New York Times Tech Workers Win a Union
The boom in tech worker organizing has reached the New York Times, where nearly 600 just voted to join the NewsGuild. It’s the largest tech-worker union in the United States.
20387 Article(s) by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
How the Antiwar Socialist Left Is Shaping Debate in Norway
With the rising threat of nuclear conflict in Europe, antiwar activists in countries bordering Russia are demanding de-escalation. Jacobin spoke with the leader of Norway’s Rød Ungdom about global solidarity and fighting to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
Germany’s Bigger Defense Budget Won’t Make Anyone Safer
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has just committed €100 billion to defense spending. The move is widely touted as a strong response to Russian aggression — but is more about showing Germany’s fealty to US global foreign policy objectives.
A Ukrainian Socialist Explains Why the Russian Invasion Shouldn’t Have Been a Surprise
Vladimir Putin uses the language of “demilitarization” to pursue an aggressive imperial policy against Ukraine. In an interview for Jacobin, a Ukrainian socialist explains the falseness of the Kremlin’s pretexts — and why the war could drag on for years.
In Texas, Trans Kids Are Casualties of a Much Bigger War
In situations like the abhorrent Texas anti-trans crusade, liberals like to say that the cruelty is the point. But in reality, winning elections and protecting elite interests is the point — and transgender kids and their families are caught in the crosshairs.
Canada’s Freedom Convoy Exposed the Sham of “Pro-Worker” Conservatism
For right-wing advocates of so-called pro-worker conservatism, the Canada trucker protest known as the Freedom Convoy should have been a breakthrough. But the entire idea that conservatives care about the interests of working-class people is a mirage.
Turning Ukraine Into Another Afghanistan Would Be a Disastrous Idea
Some influential voices are calling for a policy aimed at turning Ukraine into an “Afghanistan-style” quagmire for Russia. It’s a disastrous idea that would prolong Ukrainian suffering and ignores the lessons of countless foreign misadventures.
Israel Has Again Arrested Palestinian Lawyer and Jacobin Contributor Salah Hamouri
On Sunday, Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri published a Jacobin op-ed about the harassment he has suffered at the hands of Israeli authorities. On Monday morning, they raided his home and jailed him.
Kate Debs on the “Right of Women to Vote”
Eugene Debs’s wife, Kate, has been unfairly portrayed as status-obsessed and hostile to radical politics. This International Women’s Day, we’re here to correct the record — bringing you a 1910 essay of hers on socialism and women’s suffrage.
The Revolutionary Feminism of Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso, is well known for opposing the neocolonialism of the Global North. But on International Women’s Day, we should also remember his strident commitment to women’s liberation.
To Help Ukraine, Cancel Its Foreign Debt
Ukraine’s public debt has ballooned over years of war, with European authorities and the IMF offering loans in return for pro-business “reforms.” Ukrainians are calling for the debt to be canceled, to aid the country’s future recovery.
International Women’s Day Belongs to Us
Capitalists keep trying to co-opt International Women’s Day, a century-old product of the working-class revolutionary movement. But the day belongs to the socialist antiwar tradition.
Why Minneapolis Educators Are on Strike
Teachers and support staff in Minneapolis and Saint Paul say they’re no longer willing to let their students pay for the mistakes made by officials who’ve neglected and mismanaged the public education system. Now they’re on strike.
Military Conscription Is a Crime Against Humanity
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a reminder that military conscription remains foundational to modern warfare. It is a reckless, self-defeating, and criminal practice that makes us all less safe — and it should have been abolished long ago.
A Warming Planet Means More and More Chemical Disasters
Government investigators say lax regulations are increasing the risk of chemical disasters related to extreme weather.
To Rebuild a Universal Welfare State, We Need to Scrap Means-Testing
When welfare and public services are means-tested, it makes them less efficient and less accessible. Worst of all, by limiting access to the “deserving poor,” means tests undermine the idea that social welfare is a right.
Meet the Philippines’ Socialist Candidate for President
From Ferdinand Marcos to Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines has long been ruled by an ultrawealthy, corrupt elite. Presidential candidate Ka Leody de Guzman, a socialist and former labor leader, tells Jacobin he wants to end the rule of political dynasties.
We Spoke to Russian Socialists Who Are Protesting Vladimir Putin’s War
On Friday, Russia’s parliament passed a law threatening 15-year jail sentences for critics of the war on Ukraine — but on Sunday, thousands still took to the streets in protests. We spoke to Russian socialists about why they’re refusing to give in.
The Orwellian Attacks on Critics of NATO Policy Must Stop
Rampant militarism in the wake of 9/11 did not tolerate dissent. A similar jingoistic fervor today insists that criticism of Western foreign policy and calls for diplomacy are tantamount to treason.
Ukraine Needs a Global Antiwar Movement
Jacobin‘s Polina Godz, who is from Kharkiv, describes the impact of Putin’s invasion on her home city — and explains why Ukraine needs an international antiwar movement fighting for de-escalation.