Syria’s Unstable Transition
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is widely hailed as an Islamist radical gone moderate. The plaudits reflect not the real strength of Syrian democracy but international players’ belief that he can keep order.
20172 Article(s) by: Wouter van de Klippe
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Wouter van de Klippe is a freelance journalist and writer based in Europe. He is particularly interested in organized labor, social and environmental justice, and social welfare states.
The Problem With James Talarico’s Gambling Ties
Democratic Texas state representative James Talarico is winning Christian voters with his faith-driven progressivism. But some are alarmed about his support for expanding legal gambling — and campaign funding from a megadonor tied to casinos.
Trump’s Provocations Are Bolstering Latin America’s Left
Across Latin America, Donald Trump’s aggressive moves — from tariffs to attacks on boats in the Caribbean to meddling in Argentina’s elections — is uniting progressive forces in opposition and bolstering the Left’s political prospects.
Oasis’s Working-Class Image Is Seductive but Empty
English rock group Oasis has always been a populist contradiction, rooted both in working-class culture and the individualism of post-Thatcherite Britain. But while other bands become more political, Oasis’s comeback tour offers only escapist nostalgia.
Trump Is Making the Affordability Crisis Worse, Not Better
Donald Trump and the GOP say they’re taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously. The reality: they’re making it far worse.
Finnish Left Leader: The Far Right Is Attacking Workers
Minja Koskela is leader of Finland’s Left Alliance. She spoke to Jacobin about how the right-wing-populist Finns Party is using its place in government to attack labor and public services, and how her party is resisting austerian dogmas.
Fifty Years Ago, the US Staged a Coup in Australia
The 1975 “dismissal” of Australian Labor PM Gough Whitlam is often seen as a constitutional crisis initiated by an old British-led establishment. In reality, it was a bloodless analog of other US-orchestrated coups against reforming left governments.
The Making of the Penha Massacre
On October 28, Rio de Janeiro’s police besieged the Penha favela for 15 hours, killing at least 121 people in the city’s worst massacre. Brazil’s right is hailing it as an anti-crime victory while overlooking their own links to violent gangs.
The Zohran Mamdani Model of Exuberant Good Cheer
The relentless negativity and performative cruelty of American politics is exhausting. Following Zohran Mamdani’s lead, leftists can distinguish ourselves with a concrete political program paired with genuine enthusiasm for ordinary people.
The Whitewashing of Ahmed al-Sharaa
Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa was just welcomed to Donald Trump’s White House. His visit represents Washington’s embrace of a sectarian government with little respect for democracy.
The Government Shutdown Deal Is Endangering Food Safety
After intense lobbying and major campaign donations, the emergency spending bill intended to end the federal government shutdown is including language abolishing rules designed to prevent food contamination and foodborne illnesses at farms and restaurants.
Democrats Caved in the Shutdown Because of the Filibuster
For Democrats, the main issue in the shutdown wasn’t electoral backlash — it was the filibuster. Leadership feared its removal, viewing it as a safeguard to keep the party’s rising left wing in check.
How Catherine Connolly Won Ireland’s Presidential Election
Catherine Connolly takes office as Ireland’s president today. Her left-wing insurgent campaign took the Irish political establishment by surprise, winning a record number of votes and proving the Left can still triumph even in a bleak political landscape.
How the US Intervened to Sabotage Angola’s Independence
Fifty years ago today, Angola gained its independence after centuries of Portuguese domination. But US officials like Henry Kissinger were already working hard to orchestrate a devastating proxy war that snuffed out the hopes of national liberation.
Cuba’s Role in Angola Changed the Course of African History
When Angola gained independence in 1975, the Cuban military came to the new government’s defense. The mission had global reverberations, from hastening the fall of South African apartheid to reshaping Cubans’ own identity and worldview.
Calls for Central Bank Independence Are Myopic
Donald Trump’s attacks on the Federal Reserve have been met with ardent defenses of central bank independence. Yet the Fed has always been vulnerable to political pressure, something that the insistence on returning to a pre-Trump status quo elides.
Democrats Caved in the Shutdown Fight. Unions Let Them.
The government shutdown was a test showing where progressive forces are strong and where they’re weak. The results are in after last night’s Democratic capitulation to the GOP: most top union leaders are failing to meet the moment.
The Broken Promises of the Green Transition
A decade ago, Western governments pitched the green transition as a solution to reindustrialization and economic decline. The failure of these policies to produce well-paying jobs has triggered a right-wing backlash in both the UK and the US.
The Socialist Who Helped Bring Marx to America
The early-20th-century socialist and New York mayoral candidate Morris Hillquit saw liberalism and democracy as providing a foundation for a transition to socialism. Alongside Eugene Debs, he helped to forge a distinct American socialist tradition.
Francesca Albanese and the Palestinian Fight for Survival
The US sanctions against Francesca Albanese are testament to her courage speaking up for the Palestinians. If international law lies buried underneath the rubble of Gaza, truth-tellers like Albanese have implacably defended basic universalist principles.