Euro-Washing the Nakba
Today, Palestinians are observing Nakba Day, which mourns their mass expulsion in 1948. Israel is celebrating with a music festival.
20418 Article(s) by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
When Workers Take Over
An unusual British retailer is handing over ownership of the company to its workers. It’s a reminder that worker control can work — but don’t expect many other firms to follow suit.
“America Makes a Lot of Money off the Sick”
The for-profit health care system in the US has created a crisis for patients and medical workers. That’s why 2,000 health care workers are on strike in Ohio this week.
With Child and Out of a Job
Pregnancy discrimination is rampant and devastating for its victims. But in a tight labor market, it may be a problem for capital, too.
A Plan B for Our Planet
Neoliberal president Macron’s fuel tax hike has sparked six months of protests. But for France Insoumise’s Danièle Obono, the gilets jaunes and climate marchers aren’t on opposing sides: they both want the rich to pay for climate chaos.
No, Rashida Tlaib Is Definitely Not Antisemitic
Donald Trump and Republican elected officials are yet again attacking a critic of Israel — this time, Rashida Tlaib. By now, everyone should recognize these attacks as disingenuous attempts to shut down voices on the Left.
To Save Democracy, We Need Class Struggle
The historical record is clear: democracy was only won when poor people waged disruptive class struggle against the rich. We’ll need more of it to save democracy today.
“You Don’t Have a Choice. It’s the Moral Thing to Do.”
Brett Payne and Bryan Quinby, hosts of Street Fight Radio, talk about their twisting paths to the Left through punk and libertarianism in suburban Ohio, hating your job and barely making it, and how to prevent angry young white men from going over to the alt right.
We Can Do Way Better Than These Guys
Beto, Buttigieg, and Biden all come from the same mold — they’re empty suits and poll-tested brands. We can and should demand something better.
Why the Clash Matter
Underneath all the kitsch and marketing pomp, the Clash still have something to teach us about art as a site of struggle.
Indonesia’s Carnival of Democracy
Leftist politics in Indonesia have languished ever since the anticommunist massacres of the 1960s. The recent general elections were no exception.
Bring Back the Real Mother’s Day
Today’s version of Mother’s Day is a festival of greeting cards and commercial kitsch. But it began as a radical campaign against militarism and brutality.
How Marxists Are Winning in Belgium
With this month’s European Parliament elections approaching, the media is fixated on the far right. But in Brussels itself, it’s the radical left that’s changing the debate.
Labor in Algeria’s Revolt
Millions-strong demonstrations in Algeria have forced authoritarian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika from office. Independent labor unions are fighting to ensure workers — not military officers — decide what happens next.
A Green New Deal for Europe
Europe’s rising far right want to make the EU elections a vote on defending national identity. For the socialist left, the elections are about defending the planet itself.
Antislavery Wasn’t Mainstream, Until It Was
After Republicans lost their first election in 1856, the nineteenth-century Nate Silvers were happy to declare the antislavery movement a radical, fringe idea. Four years later, Abraham Lincoln won on a radical program of change.
The Hospital Under Medicare for All
Our goal shouldn’t be to lower hospitals’ prices, but to eliminate them entirely. Medicare for All is the way to achieve that.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez Pick a Fight With the Loan Sharks
Bernie Sanders and AOC are pushing for rules that would put payday lenders out of business — and end Wall Street’s business model of exploiting the poor.
Forget Apocalypse Now
It’s the fortieth anniversary of Apocalypse Now’s voyeuristic adventure to the dark side of human nature. But the real victims of the Vietnam War are forgotten in its cheap thrills.
10 Reasons Why Centrists Won’t Save Democracy
The Financial Times thinks Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn are would-be despots. They’re wrong — it’s socialists, not centrists, who will save democracy.