Bad Faith [UNLOCKED] Episode 541 - Calling Out "The Compatible Left" (w/ Gabriel Rockhill)
14 snips
Feb 9, 2026 
Gabriel Rockhill, philosopher and director of the Critical Theory Workshop, dissects the rise of a “compatible left” that mouths Marxist theory while accommodating imperialism. He traces CIA funding of cultural elites, critiques Western Marxist blind spots, debates figures like Žižek and Chomsky, and explores ways to build independent, anti‑imperialist organizing and lasting socialist institutions.
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The CIA Built A 'Compatible Left'
- The U.S. national security state funded a
Make Democracy And Anti-Imperialism Primary
- Prioritize expanding democracy and building organized people's power over short-term electoral fixes.
- Support anti-imperialist movements and the peace movement as core strategic goals.
Imperialism Shaped Western Marxism
- Marxist ideas in the imperial core were shaped by class position and imperialism, producing a left comfortable with capitalism and empire.
- Rockhill argues Western Marxism often accommodated imperialism and rejected anti-colonial struggles.
