billy woods: “My Music Is Radical, in Its Own Way”
Rapper billy woods is a leading figure in contemporary underground hip-hop. He spoke to Jacobin about the inspiration for his music and his left-wing politics.
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Europe’s Vain Hopes of Imperial Grandeur
As Washington scales down its US defense commitment to Europe, many of the continent’s leaders are talking of making the EU a military superpower. It’s an unrealistic prospect, but it risks becoming the key focus of EU spending.
Western-Backed NGOs: A Hollow Version of Civil Society
Donald Trump’s moves to dismantle USAID clearly aren’t driven by fears of infringing on other nations’ sovereignty. Still, we should recognize that Global South NGOs’ reliance on Western donors hinders the growth of self-sustaining civil societies.
It’s Time to End the War in Ukraine
Ukraine’s military position is worsening, and there are signs of fatigue on the home front. A tit-for-tat escalation between Washington and Moscow would be disastrous for Ukrainians and for us all.
For Slovakia’s Left, Welfare Spending and Nationalism Make an Awkward Match
As Slovakia heads toward a snap election, former prime minister Robert Fico is surging in polls. His Smer party has a record of defending welfare spending — but its scandals and nationalist rhetoric make it hard for many left-wingers to support.
Christian Rakovsky’s Life and Death Mirrored the Fate of European Marxism
Born in Bulgaria, Christian Rakovsky became a major leader of the Russian Revolution who wanted the Soviet Union to be a true partnership of nations. But when Rakovsky challenged Stalin’s dictatorship, he was tried and executed on a trumped-up charge.
Mark Rutte’s March to War
In his maiden speech as NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte ominously warned that peacetime is over as he delivered a cocktail of half-truths to demand ever-increased military spending.
Europe’s Blind Eye to Israel’s War Crimes Shows the “Rules-Based Order” Is a Cruel Farce
Faced with Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza, European leaders have offered unqualified support. Their disinterest in defending international law shows there’s no such thing as “a rules-based order” — just imperial powers, and their chosen allies.
Ayn Rand Had a Fragile Ego, Incoherent Ideas, and Bad Taste
Ayn Rand believed that the path to social harmony ran through the inferior masses’ acceptance of brutal rule by their natural superiors. Her perspective was wrong, and its implications were just as grim and nasty as her atrocious personality.
Telling the Story of Australia’s Soviet Diaspora
Australian historian Sheila Fitzpatrick has spent her career documenting the history of the USSR. She tells Jacobin about her latest project, which looks at the Soviet citizens who migrated to Australia and their complicated relationship with their homeland.
Yes, Ukraine Is a “Real Country”
The borders of Ukraine are no more arbitrary than those of Poland, Greece, Italy, or Germany.
No, Eastern Europe Isn’t Doomed to Right-Wing Rule
Six left-wing parties from central-eastern Europe have formed a new alliance. They’re united by opposition to right-wing populists and Russian imperialism — but they’re also challenging the center-left parties who led the region’s neoliberal turn.
No, Western Troops Shouldn’t Be Sent to Ukraine
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, suggested on Monday that sending Western troops to Ukraine can “no longer be ruled out.” The idea is dangerous and impractical.
A No-Fly Zone in Ukraine Would Start World War III. It’s the Worst Idea Possible.
A growing chorus of voices is calling for Joe Biden to establish a no-fly zone — an action that would risk the future of human civilization.
Why Sweden’s Social Democrats U-Turned on NATO
Sweden’s left has historically been opposed to joining NATO. But as the war in Ukraine made joining the alliance popular, Sweden’s Social Democrats changed tack, alienating many of their supporters and exposing deep divisions among the Left in the process.
The Qatar World Cup: Money Runs Modern Soccer
Qatar’s World Cup is the culmination of decades of football capitalism — a victory for big corporations and repressive governments, and a tragedy for the fans and workers who make the game.
CIA Op or Not, the Pandora Papers Are a Big Deal
There’s good reason to speculate that the Pandora Papers, the massive leak exposing the tax-dodging practices of the global superrich — which includes plenty of Russians and Chinese, but almost no Americans — is a CIA plant. Nevertheless, it’s a newsworthy story that deserves the attention it’s gotten.
The Left and Military Aid to Ukraine
An exchange between two Jacobin writers on the question of military aid to Ukraine.
The Revolutionary Legacy of Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg is an icon of the socialist movement who died a martyr’s death in 1919. But she was also a brilliant and highly original political thinker whose ideas about capitalism and how to oppose it are strikingly relevant to today’s world.
How Joseph Stalin Became a Bolshevik
Ronald Suny’s Stalin: Passage to Revolution traces Joseph Stalin’s trajectory from his boyhood in Georgia to the Russian Revolution in 1917. In an interview, Suny explains the specificities of the Georgian socialist movement, Stalin’s role in the revolution, and why Stalinism was “bloody, ruthless,” and “the nadir of the Soviet experiment.”