Ryan Switzer is a PhD candidate in sociology at Stockholm University. He researches right-wing politics in welfare states.
Over 50 years ago, German philosopher Günther Anders warned that space travel was in danger of being used for power and profit. Against the “provincialism” of space capitalism, he wanted the view of outer space to meaningfully expand our horizons on Earth.
After retiring from Congress, many lawmakers go on to lucrative gigs as corporate lobbyists or lawyers. They’re required by law to notify a congressional ethics committee when they begin negotiating for a new job — but next to none of them do.
Municipal bonds once allowed cities to quickly fundraise for important infrastructure and public housing projects. We should organize against today’s system of bondholder supremacy, which enables investors to extract tax-free profits from communities.
The Democratic Party is trying to deny the Green Party access to the ballot in North Carolina. I’m not a Green Party supporter, but I’m a plaintiff in a lawsuit fighting back, because Democrats are trying to stamp out democracy in my state.
Venture capitalist Peter Thiel’s massive wealth and resulting political influence are symptoms of a profoundly unequal society. But don’t buy into his “evil genius” self-branding. His ideology isn’t a dark enigma — it’s just run-of-the-mill rich guy stuff.
As they do their best to keep the Left weak, Democrats have spent more than $40 million in 2022 to support far-right Republican candidates.
The British government has intensified the discriminatory policies that led to the Windrush scandal of illegal deportations. Its latest scheme to forcibly transfer refugees to Rwanda may prove unworkable, but such theatrical cruelty is an end in itself.
The January 6 Capitol riot may have been a laughable failure, but it highlighted the frailty of American democracy. Unfortunately, the Democrats running the ongoing hearings investigating the riot seem to have no idea what to do about it.
Since Donald Trump’s presidency, both Democrats and Republicans have begun to openly criticize globalization. Although these concerns have often been combined with xenophobic nationalism, the Left should not cede the debate on trade policy to the Right.
The wealthy young Salvadoran Ana Margarita Gasteazoro decided to give up her privileges for struggle against a far-right dictatorship — leading to her jailing and torture. That dictatorship is gone today, but El Salvador’s undemocratic crackdowns are not.
Labor activist Ginger Goodwin spent his life fighting for the rights of working people in British Columbia, and on this day in 1918, he was killed for it. His story is a reminder of the need for uncompromising socialist politics.
The Right has seized on the US baby formula shortage to discredit the Biden administration. It’s correct to harp on the administration’s failures — but the crisis is due to the dysfunctions of an economic system of which Republicans are the biggest champions.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are vying to become the fourth Conservative leader since 2016. Neither candidate has any real answers to Britain’s problems — or even the dilemmas facing their own party.
At Starbucks, Amazon, UPS, and many other workplaces, there are enormous opportunities for radicals to organize on shop floors. If you want to rebuild the labor movement, get a job and start organizing with your coworkers.
From its late break with the Ottoman Empire to the Cold War rule of Enver Hoxha, Albania has followed an unusual path through modern history. But the country’s experience of communism and postcommunism is full of valuable lessons for the politics of today.
After a nine-month strike to prevent drastic cuts to jobs, wages, and benefits, the San Antonio Symphony has dissolved. As long as they rely on the largesse of the wealthy, orchestras and the musicians who comprise them are in danger.
Uber is in trouble after a leak demonstrating the extent of its pay-to-play activities. But in America, you don’t need a trove of leaked texts or emails to prove the corrosive effects of lobbying. The proof is right out in the open, and Uber is hardly alone.
With its stock cratering and its audience shrinking, Netflix needs a savior. But The Gray Man, a bloated and boring $200 million action movie, is unlikely to be it.
The Supreme Court ruled the government needs a warrant to get your location data. But ICE is getting warrantless access anyway. The marriage of private data gathering and immigration enforcement is looking alarmingly like a surveillance state.
As a socialist and internationalist, I abhor war. But the basic premise of self-determination justifies the resistance of ordinary Ukrainians to Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of our country.