José Luis Granados Ceja Podcasts

We're back this week with another Current Events episode and the whole team is together! This week we preview the impending and consequential elections in Paraguay and Guatemala. LeRoy leads the convo surrounding Paraguay, going through the candidates, the political history, current society and what's at stake for the landlocked country. Austin lea…

A new current events episode and the whole gang is together! We start off by going through the trouble facing Ecuador President Guillermo and former Prez Lenin Moreno: bribery, potential impeachment, and narco connections to the Albanian mafia. We move on to breakdown AMLO's proposed reforms of Mexico's Elections Commission its prompting of the rat…

“El Golpe de Timón” - was Hugo Chávez’s address to his cabinet of ministers on October 20th, 2012, shortly after his resounding reelection on October 7, 2012. The speech, translated into English as “Strike at the Helm”, is considered his political testament, broadcast live over-the-air, it was his last major political address to his government and …

In our latest episode, we are excited to bring to all the Macheteymatistas out there an in-depth discussion on Venezuela with Venezuela Analysis' own José Luis Granados Ceja. Venezuela Analysis has long been the leader in English-language coverage of Venezuela and José Luis has been a big part of that, from writing a lot of their most recent intern…

In our latest emergency interview, Austin and T attempt to conduct a full interview without our traditional podcast host Leroy as we sit down with Chilean economist and returning podcast Chile expert Diego Polanco to talk about the recent spread of forest fires that have engulfed South-Central Chile. Coming straight to us from Chile, Diego breaks d…

Sanctions, also known as unilateral coercive measures, should primarily be understood as a tool of neocolonialism. Unilateral Coercive Measures are aimed at inflicting collective punishment on a sovereign state. In the case of Venezuela, they are driven by an effort to secure access to the country’s vast oil wealth, to once again bring Venezuela un…

In this edition of MyM, (a very sick) Austin and LeRoy sit down with Puerto Rico based journalist and Latino Rebels Caribbean Correspondent Carlos Berrios Polanco to discuss his on the ground perspective of activism in Puerto Rico. We begin with this week's shooting of an activist by private security guards in Aguadilla and the context of the confr…

In this episode, we (not T unfortunately) begin by previewing a few things we're looking forward to seeing unfold this year, a year already proving to be quite eventful. Austin highlights next month's elections in Ecuador and LeRoy similarly talks about the April general elections in Paraguay and the internal rumblings in the ubiquitous Colorado Pa…

In light of the Jan 8 events in Brasilia and the ongoing fall out we sit down with Brazil based journalist Brian Mier of BrasilWire and TelesurEnglish to break it all down and make sense of it all. We discuss Lula's electoral victory, societal conditions that lead to the coup attempt, the coup attempt itself, and what a Lula presidency represents n…

With the year drawing to a close, the Venezuelanalysis staff recorded a special podcast episode. In this episode we take stock of the Venezuelan political landscape. Host José Luis Granados Ceja is joined by Cira Pascual Marquina, Andreína Chávez and Ricardo Vaz, each chose their "top story" for the year, analyzing different aspects of the Bolivari…

In light of the evolving situation in Peru, we sit down with Peruvian comrade Francesca Emanuele to discuss the fall of Pedro Castillo. With incredible nuance, she breaks down the actions of the recalcitrant Right Wing congress, Castillo's ineffectiveness and incompetence, how Peru got here, and what's next for her embattled homeland. If you suppor…

BUENAS MI GENTE! The full team is back with another current events episode. We begin by discussing the mandated prison release of Jorge Glas, the former VP of Ecuador who got swept up in the immensely consequential Odebrecht corruption scandal. We then move on to break down the recent RW fuckery in Bolivia, lead by Fascist Golpista Luis Fernando Ca…

BUENAS MI GENTE! We're back this week with a long awaited current events episode. We discuss and breakdown the ramifications of Lula's victory in Brazil, what it means not only for Brazil but for the region and the planet as a whole. We then move into and finish off with Gustavo Petro and a recap of his first 100 days, including but not limited to …

We focus on a complex issue: Venezuelan migration. We look at the causes behind the exodus of millions of Venezuelans and the dishonest, politicized propaganda surrounding the issue. While coverage of Venezuela in the mainstream media is notoriously poor, when it comes to migration it has been flat out dishonest. Deliberately distorting the issue, …

On the eve of the momentous election in Brazil, we sit down with one of our favorite people, veteran of the show, and beloved Brazilian comrade, Fern. Fern takes us through what the Bozonaro presidency has meant for Brazil and what a second term would bring. He goes through and breaks down the candidate roster from Front-Runner Lula and his PT lead…

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and President Gustavo Petro of Colombia announced that the border between the two countries, after being closed for years, will officially reopen on September 26. The decision to reopen the border represents yet another step in the restoration of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Colombia following the…

