Lessons Earned
What have we learned from the Pink Tide’s years in power?
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Scientists Don’t Say
From lab leaks to mask efficacy, the media enforcement of scientific consensus through a policing of which questions are acceptable to ask is itself unscientific.
When the State Steps in to Save Profit
Faced with another global recession, many governments are responding with even stronger state interventions than they did in the 2008 financial crisis. But stimulus packages to prop up businesses must also pose the question of public control — not just bailing out corporations, but repurposing their operations to confront the disasters ahead of us.
Tucker Carlson Is a Repugnant, Pseudo-Populist Fraud
Tucker Carlson likes to posture as a bold populist truth-teller. But when push comes to shove, he sides with the ruling class and bosses, not workers.
Sven Beckert’s Chronicle of Capitalism’s Long Rise
Capitalism is a global economic system, so a proper chronicle of its rise to dominance has to examine the entire world, as historian Sven Beckert does in his massive new book, Capitalism: A Global History.
An Elite Soldier’s Downfall Has Created a Dilemma for Australian Politicians
Former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has failed in his bid to sue journalists for exposing his war crimes in Afghanistan. His downfall is set to embarrass the political elites who championed him.
Expect More Military “Liberal Interventionism” Under a Joe Biden Presidency
The liberal establishment is desperate to return a centrist to the White House in November and reestablish the country’s more stable military dominance of the world order, disrupted only briefly by Donald Trump. Joe Biden’s terrible track record on foreign policy — including his championing of war in Iraq — suggests a return to Obama-style strong military interventions abroad.
Australia Is a Subimperial Enforcer of the US-led Order
The foreign affairs establishment describes Australia as a “middle power” in the “rules-based global order.” They’re wrong — Australia should be understood as a subordinate beneficiary of US imperialism.
Imperialism’s Junior Partners
The response to the Brazilian coup shows that the BRICS powers are not a real alternative to US imperialism.
Let’s Talk About the COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory
Whether COVID emerged from nature or from a laboratory leak is a legitimate debate. We still don’t have all the answers, but how that discussion was stifled bodes poorly for scientific inquiry.
“To Halt Climate Change, We Need an Ecological Leninism”
Despite the obvious parallels with coronavirus shutdowns, states still show little determination to put in place the measures we’ll need to deal with the climate emergency. For Andreas Malm, we need to stop seeing climate change as a problem for the future — and use state power now to impose a drastic reordering of our economies.
The “Progressive” NBA Still Loves Israel
The NBA has presented itself as the most socially conscious of the major US sports leagues. But when it comes to Israel, the redlines are clear.
It’s Never a Bad Time to Remind Ourselves That Henry Kissinger Is a Murderous War Criminal
Unlike other war criminals from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger’s reputation has never received public rehabilitation. He hasn’t needed it — despite his murderous rap sheet, the media and political establishment has always fawned over him.
Trump’s Tariffs and Capital’s Constraints
When Donald Trump was forced to pause most of his tariffs, the country got a basic lesson in Marxist state theory: when states push policies that threaten profits, they trigger mechanisms that discipline them back into line with capitalist interests.
Anti-Asian Racism Is on the Rise in Australia — and It’s Coming From the Top Down
This past year saw a wave of anti-Asian racism, egged on by a club of conservative “anti-anti-racist” commentators who brand opponents of bigotry as stooges for the Chinese Communist Party. It’s long past time to challenge their sly dog whistles and disingenuous smears.
Sam Altman’s AI Empire Relies on Brutal Labor Exploitation
Firms like OpenAI are developing AI in a way that has deeply ominous implications for workers in many different fields. The current trajectory of AI can only be changed through direct confrontation with the overweening power of the tech giants.
Four Points on the Hong Kong Protests
Hong Kong's government just withdrew the anti–civil liberties bill that set off massive, rolling protests and convulsed the city for months. But the political crisis is bigger than one measure — and protesters could be emboldened to push for even more.
Kissinger in Cambodia
By all accounts, the death and destruction Henry Kissinger wreaked upon Cambodia never burdened him. But he bears responsibility for a brutal American bombing campaign and creating the conditions that spurred the Khmer Rouge to power.
The Fate of the People’s War
Communist Party of the Philippines founder José Mariá Sison on the legacy of armed struggle, peace negotiations with Duterte, and what a left economic program should be.
Peter Thiel Embodies Silicon Valley’s Conservative Past and Dystopian Future
Peter Thiel’s right-wing provocations lead many to conclude that he’s an outlier in supposedly liberal Silicon Valley. In fact, as an open advocate for a world where technology supplants democracy, he’s the industry’s fullest embodiment.