Working People Can Help Stop the Drive to War
The specter of war in the Asia-Pacific is leading to a gloomy cynicism. But the Australian working class has influenced debates on war before — and won peaceful outcomes.
56 Articles by: Chris Dite
Chris Dite is a teacher and union member.
Right-Wing Provocateurs Are Trying to Drag Australia Into War With China
Paul Keating’s fiery attacks on the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal last week drew attention to Australia’s uncritical support for the US in its China containment policy. This drive for war has been years in the making.
A Parliament of Landlords Will Not Solve Australia’s Housing Crisis
The overwhelming majority of Australian Labor Party federal MPs are landlords. Maybe that’s why they can’t solve the housing crisis.
Gandhi’s Assassin Helped Build the Forces Ruling India Today
Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948 shocked the newly independent India. Seventy-five years later, the assassin’s associates are now in power and dismantling secular democracy.
The Saudi Royal Family Is Using K-Pop to Distract From Its Domestic Problems
K-pop sensation Blackpink is set to play to a sold-out stadium in Riyadh tomorrow. The concert marks 60 years of Saudi–South Korean diplomatic ties — and a long history of brutal collaboration.
Australia’s New Workplace Laws Will Not Improve Wages
The Australian Labor government’s new industrial relations bill promises to boost wage growth. But the legislation’s key components work to undermine that goal.
Black Women Were at the Heart of the Struggle to Build American Communism
Throughout the early to mid-20th century, black communist women led mass campaigns to build collective power, joining the fight for black liberation with the struggle for economic equality. Their goal: the overthrow of capitalism.
The Philosopher Who Helped Kill the King
The 17th-century philosopher Lucy Hutchinson was among the regicides who sent Charles I to his execution, ushering in an English republic in 1649. The divine right of kings, Hutchinson knew, could indeed be ended.
Australia’s Industrial Relations System Is Designed to Enrich Capital at Workers’ Expense
Since the 1980s, workplace law in Australia has crippled the union movement. Today, it’s a finely tuned machine that exacerbates inequality in order to enrich a small minority of bosses.
Nigeria’s Underdevelopment Has Made It a Ripe Target for Capitalist Exploitation
Rich in resources that it exports to the West, Nigeria today is blighted by shocking rates of inequality. With an elite working in the service of foreign capital, Nigerian workers and raw materials are a key site of exploitation for global capitalists.
In Australia, Workers Are Facing Another Decade of Wage Suppression
A jobs and skills summit brought together union, business, and government leaders to address stagnant wages in Australia this week. While some seemingly progressive proposals got much attention, the outcome is set to further undermine pay and conditions.
It’s Time to Demand the Dissolution of Australia’s Border Force
Since its launch in 2015, Australia’s Border Force has been mired in controversy and corruption scandals. Its dissolution is imperative to ending the punitive and pernicious approach at the heart of Australian immigration policy.
The Greens’ Surrender Over Labor’s Climate Bill Is a Mistake
Australia’s Greens just gave their backing to the government’s woefully inadequate climate bill. In order to rebuild a movement that can force real action on climate change, the Greens must use their leverage to rally opposition to Labor’s hollow symbolism.
When Australia Experienced a Mass Shooting, the Government Enacted Gun Reform
When 35 people were murdered by a lone gunman in Tasmania in 1996, the conservative government did something the American government hasn’t: it quickly banned automatic and semiautomatic weapons.
Australia’s New Union for Retail and Fast-Food Workers Is Rebuilding Militancy
In its short existence, the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union has already achieved big wins. As conditions continue to decline for Australian workers, RAFFWU is a model of how to stand up to the bosses.
Australian Diplomacy in the Pacific Is Driven by Self-Interest
Australia’s Labor government is promising Pacific countries a new and friendlier era in diplomatic relations. But without challenging the vested interests and right-wing politics that dominate the region, these promises are altogether empty.
Australian Voters Have Demanded Action on Climate Change
Thanks to its stubborn inaction on climate change, the conservative coalition was trounced in this weekend’s election in Australia. With Greens and independents set to hold the balance of power, it’s time for the climate movement to step up its demands.
How Migrant Workers From the Philippines Power Modern Capitalism
Millions of Filipino workers travel abroad each year to labor in dangerous, exhausting, and unregulated conditions. Scattered throughout the world, these hyperexploited workers have been delivered by the Philippine state to serve the needs of foreign powers.
Britain Is Planning to Outsource Its Refugees to Rwanda
This week, Britain announced an inhumane and unworkable plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda — permanently. It’s a cruel effort to outsource border control at the expense of refugees’ well-being.
How the Antiwar Socialist Left Is Shaping Debate in Norway
With the rising threat of nuclear conflict in Europe, antiwar activists in countries bordering Russia are demanding de-escalation. Jacobin spoke with the leader of Norway’s Rød Ungdom about global solidarity and fighting to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.