We're back with a Current Events episode this week! We start off with a bit of debrief of the unfortunate rejection of the Chilean draft constitution. We then talk about the latest wave of protests in Haiti in the age of Ariel Henry. We finish off trying to break down and make sense of the assassination attempt of Argentinean VP Cristina Fernandez …

This week T and LeRoy, ahead of Sunday's referendum, discuss the resulting draft from Chile's long and arduous constitutional convention. We talk about the events that lead to this seemingly miraculous moment, from the 1973 coup to the early history of the 1980 Pinochet Constitution to the nationwide uprisings in the last couple of years. We finish…

One of the clearest expressions of the struggle of the Venezuelan working class against the bourgeoisie today is the efforts by workers to seize control of the means of production directly, taking the factory out of the hands of the bosses and running their workplaces democratically. In the tenth episode of the Venezuelanalysis Podcast, the subject…

THE WHOLE BAND IS TOGETHER FOR THIS LATEST CURRENT EVENTS! We kick things off by discussing the tragedy in Cuba, the most significant industrial natural disaster in its history. We pivot to President-elect Petro of Colombia's inauguration, early moves, and what early predictions for Colombia and the region with a Petro/Marquez presidency. We finish…

After a loooong unplanned (but almost expected) hiatus two of the three sit down together. Just LeRoy and T on this one, we decided to employ our more free form, After Dark format as we get back into the swing of things. We talk about abortion rights and the state of reaction in the US, what it's like dealing with management in excessively hierarch…

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, born July 28 1954, is undoubtedly the most important figure in modern Venezuelan history. Former Uruguayan President Pepe Mujica, upon hearing news of Chávez’s death on March 5th, 2013, said: "I met Che, I met Mao, but I can say this man is a character who broke the mold." In the ninth Venezuelanalysis Podcast episode, we …

Buenas mi gente! This week we dive head first into the long awaited regionally consequential election in Colombia that has Miami seething! We do a mini deep dive into the violent 20th century history of Colombia that created the material conditions allowing for the historic victory for the Left in the country. We give our takeaways tackle the ramif…

In this episode, the team at Venezuelanalysis answers questions submitted by readers and followers. From questions about Venezuela’s relations with its neighbors to the future of the struggle against US imperialism, it’s everything you always wanted to know about Venezuela.By José Luis Granados Ceja

Back again, the whole team is together and joined by Australian comrade Rev. For the first half of this episode we talk with Rev about the massive election that just occurred in LeRoy's neck of the woods down under in so-called Australia. We break down the humiliation of the Australian Liberal Party as they lost their majority and what this electio…

The Great Housing Mission is undoubtedly one of the flagships of the Bolivarian Revolution. The program created by Hugo Chávez in 2011 has provided a reported four million houses for low-income families and looks to reach five million by 2025. In the newest episode of the Venezuelanalysis podcast, we go over the struggle to establish housing as a h…

In this episode, we touch on electoral politics and the impacts of the Ukraine/Russian war in the region. We speak with Pamela Arancibia Toronto labour activist and researcher and Michelle Munjanattu an International Solidarity organizer living in New York City.By José Luis Granados Ceja

A semi quick turnaround for y'all for this jam packed current events! We start of in Mexico where AMLO dominated a recall vote as he pushes to nationalize Mexico's lithium. We then go to Chile where the Constitutional Convention is in the home stretch in their attempt to rewrite the decrepit Pinochet constitution. We finish off in El Salvador where…

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has upended the previously existing geopolitical order. With mid-term elections looming and rising energy costs inside the US as a result of the conflict and the subsequent ban of Russian oil imports, the White House was left scrambling. This global scenario led Washington to abandon its years-long strategy of pretending…

In a rare back to back, the team is back with another current events episode! We start off again in Colombia with a pre-Election state sanctioned massacre in a small Indigenous town under the pretext of rooting out terrorists. We then talk a bit about last week's election in Costa Rica and the country's place in the region generally. And per usual,…

After 47 years the whole team is together for this current events episode. We start off by discussing Petro, Francia Marquez, and the Left coalition Pacto Historico's march towards the impending election and what their victory would mean for the region. We then talk about Pedro Castillo's latest trials and tribulations as a Leftist President with a…

The Bolivarian Revolution has always worked to put social inclusion at the very center of its political program, focusing on attending to the needs of the most marginalized. In a capitalist patriarchal system this meant expanding the political participation of women; but this also doubled the social reproduction work of women, who found themselves …

After a long unplanned break, the whole team is together with special guest, Arepa Libre, to discuss the only thing in the news at the moment: Putin's invasion of Ukraine. In our After Dark format, we analyze what lead to this moment, the global response, and what we think the end game could possibly be. We compare and contrast to reminiscent histo…

