Inside the Khmer Rouge’s Killing Fields
Amid the devastation of war, Pol Pot's genocidal regime came to power and led to the death of over a million Cambodians. Its roots didn't lie in its "utopianism," but in imperialist war and authoritarianism.
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How Marxists Are Winning in Belgium
With this month's European Parliament elections approaching, the media is fixated on the far right. But in Brussels itself, it’s the radical left that’s changing the debate.
A Plan B for Our Planet
Neoliberal president Macron’s fuel tax hike has sparked six months of protests. But for France Insoumise’s Danièle Obono, the gilets jaunes and climate marchers aren’t on opposing sides: they both want the rich to pay for climate chaos.
Bernie Sanders’s Green New Deal Is a Climate Plan for the Many, Not the Few
In his just released Green New Deal proposal, Bernie Sanders brings the kind of bold, large-scale plans as well as the moral fury we need — not just to save the planet, but to create a just and equitable world.
An Industrial Policy That Puts Workers First
Even the Financial Times, the mouthpiece of international business, is suggesting the US needs an industrial policy. But we need one that empowers workers, not American corporations.
The Seventh-Inning Stretch Under Socialism
It’s possible to elevate the working class without the jingoism.
How Decades of Neoliberalism Led to the Era of Right-Wing Populism
Right-wing neoliberalism’s assault on the very idea of society laid the groundwork for today’s right-wing nationalist backlash. But the Left’s hands aren’t entirely clean either.
The Chinese Revolution at Seventy
The Chinese revolution turned seventy this week. If you were looking for reflection on the meaning of that revolution today, you wouldn't find it in mainstream media coverage.
“We Have to Move to a Post-Capitalist System”
World-renowned scholar Walden Bello on the financialization of the Chinese economy, the middle-class roots of far-right movements, and the urgent need for a radical alternative to capitalism's crises.
Soaking the Rich Is a Great Start — But It’s Not Enough
We should be clear about what it will take to fund a decent welfare state: not just soaking the rich, but raising taxes across the board — so everyone can have the basics for the good life.
An Empire of Patrolmen
During the Cold War, the US trained cops in more than fifty countries to suppress dissent. This “police professionalization” helped produce death squads in countries like El Salvador and mass incarceration in the United States.
Diane Ravitch on Pete Buttigieg’s Troubled Education Record
I’ve come to the conclusion that, on K–12 public education, Pete Buttigieg is a stealth corporate reformer.
The All-Women MSNBC Debate Panel Wasn’t a Feminist Victory — It Was a Right-Wing Disaster
This week’s all-women-moderated presidential debate is being lauded as a feminist victory in the press. But it was hardly that. The candidates were just fed inane questions meant to defend the benevolence of US empire and marginalize political positions deemed too far left.
Maoism and Its Complicated Legacy
Despite its massive length, Julia Lovell’s Maoism: A Global History doesn’t offer us a clear way to understand Maoism and its legacy.
In the 2010s, the People Began Saying No to Endless War
The decade began with Bush-era jingoism intact. Then, the unthinkable happened: radical critiques of America’s endless wars and reflexive militarism that were once hopelessly marginal went mainstream.
Viewing Taiwan From the Left
Taiwanese voters are going to the polls tomorrow for presidential elections as protests continue to rage in Hong Kong. But in order to understand Taiwan, we have to understand the power of China — and the looming shadow of US imperialism.
Where Communists Live Forever
Longevity on the Greek island of Ikaria remains a mystery. Could communism be the key to a longer and more fulfilling life?
Spain’s First Communist Minister Since 1939 Was Just Sworn In Today
Today Alberto Garzón was sworn in as a minister in Spain’s new government — the first communist to take up such a role since the Civil War. He spoke to Jacobin about what it means to be a communist today and how Spain’s social movements can shape the next government’s agenda.
Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser Was a Towering Figure Who Left an Ambiguous Legacy
Fifty years after his death, the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser still casts a long shadow over Arab politics. A symbol of defiance in the age of decolonization, Nasser transformed his country but never gave its people control of the system that ruled them.
How Capitalism Underdeveloped Rural America
A toxic brew of economic suffering, racism, and community decline prepared the ground for authoritarian populism in America’s devastated rural areas. Trumpism will not be defeated unless the Left can promote a progressive agenda to rebuild rural America.