There’s No Institutional Quick Fix to the Problem of Donald Trump
Institutions can’t stop Donald Trump — but democratic politics can.
19466 Articles by: Jonathan Sas
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labor movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, the Tyee, and Maisonneuve.
Canada’s Wildfires Are Out of Control Because of Cuts to Firefighting Budgets
As wildfires burn across Canada, the struggle to contain the damage has intensified for fire crews. The severe cuts to emergency fire services in recent years, driven by right-wing policies, have led to a failure to prepare for this crisis.
Dorothy Thompson Was One of Britain’s Great Socialist Historians
Dorothy Thompson’s work on Chartism secured her reputation as one of the finest Marxist historians Britain has produced. She displayed a particular sensitivity to gender issues and encouraged creative dialogue between Marxist and feminist currents.
Pundits Keep Predicting China’s Imminent Collapse — and Keep Getting It Wrong
Frank Dikötter is the best-selling popular historian of China today. In his latest work on the post-Mao years, Dikötter joins a long line of those predicting the speedy demise of the Chinese system, letting ideology get in the way of analysis.
Why Political Strategy Needs Karl Marx
In recent years, the grand questions of strategy that once animated the Left have found a new home in the world of business and management. But strategy is an essential component of political activity, and it needs a Marxist analysis at its core.
Austria’s Bernie Sanders Beat the Establishment and Became Party Leader
For years, Austria’s Social Democrats have embraced the values of the free market and lost ever more working-class votes. Now, left-winger Andreas Babler has surged to the party leadership — and promises to transform his country’s politics.
Conservatives Say the Justice System Has Been Weaponized. Cop City Proves Them Right.
In the wake of the Trump indictments, conservatives are concerned that the justice system is being used to target political enemies. They’re right about that — but as the repression of Cop City protesters shows, they’re wrong about who the real targets are.
How a Grotesque Mediocrity Like Boris Johnson Became Britain’s Prime Minister
Boris Johnson stepped down as an MP last week. The entitlement typical of Britain’s privately educated elite defined his career, but he added to it a unique brand of dishonesty and opportunism.
One Tech Subcontractor’s Road to Unionization
Just because you’re doing work for a massive company like Google doesn’t mean you’re technically working for them. And just because you’re a Google subcontractor doesn’t mean you can’t organize a union, as Ben Gwin and his coworkers did in Pittsburgh.
J. D. Vance Has Weakened His Rail Safety Bill at Lobbyists’ Request
Republican senator J. D. Vance quietly amended his rail safety bill to allow the same unsafe tank cars that leaked chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, to continue circulating through US cities until as late as 2028, just as rail and chemical lobbies asked.
1,400 Pennsylvania Locomotive Manufacturing Workers Are on the Verge of a Strike
Workers at the Erie, Pennsylvania, train manufacturing complex Wabtec are poised to walk off the job should they decide the company’s contract offer is insufficient. One of their main priorities is a rarity for US unions: the right to strike over grievances.
Narendra Modi’s Electoral Bandwagon Went Off the Road in Karnataka
The Bharatiya Janata Party saw last month’s state election in Karnataka as a crucial test of its ability to win votes in South India. The party’s loss to Congress suggests it could be more vulnerable than anticipated ahead of next year’s national election.
The Spirit of ’45 Can’t Be Snuffed Out
Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45 chronicles how Labour ended many of the UK’s worst barbarities through socializing key industries and creating public goods like the National Health Service. That project is now on the back foot — but won’t ever be fully defeated.
The Repression of Stop Cop City Is a Chilling Evolution in Policing of US Climate Activists
US climate defenders have long faced serious threats, but the intensity of the crackdown on Stop Cop City protesters in Atlanta is an escalation. It’s reminiscent of conditions in Latin America, where climate protesters’ lives are frequently on the line.
How American Universities Turned Red
A century ago, universities were hotbeds of reaction, and Ivy League undergraduates would leave class to break strikes. The Left has now built a base within the academy, but without ties to organized labor, these movements will achieve little.
What Explains Britain’s Authoritarian Turn?
Protests in the UK are at a low by historical standards. Yet Labour and Conservatives insist that bans on civil liberties are needed to protect public order. In truth, the UK’s authoritarian turn is a response to its economic stagnation and decline.
Banks Are Using High Interest Rates to Rip Off Depositors
The spread between loan interest rates and deposit rates is at a record high, allowing big banks to make out like bandits while consumers miss out on hundreds of billions of dollars in potential savings.
My Search for Warren Harding Is the Funniest Novel You’ve Never Heard Of
Originally published in 1983 and recently reissued, My Search for Warren Harding follows a failing academic and self-loathing gay man who attempts to seduce his way into the life of a former president’s mistress. It’s a forgotten classic of biting humor.
Declassified Documents Uncover Yet Another Mexican President’s CIA Ties
Recently declassified documents have exposed former Mexican president José López Portillo as a CIA asset. The revelations are a reminder of his ignominious contributions to Mexico’s brutal “dirty war” against left dissent during the Cold War.
Cornel West Should Challenge Biden in the Democratic Primaries
Cornel West has a compelling message. Instead of running a third-party campaign most voters won’t notice, he should grab the spotlight by challenging Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.