Today is April 30th, 2025. Welcome everyone to the weekly series entitled Around the Horn, which is an internationalist news update with historian and professor Gerald Horn. horn as we go around the horn. First, I want to ask you about US President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. As yesterday, Tuesday, April 29th, marked President Trump first 100 days back in office. New polls show his approval rating around 40%, the lowest rating for the first 100 days of any presidency in 80 years. A Washington Post ABC News poll found that even fewer people trust the Democratic Party with nearly seven in 10 saying it is out of touch while 6 and 10 say Trump is out of touch. Dr. Horn, what is your analysis of President Trump's first 100 days in office and what appears to be a broader political crisis in the US? Broader political crisis indeed. I think that what those polls are reflecting is the fact that we are in the midst of two intersecting crises. The first crisis is monumentally profound. I'm speaking of the fact that since annihilation day, otherwise known as liberation day on April 2nd, 2025, the US economy and the world economy have been in a tur tail spin. the United States economy most of all within weeks I think we can expect empty shelves we can expect more layoffs particularly at the docks and that sends a message to the international longshore association on the east coast of the United States where their leader was a very stalwart defender of Mr. Trump before the November 2024 election. And this crisis also reflects a larger historical trend. That is to say that we are in the foothills of a declenion of a decline of the North Atlantic block which was initiated in 1492 when the Western European nations got a head start in terms of economic development by enslaving Africans and plundering the indigenous of the Americas. But now as we sift through the tea leaves, we can easily detect that the People's Republic of China is in the passing lane. And as we've said many times before, this will be a global transition uh unlike that post 1945 when the baton was passed from London to Washington. More than that, it also signals the rise of probably the most potent political organization on planet earth, speaking of the Chinese Communist Party. And that is not what was intended a few decades ago when those who were propagandists in the United States were marking what they called the end of history, obviously prematurely. The other trend which is also noteworthy is that we're in the foothills of fa fascism. This is reflected in the attack on the immigrant population, the attack on universities, the media, uh law firms, for example. And what we have to watch out for is that the Trump regime will seek to distract our attention away from the first trend by doubling down on the second trend. And you see that already on the grounds of the White House where they propped up pictures of undocumented workers with alleged crimes that they have been involved in. And we can expect uh more deportations of unaccompanied minors. We can expect more breakup of families. We can expect more raids as we saw take place in Denver, Colorado in the past week or so. And it also presents a very stiff challenge to the progressive movement and the radical movement. And I think it's fair to say that a good deal of this movement has violated the first principles of organizing as reflected in the words still worth studying of the late West African revolutionary Amachar Cabraw when he told us that we should tell no lies and claim no easy victories. Uh that is to say that too many of our friends on the left they tell us that when 77 million people voted for Mr. Trump that they were voted voting for a man who they thought would reduce the price of eggs. Now, this barely passes the giggle test. Since we're talking about a convicted felon, we're talking about a man who sought to overthrow a the government in January 6, 19, excuse me, 2021. A man who was referred to African nations nations. a man who has been credibly accused of sexual molestation of women of various sorts. And this ties into a larger issue which is that those who have come before us have done a credible job with regard to connecting many of the ills that we now face particularly racism and white supremacy to capitalism. However, they have not done a credible job at all in connecting the ills that we face particular in the United States of America to republicanism. that is to say to the so-called anti- monarchy revolt of 1776 wherein whereby those who formed the United States moved away from the divine right of monarchs and moved decisively towards the divine right of men of European descent and then with the rise of the jonian era approximately 200 years ago moved decisively towards the era of the divine right of European men often times across class lines which of course leads to the acceleration of the dispossession of the Native Americans. We need to recognize what is obvious that the founding documents of the United States, the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, etc. uh when they speak of we the people, they did not have my ancestors in mind, nor did they have in mind those of indigenous origin or Mexican ancestry or Asia-Pacific ancestry, uh etc. And I think also that this speaks to some of the problems that the United States is facing uh today. Uh that is to say that despite the fact that left, right, and center have held the formation of the United States of America as this great leap forward for humanity and we'll be getting an overdose of this propaganda in the runup to July 4th, 2026 and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Quite frankly, the United States from its inception, that is to say, from the inception of settler