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.
Ho Chi Minh’s Time in Rio de Janeiro Helped Make Him a Revolutionary
Before he became Vietnam’s foremost communist, Ho Chi Minh traveled across Europe and the Americas as a ship’s cook. In Rio de Janeiro, he encountered a world of inequality, but also of defiant class solidarity — an experience that helped forge one of the twentieth century’s greatest revolutionaries.
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After being defeated in a no-confidence vote, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan is now claiming he has been replaced by an “imported government.”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.
Chris Coons Is Big Pharma’s Man in Washington
Senator Chris Coons is driven by the sincere belief that government and the people exist to serve the interests of Delaware’s big pharmaceutical companies.
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.
How Eastern Bloc Architects Shaped Cities Across the Third World
In the era of decolonization, even nonsocialist states in Africa and Asia drew heavily on architects and planners from Eastern Bloc countries. Experts from the “Second World” adapted their work to local cultures and expectations — and often brought “Third World” lessons back with them.
The US Agriculture System Is a Disaster for Farmworkers and the Planet
US-style industrial farming has ravaged two of the world’s most fertile regions, California’s Central Valley and the Midwest’s corn belt. But we can build an agriculture system that delivers food in a sustainable way — and empowers farmworkers, too.
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 Rise and Rise and Fall of Adem Somyurek
Adem Somyurek was sacked from his position in the Australian Labor Party last week for alleged branch-stacking. It’s the latest indicator of how Labor has been emptied of all mass politics and become a forum for factional power brokers to vie for control of the creaking party machine.
The Pandemic Is Making the European Union More Integrated — And More Unequal
In recent years, the air of optimism surrounding the European Union has been replaced by continual crisis management. Yet the pandemic, the financial crisis, and Brexit have all spurred even further integration — and the Left lacks a coherent response.
Meet Erin O’Toole, Canada’s New Conservative Ghoul
The Conservative Party of Canada has announced a new leader: Erin O’Toole. A seemingly spiritless, staid candidate, his leadership may nevertheless prove a strategic win for Conservatives.
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 Privatization of the Port of Haifa Is a Move to Make Political Allies for Israel
The sell-off of the Port of Haifa looks like a takeover by corporate interests. Yet the acquisition was led by a close ally of Indian premier Narendra Modi — showing its ties to Israel’s strategy of finding autocratic allies abroad.
In Jersey City, It’s Socialists Versus the Machine
For decades, Jersey City was ruled by a cartoonishly sleazy party boss and his pro-corporate political machine. Today, it’s governed by a slicker version of the same. But now socialists and progressives are challenging their power.
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.