The Carceral Problem Is Getting Worse
Despite new legislation, American hyper-punishment is not slowing. It’s even accelerating.
19179 Articles by: Ryan Switzer
Ryan Switzer is a PhD candidate in sociology at Stockholm University. He researches right-wing politics in welfare states.
The King Stands Naked
The gilets jaunes movement has discredited not just Macron, but the entire French elite.
The Attack on Palestinian Universities
The brutality of Israeli occupation isn’t limited to wars. It also includes constant assault on Palestinians’ access to basic necessities like higher education.
The Left Side of the Church
The church is responsible for a litany of injustices — and today Christian rhetoric is used to defend a violent neoliberal capitalism. But the glorious tradition of liberation theology can’t be forgotten.
Why I Can’t Celebrate Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is now far bigger than its founder. But I can’t forget that Ron Karenga helped murder Black Panther militants and his other heinous crimes.
The Attack on Public Housing
Public housing should embody a promise: free housing for all, free of segregation. Reserving it only for the poorest undermines that promise.
The Death of the German Dream
Angela Merkel has resigned as CDU leader. Her failed promises of “prosperity for all” are leading to the disintegration of the traditional mass parties.
You Don’t Want Hygge. You Want Social Democracy.
Hygge has exploded as a cozy, comforting interior design trend. But the security and intimacy it evokes can’t be achieved by scented candles alone — that requires social democracy.
How Workers Win and Lose
In 2018, workers started getting restless. Some unions took advantage of that restlessness — and won big. Others rolled over to management without a fight.
Laboring Under an Illusion
“Post-work” Marxism aims to liberate us from the coercion of wage labor. But without a program for reorganizing production, it can only return us to the tyranny of the market.
Russia Beyond Supervillainy
In Russia, Vladimir Putin’s evil genius matters less than pressures from the ultrarich, US foreign policy, and the ravages of the neoliberal Yeltsin years.
A Milestone on the Timeline of Israeli Brutality
A decade ago today, Israel launched “Operation Cast Lead” against the Gaza Strip. The military campaign took the lives of some 1,400 Palestinians, including more than three hundred children.
Why the US Loses Wars
The United States has the most powerful military in the world. Yet it just keeps losing wars. Why?
Belgium Is No Island
In Belgium, far right ideas are entering the political mainstream.
Medicare Will Be Good for Everyone — Except CEOs
The only people who won’t benefit from Medicare for All are the insurance industry CEOs profiting off people’s pain.
The Public Really Can Own Everything
Paul Krugman recently argued in favor of a mixed economy. But his imagination is a bit limited: we can expand public ownership into every aspect of the US economy.
Revolutionary Christianity
Tony Benn’s call for Christians to remake the world along socialist lines.
Have a Very Gory Christmas
Forget about Love Actually. This holiday season, take a trip back to Black Christmas, 1974’s secretly feminist horror film that spawned a generation of slashers after it.
Max Zirngast Has Been Released
Max Zirngast is out. After being jailed for more than three months in Turkey, the Jacobin contributor was released today from “pre-trial detention.”
The Socialist Case for Santa Claus
Old St Nick is egalitarian and internationalist; he disregards free-market mores and nation-state borders. Socialists should embrace Santa Claus.