colonialism, has been the major counterrevolutionary force on planet Earth. It began by overthrowing sovereign indigenous nations. And then when that had been completed from the Atlantic to the Pacific, they leaped out into the Pacific and overthrew the monarchy in Hawaii 1893. And not to mention the fact that uh in 1898 they then uh began to wage a monstrous war against the sovereignty and independence of the Philippines in a counterrevolutionary manner, dropping a atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. And we'll talk shortly about the fact that we're marking the 50th anniversary of the attempt of US imperialism to overthrow the revolution in Vietnam. And it's remarkable that in the highly touted interview that Mr. Trump gave with The Atlantic, the popular magazine, that he spoke of how he's not only running the country, but so he said he's running the world. And as poker players might say, that was a tell. It was an indication that he recognizes that US imperialism is not running the world. that in fact their grip on the attempt to do so is slipping through their greasy fingers and that represents a major crisis for US imperialism. A crisis that uh will inevitably culminate in a smashing defeat for our oppressors. to horn. As we go around the horn, we also want to ask you about the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, a period marked by the fall of Saigon on April 30th, 1975. April 30th is also celebrated in Vietnam as reunification day. Dr. Horn, what is the historic and ongoing significance of the end of the Vietnam War, particularly in a changing global correlation of forces? Well, it's quite significant. Uh we know that the escalation of this criminal genocidal conflict perpetrated by US imperialism in Indochina accelerated in 1965 during the administration of President Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas. It culminated, as has been suggested, on April 30th, 1975, by the frenetic and frenzied retreat of US forces from Vietnam as the revolutionary forces uh swept into Saigon, now Ho Chi Min City. We need to recognize that this was not only a war in Vietnam. It was a war on neighboring Cambodia. It was a war on Laos. We should also recognize that many so-called allies of US imperialism uh joined in this genocidal war. I'm speaking of the Australians. I'm thinking of the South Koreans in particular. And we know that the toll was quite heavy. Millions of Vietnamese being killed. Many in our audience, I'm sure, are familiar with the monument in Washington DC by the artist Maya Lynn, which marks the point, marks the fact that 50,000 plus US soldiers died ignaminously during this conflict. And we also should mention something that we've already hinted at already that this war in Indochina was a continuation of an ongoing war by US imperialism uh against Asia. Uh that is to say not only the affforementioned war in the Philippines which lasted from about 1898 up until the end of World War II virtually interrupted of course by the fact that the US forces uh were swept out of the Philippines by invading Japanese forces circa 1941 1942. We also know as well that this conflict with China in 2025 in many ways is a continuation of this ongoing war against Asia. That is to say the most populous continent and therefore the actual if not potential most lucrative market for the capitalist vultures. We should also recognize as well that this war in Vietnam which involved amongst others the fact that the 300,000 Chinese forces fought on the side of the Vietnamese and in fact uh the people's liberation army was marching in Vietnam in the last 24 hours in solidarity uh with that effort. Uh but we also recall that what has led to the present crisis with China ironically is the fact that China circa 1978-79 uh to the admiration of US imperialism had waged war against Vietnam because Vietnam in part had overthrown the Chinese allies speaking of the murderous genocidal Kar Rouge a neighbor in Cambodia. And when China waged war against Vietnam, this assured US imperialism that China was reliable since they were waging war against earthwile communist comrades, which opens the spigot for massive foreign direct investment into the People's Republic of China, as we've noted many times before, orchestrated by the Jimmy Carter administration, orchestrated more pointedly by the first US ambassador to post 14 1949. 9 China speaking of Leonard Woodcock, a former leader of United Auto Workers, which obviously calls into question this idea that the working class or to not to put too fine a point on it, the the settler descended working class somehow was opposed uh to this massive flooding of into China of the US industrial plant. And now China, as noted, is a juggernaut. The United States has been substantially de-industrialized. And now, as a number of commentators have pointed out, the United States wants to resolve this blunder by somehow waging war against China in 2025, 2026. They're arming the neighboring Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos Jr. uh to the teeth as we speak. Uh rather ironically and perversely, the Japanese leadership was just in Manila in the last 24 to 48 hours, which was an ominous signal uh in that regard. Uh but in any case, I think that the war in Vietnam should also be remembered for the fact that what helped to end the US participation in this conflict was a massive anti-war movement that swept across the campuses that swept across many workplaces that involve popular figures like the boxer Muhammad Ali. And it's that kind of movement. It's that kind of spirit that we'll need to revivify and revive if we are to prevent the wararm mongers from seeking to repeat their blunders by waging a war against China in the 21st century. Horn, as we go