How the Left Fell in and Out of Love With Free Trade
In Pax Economica, the historian Marc-William Palen argues that the Left has a long history of championing open markets as a bulwark against nationalism. Neoliberals quashed this idealism.
19082 Articles by: Alex Press
Middlemen Are Profiting off the Broken US Pharma System
Pharmacy benefit managers push expensive medications and slash drug reimbursement rates, pocketing the profits for themselves. Congress looked set to regulate these shadowy middlemen — but $50 million in industry lobbying later, the effort has stalled.
Unions Can’t Be Rebuilt Piecemeal. We Need to Go Big.
The 1930s rise of the Congress of Industrial Organizations led to millions of people being union members for the first time. The lesson of the CIO is that it’s necessary to harness the collective power of the working class on a grand scale.
Emmanuel Todd Prophesies the Defeat of the West
French demographer Emmanuel Todd’s new book argues that secularization has left Western societies weak and divided. But his account of the US and Europe’s secular nihilism is deeply reductive, leaving no space for forward-looking political change.
Debating Class Dealignment
Class dealignment posits that Democrats have been losing working-class voters in favor of middle- and upper-class voters. Is this actually happening? And to what extent is it a problem?
The Gary Convention Elided Black America’s Internal Disunity
In 1972, black political leaders and activists convened in Gary, Indiana, to develop a unified black political program. But the convention’s emphasis on racial cohesion overlooked the realities of black class stratification and internal ideological divisions.
Ding Dong, Former Canadian PM Brian Mulroney Is Dead
Canada’s former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney reshaped the country with a mix of free trade enthusiasm and privatization. Lionized in his passing by Canada’s press, his legacy of undermining the country’s working classes shouldn’t be whitewashed.
Evelyn Trent Was One of America’s Great Revolutionaries
Best remembered as the partner of Indian revolutionary M. N. Roy, Evelyn Trent deserves to be recognized as a major figure in her own right. The Californian activist was a pioneering anti-colonial feminist who helped initiate India’s communist movement.
Kohei Saito’s “Start From Scratch” Degrowth Communism
Kohei Saito’s degrowth rewrite of Marxist theory is not only incorrect — if taken seriously, it would lead to political disaster for both the socialist left and the environmental movement.
Union Gives a Close Look at the Historic Amazon Labor Union Win
In 2022, Amazon workers at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island became the first in the US to win a union election. The new documentary Union gives a compelling glimpse behind the scenes of the victory — and the challenges that have come since.
Perfect Days Celebrates Spare, Mindful Escapism
Critics love Wim Wenders’s Perfect Days for its depiction of a happy and humble Japanese toilet cleaner. But it’s really a fantasy of escape — one that seems to appeal mostly to the affluent.
In Portugal’s Election, the Center Left Struggles to Hold On
Pedro Nuno Santos heads into Portugal’s election with a promise to revamp the Socialist Party after eight years in power. But talk of him leading a left-wing turn is overblown — and among young voters, libertarian and anti-immigrant forces are gaining ground.
Billionaires Hate This One Weird Trick: Taxing Them
The global movement to tax billionaires, much to the dismay of the 1%, is gaining steam. Sure, wealth taxes are not a panacea for the ruinous problems caused by capitalism, but the fact that the rich hate them is a good reason to pursue them further.
Biden’s State of the Union Showcased a President in Denial
Look past the theatrics of a feisty, bellowing president and reactionary hecklers. Joe Biden’s State of the Union address didn’t offer working-class people a clear economic alternative or signal real opposition to Israel’s brutal war in Gaza.
State Legislatures Are Waging War on Public Schools
A new report ranks US states in terms of how well their legislatures are protecting public schools and the students who attend them. From expanding charters to launching illiberal attacks on kids and families, a worrying number of states failed the test.
Why Is Our Culture So Obsessed With Individual Experience?
From immersive art to personal essays and first-person novels, our culture is obsessed with the idea of individual experience. Anna Kornbluh, the author of Immediacy: Or, The Style of Too Late Capitalism, spoke to Jacobin about why.
REI Workers Take Their Union Drive to the Stage
At REI’s flagship Manhattan store, management has fought workers’ attempts to win a first union contract. In the meantime, workers have channeled their anger into working-class art: a play about work and organizing based on their experiences at the company.
The Making of Frantz Fanon
The psychiatrist Frantz Fanon witnessed World War II and the Algerian War of Independence firsthand. Adam Shatz’s new book, The Rebel’s Clinic, shows how these experiences turned Fanon into a revolutionary.
Europe’s Center Right Is Enabling the Authoritarian Turn
Ahead of June’s EU election, we’re again seeing alarmist rhetoric about far-right insurgents. But the authoritarian turn is happening already — driven by the conservative forces at the heart of the European institutions.
The IMF’s Policies Are Destroying Kenya, Again
International Monetary Fund diktats have pushed Kenya into a spiral of rising debt and unaffordable prices for food and fuel. New loans have come with strings attached that make the crisis even worse — but it’s good news for lenders in the West.