What Does Revolution Mean in the 21st Century?
We live in an era of major mass protest in nearly every single region in the world. Yet social revolutions as we knew them in the twentieth century are nowhere to be found. Why?
19515 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.
Ron DeSantis Is a Corporate America–Approved Fake Populist
Attempting to reanimate his unappealing presidential campaign, Florida governor Ron DeSantis last week presented a new faux-populist economic agenda, which frames corporate-friendly policies as a means to improve workers’ economic conditions.
France’s Illiberal Turn Has Emboldened Its Right-Wing Police
On June 27, French police murdered Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy of Algerian and Moroccan descent. Rather than treating the incident as an opportunity for introspection, French police have rebelled against all attempts to be held accountable.
In Senegal, the Government’s Boasts About Upholding Democracy Ring Hollow
Senegal’s government has condemned last month’s coup in Niger, even pledging to send troops to help restore the rule of law. But far from a beacon of democracy, this ally of Paris and Washington is mounting its own bloody crackdown on opposition at home.
Labor Union Radicals Built the US Feminist Movement
Forget the stereotypes about the “individualism” of 1970s feminism. In fact, labor radicals played a crucial role in founding and organizing the struggles to topple gender hierarchies — and they should serve as an inspiration for labor feminists today.
The Atomic Bombings of Japan Were Based on Lies
On the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan, we should remember that deploying the bomb wasn’t necessary to win the war. US policymakers were aware of this fact, yet they pressed on, thereby authoring the atrocity that launched the nuclear age.
“Pro-Worker” Republicans Aren’t Serious
Ron DeSantis’s new economic plan promises to stand up to the ruling class and big corporations, echoing the “pro-worker” rhetoric bubbling up from some segments of the Right. But their mega-rich donors aren’t buying the act, and neither should you.
Socialist Gym Rats Fought to End Slavery in America
Veterans of the 1848 German revolution immigrated to America with three passions burning in their hearts: barbells, beer, and socialism.
RIP William Friedkin, Hollywood’s Larger-Than-Life Maverick
Boisterous, brilliant, and never boring, director William Friedkin burst out of the gate in the 1970s with a trio of blistering classics — The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer. His was a filmmaker a world apart from the sterile Hollywood of today.
Austerity Is Part of a Plan to Privatize the NHS
Decades of austerity have undermined Britain’s National Health Service, leading to staffing shortages and longer wait times. It’s a pretext for handing off more and more of the system to profiteering corporations.
The West’s Double Standards in the Armenian Crisis
The West is indifferent to Azeri aggression in Armenia because Azerbaijan’s strategic significance makes it an essential partner for Western energy security, leaving democratic Armenia with limited support in its time of need.
The 1933 Conference That Helped Forge Civil Rights Unionism
Ninety years ago this month, at the Amenia conference co-organized by W. E. B. Du Bois, young black leftists argued for a mass politics aligned with the labor movement. Their radical approach set the stage for the civil rights unionism that would help topple Jim Crow.
Georgia Became the “Hollywood of the South” Through Massive Corporate Tax Breaks
The state of Georgia is subsidizing Hollywood CEOs to the tune of $1 billion a year. That money could go to schools, roads, health care, and good public jobs. But sure, a little peach logo in the credit sequence is cool too.
Military Spending Is Soaring, Even as Food Insecurity Reaches New Heights
As US military spending balloons to record levels, new data show that the number of US adults who don’t have enough to eat has jumped for the fourth straight month. The massive military budget is quite literally taking food out of people’s mouths.
Selling Sunset Is a Window Into the Out-of-Control Luxury Gentrification of LA
The long-running Netflix reality show Selling Sunset often veers into the territory of Real Housewives–style drama. But it also provides a close-up look at the investor-fueled irrationalities of the luxury real estate market.
The American Political Science Association’s Profile in Cowardice
In declining to cancel its annual conference at Southern California hotels where workers are on strike, the American Political Science Association is refusing to sacrifice for workers whose cause is just. There’s a word for that: “cowardice.”
Germany’s Model for European Capitalism Is Exhausted
Through Angela Merkel’s reign, neoliberal European integration provided the scaffolding for Germany’s export-led growth. But war on the continent and a series of crises have tested this model’s limits, producing splits within Olaf Scholz’s government.
The Supreme Court’s “Major Questions Doctrine” Is a Threat to Democracy
The “major questions doctrine,” cited to invalidate student loan forgiveness, empowers the conservative Supreme Court to veto any executive action with broad social impact. Its goal is to undermine the government’s ability function and aid average people.
Let the Primary Against Eric Adams Begin
New York City has seen increasing chaos and immiseration under Mayor Eric Adams. It’s time for the city’s leftists and progressives to unite behind a challenger who can win.
Newly Unionized Amazon Delivery Drivers Say the Company Is Hiding Behind Subcontractors
Like many corporations, Amazon has used subcontractors to avoid responsibility for working conditions and pay. A group of Palmdale, California, subcontracted workers wants to force Amazon to change that.