The Plutocratic Plan to Remake Colorado Elections
A “philanthropic venture fund” backed by elites is trying to remake Colorado’s electoral system to make it easier for the wealthy to buy up elections.
18228 Articles by: Adrien Beauduin
Adrien Beauduin is currently researching a PhD on Polish and Czech politics at the Central European University’s department of gender studies.
How Medical Debt Destroys the Lives of Millions of Americans
In the US, patients recovering from life-threatening illnesses often find that their first concern is not their health but the massive medical debts they’ve incurred. Right-wing politicians, insurers, and hospitals have worked to maintain this status quo.
Cuts to UNRWA Are Devastating Gaza
UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian refugee relief agency, has faced severe funding cuts after Israel dubiously accused the organization of ties to Hamas. We spoke with a director of UNRWA in Jordan about the impact of the cuts.
Yazan al-Kafarneh’s Death Is a Stain on Humanity
The world just watched a ten-year-old Palestinian boy, Yazan al-Kafarneh, starve to death in Gaza. Others like him have already died of hunger, and many more will if Israel does not stop its brutal starvation of Gaza’s civilian population.
The Scottish National Party Is Facing a Political Crisis
The SNP has dominated Scottish politics for well over a decade, but Nicola Sturgeon left her successor, Humza Yousaf, with a dubious legacy. The party now risks being overtaken by Labour, even though support for Scottish independence remains solid.
Donald Trump’s Toxic Politics Continue to Set the Agenda
Joe Biden hopes to eke out a reelection win by raising alarms about the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy. Yet on immigration, Biden has pointlessly moved closer than ever to Trump’s cruel border policy.
The Problem With Finance Is the Problem of Capitalism
Finance’s dominance over the economy isn’t a deviant evolution of a “good” industrial capitalism. Finance and industry are interdependent — meaning solving problems like inequality and climate change will require a far-reaching democratization of the economy.
Keir Starmer’s Market Solutions for Housing Won’t Work
Fixing Britain’s housing crisis requires rebuilding the country’s publicly owned housing system — the opposite of the private developer–centered approach recently announced by Keir Starmer.
Germany Should Be Supporting a Cease-Fire, Not Israel’s War
Germany’s political establishment strongly supports Israel’s war in Gaza, sending messages of “solidarity” as well as weapons. Nicole Gohlke, an MP for left-wing party Die Linke, writes for Jacobin on why Germany should instead be calling for a cease-fire.
Mayoral Hopeful Flo Cofer Envisions a Democratic Sacramento
With an activist background and a left-wing perspective, Sacramento mayoral candidate Flo Cofer bears the markers of an outsider candidate. But backed by big unions, sitting councilmembers, and the city paper, she’s giving the Sac elite a run for their money.
The Vatican’s History of Vicious Anti-Communism
Modern European history is sometimes told as a story of growing secularization. But the Catholic Church played a central role in 20th-century Europe as one of the main purveyors of anti-communism and a frequent ally of far-right reaction.
Itamar Moses’s The Ally Is an Exercise in Liberal Ambivalence
Itamar Moses’s new play The Ally, about free speech and Israel, boldly broaches the topic of Palestine activism on US college campuses. But the play ultimately stays on the safe side, endorsing agnosticism and inaction in a time of massacres.
Rossana Rossanda Upheld the Best Traditions of Italy’s Left
Rossana Rossanda represented the very best of the generation drawn to Italian communism in the 1940s. Rossanda insisted on the need for militant working-class politics throughout her life while much of the Italian left lost its political bearings.
Salvadorans Have Traded Their Rights for Uncertain Security
Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele will extend the state of exception that has earned the country the world’s highest incarceration rate. Gang violence has been traded for arbitrary arrest and detention — with working-class people bearing the brunt.
The US War on Yemen Is an Exercise in Futility
Joe Biden has launched yet another US war in the Middle East with his air strikes on Yemen. The bombing campaign won’t stop attacks on Red Sea shipping — but an end to Israel’s war on Gaza will.
The End of the Future
Both the Left and the Right used to articulate radically different visions of the future. Today the entire political spectrum looks backward, aiming to restore the past.
Gaza Doesn’t Need Patronizing “Empathy”
Self-help guru Brené Brown is calling for using the tools of “radical vulnerability” for dialogue in Israel-Palestine. The result is a vapid plea for empathy for both sides that shies from confronting the massacre actually underway in Gaza.
How Italy’s Left Tied Its Fate to a Scandal-Hit Influencer
Chiara Ferragni is Italy’s top influencer, a brand the center-left Democrats have long tried to associate themselves with. But now the fashion blogger and businesswoman is enveloped in scandal, showing the pitfalls of making influencers progressive icons.
The US Hindu Right Is Still Whitewashing the Gujarat Pogrom
Narendra Modi was head of Gujarat state when Hindu militants committed one of the worst anti-Muslim massacres in modern Indian history. Now he’s Indian prime minister — and his US allies are busily ensuring the Hindutva leader’s impunity.
Strikes Are Meant to Be Disruptive
Critics of new anti-scab legislation in Canada are worried about the ability to “get things done.” But halting production is the very purpose of strikes — to create disruptions that force bosses to negotiate.