In October 2020, millions in Nigeria marched for two weeks in a revolt that shook the world. From Badagry to Yola, youth and workers rose in unity against the barbarism of police brutality and bad governance. Raising radical slogans and social media hashtags, and mobilizing spontaneous rallies, the rebellion was the most democratic movement in the history of Nigeria.
China: a new imperialism emerges
18 November 2021, byThe formation of a new imperialism is a rare event. It requires multiple preconditions related to the international situation and the specific characteristics of the country concerned. From this dual viewpoint, the Chinese emergence has posed us unusual questions.
A weakened but still toxic imperialism
18 November 2021, by ,“In the face of this, anti-capitalists and all democrats in France must develop solidarity in action with those who are oppressed and exploited, in particular by our own imperialism. More than a moral duty, it is an objective necessity because our interests are common with these peoples and not with ‘our’ capitalists.”
The Jakarta stage of Imperialism: Indonesia 1965, Singularity and Magnitude of a Model Catastrophe
18 November 2021, by“While the imperialist defeat in Vietnam was certainly very real, the Anglo-American victory on a regional scale, less known and recognized, was just as real. The consequences would be profound and lasting.”
Understanding the Paris Commune On its 150th Anniversary
18 November 2021, byThe Paris Commune of 1871 only lasted from March 18 to May 28, just 72 days, yet it is one of the most celebrated events in socialist history. It is a legend. Yet, what was it? What is it for us today? A model for socialists? A heroic failure? Negation of the state? Or the first workers’ government? Karl Marx wrote the most famous contemporary account, yet he failed to take up some of the Commune’s serious problems. Why?
Marx’s Commune: An Appreciation and a Critique
18 November 2021, byThis article is part of a longer essay on the Commune the first part of which appears here.
After the Commune
18 November 2021, by“In the one hundred fifty years since the Paris Commune, the spectacular horror and grief of its death have competed with and sometimes overshadowed the dreams that animated its life. The Commune, declared in the teeth of both the invading Prussian army and the newborn republican government in Versailles, was given to multifarious interpretations, by participants and observers alike.”
Starmer tightens grip over Labour
6 November 2021, by“It remains above all to be hoped that the British left in all its existing forms will succeed in regaining lasting organizational cohesion when the subjects of struggle become as literally vital as they are now: health, mental health, climate, poverty (for the elderly, children, at work...).”
Nancy Fraser: “Cannibal Capitalism” Is on Our Horizon
6 November 2021, by ,Political theorist Nancy Fraser tells Jacobin that we face several crises at once: in the economy, in social reproduction, in the environment, and in politics. Without dramatic intervention, we may end up with “cannibal capitalism.”
Ecological Imperialism and Jair Bolsonaro’s Agenda in Brazil
6 November 2021, byAs the climate change crisis worsens, due both to lack of appropriate radical action and the maintenance of capitalist business as usual, ecological concerns have become more widespread. Environmentalism comes in many shapes and forms, and some types of discourse have become more mainstream over the years. Campaigns to protect animals and forests and care for the planet make their way into movies, social media, and political speeches. This is generally positive, since one obstacle to change is strong anti-environmental propaganda. However, the majority of mainstream environmentalism tends to focus either on change through individual action or on the very limited approaches put forward by mainstream nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other institutions.