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George Souvlis is a freelance writer and teaches at the University of Thrace, Department of Political Science.
The EU’s handling of recent crises has shown its lack of respect for democratic choice. This isn’t just a problem of having to take emergency measures: it’s the result of a decades-old project to remove economic decisions from popular control.
The banning of neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn was hailed as proof of Greece’s return to normality after the painful crisis years. Yet far-right ideas are now firmly established in the mainstream, including within the ruling conservative party.
Perry Anderson’s essays on the history of Marxism show his dazzling erudition and breadth of historical vision. But the British Marxist’s work has also been deeply shaped by his changing political outlook, as his 1960s hopes in socialist revolution have given way to a more sober reading of capitalism’s crises.
Last weekend’s Croatian election saw a fresh step forward for the Green-Left coalition, with the Workers’ Front electing Katarina Peović as its first MP. She told Jacobin how activists in the former Yugoslav republic are building the fight for democratic socialism.
Journalism on national conflicts from Belfast to the Balkans often speaks of ancient hatreds and ancestral sectarianism. But a closer look at the Irish conflict shows that questions of nationhood and identity are very modern phenomena — and have to be integrated into any serious analysis of class.
Manolis Glezos was just 19 when he sparked Greece’s anti-Nazi resistance by tearing down the swastika from the Acropolis. This was the beginning of a life dedicated to the cause of the oppressed — in which, as he put it, “No struggle for what you believe in is ever futile.”
Brands like Gap and H&M have long been able to shop around for outsourced suppliers, driving sweatshop conditions in newly industrializing countries. But their rising dependence on large, centralized suppliers is undermining the bases of the sweatshop model — and increasing workers’ power to fight for improvements.
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis told Jacobin why he’s publishing his secret recordings of the critical Eurogroup meetings of 2015 — and why the Left around Europe is struggling to overcome Syriza’s disastrous legacy.
Five years after Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras capitulated to the Troika, the Left’s challenge to European neoliberalism is weaker than ever. The Greek case showed how the Left could exploit ruling-class crisis — but also the tragic consequences of a failure to prepare for power.
In this summer’s Greek elections Yanis Varoufakis’s DiEM25 movement won parliamentary representation for the first time. MP Sofia Sakorafa told Jacobin how the party is challenging Syriza — and rekindling the fight against European austerity.
The son of Nigerian immigrants, Giannis Antetokounmpo has won acclaim in Greece, being named the NBA’s most valuable player. But Giannis’s story doesn’t prove that anyone who works hard can make it — rather, it shows how insane it is to let our parents’ nationality determine our life chances.
Debt-stricken countries like Greece have continued repaying their creditors even though it’s hammering workers’ living standards. They should stick it to the banks and default instead.
Austerity measures have radically restructured the Greek education system — and the Syriza government is only making matters worse.
Austerity experiments in Greece set the stage for a radical restructuring of Europe by elites.
For all of its success, Podemos has refused to deal seriously with the European Union and what it would take to truly transform Spain.
What Gramsci can tell us about the relationship between fascism and liberalism — and the rise of Donald Trump.
When business isn’t intimidated enough to accept constraints on its power, capitalism suffocates democracy.
The Greek left has a historic opportunity to marginalize fascists and address the needs of migrants.
What should Syriza’s economic strategy be going forward, given Greece’s position in the eurozone?
How do Syriza’s origins and Greece’s political economy affect its capacity to govern?