Seven years since the failed bid for Catalan independence, the national question still haunts Spanish politics. But Sunday’s snap elections in Catalonia are also about its economic model — and its increasing dependence on a low-wage tourist sector.
The US Created the Border Crisis
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, Jonathan Blitzer’s book on the brutal history of US border policy, vividly describes the suffering that the US immigration system inflicts on individuals — and the reactionary politics that undergird it.
Steve Albini Believed in a Democratic Music Industry
The musician and audio engineer Steve Albini, who died this week, defended art from the music industry’s greed. Working with famous bands and indie acts alike, he fought for every artist’s right to realize their unique sound and earn a decent living.
Today, We Remember Striking Workers in Occupied Europe
On this day in 1941, workers in Belgium launched one of the first strikes in Nazi-ruled Europe. Tens of thousands of strikers risked dire repression to stand up against poverty wages — and showed the working class’s determination to resist occupation.
Indian Women Have Gone Backward Under Narendra Modi’s Rule
On taking power, Narendra Modi’s government claimed that it would address a wave of sexual violence and raise the status of Indian women. But things have got worse for women under Modi’s rule, with a culture of misogyny that flows downward from the top.
With the development of artificial intelligence racing forward at warp speed, some of the richest men in the world may be deciding the fate of humanity right now.
From the Docks to the Killing Floors
Episode 6 of Organize the Unorganized takes a deep dive into several CIO union powerhouses, including the United Electrical Workers, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and others in textile and meatpacking industries.
At San Francisco State, a Democratic Movement for Palestine
At San Francisco State University, students built a democratic pro-Palestine protest movement — convincing the university president to engage in open bargaining and to work on a proposal for divestment with the protesters.
Mongolia’s Neoliberal Turn Has Been an Ecological Disaster
Mongolia is experiencing a disastrous winter with alarming consequences for its agricultural output. Reports have highlighted the negative impact of climate change, but the country’s neoliberal transformation since the 1990s is the biggest factor.
How Paul Robeson Became a Socialist
Paul Robeson’s encounters with the international labor movement inspired his socialism and anti-imperialism.
ChatGPT feeds on language, outputting texts that reinforce the basic assumptions of our culture. The rise of AI forces the Left to take a hard look at the politics of language and the linguistics of Noam Chomsky.
How Irish Students Won a Victory for Palestine
Students at Ireland’s Trinity College organized a solidarity encampment this week and successfully negotiated an agreement with the university to divest from Israeli companies. Trinity academic David Landy tells us how it happened.
When the Longshoremen Said “Enough”
Ninety years ago today, longshoremen led a militant wave of strikes that encompassed every West Coast port. In cities like Seattle, the 1934 strike became more than a labor action — it became a mass movement.
Norman Finkelstein: Build a Majority for Palestine
Holocaust scholar and pro-Palestine activist Norman Finkelstein expresses his support for the student protests, insisting on the importance of free speech and uniting the majority of Americans around solidarity with Gaza.
Friedrich August von Hayek Was an Enemy of Freedom
Today marks 125 years since the birth of Austrian-British economist Friedrich August von Hayek. He theorized the need to keep the masses away from the levers of state power — and did it in the name of defending freedom.