France’s Weapons Industry Is Growing Rich off Dictatorships
Authoritarian governments like those in Egypt and Saudi Arabia have funded a boom in France’s arms industry. Now, with war in Ukraine, it’s setting its sights on rearming Europe.
19278 Articles by: James Bloodworth
James Bloodworth is a writer and journalist from London.
The Philosopher Who Helped Kill the King
The 17th-century philosopher Lucy Hutchinson was among the regicides who sent Charles I to his execution, ushering in an English republic in 1649. The divine right of kings, Hutchinson knew, could indeed be ended.
Australia Is a Subimperial Enforcer of the US-led Order
The foreign affairs establishment describes Australia as a “middle power” in the “rules-based global order.” They’re wrong — Australia should be understood as a subordinate beneficiary of US imperialism.
Canada’s Liberal Party Is a Club of Plutocrat Sycophants
Canada’s former finance minister Bill Morneau has recently moved from cabinet to the board of a multinational bank. This business as usual is a reminder that Liberals are totally at home among Canada’s rich and powerful.
Iranian Protesters Deserve the Unwavering Support of the International Left
The international left should affirm Iranian protesters’ feminist and democratic message of “Women, Life, Freedom.” If we don’t, we risk ceding the public discourse to neoconservatives and liberal hawks who will use the protests for their own purposes.
Rumors of the Death of the Working Class Are Highly Exaggerated
There is no “end of the working class.”
Why Would Netflix Bury a Film as Wonderfully Imaginative as Wendell & Wild?
Wendell & Wild is gorgeous, daringly creative, and stunning to watch. Yet Netflix has put almost no effort or resources into promoting the film.
Denmark’s Left Has Failed to Make the Green Transition Its Trademark Issue
Denmark’s thriving green energy industry ought to provide the Left with an ideal organizing opportunity. Yet this week’s election showed that it has failed to connect the green transition with a program for jobs and investment.
Neoliberal Education Reform Is Killing Public Schools — and It’s on the Ballot Nationwide
New research finds that market-style education reforms, like those pioneered in Wisconsin decades ago, have devastating consequences for students. This election, Wisconsin and the rest of the nation must choose whether to plow ahead or reverse course.
Republicans Are Planning an All-Out Assault on the Working Class If They Win Next Week
Draconian spending cuts, attacks on labor organizing, stoking war with China, and speeding up climate disaster — these are just some of the things Republicans are planning if they win big on Tuesday.
In Ron DeSantis’s Florida, Insurers Are Making Millions While Policyholders Languish
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has received major campaign support from the insurance industry. No wonder — under his watch, legislation has made it harder for policyholders to sue exploitative insurance companies in the climate change–ravaged state.
Tim Ryan Is Testing the Limits of Workerist Liberalism
Tim Ryan’s nostalgia-laced fight to recapture postindustrial Ohio for the Democrats offers a glimpse at one possible future for the party in an era of cultural polarization and a rising China. But it’s not a future anyone should feel excited about.
To Win Reelection, Keith Ellison Has to Survive the Black Lives Matter Backlash
Minnesota is still living in the long shadow of George Floyd’s murder, the uprising it sparked, and the backlash that followed. Keith Ellison’s reelection bid for the state’s attorney general is playing out in that shadow.
The Entire World, Yet Again, Is Demanding an End to the US Blockade of Cuba
Every year, nearly the entire globe condemns the US embargo against Cuba as a human rights disaster at the UN General Assembly. And every year, the US government ignores the international community’s pleas.
The GOP Is Successfully Diversifying Right-Wing Politics
This year’s GOP congressional candidates are more racially diverse than ever, and the party is making worrisome inroads among voters of color. Democrats have never understood that without a substantive appeal to voters of color, those voters may leave them.
In Australia, a Republic Is Back on the Agenda
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Australia is once again considering the republican question. For a country that saw its last reforming prime minister thrown out of office by the queen’s representative, breaking with the royal family is a necessary task.
A Pro-Israel Super PAC Is Spending Big to Defeat Summer Lee in Pennsylvania
Progressive Summer Lee is the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. A pro-Israel super PAC has spent millions to defeat her, and she says it’s because she poses “a threat to corporate interests and to corporate power.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford Is Using the Needs of Students to Justify Attacking Labor Rights
Ontario premier Doug Ford’s conservative government and its allies are using fear of school disruption to impose a contract on education workers. But the best way to support education and prevent disruptions is by paying education workers properly.
Big Banks Are Buying Up the Midterms
Through front groups like “Friends of Traditional Banking,” banks are playing a key role in the midterms, funding candidates who will slash regulations and preserve predatory banking practices.
Neoliberals Oppose Market Intervention — Unless the Market Is Screwing US Corporations
In response to OPEC+’s decision to cut oil production to protect profits, the Biden administration is proposing market intervention. But when American oil companies acted similarly earlier this year, the White House was fine with it.