With its immense oil reserves, there was a time when Venezuela was called the “Saudi Arabia” of Latin America. This reliance on oil rents invariably distorted much of the economy, making it cheaper to import food rather than produce it locally. This decades-long arrangement helps explain Venezuela’s challenges when it comes to securing food soverei…

In today's episode, we’re going to look at the struggle by afro-descendent and afro-indigenous peoples to defend their territory in the face of capitalist development and violent efforts at territorial dispossession, which are underpinned by systemic racism. We will speak with Maria Miyela Riascos, an educator, anthropologist and member of the Buen…

In a solo comrade conversation with only podcast MVP Austin G, we sit down with and are blown away by Florida based activist and comrade of Peruvian descent Alex Suarez! In this invaluable discussion, Alex shares with us a bit about his work as an activist across the state of Florida, including his work in the #HandsOffVenezuela campaign, as well a…

First Current Events of the year and the whole team is together! We start off by discussing and trying to unpack the betrayal by 18 members of President-elect Xiomara Castro's LIBRE party and what this means for the region going forward. On a similar note, we then talk about Boric's cabinet picks in Chile and our takes on what he's shown so far in …

First episode of the year! The whole team is together and joined by official gringo ally, Matt K., to review the year just gone, from the Ecuador election to Boric's victory in Chile, and to also preview the consequential year ahead. We break down the evolving ramifications of 2021, touching on the effect MAS's retaking of power from the fascists i…

In a T-less comrade conversation, Austin and LeRoy sit down with and are blown away by Chilean Economist and red-diaper baby Diego Polanco! In this invaluable discussion, Diego shares a bit about his family's inspiring involvement in the Chilean and Latin American Left, stretching back to even Pre-Pinochet times, as well as his own personal backgro…

Full team this week to chat about Sunday's historic election in Chile that saw former Student Organizer Gabriel Boric defeat Nazi progeny and Pinochet fanboy Jose Antonio Kast. We break down the results themselves but more importantly how Chile got here and where they (need to) go from here. We talk about what this represents for not only Chile, bu…

In our current stage of capitalism very few things highlight our god-given blessing of democracy like the annual Spotify wrapped. Whomst among us will dare defy the invisible hand? In what will prove to be the hot girl dudes rockingest collab of the year, Hot Girl Agenda and Machete y Mate come together to navigate identity as both diaspora and hom…

Today more than ever, it is critical to support anti-imperialist media. With recent victories by the left in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Honduras, US Imperialism is nervous. The response by the US Department of State to these recent elections in Latin America, discrediting the first two and only reluctantly embracing the latter, is proof that neo-col…

Great news! All three homies are together this week. We start off by discussing the rollercoaster election in Chile pitting a Pinochet sycophant against a Leftist former student organizer in a rapidly approaching run-off election. We then break down the massive and surprisingly comfortable victory of Xiomara Castro in Honduras and what it means for…

Super-Exploitation and Resistance brings you our first Field Report, dispatches from our on-the-ground coverage in Latin America. In this episode we take a look at three recent elections in the region—Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Honduras—where the left secured important victories in each country, striking important blows against imperialism in Latin …

In our first Dispatch you’ll be hearing directly from members of the Venezuela Analysis team who were on the ground covering the election in the capital and surrounding region where the United Socialist Party secured an important victory in Venezuela’s regional and local elections on Sunday, winning at least 19 of the 23 governorships. The 42.3% tu…

Just LeRoy and T bringing you the current events this week. We talk a bit about the impending elections in Latin America coming up very soon, including the one just passed in Nicaragua and the latest things to look out for. We discuss the unmaterialized US sponsored anti-government protests in Cuba and how much we hate VICE. We finish off with Puer…

On November 21, Venezuela will hold its 27th election since Chávez came to power, critically this will be the first time since 2015 that Chavismo will face most of the opposition in an electoral contest after the self-styled Group of Four parties finally abandoned their boycott strategy. The third episode of the Venezuelanalysis podcast looks at th…

Jen Marley (@JenMarley1680) and Nick Estes (@nickwestes) of The Red Nation (The_Red_Nation) welcomed previous Machete y Mate guest and compa oficial Blanca Estévez as well as our very own Austin González on to their podcast for a conversation on anti-imperialism in Latin America, racist 'left' reactions to land back, and building working class powe…

The whole team is back this week for for your (ideally) weekly Latin America update. We start off talking about the struggle for reproductive rights in the face of the especially draconian laws in the Dominican Republic. Austin helps us work through and break down the ramifications of Salvador Nasralla aligning himself behind Xiomara Castro the Lef…

The corporate media coverage of Venezuela has always placed its focus on Chávez and Maduro, what the government did or said. This narrative, and the respective counter-narrative, ignore one key element of the Bolivarian Process: popular power. The second episode of the Venezuelanalysis podcast focuses on grassroots organizations under conditions of…