John Pilger Was a Tireless Critic of Western Imperialism
The reporter John Pilger, who died at the end of 2023, showed what a life committed to attacking the powerful through journalism and taking the side of the oppressed looks like.
19434 Articles by: Wouter van de Klippe
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.
For a Model of Working-Class Mass Organizing, Look to the CIO
The level of anti-capitalist sentiment in the US today hasn’t been seen since the 1930s. Labor radicals seized that moment to create the pivotal Congress of Industrial Organizations. We should take lessons from their achievements — and their missteps.
“Fair Trade” Labels Conceal Brutal Abuses of Farmworkers
Many grocery products from Mexico are sold in the US with labels touting their fair labor practices — but the farmworkers who produce that food say they are subject to brutal exploitation and widespread abuse by their employers.
Campaign Staffers Are Undermining American Democracy
National electoral campaigns are mainly staffed by political junkies from elite universities — exactly the opposite of much of the US public. No wonder they’re so bad at reaching working-class voters.
How France’s Greens Replaced Social Policy With New Age Vibes
France’s Greens are splitting from the left-wing alliance and will run separately in the European elections. The party’s campaign launch centered on esotericism, personal development, and dance therapy — showing how little it has to say to working people.
Tony Blair’s New Labour Subordinated the Party to Capitalists
In the 1990s, Tony Blair and his circle “modernized” the British Labour Party by minimizing the power of members and embracing neoliberal dogmas. But it was the prior hollowing out of the party’s institutions that allowed New Labour to come to power.
Trump’s Victory in Iowa Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Biden
Donald Trump barely campaigned in Iowa, insulted its most prominent evangelical leader, and still won last night’s caucus by a historic margin. Joe Biden better have something stronger to offer in the general election than “I’m not Trump.”
C. L. R. James Broke Through the World’s Boundaries
C. L. R. James spent his life crossing the boundary lines of race and class, from the colonial Caribbean to Britain and the United States. The world is finally starting to catch up with his pioneering works of Marxist history.
Fossil Fuel Corporations Are Faking Grassroots Support
The world’s largest PR firm has crafted a strategy to simulate popular support for fossil fuels, including embracing influencers to peddle Big Oil’s self-serving myths.
Bill Clinton’s Presidency Was a Disaster for Labor
Though Bill Clinton ran for president on promises of empowering workers, in office he gutted welfare and passed NAFTA, undermining organized labor and driving working-class voters away from the Democratic Party. We’re still living with the consequences.
In Italy’s Main Shipyard, Anti-Islam Policy Divides Workers
In Monfalcone, in northeastern Italy, the far-right mayor has banned public Muslim prayer. Home to Europe’s largest shipyard, the town is a crucible of Italy’s rising migrant workforce — and the racist backlash against it.
Israel’s Assault Is Making Gaza Unlivable
Israel’s brutal attack on Gaza has already killed over 24,000 Palestinians. But the environmental effects of the war — from pollution of groundwater and soil to destruction of Gaza’s olive trees — will have devastating impacts long after the bombing stops.
Ivory Perry, the Forgotten Civil Rights Hell-Raiser
Activists are often held up as exemplars of personal morality — but in every social struggle, ordinary people with complex lives rise up as leaders. Ivory Perry was one of these who waged a relentless war for racial and economic justice.
The Story Behind “Solidarity Forever”
The iconic labor song “Solidarity Forever” turns 109 years old today. Written in defiance of early 20th-century oppression, it railed against the forces that “would lash us into serfdom” with the abiding counsel that the “union makes us strong.”
MLK’s Story Behind “I Have a Dream”
Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, like much of MLK’s legacy, is selectively remembered. It attacked the material roots of American racism, just as his anti–Vietnam War speech five years later excoriated American militarism.
Housing Vouchers Won’t Solve America’s Homelessness Crisis
Housing vouchers can help people afford shelter. At the same time, they exclude millions of eligible people, open vulnerable tenants up to exploitation by property owners, and empower bad landlords. To end homelessness, we must move beyond the voucher system.
The Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike Was Led by Left Revolutionaries
When the Great Depression sank workers to new depths, craft unions weren’t up to the task. Then, in 1934, a team of revolutionary leftists in Minneapolis organized a brave and bloody strike that reinvigorated labor and changed the course of American history.
The Long, Disastrous Career of Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley’s political career has been great for corporate executives and campaign donors. For everyone else, particularly workers and the poor, it’s been terrible.
Sahra Wagenknecht’s Party Is Mainly a Threat to the Right
Germany’s former Die Linke parliamentary leader Sahra Wagenknecht has founded a new party. She claims it’s a voice for the ignored middle and working classes — but the party is mainly focused on winning over Germans who’ve turned to the far right.
Spain’s Memory Law Hasn’t Banished the Ghosts of Francoism
Spain’s Law of Democratic Memory was meant to end official silence over the Spanish Civil War and shed light on Franco-era crimes. But right-wing parties are using their power to ensure the truth remains buried.