How Canada Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dysfunction
Canada’s democracy is in crisis but Canadians don’t seem to care. What looks like complacency, however, may actually be the result of decades of institutional drift and managed inertia.
20401 Article(s) by: Elizabeth Mahony
Mexico Is Showing the World How to Stand Up to Donald Trump
Donald Trump loves to try to bully Mexico. But President Claudia Sheinbaum is showing the world how to stand up to the MAGA administration without playing into its hands.
Trump’s Deportation Threat Against Zohran Mamdani Is Shameful
In only half a year of Donald Trump’s presidency, he and his allies have turned deportation into an explicitly political threat against opponents and critics. The latest and most high-profile is Zohran Mamdani.
The Hidden History of Class Struggle in the Roman Empire
Ancient Rome was a rigidly hierarchical society where the ruling elite stigmatized everyone who had to work with their hands. Yet Roman workers still found ways to resist exploitation through strikes and other forms of collective action.
The OAS Caves to US Pressure Yet Again
Rosa María Payá has joined the Organization of American States’ human rights commission, despite backing US sanctions on Cuba, cozying up to far-right leaders, and lacking basic knowledge of international law.
Cautionary Tales From the New Left
In a new memoir, New Left leader Michael Ansara wants to impart lessons from his own time as a campus activist to today’s protesters. But his later role in a corruption scandal that set back Teamsters reform for decades offers its own cautionary lessons.
Amazon Workers Are Confronting Automation-Driven Speedup
Across the US, Amazon delivery stations are being outfitted with robots, allowing the company to hire fewer workers and speed up work for those that remain.
Europe’s Race to Remilitarize Isn’t Just About Trump
NATO’s European members have agreed to massively hike defense spending. The move conforms to Donald Trump’s demands — but also reflects a German-led bid to revive its economy through massive investment in the military.
Victoria’s Public Sector Union Is Facing a Reform Challenge
For 32 years, the same faction has held leadership in the Victorian branch of Australia’s public service union. The rank-and-file reform group A Voice for Members is now mounting a challenge, saying it wants a more democratic and militant union.
F1 Is a Big, Stupid Hit
Brad Pitt’s F1 is the big, dumb racing movie America’s been waiting for. If you can stomach the sports movie clichés, you’ll probably have a good time.
Philadelphia’s Blue-Collar Municipal Workforce Is on Strike
AFSCME District Council 33 represents the blue-collar city workers who make Philadelphia run. After sacrificing through the pandemic and years of bruising inflation, they say they’re on strike so they can afford to live in the city they serve.
In Memphis, Elon Musk Pilots a Corporate Takeover Strategy
To build Colossus, Elon Musk’s pollution-spewing AI data center in Memphis, Musk used gag orders to silence city officials and bypass input from residents, whose asthma rates have since soared. Now Musk wants to take this strategy national.
The Israel Lobby Keeps Falling Flat on Its Face
Zohran Mamdani’s win wasn’t the only race last week or even in the past few years where pro-Israel money and arguments failed. The Israel lobby’s power rests on appearing more fearsome than it actually is.
The National Guard’s History of Violent Labor Repression
Donald Trump recently commandeered California’s National Guard to repress anti-ICE protests in LA. The National Guard has a long history of being deployed to break up protests and strikes, including violent repression of strikes by immigrant workers.
George Smiley’s Second Life
In Karla’s Choice, Nick Harkaway takes up his father John le Carré’s most enduring creation, returning George Smiley back to the Cold War’s morally gray trenches. The novel reminds us that clever tradecraft can’t fix what cowardly leaders break.
Jacobin’s Summer Reads Guide
We asked our editors and contributors what you should read this summer. They answered with everything from romances set in the former East Germany to thrillers about Russian mercenaries.
The Palestinian Left Is a Vital Part of Its Nation’s History
From the diaspora to the occupied territories and the Palestinian minority in Israel, left-wing forces have played a major role in organizing popular struggles for democratic rights in Palestine. A new Jacobin podcast series looks at their impact and legacy.
Israel and Iran Have Set the Stage for the Next War
Iran has long held that conflict with Israel can be managed by limiting its retaliation within clearly defined parameters. But through its preemptive attack, Israel has revealed that it is not a rational actor and upended the rules of war.
How Zohran Mamdani Can Succeed as Mayor
Assembling a successful electoral coalition is difficult, but forging a governing coalition to run the city is even harder. Longtime social movements scholar Peter Dreier offers some advice for the potential next mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani.
Financial Capitalism Is More Dangerous Than Ever Today
The crash of 2008 was supposed to augur the end of ultraspeculative financial capitalism. But financial actors have actually gone from strength to strength since then, and fictitious capital is a bigger menace to global economic stability than ever.