David Graeber Knew Ordinary People Could Remake the World
A new book by David Wengrow and the late David Graeber is a brilliant rejection of the fatalistic myths of human history — and a defense of our power to shape our own world.
Search Result(s) for: “China”
In Russia, Communists Are Standing Up Against Putin’s Fraud
In Russia’s general election, the Communist Party surged to a strong second place. But the party’s rise has also made it a target for Vladimir Putin’s government — including through Putin's massive interference in the electoral process.
When the Communist International Is Your Boss
Throughout history, it’s been hard for agitators and troublemakers to hold down a good job. In the interwar decades, tens of thousands of them were hired by the Communist International — an employer with long hours, difficult bosses, and a lot of opportunities for travel.
The Labour Left’s Fatal Contradictions Are Still Unresolved
In the best moments of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, the Labour left captured an insurgent, democratizing spirit. Yet two years after the Left’s defeat, the top-down approach that led to the fatal “second referendum” policy continues to hamper its recovery.
How the Communist Party of Australia Built a Mass Movement
Though little discussed today, Australian communism was a movement that changed the lives of its members — and the course of national history.
We Can’t Understand South Africa’s Racial Inequalities Without Looking at Capitalism
A popular new South African book insists racism is primarily to blame for social polarization. But describing South African inequality as “the new apartheid” obscures the central role that class and capitalism play in reproducing hierarchies.
The US Is Reneging on Climate Change Commitments
By refusing to define “climate finance,” the United States and other wealthy nations are avoiding their responsibilities to fight climate change and forcing poorer nations into never-ending debt traps.
It Pays to Be a Conservative Democrat Blocking Popular Legislation
Why do conservative Democrats like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin oppose wildly popular progressive policy measures? Because it’s a very lucrative racket.
For Albania, Capitalism’s Promise of Freedom Soon Turned Sour
Lea Ypi’s memoir of life in Albania as its Communist system disintegrated is essential reading. Ypi gives us a frank picture of authoritarian rule, but she’s also scathing about the destructive shock therapy imposed on her country in the name of freedom.
Israel Is Hacking the Phones of Palestinian NGOs
Israel has been caught hacking the phones of six Palestinian human rights staffers. It’s the latest incident in Israel’s larger web of blatantly undemocratic mass surveillance practices.
The Kids Are Alright. BlackRock’s President Isn’t.
BlackRock president Rob Kapito has a lot of nerve calling young Americans entitled brats. In reality, millennials and Zoomers are struggling to find a foothold in a harsh economic climate that BlackRock executives themselves helped create.
How the Exploitation of Africa Helps Fuel Global Capitalism
The political and economic crises roiling countries like Sudan and Tunisia right now cannot be separated from the global institutions of capital and the cycles of indebtedness that they impose.
Australia Has Sacrificed Julian Assange to the United States
The US is fighting tooth and nail to get Julian Assange extradited to an American prison. Ever the dutiful ally, the Australian government is effectively giving over Assange, and flouting any commitment to human rights, freedom of the press, and democracy in the process.
Niccolò Machiavelli Was the Philosopher of Left-Wing Populism
For centuries, detractors of Niccolò Machiavelli have presented him as the founding father of political cynicism. But the Italian thinker was really a republican idealist whose support for popular rule can inspire struggles against the oligarchies of today.
Good Riddance, Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel’s 16-year German chancellorship has finally come to an end. Though she presented herself as the sensible and stabilizing force in Europe, her tenure was characterized by economic neglect, obstruction, and brutal austerity.
Germany’s New Government Is in Thrall to Neoliberal Hawks
Today, the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz became leader of Germany’s new government. But with fiscal hawk Christian Lindner in charge of the finance ministry, there’s little hope of Germany — or Europe — breaking free of neoliberal dogmas.
The Indian Farmers’ Movement Has Shown Us How to Fight Narendra Modi
A heroic struggle has stopped Narendra Modi's government from ramming through regressive farm laws. Modi is still deeply entrenched in power, but the farmers have shown that mass mobilization can pose a bigger challenge to his rule than parliamentary games.
Yes, Social Media Can Help With Real-World Organizing
We can’t change the world just by posting on social media. But as the 2018 red state teachers’ strikes show, if organizers make strategic choices about their online organizing, social media can be used to build mass militant actions like strikes.
In Algeria’s Freedom Struggle, the Spirit of Frantz Fanon Is Still Alive
Frantz Fanon died 60 years ago today. In his last decade, he was deeply involved in Algeria’s anti-colonial struggle — providing lessons that can still be used in the country's fight against dictatorship today.
Our Country Friends Is a Disquieting Vision of the Post-COVID America to Come
As novelists begin to turn their eyes to the pandemic and the destruction it has wrought, Gary Shteyngart’s latest stands out. He depicts a vision of America that is deeply unsettling: a collapse that is merely more of the same.