around the horn, we also want to ask you about elections in Canada. This past Monday, April 28th, Mark Carney of the Liberal Party narrowly won snap elections and will remain in power as prime minister, defeating Conservative leader Pierre Poura, who also lost his own seed in Parliament. Carney's victory comes amid heightened tensions with the US over Trump's tariffs and threats to annex Canada. Early Monday, Trump once again threatened to make Canada the 51st state. In his victory speech, Prime Minister Carney maintained a defiant tone that helped him surge in popularity in the weeks preceding the election, telling voters, "Our old relationship with the United States is over." Dr. Horn, what is your analysis of the outcome of the election in Canada, and do you think Canada's quote old relationship with the United States is really over? The second question is not easy to answer. The good news is that the conservatives lost. The complex perhaps troubling news is that the conservatives loss to Mark Carney or as Mr. Trump might have it. Corny Mike Carney, who has a reputation justifiably earned as being a card carrying member of the 1%, ties to Goldman Sachs, the vultures of Wall Street, an investment banker, etc. It's unclear to me at least whether or not uh given his class background and even given the fact that there will be popular forces seeking to push him in a progressive direction whether or not the liberals will be able to honor their pledges to stay out of the grasp of US imperialism. Uh it is correct to suggest that Mr. Trump was a major issue uh in this campaign. As the press has reported credibly about 10 to 12 weeks ago, the conservatives had a double-digit lead, perhaps 20 to 25 points. But with the inauguration of Mr. Trump on January 20th, 2025, he began talking about making Canada the 51st state. This resonates north of the border because for hundreds of years, the United States has been trying to seize Canada. That was at the crux of the War of 1812, which involved, as you may recall, 1814 August, when the red coats, including many Canadians, joined by enslaved Africans in the District of Columbia of Virginia and Maryland, uh torched the White House, sending President James Madison and his girl spouse Dolly fleeing to the streets with the enslaved Africans escaping. or in British boats to Trinidad and Tobago where their descendants continue continued to reside. Post civil war, post 1865, the United States again tried to seize a good deal of Canada, particularly the province in which I'm now sitting speaking British Columbia. Uh that's the import of Russia tragically and sadly uh selling its claims to Alaska, the 49th state, the largest state by territory in the United States of America, selling that mass of territory, their claims to it at least in 1867, which then meant that the United States had British Columbia in a penser, that is to say, Alaska to the north, the state of Washington to the south, which led to pressure to annex British Columbia that failed. However, the the anti- US sentiment and the anti-US imperialist sentiment in Canada is quite strong and our left-wing patriots should take seriously the fact that in 1776 a good deal of Canada said no to revoling against British rule in 1776 and joining the United States of America. In 2025, they're saying hell no to joining the United States of America. uh reasonable inferences should be drawn from those two points because when many people in Canada think of the United States of America they think fundamentally of two phenomena. one, mass shootings, which is are all too common in the United States, particularly on campuses such as Florida State University a few days ago. And they think of medical bankruptcies, which do not tend to happen in this country because there is socialized medicine. I've talked to people too numerous to mention who talk about having complex medical operations and the most they pay perhaps is $7 for a parking fee. Whereas the United States, we have this pay or die system. And it's no secret that the insurance companies are looking to make Canada the 51st state so they can implant that aberious system north of the border. and Canadians are saying no to that. Uh sadly enough, uh the Social Democrats, the New Democratic Party, uh which uh up until a few days ago had been a leading force in British Columbia, where I'm now sitting, uh did not do very well, as the NDP voters said at the time of the election on Monday. They lent their votes uh to the Liberals to bolster Mr. Carney. We'll see how that works out. And we should also mention that uh in Quebec, the predominantly French-speaking province as well, uh those voters too lent their votes to Mr. Carney because the party that had seen itself and styled itself as the representative of Quebec Qua sovereignty, speaking of the block, uh its totals went down. Uh which brings us to significant differences between Canada and United States, something I'll be exploring most likely in a book that'll come out in 2027. That is to say that a major conflict historically north of the border has been the conflict between the so-called Anglosphere and the so-called um franosh franophones that is to say Quebec. uh as as has been said or had been said for decades in Quebec, the bosses and capital tended to speak English and labor and workers tended to speak French. Uh that complexifies the thrust of white supremacy uh unlike for example the virtually untrabled nature of white supremacy in the United States of America. I should also make reference to the point I made a few moments ago, which is that this is not a republic. King Charles technically is still the head of state. Speaking of King Charles III of London, who technically rules through a governor general. And therefore, to a