Population Decline Will Transform Our Social World
Population growth has been slowing and even reversing in many countries, a trend with far-reaching social implications that looks certain to continue.
21103 Article(s) by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Puerto Rico’s Radical History Is Being Rediscovered
Jorell Meléndez-Badillo worked with trap superstar Bad Bunny on his new album to inform fans about Puerto Rico’s history of popular struggle. His work as a historian is part of an important political moment that Puerto Ricans are now going through.
Big Companies Are Already Asking Trump for Favors
Amazon helped fund Donald Trump’s inauguration. The retail giant and the insurer UnitedHealth waited less than a day to start begging the new administration to shut down their shareholders’ calls for transparency.
How Emmanuel Macron Fell in Love With Africa’s Last Colony
Morocco is increasingly a focus of European alliance-building and investment, including in illegally occupied Western Sahara. French president Emmanuel Macron is leading moves to normalize the colony, despite rulings by the EU’s own courts.
Health Insurers’ “$0 Copay” Drug Assistance Scam
Drugmakers offer “copay assistance programs” to help people afford expensive medicines. But health insurers are milking these programs for billions of dollars in extra profits while denying patients the benefits they were designed to provide.
Russian Political Prisoner Boris Kagarlitsky on Trump’s Uncertainty
From a Russian prison, Boris Kagarlitsky writes about the uncharted waters of a second Donald Trump presidency.
Breaking the Economics Discipline’s Austerity Consensus
Economics departments across the United States slavishly adhere to the mainstream consensus on austerity and the free market. The Center for Heterodox Economics thinks there’s a better way.
Global South States Resist Israeli Impunity Over War Crimes
During its genocidal campaign in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly flouted the rulings of international courts. While Western states indulge Israeli impunity, a coalition of states backed by left-wing parties is spearheading action to hold Israel to account.
The Democrats Also Want to Deport You
On immigration policy, Donald Trump isn’t as radically different from Barack Obama and Joe Biden as his inflammatory rhetoric suggests. Each has built upon his predecessor’s efforts to make border militarization and mass deportations the norm.
A Housing Crisis for Spain’s Center-Left Government
In Spain, rents have risen 74% over the last decade, with even steeper rises in the main cities. The Socialist-led government’s Housing Act has failed to rein in speculation, leaving many working-class Spaniards struggling to pay the bills.
Western-Backed NGOs: A Hollow Version of Civil Society
Donald Trump’s moves to dismantle USAID clearly aren’t driven by fears of infringing on other nations’ sovereignty. Still, we should recognize that Global South NGOs’ reliance on Western donors hinders the growth of self-sustaining civil societies.
“Antiwar” Trump Wants the US to Ethnically Cleanse Gaza
Donald Trump and his allies have often promoted him as antiwar. Yesterday Trump said that he wants the US to “own” Gaza and kick out all its inhabitants — which, in addition to being ethnic cleansing, would require more war to accomplish.
Aging Populations Don’t Need to Mean Lower Living Standards
The bright minds at McKinsey & Co. are arguing that declining birth rates mean that people need to work more hours for more years and maybe give up retirement altogether. No thanks.
Emilia Pérez Is the Ultimate Unloved Oscar Nominee
Despite Emilia Pérez’s mixed reviews and poor audience reactions, Hollywood handed the musical 13 Oscar nominations in the hopes of proving its progressive bona fides. Then old tweets from its star surfaced.
Reversing Class Dealignment in Britain
“I didn’t leave Labour. Labour left us,” is a common sentiment in working-class communities across Britain. Member of Parliament Jon Trickett discusses what might be done to win back workers.
Europe’s Hardening Cordon Sanitaire Against the Left
Across Europe, centrist parties increasingly paint even mild social democracy as a “radical left” threat. The wild rhetoric about left-wing danger has a clear goal: to justify alliances with once-frowned-upon far-right parties.
RFK Jr Is Wrong. Health Care Is a Human Right.
In his confirmation hearing, Robert F. Kennedy Jr told Bernie Sanders that he opposes health care as a human right. His reasoning reveals how libertarian talking points are being used to defend a cruel and irrational health care system.
Abdullah Öcalan’s Isolation May Be Coming to an End
After 43 months without outside contact, jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has been allowed to meet with left-wing MPs. He has encouraged calls for a peace process — but there’s little sign that Turkish authorities are serious about the idea.
Unionized Grocery Workers Are a Sleeping Giant
Colorado Kroger workers are striking this week, and 130,000 union grocery workers are bargaining contracts this year. Reformers see it as a chance to transform the UFCW from America’s largest private sector union into a fighting force.
The Case for a Liberal Socialism
Liberals and socialists typically see themselves as foes. But truly realizing liberal ideals of freedom and equality means building a socialist order — a lesson liberals and socialists alike would do well to remember.