Democratic Socialism Can Make Liberal Rights Real
Under capitalism, the formal equality guaranteed under the law is a farce. Democratic socialism can guarantee liberal rights like free speech while shattering the resource imbalances of capitalism.
19684 Articles by: Benjamin Case
Benjamin Case is a researcher, educator, and organizer living in Pittsburgh.
New York Socialists Are Showing How to Stand Up to the Israel Lobby
In New York State, nonprofits complicit in Israel’s illegal settlements rake in tens of millions of dollars in tax-exempt donations per year. Socialist lawmakers are fighting to change that — and loosen the Israel lobby’s stranglehold on US politics.
Strange Planet’s Socially Awkward Blue Aliens Are Now on TV
Making the leap from four-paneled comic to animated series, Nathan W. Pyle’s Apple TV+ show Strange Planet drowns its unique and subtle charms with far too much plot, character, and story. It’s unfortunately boring as hell.
How The Bell Curve Naturalized Inequality
Almost 30 years ago, The Bell Curve claimed to show a causal connection between genetics and inequality. It further discredited the field among many on the Left, but a proper understanding of genetics actually reveals the social causes of inequality.
The US Military Is a Mind-Bogglingly Expensive Purveyor of Global Death and Destruction
Pro-war hawks love to claim that the US military is “the greatest fighting force” in human history. It’s certainly exceptional in two ways: its obscene budget, and its ability to keep its record of death and destruction nearly invisible to the US public.
Rashida Tlaib’s End Child Poverty Act Would Dramatically Reduce Poverty
A new analysis shows that the End Child Poverty Act, reintroduced in Congress by Rashida Tlaib earlier this year, would drastically reduce child poverty and poverty in general and lower income inequality. Supporting it should be a no-brainer for Democrats.
In Bulgaria, the Permanent Revolution Ended in Disaster
After World War I, Bulgaria had one of Europe’s strongest peasant and worker movements. Within a decade, the Bulgarian left was in shambles, crushed by a brutal military coup and led by the Comintern into an honorable but ill-conceived uprising.
Serbia’s Faded Railways Tell the Tale of the Death of Yugoslavia
Railways that once offered quick routes through Yugoslavia are today slowed by old rolling stock and new border controls. Their frayed infrastructure reflects the collapse of Tito’s internationalist vision, and the capitalist Wild West that followed.
For Truly Radical Filmmaking, Look to Third Cinema
During the late 1960s, two leftist Argentine filmmakers wrote a manifesto that called for a new type of filmmaking known as “Third Cinema.” This movement led to the creation of some of the most radical and anti-colonial films in the history of cinema.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Judicial Reform Is About Supercharging the Occupation of Palestine
Last month, the Israeli Knesset passed a measure severely limiting the Supreme Court’s powers. The central motivation: ensuring the courts won’t be able to interfere with plans to vastly increase the number of Israeli squatter settlements on Palestinian land.
The US-Iran Prisoner Swap: A Breakthrough or a Band-Aid?
Joe Biden’s policy toward Iran has been marked by incoherence and inconsistency. His prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran is a rare positive development amid escalating tensions.
The Strange Odyssey of Britain’s Revolutionary Communist Party
The contrarian website Spiked is now at the heart of an influential right-wing network in British politics and media. But the group behind Spiked started off as an avowedly Marxist organization before turning its back on left-wing politics in the 1990s.
Zambia’s Debt Crisis Will Be a Turning Point for the Global South
G20 leaders have announced a deal with Zambia as a new debt crisis looms in the Global South. The deal will be another bonanza for finance capital at the expense of the world’s poorest people unless private lenders are forced to take a loss.
Israel’s “Reasonable” Opposition Has a Hollow Idea of Democracy
Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed through the first of his controversial judicial reforms. His domestic critics have spent months calling for a last stand for Israeli democracy — but refuse to take up the demands of Palestinians subject to decades of apartheid.
UFC’s “Power Slap” Is a Case Study in Regulatory Capture
The UFC spinoff company Power Slap is angling to make slap fighting a new “sport.” But its recent visibility has less to do with its organic popularity than with the UFC’s ever-expanding grip on combat sports.
Drug Decriminalization Policies Work — With Properly Funded Treatment Services
Critics of decriminalizing drugs have pointed to rising overdose rates to argue that decriminalization doesn’t work. In fact, such policies are effective — when combined with robust state support for addiction treatment.
In Bulgaria, Mass Protests Are Confronting Domestic Violence
Last week saw protests in 40 towns across Bulgaria, after courts failed to convict a man who attacked his 18-year-old former partner with a knife. The case pointed to authorities’ failure to confront domestic violence — and the wider misogyny of public life.
George Kennan Was No Friend of Democracy
Late in life, diplomat George Kennan became known as a “dove” on US-Russian relations. But after World War II his containment strategy played a major role subverting democracies in the name of fighting communism.
The Teamsters’ UPS Contract: A Win That Leaves Some Unfinished Business
One thing is clear from the Teamsters’ recent tentative agreement for UPS workers: thanks to members’ organizing, it is far and away the best contract ever negotiated at the company. The problems UPS workers will have to solve now are very good problems to have.
Ohio’s Antidemocratic Abortion Referendum Failed, but More Like It Are Coming
Ohio’s Issue 1 was about preventing a popular decision on abortion rights in the short term and undercutting majority influence over policymaking in the long term. Its failure is a win for democracy — but it’s part of a larger campaign that isn’t over yet.