degree, much more so than the United States of America, Canada's been able to escape what I just outlined. That is to say, moving away from the divine right of monarchs to the divine right of so-called white men, which helps to explain, as I've said before, why the founding father of British Columbia, where I'm now sitting, is a man of African ancestry. And I should also say that with regard to indigenous dispossession, that is a commonality of both Canada and the United States. But if you look at British Columbia in particular, uh you will notice that uh here the invaders were often times trappers who were seeking fur pelts whereas south of the border they were farmers who were seeking to oust the indigenous from the land altogether and oftentimes liquidate and exterminate them. Sir James Douglas, the affforementioned man of African ancestry who was the founding father of this province was of course married to a woman of indigenous uh descent. And then of course the fact that in Canada unlike south of the border uh there was not mass enslavement of Africans that is to say the United States as we know you had this gigantic unpaid sector of the working class descendants still reside as we know in the United States of America their grievances unresolved and that particular contradiction also has complicated the attempt to have a kind of workingclass unity uh in the United States of America. So in any case, th this Can Canadian election and indeed comparative analyses between Canada and the United States uh should be a top priority in terms of understanding and analysis uh by our friends in the progressive movement, the radical movement, the socialist movement etc. uh because there is much to learn that can guide us in crafting a credible strategy to circumscribe the rule of the 1% on both sides of the border. Horn as we go around the horn. We also want to ask you about the historic significance of May Day. Every year on May 1st, trade unions and all sections of the workingclass worldwide come together to celebrate International Workers Day, a day of struggle and to honor all those who have given their lives fighting for a dignified life for the working people of the world. Mayday is not just another day in our struggle, but a day to reinvigorate all the struggles. Dr. Horn, what is the historic significance of May Day? And as internationalists, how should we be commemorating May Day in 2025? Well, obviously we should be marking Mayday with vigor. After all, this workers holiday was birthed in the United States in the latter part of the 19th century and has been adopted by the socialist movement in particular worldwide. Pay attention to Havana, Cuba, May 1st, 2025. Undoubtedly, you will see a mass turnout of the working class of Cuba. I think that one of the contributions that we can make to uh Mayday and marking the fact that we should be uplifting the legacy and the rights of workingclass people in the first instance is that in the front of our analysis should be exalting the Haitian Revolution 1791 to 1804, a successful revolt of the unpaid sector of the working class which led directly to the collapse of that unpaid sector not only in the United States but in point south as far as Brazil by 1888. That is to say, it's no accident that with the Haitian Revolution, you not only had the uplifting of labor in the hemisphere, but you also saw the mass organizing of unions, not least in the United States of America, uh, seeking to lift wages, still high on our agenda, and improve working conditions as well. Likewise, still high on our agenda. I think it's fair to say that the abolition of child slavery was one of the most profound victories of the international working class. And I think that in terms of our analyses today, uh that particular insight should be incorporated which should lead us inevitably and intellectably to the point that today solidarity with Haiti which is now undergoing so much pain, not least because the interference in its internal affairs by blood suckers from Washington and Paris, that uh this should be high on our agenda, which obviously brings me back to Canada because Canada as well has been part of that cabal that has been seeking to interfere in Hades internal affairs with the prime minister Mark Carney saying that the relations with the United States cannot be the same. Uh that should call for a radical reorientation of Canadian foreign policy generally which is desperately needed since they have bad relations with United States, China, Russia and India. I hope that it leads not only to improved relations with socialist Cuba and with Brazil, but also leading to a rethink, a radical reconceptualization of Canada's approach to Haiti. And I think that our friends in Canada should be pushing Ottawa in that direction. I should also mention the further point and I would be remiss if I neglected to mention this particular point and I'll end on this point which is that as we speak tensions are rising between two nuclear powers speaking of India and Pakistan given the fact that there was an event described as terrorism by New Delhi in Kashmir and that has led to this five alarm fire that seems to be emerging on the border between these two powers. I would hope that our friends in Moscow who have good relations with New Delhi and who increasingly have positive relations with Islamabad will intervene so that cooler heads will prevail.
End of the segment with Dr. Horne
Voice of Kwame Toure:
We state these facts only to let you know that those of us who are revolutionary and Africanist is not because we love revolution. It is historically determined and we have no alternative but to follow history and to use history for the benefit of our people.
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