The End of the Future
Both the Left and the Right used to articulate radically different visions of the future. Today the entire political spectrum looks backward, aiming to restore the past.
19092 Articles by: Enver Motala
Enver Motala is an associate of the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT) at the University of Johannesburg and of the Centre for Integrated Post-School Education and Training at the Nelson Mandela University.
Gaza Doesn’t Need Patronizing “Empathy”
Self-help guru Brené Brown is calling for using the tools of “radical vulnerability” for dialogue in Israel-Palestine. The result is a vapid plea for empathy for both sides that shies from confronting the massacre actually underway in Gaza.
How Italy’s Left Tied Its Fate to a Scandal-Hit Influencer
Chiara Ferragni is Italy’s top influencer, a brand the center-left Democrats have long tried to associate themselves with. But now the fashion blogger and businesswoman is enveloped in scandal, showing the pitfalls of making influencers progressive icons.
The US Hindu Right Is Still Whitewashing the Gujarat Pogrom
Narendra Modi was head of Gujarat state when Hindu militants committed one of the worst anti-Muslim massacres in modern Indian history. Now he’s Indian prime minister — and his US allies are busily ensuring the Hindutva leader’s impunity.
Strikes Are Meant to Be Disruptive
Critics of new anti-scab legislation in Canada are worried about the ability to “get things done.” But halting production is the very purpose of strikes — to create disruptions that force bosses to negotiate.
Labor and Climate Must Unite. That’s Easier Said Than Done.
The idea that the labor and climate movements must unite for a Green New Deal is more popular than ever. To get it done, we’ll need to take the threat of job loss seriously, finding and uplifting commonalities between climate goals and worker self-interest.
Bob Marley: One Love Is a Feel-Good Fake
The story of Bob Marley’s reggae music and his politically infused Rastafarian beliefs is fascinating. Not that you’ll learn anything about them from watching the new feel-good biopic Bob Marley: One Love.
Israel’s Flour Massacre in Gaza Is a Horrific War Crime
Continuing the relentless assault on civilians in Gaza, Israeli troops killed more than 100 starving Palestinians waiting for flour from aid trucks yesterday. Emboldened by US complicity, Israel persists in acting with impunity in Gaza.
No, Western Troops Shouldn’t Be Sent to Ukraine
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, suggested on Monday that sending Western troops to Ukraine can “no longer be ruled out.” The idea is dangerous and impractical.
Seven Lessons from Starbucks Workers’ Historic Victory
The entire labor movement should wake up and pay attention to the lessons from Starbucks workers’ victory this week.
The New York Times Has an Ugly Anti-Palestinian Bias
The fact that the New York Times assigned its investigation of October 7 sexual assault claims to Anat Schwartz, a non-journalist with anti-Palestinian beliefs and ties to the Israeli military, is an extreme reflection of the paper’s unflagging pro-Israel bias.
Freedom for Boris Kagarlitsky
Boris Kagarlitsky, the Russian Marxist and antiwar critic of Vladimir Putin, is again being held in a brutal detention center on baseless charges. He deserves our solidarity.
The Starbucks Workers’ Union Has Finally Broken Through
After years of relentless union busting — costing the company nearly a quarter-billion dollars, in one estimate — Starbucks Workers United has now forced the corporation to negotiate. It may prove the most important organizing breakthrough in decades.
Canada Strongly Supported Haiti’s 2004 Coup d’État
Twenty years ago today, Canada played a key role in Haiti’s 2004 coup. This foreign intervention led to the forceful removal of democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, marking the country’s spiral into chaos.
Giorgia Meloni Is Orbánizing the European Union
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni has been credited with overcoming Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán’s resistance to fresh EU funds for Ukraine. But far from moderating the Hungarian premier, Meloni is bringing Orbán-style far-right politics into the European mainstream.
We Are American Jewish Educators, and We Demand a Cease-Fire
Children are being killed by the thousands in Gaza. Both our role as educators and the Jewish values we were raised with demand that we support a cease-fire.
A Palestinian Socialist Is Running for Office in Australia
In a by-election in the South-East Melbourne seat of Dunkley, the Victorian Socialists are campaigning for solidarity with Palestine — by running Reem Yunis, a Palestinian socialist, as their candidate.
Social Housing for New York Is on the Table
Free-market housing policies will never generate mass affordable housing — which is why a new bill in New York sponsored by socialist legislators aims to make publicly owned social housing a reality.
Michigan’s Primary Shows Biden Is Courting Political Suicide
The “uncommitted” vote in Michigan way outperformed expectations last night, reflecting Democratic unhappiness with Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s brutal war. He should change course on Gaza immediately.
The Koch Network Is Lobbying Against Rail Safety
In the wake of last year’s toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, new legislation was proposed with the aim of making railways safer. But thanks to incessant lobbying from the Koch network and its web of conservative operatives, the bill has been all but killed.