Ending the 9/11 Era
The 9/11 era helped create a modern version of the Dark Ages. Today, we must finally move beyond it and forge a new sort of politics based on truth and collective emancipation.
19420 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
Guantánamo Must Close
Two decades after 9/11, the US prison at Guantánamo Bay still holds detainees who have been charged with no crime. The crimes of Gitmo must end and the base must be returned to the Cuban republic.
Waking From a Twenty-Year Nightmare
For the past two decades, the psychology of 9/11 has shaped the nation’s political landscape and thrown the world into turmoil. That era must be definitively ended.
The Bush Administration Turned the War on Terror Into a War for Oil
Respectable pundits and politicians scoffed at the antiwar demonstrators who tried to stop the invasion of Iraq. But the slogan they raised, “No blood for oil,” captured the truth about Bush’s war drive.
Twenty Years Ago, the Mainstream Press Created the War on Terror
Two decades ago, the mainstream media responded to the September 11 attacks by stacking their news coverage and pundit commentary with the country’s most belligerently pro-war voices. We are still paying for their appalling misjudgment.
Afghanistan Was Never a Good War
The United States invaded Afghanistan after 9/11 because its leaders wanted revenge. The US occupation brought misery and destruction for the Afghan people, and its failure was guaranteed from the start.
When British Workers Stood Against the Pinochet Coup
When Chile’s generals overthrew Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973, Britain’s Tories welcomed the coup as good news for investors. But British trade unions worked to block trade with the newly empowered Chilean fascists.
9/11 Was a Disaster for the People of Iraq
The Bush administration was already planning to invade Iraq before 9/11, but the attacks supplied the necessary pretext. The catastrophic war that followed turned Iraq into an ungovernable wasteland.
Nancy Fraser: “Cannibal Capitalism” Is on Our Horizon
Political theorist Nancy Fraser tells Jacobin that we face several crises at once: in the economy, in social reproduction, in the environment, and in politics. Without dramatic intervention, we may end up with “cannibal capitalism.”
British Columbia’s NDP Needs to Mandate Paid Sick Days
In British Columbia, the social democratic NDP has disappointingly dragged its feet on legislating paid sick days. With a plan in the works for next year, the New Democratic Party needs to ignore the business lobby and side with workers.
A Huge Unionization Vote Is Looming at the University of Pittsburgh
At the University of Pittsburgh, roughly 3,500 educators are voting on a union. If they win, it will be the largest new union in the United States this year.
Israel Took Advantage of 9/11 to Wage War on Palestine
Israel’s leaders exploited the US reaction to 9/11 to demonize Palestinian resistance to the occupation. They have used the discourse of “counterterrorism” to entrench a system of apartheid, while exporting repressive methods and weapons around the world.
Joe Biden Is Still Fighting a Vaccine Waiver for the Rest of the World
Biden and European Union officials continue to help Big Pharma prevent the distribution of intellectual property rights to fight COVID.
Eviction Bans Are Ending. Do Politicians Care About Poor Tenants?
Landlords scored a major victory with the end of eviction bans. The path forward for organized tenants and socialists has to make prying power out of landlords’ hands a top priority.
9/11 Could Have Been a Moment to Reflect on US Violence Around the World
Instead, the quest to avenge just shy of 3,000 civilian deaths in New York and Washington has now resulted in the deaths of at least 400,000 civilians.
Twenty Years After the Tampa Affair, Australia’s Left Must Keep Standing Up for Refugees
In 2001, conservative prime minister John Howard demonized 433 refugees who had been rescued at sea. It inaugurated an era of racist, abusive policies toward asylum seekers in Australia — and a movement that fights in solidarity with refugees.
A Battle Over Wine Labels Is Exposing Canada’s Support for Israeli Occupation
A Canadian wine enthusiast’s quest to uncover whether wines produced in Israeli settlements were being misleadingly labeled “Made in Israel” has set off a long legal battle. In the process, he has exposed Canada’s complicity in Israel’s occupation.
Pro-Bolsonaro Protests Were Supposed to Show His Strength. Instead, They Showed His Weakness.
Far from being ascendant in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right politics look increasingly isolated, especially after a failed showing in the streets this week. But even with a small, reactionary minority of support, Bolsonaro can wreak serious undemocratic havoc.
Bernie’s New Plan: Add Dental Benefits to Medicare
Bernie Sanders is pushing to lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60 and add dental, vision, and hearing coverage through the budget reconciliation plan in Congress. It would be a huge win for health justice.
The Left Has to Show France’s Election Isn’t Just Macron vs. Le Pen
Faced with uninspiring candidates, April’s French presidential election looks set to draw a historically low turnout. Jean-Luc Mélenchon insists he stands for a real alternative — but his task will be turning popular discontent into votes.