How Colonialism Shaped Policing in France
Inspired by the George Floyd protests, thousands have demonstrated in France against the brutality and racism of their country’s police — a force shaped by the crime of French colonialism.
19112 Articles by: James Bloodworth
James Bloodworth is a writer and journalist from London.
Health Care Lobbyists Are Donating Large Amounts to Democrats. They Want Execs’ Immunity From COVID-19 Lawsuits.
Earlier this year, New York governor Andrew Cuomo helped a donor shield health care executives from COVID-19–related lawsuits. Washington Democrats are weighing similar legislation. Now, new data shows that a lobbying group funneled campaign cash to New York Democrats as the bill was being passed.
Trump Wants Federal Agents to Invade American Cities. Democrats Aren’t Doing Much to Push Back.
Donald Trump deployed unidentified Department of Homeland Security agents to Portland, where they abducted protesters off the street into unmarked vehicles, and he wants to do the same elsewhere. House Democrats rightly say they’re horrified by Trump’s actions — yet are refusing to do anything substantive to stop them.
Melania Trump Is No Victim
A new book shows that the current first lady got to where she is through a combination of ambition, calculation, and persistence. But her path to becoming Donald Trump’s wife is tied up in the post-communist collapse in Eastern Europe — and the diminishing gender equality that followed.
Israel’s Annexation Plan Is the Latest Stage in a Long History of Violent Dispossession
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has missed its first deadline for annexing part of the West Bank, but this Trump-backed scheme for land theft is still firmly on the table. The goal of Netanyahu and his US sponsors is simple: they want to liquidate Palestinian national aspirations.
In Bernie’s Brooklyn, Political Revolution Was Mainstream
To many Americans, Bernie Sanders’s brand of socialism seemed to leap onto the national stage from out of nowhere. But in the postwar Jewish Brooklyn where he grew up, the socialist tradition and a veneration for the New Deal were central touchstones of mainstream politics.
Bernie’s Campaign Is Over, but Student Organizers Like Me Are Just Getting Started
Bernie Sanders’s campaign was never about simply electing him — it was about a broader commitment to fighting for a better world in elections, workplaces, and the streets. For Students for Bernie alumni like me, the question isn’t whether we continue organizing, but how.
“The Postcoup Government Is the Best Campaign Manager MAS Could Have Hoped For”
Luis Arce is far in the lead in polls for Bolivia’s repeat election, after his MAS comrade Evo Morales was overthrown in last November’s military coup. The postcoup regime has attracted almost no popular support — the question now is whether Bolivia’s right will even allow free elections to take place.
Feminism Needs Capitalism Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle
The inclusion of more women at the top of oppressive power structures shouldn’t be confused with women’s liberation. We need a radical, socialist feminism, not a repackaged version of Sheryl Sandberg’s corporate-friendly “lean-in” brand.
Trump the “Putin Puppet” Just Dramatically Escalated the Undeclared War Against Russia
The national security state has claimed a dangerous new victory: receiving authorization from Trump to conduct cyberattacks against enemies around the world with greater leeway — especially Russia. It’s the latest success for a years-long pressure campaign by the national security bureaucracy centered on Orwellian claims that Trump’s foreign policy is somehow pro-Russian.
Why Haven’t We Heard From Racial Justice Protesters in Their Own Words?
The US prides itself on its freedom of speech, but when it comes to television coverage of the protests, there has been remarkably little space given to demonstrators to voice their concerns or explain their motivations — a marked contrast to less liberal countries undergoing similar unrest.
The Tories Can’t Save the UK From Economic Calamity
The United Kingdom is headed for a massive economic crash. Unsurprisingly, the Tories’ proposals for fixing it fall far short. We need significant intervention by the state, not a wild throwing of money at corporations and praying they’ll use it to help us.
Why We Need Working-Class Cultural Institutions
Creating a vibrant left ecosystem doesn’t just mean building stronger labor and tenant unions — it means building cultural institutions that prize democracy over privatization and embed themselves in everyday working-class life.
Rest in Power, John Lewis
With the death of John Lewis, we’ve lost another giant of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s up to us to carry on the struggle for the “beautiful community” he spent his whole life fighting for.
Mass Uprisings and Their Aftermath in the United States and Chile
Both Chile and the United States have seen massive social upheavals over the past year. The two countries have much to teach each other about how such unrest can translate into substantive political change.
Assessing AMLO
Mexican scholar, columnist, and television host Gibrán Ramírez Reyes reflects on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s first year and a half in office.
How Madrid Became the Laboratory for Spanish Thatcherism
Over its 25-year rule in Madrid, the right-wing Partido Popular has given rise to vast webs of corruption, widespread privatizations, and a disastrous mishandling of COVID-19. But its Thatcherite revolution has also forged a new voter base loyal to the ruling party — meaning predictions of imminent collapse are likely premature.
Unemployed Workers Can Fight Back
In the Depression-era United Kingdom, the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement mobilized thousands to resist the indignities of unemployment. We’re entering another period of massive economic crisis — and just like workers then, unemployed workers today can fight back.
Portland Is on Its Way to Winning Universal Preschool
In Portland, Oregon, a coalition of parents, childcare workers, socialists, unions, and progressive organizations has collected tens of thousands of signatures to put a universal preschool measure on the ballot — all in five weeks, and in the middle of a pandemic.
Defend Ilhan Omar
Even compared to other recently elected left-wingers, Ilhan Omar stands out for her political courage and determination. It’s no wonder she now finds herself the target of a phenomenally well-financed primary challenge backed by private equity interests. Helping her fend off that challenge should be a priority for the Left.