The Life and Death of Yugoslavia (Part 1)

Mariátegui’s Marxism

Keir Starmer’s Case for Excluding Jeremy Corbyn Gives Damp Squibs a Bad Name

After years of moralizing rhetoric, Keir Starmer couldn’t find a single credible accusation of misconduct to block his predecessor from running as a Labour candidate. All that’s left is a shrill campaign to exclude socialist ideas from public life.

The US Invasion Was a Catastrophe for the People of Iraq

The US promised to bring freedom to Iraqis, but its eight-year occupation resulted in death and destruction on a horrifying scale. It left behind a corrupt, sectarian political order that has responded to popular protests with brutal repression.

Britain’s Power Elite Has Defeated Its Challengers by Creating a Political Wasteland

Media pundits claim that British politics is experiencing a “great moderation” with the departures of Nicola Sturgeon and Jeremy Corbyn. What they really mean is that a decrepit model based on food banks and xenophobia no longer faces mainstream opposition.

Britain’s Economic Model Is Crumbling, but Its Politicians Don’t Want to Face Reality

Thatcherism and austerity have had a devastating impact on British society, with stagnant wages and declining life expectancy. There’s a crying need for radical change, but no mainstream political force is offering to deliver it.

Two Centuries of the National Question

Critics say Marxism can’t account for the popular appeal of nationalism. But the Marxist tradition contains some vital insights into the origins and future of national communities.

We Can’t Understand Islamophobia Without Recognizing Its Roots in Imperialism

Anti-Muslim racism has become a central theme for right-wing demagogues in Europe and the US. Islamophobia isn’t just a bad set of ideas: it’s a product of imperialism and the destructive wars waged by the US and its allies in the Middle East.

Automation Isn’t the Cause of Unemployment — Capitalism Just Can’t Generate Enough Jobs

Social theorists identify automation as both the main cause of unemployment and the future launchpad for a high-tech post-scarcity world. But, Aaron Benanav argues, the problem is the stagnation of global capitalism and its inability to generate enough jobs.

Irish Unity Is Now a Realistic Goal, but There’s Still a Long Road to Travel

Sinn Féin has become the largest party on both sides of the Irish border. But the party’s effort to eliminate that border for good will have to overcome some powerful obstacles that stand in the way of a united Ireland.

Israel and Its Supporters Have Redefined Antisemitism to Stifle Solidarity With Palestine

The Israeli state and its allies have campaigned tirelessly to promote the misleading concept of the “new antisemitism.” This effort brands effective, well-documented criticism of Israel as antisemitic while sowing confusion about real anti-Jewish prejudice.

Organizing the Void

The new left in Europe and North America hasn’t made the transition from being a symptom of democratic crisis to offering an effective cure for it.

Walter Benjamin Warned Us Against the Illusions of Capitalist Progress

Walter Benjamin was one of the most influential cultural theorists of the last century. There have been many attempts to defang and deradicalize Benjamin’s work, but his Marxist commitments run right through his dazzling intellectual legacy.

The US Helped Destroy Modern Somalia

Since the 1990s, no government has been able to control the whole of Somalia’s territory. Lurid news reports about piracy and terrorism obscure the fact that big powers like the US have repeatedly intervened in the country’s affairs and worsened its condition.

Public-Service Broadcasting Is a Noble Ideal, but the BBC Needs Radical Change

The BBC marked its centenary this week, but its long-term future is deeply uncertain. We should defend the idea of public-service broadcasting while sharply criticizing the BBC in its current form for its conservativism and deference to the British state.

BlackRock and Green Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet

The rise of trillion-dollar investment firms like BlackRock has resulted in a massive, unprecedented concentration of economic power. BlackRock’s Larry Fink may use green rhetoric, but his company won’t take real action to address the climate crisis.

The British Left Could Benefit From a Few Lessons From the French Left

Five years after their electoral breakthroughs, the projects led by Jeremy Corbyn and Jean-Luc Mélenchon have gone in opposite directions. The British left would be in a stronger position today if it had displayed some of Mélenchon’s confrontational grit.

Has Sinn Féin’s Day Come?

Sinn Féin is now the leading party across Ireland. But its real test will happen in power.

How Italy Lurched From Anti-Fascism to Anti-Politics

After 1945, Italy had strong left-wing movements and an anti-fascist consensus that stemmed from the wartime resistance. Since the 1990s, however, a corrosive “anti-political” mood has displaced anti-fascism, and the far right has been the main beneficiary.

How Marxists Brought Science to Politics and Politics to Science

From Marx and Engels to the present day, socialists have been deeply engaged with the world of science. With the provision of lifesaving vaccines held hostage by corporate profiteering, the story of this relationship is more important than ever.