Cory Doctorow talks to us about the internet, whether machines are conscious, why copyright maximalism won’t save us from ChatGPT, and why workers still have a chance to shape what comes next.
The Food Industry Is Rife With Worker Abuse
Food systems employ more workers than any other sector of the global economy — roughly 1.4 billion people. And few industries are more rife with worker abuse.
Serbia’s Students Changed How Serbians Think About Politics
The election win for Serbia’s Student List reflects a deep desire for more democratic ways of doing politics. The test now is to see how the different forces within the movement can collaborate in changing the country’s institutions.
DSA Is Eyeing a 2028 AOC Presidential Run
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America are thinking seriously about a national presidential campaign for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2028 that would reach millions of working people and have the potential to transform American politics.
Dockworkers Worldwide Are About to Strike for Palestine
The second International Day of Action of Dockworkers, in solidarity with Palestine and against militarism, begins this Friday — and could be the largest worker action against war in history.
Is Trump Crashing the Dollar Empire?
Economist Mona Ali on how the United States wields the world’s most powerful currency to shore up empire and its own ruling class — and how Trump’s careless moves might blow it all up.
The real choice is not between globalization and deglobalization, free trade and tariff walls, but between empowering capital and empowering workers.
China Miéville’s The Rouse Is a Haunting Magnum Opus
The Rouse follows a secret British effort to weaponize ghosts amid the Cold War and decolonization. A supernatural spy thriller, a Marxist meditation on history, and a stylistic triumph, China Miéville’s novel is a masterwork two decades in the making.
Israel Might Change After Its Election, but Not Much
Israel’s election campaign reflected the wide support for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians across mainstream politics. The electoral stalemate between government and opposition is unlikely to slow the radicalization of Israeli society.
France’s Protests Fuel a Wider Fight Over Europe’s Future
European authorities want France’s next government to cut welfare. It’s a stand for the same budget orthodoxies that have fueled current protests, and that have collapsed support for the liberal center ground.
Focus on the Real Drivers of the Affordability Crisis
The principal sources of the affordability crisis are less consumer goods and more childcare, health care, and education. The Left’s response to that crisis should focus on universal, solidaristic, and visible social programs.
Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri’s Empire became a campus sensation because it offered a master theory for globalization at a moment when old Marxist categories seemed exhausted. But the capitalist internationalism they saw as permanent has now crashed and burned.
Financial Capital Didn’t Make New York City Great
The latest installments in Ric Burns’s documentary New York look at Gotham’s recent decades through rose-colored glasses. They ignore the political choices that eroded the city’s industrial base and reduced democratic influence on the economy.
Is Ecuador Still a Democracy?
After barring the opposition party from November’s elections, the far-right government of Daniel Noboa has arrested its leader, Luisa González, blurring the line between democracy and dictatorship.
Alberta’s Post-Referendum Hangover
Alberta’s sovereignty push has failed, but the province’s Conservative infighting continues, and working people are paying the price. The government has spent its energy pursuing partisan advantage while neglecting Albertans’ everyday concerns.
France’s Rulers Want Violence as a Pretext for a Crackdown
Ahead of Saturday’s mass protests in France, the government seemed almost desperate for new violent scenes. Lumping the organized left and protesters in with black bloc groups, it seeks to justify a broad crackdown on the high schoolers’ movement.