No Continent for Young Men
The average African is 19 years old. The continent’s average politician is 62 and getting older — and more authoritarian.
37 Articles by: Benjamin Fogel
Page 1 of 2 Next
Benjamin Fogel is a contributing editor at Jacobin and head of publishing at Alameda.
The South African Blame Game
The colonial history of South Africa lives on in conspiracy theories about the “Third Force,” but it’s not secret external enemies plaguing South Africa today — it’s the country’s own ruling class.
Andrew Tate Wants Everyone to Get in on the Grift
Online misogynist Andrew Tate doesn’t pretend that life under capitalism isn’t a scam. He readily acknowledges that it is, with success coming through coercion, exploitation, and predation — and he wants you to get in on the hustle with him.
Internationalism After Mass Politics
Internationalism persists as a rallying cry, but what would it mean to go beyond sloganeering?
The ANC Can’t Save South Africa
With violent crime and mass shortages spiraling out of control, South Africa is nearly a failed state. And the ANC has no one to blame but itself.
Lula Can End the Jair Bolsonaro Nightmare Today
Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency has been a destructive clown show. A Lula win today can help rebuild Brazil’s democracy.
We Should Never Forget South Africa’s Marikana Massacre
Ten years ago this month, 34 striking mine workers in South Africa were slaughtered by police on live TV. The Marikana massacre exposed the deep ills of the postapartheid status quo — and the urgent need to build working-class power in the country.
Lower the Crime Rate
Crime is born out of poverty and the miseries of capitalism. An index of oppression can’t be ignored by socialists.
The ANC’s Control of South African Politics Is Over
South Africa’s municipal elections this week were nothing short of disastrous. South Africans are desperate for a political alternative to the African National Congress; if the Left doesn’t provide it, right-populists and ethnonationalists will.
The Official Narrative About Mexico’s Drug War Is All Wrong
From assumptions about drug traffickers and police and elected officials’ corruption to Mexicans’ economic incentives for selling drugs, the Mexican drug trade has been drenched in sensationalist and inaccurate mythology. We need to totally upend our understanding of it.
There Is No Silver Lining to South Africa’s Zuma Insurrection
South Africa’s immense poverty and inequality have been weaponized by former president Jacob Zuma and his supporters through a massive economic sabotage campaign. Any response must address the miseries saturating the country as well as the chaos now unleashed.
Judge Sergio Moro Is to Blame for Jair Bolsonaro’s Far-Right Presidency
In Brazil, an absurd and deeply politicized “anti-corruption” campaign was carried out to block Lula da Silva from the presidency — delivering it instead to far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who oversaw the world’s worst COVID-19 response. We have ex-judge Sergio Moro to thank for it.
Lula Is Back — And He Can Save Brazil From Bolsonaro
After yesterday’s ruling declaring former Brazilian president Lula da Silva eligible to run in next year’s election, Brazil’s ruling class is panicking. But for Brazilian workers struggling with economic hardship and the COVID-19 pandemic, Lula’s return means there is finally some hope for change.
The Problem With “Anti-Corruption”
Nobody likes corruption. But the modern politics of “anti-corruption” is built on both domestic and international double standards. Corruption is not some alien virus that enters and disrupts a system, it is a symptom of all that is wrong with the world that liberals are vainly striving to restore.
Brazil’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Lava Jato Gave Us the Ultra-Corrupt Bolsonaro
Brazil’s Lava Jato investigation in corruption jailed former president Lula da Silva and was lauded by anticorruption campaigners in the West. But its legacy is the most corrupt president in the country’s history: Jair Bolsonaro.
South Africa’s COVID-19 Response Has Been Brutally Anti-Worker
South Africa has imposed one of the world’s most draconian COVID-19 lockdowns, slapping hundreds of thousands of mostly black and working-class people with criminal charges. The authoritarian response highlights again the lost promise of the post-apartheid government and the deep disparities that still plague the country.
Anti-Communist Massacres Killed Indonesia’s Hopes for National Liberation and Socialism
The mass slaughter of leftists in Indonesia was more than just another Washington-backed atrocity. It was the prototype for smashing the hopes and dreams of the Left in the developing world — for good.
Bolsonaro’s “Fuck You” Coup
After more than a year of Jair Bolsonaro’s rule in Brazil, the country is hurtling toward authoritarianism. Now the president is calling on his supporters to take to the streets in a “Fuck You March” against the democratic institutions that are standing in the way of his far-right agenda.
Painting All Workers as “Social Conservatives” Is Middle-Class Elitism
Since Labour’s election defeat, pundits have accused the party of being out of step with working people’s social conservatism. But the “Blue Labour” obsession with Christian morality and national pride offers a caricature of the working class — and ignores the ability of socialist politics to unite people across cultural divides.
Outsourcing Repression
Bolsonaro doesn’t need an open military dictatorship to crush his opponents. As the “Colombian model” demonstrates, he can lean on violent paramilitaries to do the dirty work for him.