An Electoral Strategy for a New York City Socialist Agenda
New York City socialists have to figure out how to scale up quickly with a potential Zohran Mamdani mayoralty on the horizon.
20183 Article(s) by: Yi San
Yi San is a freelance writer based in New York.
Trump’s Protectionism Protects the 1 Percent
Donald Trump’s tariffs amount to a stealth tax on the middle and working classes, wrapped in the language of sovereignty. In practice, it’s upward redistribution and corporate price-gouging, fueling inequality that corrodes stability and erodes democracy.
Luck Shouldn’t Determine Our Fates
Socialists accept that some degree of inequality may be inevitable in a complex society. But there’s one kind of inequality that’s intolerable: the kind where resources are allocated according to factors that individuals can’t control.
How Fascism Returned to French Politics
The rise of the far right in France has gone hand in hand with the growth of racist, authoritarian tendencies among self-styled centrists like Emmanuel Macron. The only way to beat back the fascist threat is by confronting those tendencies head-on.
In the UK, Poverty Is Driving Mental Illness Among the Young
Nearly half of Gen Zers in the UK report being financially insecure, with millennials not far behind at 46 percent. This economic distress and a culture of competitive individualism are driving a mental health crisis among the country’s young people.
Spain’s Far-Right Vox Party Is Inciting Racist Violence
Spain’s Vox party typically masks its racism in more palatable rhetoric. But this summer, leading Vox MPs helped incite violence against residents of Maghrebi origin in the Murcia region in Spain.
The US and China Are More Alike Than They Think
In the US, lawyers gridlock politics, and in China, engineers solely concerned with development steamroll individual liberties. A new book argues that both nations could learn from one another, but their rivalry is obscuring the social crises they share.
Striking Air Canada Workers Won a Tentative Agreement
Defying a government back-to-work order, 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike last week to demand pay for currently uncompensated pre- and post-flight work. After three days, the workers secured a tentative agreement.
The Uncommitted Movement, a Year Later
One year after the Democratic National Convention refused to allow a Palestinian American onstage, it’s clear that the Democrats have paid a steep price in ignoring voters opposed to Israel’s brutal human rights abuses in Gaza, writes Waleed Shahid.
Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Showdown Isn’t About Democracy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has been criticized for recent moves to centralize power. But these developments are less about the actions of a single leader and more the result of decades of state weakness following the dissolution of the USSR.
The Left Can Beat Trumpism With an Ambitious Economic Vision
Donald Trump has shown what can be accomplished with the aggressive use of executive power. If and when the Left takes the White House, it should be prepared to do the same but for the sake of an ambitious pro-labor program.
Croatia’s Fascist-Saluting Summer
Fans of Croatian folk-rock star Marko Perković, nicknamed Thompson, have long greeted his concerts with nationalist chanting and fascist salutes. The problem is, now there are hundreds of thousands of them — including ministers in the current government.
Fifty Years Ago, Sweden Charted a Path to Socialism
In 1975, Swedish socialists and unions devised a program to democratically seize the means of production, but terrified elites dismantled it. Fifty years on, the Meidner Plan still offers a blueprint for a socialist transition today.
No, Trump’s Intel Stock Purchase Is Not Socialism
Democrats are freaking out over the federal government taking a 10% equity stake in Intel, accusing Donald Trump of “socialism.” But the purchase of these nonvoting shares does not give the government any meaningful control over the company.
India’s Book Ban in Kashmir Is a War on Memory
Twenty-five titles — including a work by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy — have been banned in Kashmir. The crackdown has left authors, students, and booksellers navigating fear and defiance, as the state seeks to erase history and police memory.
Subway Cleaners in NYC Just Won Millions in Back Pay
About 450 immigrant workers hired to disinfect New York City’s subways at the height of the pandemic were given inadequate equipment and paid less than the city’s prevailing wage. They have now won more than $3 million in back pay.
How the Democratic Party Was Hollowed Out
Democrats appear incapable of mounting a real opposition to Donald Trump. Their weakness is the result of a decades-long hollowing out of the party, in which organized labor has been displaced by a panoply of interest groups and nonprofit organizations.
ICE Uses Celebrities’ Loophole to Hide Deportation Flights
Celebrities like Taylor Swift have long used a little-known Federal Aviation Administration program to shield their private jets’ flight records from public view. Now ICE is using the program to hide information about its deportation flights.
Donald Trump Is Exploiting Europe’s Weakness
Talks over the Ukraine war show that Donald Trump thinks both the US and Russia can end up as winners. Europe is being made to pay the price, as its leaders accept their role as humiliated junior allies.
Australian Unions Are in Decline, and Labor Isn’t Helping
The Australian union movement campaigned and donated millions of dollars to reelect Labor Party prime minister Anthony Albanese. The results have been less than inspiring.