Germany and Israel
Germany’s anti-antisemitism has failed to achieve its purported aim. Instead it has given license to proxy Israeli nationalism, fueled a rise in xenophobia, and compounded the challenge of addressing genuine antisemitism.
120 Article(s) by: Daniel Denvir
Daniel Denvir is the author of All-American Nativism and the host of The Dig on Jacobin Radio.
How the West Remade the Middle East
Western media often characterizes the Middle East as a region eternally riven with sectarian conflicts. In an interview, historian Ussama Makdisi says this is wrong, starting with the fact that the region has a rich history of multiethnic coexistence.
The Iraq War Remade the World in Its Grisly Image
The 2003 invasion of Iraq has been swept to the margins of collective memory. We must refuse to forget it — and seek to understand what led to it, who benefited, who suffered, and how it transformed the world.
The Vatican’s History of Vicious Anti-Communism
Modern European history is sometimes told as a story of growing secularization. But the Catholic Church played a central role in 20th-century Europe as one of the main purveyors of anti-communism and a frequent ally of far-right reaction.
The Libertarians Who Dream of a World Without Democracy
The late 20th century saw the creation of special economic zones that free capitalists from the normal constraints of popular sovereignty. This went hand in hand with the rise of radical libertarian ideologies proposing to do away with democracy entirely.
America’s Origin Story Is a Myth
The foundational myths of the United States celebrate the conquest of the frontier as the creation of a nation founded on principles of equality. Nick Estes thinks it’s time Americans grappled with the truth.
How the Ruling Class Became Vulgar
Old-money WASPs once ruled America with an air of clannish exclusivity. Then the economic crises of the 1970s upended their world, opening the corporate floodgates to new-money barbarians — and replacing elite social norms with wanton money lust.
China’s Economy Dodged Neoliberal Shock Therapy — and Boomed
In the 1980s, as China sought to introduce markets into its economy, an internal debate roiled over whether to liberalize prices gradually or all at once. It rejected the free-market shock therapy option, and challenged neoliberal orthodoxy in the process.
What Yemen’s Houthis Want
In a wide-ranging interview, Yemen scholar Helen Lackner examines the Houthis’ politics, their support for Palestine, and the long history of a country torn by civil war.
Pro-Market Third Way Policies Caused Electoral Disaster
Sociologist Stephanie L. Mudge examines how and why center-left parties across the world swallowed the neoliberal gospel — only to demolish their own social base.
China Miéville on The Communist Manifesto’s Enduring Power
In an interview, author China Miéville explains why Marx and Engels’s Communist Manifesto is such a remarkable work, defending the book against its detractors and arguing that it remains urgently inspiring and deeply relevant.
Zionism’s History Is Also a History of Jewish Anti-Zionism
Defenders of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza have attempted to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. But since its beginning, different forms of Zionist ideology have competed with varied anti-Zionisms for Jewish allegiance.
Why a Decade of Protests Didn’t Lead to Revolution
Between 2010 and 2020, a wave of protests erupted around the world. In some cases, these movements strengthened socialist forces. In others, they opened the door to the Right. Vincent Bevins spoke to Jacobin to explain the causes of this divergence.
Mohammed el-Kurd: We Must Be Willing to Sacrifice to End Israel’s War
Palestinian writer Mohammed el-Kurd spoke to Jacobin about Israel’s vicious war on Gaza and the daily humiliations and frequent killing that Israel has long inflicted on Palestinians. “We are told time and time again that our death is business as usual.”
How Hamas Became the Violent Face of Palestinian Resistance
Hamas has been all over the news since its brutal October 7 attack, but there's much less understanding of how the group emerged. Only by studying Hamas's history can we chart a better way forward.
AOC: “What Latin America Wants Is Sovereignty”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke with Jacobin following her recent trip to Latin America and on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the coup in Chile. She discussed the crimes of US intervention and the struggles for justice and democracy across the Americas.
OPEC Was First Formed as a Challenge to Western Energy Dominance
As oil became a key energy source in the 20th century, Western companies backed by the US and UK monopolized production in the Global South. But in the age of decolonization, newly independent nations fought for a different global energy order.
How Leftists Should Think About Bidenomics
President Joe Biden has proclaimed a break with the economic orthodoxy of recent decades in favor of what he calls “Bidenomics.” But how real is Biden’s break with neoliberalism?
US Colleges and Universities Are Becoming Giant Exploitation Machines
Since the 1970s, many colleges and universities have become predatory financial giants, while mountains of student debt pile up and academic work becomes ever more precarious. An ascendant academic labor movement may be key to reversing these trends.
The Black Radical Tradition Can Guide Our Struggles Against Oppression
Historian Robin D. G. Kelley has uncovered a tradition of African American radicalism that was — and is — a crucial part of the American left’s history. He talks to Jacobin about the need to connect struggles against racism and class oppression.