Ashley Smith is a socialist writer and activist in Burlington, Vermont. He has written in numerous publications including Truthout, The International Socialist Review, Socialist Worker, ZNet, Jacobin, New Politics, and many other online and print publications. He is currently working on a book for Haymarket Books entitled Socialism and Anti-Imperialism.
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a dangerous escalation in tensions between China and the United States. But our allegiance shouldn’t be with either country’s ruling class — it should be with both countries’ workers.
In Hong Kong, leftists of all kinds support ongoing protests for democracy and civil liberties. Leftists everywhere else should, too.
Trump’s sadistic border policy is just the most visible part of a bipartisan — and worldwide — clampdown on freedom of movement. But resistance to it is growing.
If the global economy comes skidding to a halt sometime soon, the results for the vast majority of people around the world would be miserable. The Left needs to be prepared for it.
Boris Johnson’s drive toward a no-deal Brexit is hastening calls for the breakup of the United Kingdom. The crisis of the British state creates opportunities for the Left’s socialist message — but only if it can navigate the messy politics of national identity.
Boris Johnson and his rivals for the Tory leadership are outbidding each other to copy Nigel Farage’s agenda. Only Corbyn’s Labour Party stands in the way of a disastrous no-deal Brexit.
The recent uprisings in Sudan and Algeria show that the conditions that gave rise to the Arab Spring are not going away. But movements against authoritarianism and exploitation still face existential threats.
Rutgers faculty just won a historic contract by threatening to strike. That confidence came from years of organizing and fighting the corporate university.
The Vermont Progressive Party must choose between challenging the two-party system and being absorbed by the Democrats.
In the wake of last month’s general strike, rank-and-file workers in Quebec are pushing for a stronger agreement with the government.
The Liberal government in Quebec’s attempt to impose austerity has instead galvanized thousands against it.
With protests in Quebec picking up, the 2012 student strikes might have been just the beginning of the anti-austerity struggle.
Bernie Sanders’ choice to run as a Democrat means he can’t present a real alternative to Hillary Clinton.