Australia’s Fires Give Us a Glimpse of What’s Coming
Even as Australia burns, the government is reaffirming its commitment to coal and waging a war on climate activists. But as the crisis deepens, climate barbarism is no longer an option.
19622 Articles by: Yi San
Yi San is a freelance writer based in New York.
Donald Trump and the Foreign Policy Establishment Want War With Iran
Everything Donald Trump has done since taking office has brought the United States closer to war with Iran. The assassination of Qassem Soleimani pushes the United States even further down that catastrophic path.
The Imperial Presidency Helped Bring Us to the Brink of War in Iran
Trump is trying to drag us into war with Iran. We have to stop him — and the imperial presidency that so many Democrats continue to help expand.
Israeli “Democracy” in Two Court Cases
It’s a telling paradox: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted for corruption — even as Israel pursues a systematically criminal occupation and Zionism’s authoritarian tendencies continue to grow.
Little Women for the Lean-In Generation
With its starchy girl-power message and Meryl Streepish prestige, Little Women is bound to be a hot contender for critics’ awards, Oscars, and Golden Globes. But don’t be fooled: it’s a bad movie.
William Greider Was a Real Journalist in an Era When Most Journalists Weren’t
William Greider, who died on Christmas day, was one of the last his kind: a reporter dedicated to holding elites accountable rather than acting as their megaphone.
To Crush Chile’s Popular Uprising, Its Government Is Taking a Page from the Fascist Playbook
In the wake of Chile’s popular uprising, the country’s right-wing government is carrying out a ruthless legal crackdown against all forms of protest. Some call it “law-and-order populism” but there’s nothing populist about it — it’s inspired by the penal practices of twentieth-century fascism.
Only the Left Can Defeat Antisemitism
The recent spate of antisemitic attacks is horrendous. The best way to fight it is to reject the centrist idea that antisemitism transcends politics.
When Senator Elizabeth Warren Went to Bat for a Corporate Health-Care Interest
As a senator, Elizabeth Warren worked hard, over the course of years, to repeal a medical device tax. It’s a record that should worry Medicare-for-All advocates.
The City Where British Working-Class History Is Still Alive
UK Labour MP and potential party leader Rebecca Long Bailey has spent her life immersed in Salford and its working-class life. The right-wing British press wants to undermine those politics by attacking the city. But Salford’s history reflects the best of British working-class culture.
We Shouldn’t Be Nostalgic for Jimmy Hoffa
At a time of historic working-class weakness, it’s tempting to watch the portrayal of Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and long for similar labor leadership today. But while Hoffa negotiated contracts that improved the lives of millions, his corruption and autocratic leadership also paved the way for the Teamsters’ decline.
Putting Modernism All Over the Map
It’s been 100 years since the Bauhaus school of art and design opened in the German city of Weimar. Today it’s best remembered for its clean-line, modernist designs — but behind this banal reputation lies a political project that sought to reimagine art’s role after the devastation of World War I.
We Must Call a Coup a Coup
In November, the Bolivian military forced Evo Morales to step down: the classic definition of a coup. Despite the evidence, some commentators — even on the Left — have failed to identify it for what it was: an elite plot to oust a progressive president whose program of reforms had transformed the lives of many of the country’s most excluded people.
“Socialism Is More Alive in Vermont Than It Ever Has Been”
Bernie Sanders began his political career in Burlington, Vermont. But he’s far from the only socialist representing the city. Brian Cina, a socialist member of the Vermont state house, recently spoke with Jacobin about leftist political power that still exists in Burlington.
In Defense of Kenny G
Our first piece of 2020: a defense of the great Kenny G.
The 2019 Jacobin Mixtape
We covered the good, the bad, and the ugly all year, from Bernie Sanders’s presidential run to the violent coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia. Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights).
Graphic Novels Are Comic Books, But Gentrified
In the age of gentrification, a financial logic shapes cultural products just as much as the neighborhoods we live in. The rise of graphic novels is a case of aesthetic gentrification — the transformation of comic books into a glossier product marked by high prices and middle-class values.
The Worst People of 2019
Before 2019 comes to a close, let’s take one last look at the most obnoxious, appalling, and insidious personalities of the past twelve months. These are eight auld acquaintances we’d desperately like to forget — here’s hoping we’ve heard the last of them.
The Decade When Climate Change Became Real
The 2010s were the decade when climate change stopped being an abstraction for millions of people in the rich countries. With extreme weather events presenting a grim picture of the future, suddenly politicians felt pressure to offer solutions — and young people started wondering how it would affect their own lives.
The Gilets Jaunes Have Changed How France Thinks About Strikes
Last winter, yellow-vested protestors blockaded roads and roundabouts across France, building a social revolt outside of classic labor-movement structures. Today, the trade unions are back at the center of the fight against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms. Yet the spontaneity and militancy that drove the gilets jaunes are again at the heart of the struggle.