Bombas and the Futility of “Mission-Based” Capitalism
When it comes to easing the burden of homelessness, free sock donations from a “mission-driven” company like Bombas have nothing on public funding and state intervention.
Search Result(s) for: “China”
LSD Capitalism Promises a Bad Trip for Us All
Silicon Valley figures like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are getting excited about the growing market in psychedelics. Their rising quasi-medical use provides profit opportunities for a few — but it’ll be a bad trip for the rest of us.
Crypto Won’t Solve Our Problems — We Need to Democratize Money
Bitcoin was not just a consequence of public disillusionment during the 2008 financial crisis — it was also a response to neoliberal monetary policies that saw money as somehow above politics. But questions about monetary policy are questions about democracy.
No, Imran Khan Isn’t an Anti-Imperialist Hero
After being defeated in a no-confidence vote, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan is now claiming he has been replaced by an “imported government.” But for all the bombastic nationalism, Khan’s rule was marked by deference to the IMF and handouts to the rich.
Jean-Paul Sartre’s Anti-Imperialism Is Still Too Radical for France Today
Jean-Paul Sartre’s uncompromising opposition to the crimes of empire makes him a taboo figure in French culture. The French political mainstream is still in denial about the bloody history of colonialism.
The US Has No Idea Where Its Ukrainian Military Aid Is Going
US officials just admitted they don’t know where their arms shipments to Ukraine will actually end up, and that they could fall into dangerous hands.
Transnistria Has Soviet Flags, but Its Oligarchs Want to Trade With the West
Russia has long used breakaway states in Abkhazia and Transnistria to assert military power abroad. Yet the regions’ recent history also shows their growing integration into Western capitalism — and the limits of Moscow’s imperial power.
Who Is Keir Starmer?
A combination of conservatism and careerism has characterized Keir Starmer’s approach to politics. In the context of his ideological trajectory, his most recent round of purges of the Left comes as no surprise.
Everything Everywhere All at Once Is the Most Insane Movie of the Year
Hot dog fingers, a talking raccoon, butt plug karate, Michelle Yeoh in dominatrix gear: Everything Everywhere All at Once has something for everyone. Past the absurdity is a deeply (and sometimes overly) sentimental tale about a family struggling to make it.
The Australian Federal Election Offers a Choice Between Disaster and Disappointment
Scott Morrison is widely disliked, and his conservative government is divided, incompetent, and mired in corruption. Despite this, the Labor opposition’s platform is one of the most timid and conservative in memory.
The Capitalist Market Can’t Solve the Climate Crisis — but Green Socialist Planning Can
Neoliberal policymakers present “green finance” as a market-based solution for climate chaos. But the investment scenarios they’ve devised for our transition beyond fossil fuels are really a form of economic planning — one that the Left should take control of.
“Green Capitalism” Is a Lie
Policymakers who have belatedly recognized the peril of climate change now promote incremental, market-based solutions to the crisis. But there’s no way we can prevent ecological disaster without tackling the vested interests at the heart of global capitalism.
The Casualties of the Drone War
Since the War on Terror began, the US military has used aerial bombing campaigns to avoid American combat losses. But they’ve led to a staggering number of civilian deaths.
What You Need to Know About Inflation
It’s bad and could get worse. Socialists need a response.
The Olympics Are Globally Mobile. Now the Anti-Olympics Movement Is Too.
Olympic Games host cities experience increased gentrification, police surveillance, and environmental destruction. Anti-Olympics activists hosted their second transnational summit in Paris last weekend to put an end to the games’ destruction.
For Enrico Berlinguer, Communism Meant the Fullest Spread of Democracy
Born 100 years ago today, Italian communist Enrico Berlinguer grew up under Fascist dictatorship. In postwar decades, he became leader of Europe’s biggest Communist Party — and an iconoclastic champion of a democratic path to socialism.
A Better Foreign Policy Abroad Requires a Strong Labor Movement at Home
Polling shows that most Americans oppose their country’s forever wars, but this dispersed opposition has done little to alter the United States’ foreign policy. For the antiwar movement to be successful, it must build its base in organized labor.
Australian Diplomacy in the Pacific Is Driven by Self-Interest
Australia’s Labor government is promising Pacific countries a new and friendlier era in diplomatic relations. But without challenging the vested interests and right-wing politics that dominate the region, these promises are altogether empty.
The EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan Is a Windfall for Corporations
Responding to the Inflation Reduction Act, the EU has unveiled its own green industrial plan. It has little to do with real decarbonization — but hands public money to big business, fueling a global race among “clean-tech” oligopolies.
In Emmanuel Macron’s France, Even Diplomats Are Striking Against Cuts
Emmanuel Macron has used the war in Ukraine to boost his credentials as a global statesman. Yet last week’s strike by the diplomatic corps shows how his neoliberal recipes have gutted the French state.