Organizing with the Global South: Inside the RAIZ International Project

Welcome to the Vlog. In this special episode, we are doing something a little different by introducing an urgent, concrete internationalist political project. We are joined by two representatives affiliated with RAIZ International.

To protect the sensitive nature of their organizing on the ground, we have tailored this conversation to focus on their overarching strategic goals and material outlook without endangering any ongoing local initiatives.

RAIZ International rejects the dominant trend of contemporary Western "solidarity," which often reduces internationalism to hollow press releases, moralistic posturing, or aesthetic digital templates. Instead, RAIZ operates on a model of concrete internationalism—rooting its efforts in the actual relations of production, global displacement patterns, and working-class organization.

We discuss the material realities of their focus areas:

The Colombian Context: Navigating the complex aftermath of displacement, land conflicts, and regional state violence, and tracing how those struggles connect directly back to Western imperialism and transnational resource extraction.

The Migrant Labor Pipeline: How global capital forces displacement from the Global South into the centers of Europe, turning vulnerable migrants into hyper-exploited labor pools.

Building Independent Working-Class Power: How RAIZ coordinates across borders to offer material support, link regional organizing struggles, and establish durable counter-institutions that empower workers directly rather than funneling them into state-vetted NGOs.

If you are listening from Europe and hear about RAIZ initiatives or their upcoming speaking tour through local newsletters or radical community spaces, we highly encourage you to attend an event, stop by, and get involved. This is how we begin building a concrete, internationalist future with a real revolutionary outlook.
Project Links & Fundraising
Official Website: https://www.raizinternational.org/
Fundraising Tour Support: https://chuffed.org/project/gira-venceremos

Support our analysis on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/varnvlog

⏱️ Timestamps
00:58 – Intro: Welcome to the blog and introducing RAIZ International
01:01 – Moving Past Abstract Slogans: The commitment to concrete political projects
01:07 – Security Frameworks: Protecting sensitive ground operations from state surveillance
01:12 – Introducing the RAIZ internationalist representatives
03:20 – The Materialist Frame: Why abstract Western "solidarity" fails the Global South
06:45 – Deep Dive: Tracing resource extraction and rural displacement in Colombia
12:15 – The Migrant Pipeline: Tracking Global South populations flowing into European capitalism
18:40 – Evading the NGO Trap: Constructing independent, member-sovereign worker networks
24:50 – Cross-Border Linkups: How RAIZ bridges regional struggles across continents
31:15 – Algorithmic Individualism: Why radical digital aesthetics cannot substitute for real community anchors
38:50 – The European Terrain: Connecting with Colombian migrant hubs via underground newsletters
46:15 – Cultivating a Concrete Outlook: Long-term strategic horizons for internationalism
52:25 – Building Mass Education: Reclaiming anti-imperialist histories for active organizing
1:02:00 – Wrap-up: Getting involved with local chapters, reading the notes, and protecting your peace

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Host: C. Derick Varn ( X: @varnvlog Bluesky @varnvlog.bsky.social)
Intro Musics: Spaceship Revolution by Etienne Roussel (Solo Intro), Bitterlake (Political Intro), Bitterlake (Strange Intro), The Siege of Kalameth by Jon Björk (Main Show Intro), Teknique by Anthony Earls (Nailing It Down Intro).
Outro Music: Let Down by Issue AB
Intro and Outro Video Design: C. Derick Varn (Main Show Intro, Show Outro), Djene Bajalan (Solo Intro, Political Intro, Space Outro), Bitterlake (Strange Intro)
Art Design: Corn ( / cornflow ) and C. Derick

Видео Organizing with the Global South: Inside the RAIZ International Project канала C. Derick Varn