Through these, and 7 other cheerful stories, we explore how capitalism's business model is working exactly as designed. While people often point to Chernobyl as proof communism is bad, capitalism quietly produces several Chernobyls per year and calls it 'profit growth.' If capitalism isn't evil, it's certainly very good at monetising it. (Note, this episode is by far the swearing-est yet, because.... geez, these bastards are evil). Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show   References and reading list: Joel Bakan - The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (2004) Greg Palast - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy (2002) Peter Brabeck-Letmathe - Water: A Crisis Guide (2005) Marion Nestle - Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (2002) Marie-Monique Robin - The World According to Monsanto (2008) Edwin Black - IBM and the Holocaust (2001) Antony Loewenstein - Disaster Capitalism: Making a Killing Out of Catastrophe (2015) Vandana Shiva - Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (1997) Sunita Narain - Conflicts of Interest: The Politics of Water and Environment (2012) Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o - Globalectics: Theory and the Politics of Knowing (2012) Samir Amin - The Law of Worldwide Value (2010)

From the silver mines of Potosí to the lithium fields of the Altiplano, Bolivia has never stopped fighting against colonial exploitation. This episode recounts the centuries of Bolivian Resistance, from Tupac Katari's defiant cry "I will return as millions"to the indigenous movements that shook a nation. Join Triploi as we look at the events that shaped modern Bolivia, and how and why, this diverse nation is leading the charge on decolonisation. Listen on PODBEAN 👉 The Triploi Podcast Listen on APPLE PODCASTS 👉The Triploi Podcast Listen on (but preferably boycott) SPOTIFY 👉 The Triploi Podcast SUPPORT THE TRIPLOI PODCAST 👉 Donate $1 to the show   References and reading list: Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui - Ch'ixinakax utxiwa: On Decolonising Practices and Discourses (2010) Felipe Quispe Huanca - Tupak Katari Vive y Vuelve... Carajo (1988) Raquel Gutiérrez Aguilar - Rhythms of the Pachakuti: Indigenous Uprising and State Power in Bolivia (2014) Eduardo Galeano - Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent (1971) Enrique Tandeter - Coercion and Market: Silver Mining in Colonial Potosí, 1692-1826 (1993) James Dunkerley - Rebellion in the Veins: Political Struggle in Bolivia, 1952-82 (1984) Oscar Olivera with Tom Lewis - ¡Cochabamba! Water War in Bolivia (2004) Bruno Fornillo (ed.) - Litio en Sudamérica: Geopolítica, Energía y Territorios (2015) Walter Mignolo - The Darker Side of Western Modernity: Global Futures, Decolonial Options (2011)