I have found myself at odds recently with some on
The Kurdish struggle in Syria and Iraq has witnessed a
Introduction by New Socialist Editors The social crisis in Venezuela
The Trudeau Liberals – them of the “sunny ways” – have just announced an increase in military spending
In the years since the Arab Spring began the international left has become increasingly divided over Syria…
This article by NSW contributor Todd Gordon was written for readers outside Canada but is definitely also worth reading by people in Canada.
Two Canadian soldiers were killed in targeted attacks in Canada last week. The first was on Monday, October 20, in Saint Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. But it was the second incident, on Wednesday, October 22, in the federal capital of Ottawa, that drew international attention.
By Todd Gordon
Consider an organization in the Middle East that in less than two months this past summer killed, according to most sources, approximately 1500 civilians, roughly a third of whom were children, and displaced thousands more.
Image source: hindustan times
What follows is Part 2 of Salmaan Khan’s interview with Himani Bannerji. After laying the context for what India looked like going into the 2014 federal elections in Part 1, Bannerji now speaks more directly to the nature of the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the advance of neoliberalism, and the continued oppression faced by marginalized groups in India. Also discussed are the geopolitical implications of a BJP dominated India and the consequences of its relationship with the West. Part 1, “India and the Rise of Religious Nationalism,” can be found here
By Joseph Daher
“Three years of hunger and suffering, but three years of pride and dignity.” Photo courtesy Joseph Daher.
The recent death of Canadian photo journalist and New Socialist Editorial Associate Ali Mustafa in a Syrian military bomb blast was a grim reminder of the brutal war that’s ongoing in Syria. Joseph Daher wrote a series of six articles in 2012 that analysed the Syrian rebellion. These articles can be found here. In this article Joseph Daher analyses the many forces of reaction within Syria, and celebrates three years of courageous struggle for democracy and social change.
Review of Zak Cope, Divided World, Divided Class: Global Political Economy and the Stratification of Labour Under Capitalism (Kersplebedeb, 2012)
By Charlie Post
A specter has haunted anti-capitalist radicals and revolutionaries for more than 150 years—the specter of working class reformism and conservatism in the global North of the capitalist world economy. Why have those who Marx called the “grave-diggers of capitalism,” the wage-earning majority of the industrialized societies, embraced politics that either seek to “balance” the interests of capital and labour (reformism) or blame other workers for falling living standards and working conditions (conservatism)?
Review of David Gilbert, Love and Struggle: My Life in SDS, The Weather Underground, and Beyond (PM Press, 2012).
By Kim Moody
By Khalil Habash
The Syrian revolutionary process has since the beginning been met by circumspection by some on the left and even led some to separate it from the other uprising in the region, accusing it of being a conspiracy of Western imperialist and reactionary regional countries such as Saudi Arabia. This trend has unfortunately continued, despite the criminal actions of the regime. Others have limited their position to the refusal of any foreign military intervention, on which we agree, but refused to bring full support to the revolution, on which we disagree. Opposition to foreign military intervention in Syria is not enough. Such a position is meaningless if not accompanied by clear and strong support for the Syrian people’s movement.
By Khalil Habash
“The first time it was reported that our friends were being butchered there was a cry of horror. Then a hundred were butchered. But when a thousand were butchered and there was no end to the butchery, a blanket of silence spread. When evil-doing comes like falling rain, nobody calls out ‘stop!’ When crimes begin to pile up they become invisible. When sufferings become unendurable the cries are no longer heard. The cries, too, fall like rain in summer.”
– Bertolt Brecht
By Khalil Habash
This article is the last part of a three-part series exploring key questions and debates that have emerged in relation to the Syrian revolution that has been ongoing since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011. The first part, “Who is Behind the Popular Movement?,” can be found here. The second part, “A Sectarian Movement?,” is here.
By Khalil Habash
This article is the first of a three-part series exploring key questions and debates that have emerged in relation to the Syrian revolution that has been ongoing since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011. Part 2 is here and part 3 here.
By Khalil Habash
The Syrian popular movement has witnessed an increasing mobilization in recent weeks — the most important since last summer in spite of violent repression, as can see with attack on Homs of Friday, February 3, with 300 martyrs in one night.
By Harold Lavender
Review of Todd Gordon, Imperialist Canada (Winnipeg: Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2010).
Over the last decade Canada’s carefully constructed if largely mythical image as a peaceful force in the world has rapidly unravelled. This image completely flies in the face of the Canadian state’s support for coups, invasions and occupations. Involvement in the decade-long counter-insurgency war in Afghanistan has become the symbol of a more aggressive and militarist Canada.
The last of a three part series exploring Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan and wider Global War on Terror after ten years. Part one can be read here, and part two here.
As always, we welcome any feedback you may have on this important and timely discussion.
By Michael Skinner
What happened to the antiwar movement? Where do we go from here?
On 20 September 2001, George Bush announced his intention to launch a Global War on Terror. In the weeks before the invasion of Afghanistan, antiwar activists throughout the world poured into the streets to protest the impending global war. Again, when the Bush administration began to beat the war drums before invading Iraq, even greater numbers hit the streets.
Part two of a three part series exploring Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan and wider Global War on Terror after ten years. Part one can be read here.
By Michael Skinner
Afghanistan pried open for business – a new strategic bridgehead in the heart of Eurasia
Regardless of whatever the eventual outcome of the Global War on Terror, the bloody decade-long war continues to generate profits for investors in the defence and security industries. The ongoing warfare provides a practical proving-ground to develop and test new weapons and systems of warfare. The battlefield is the ultimate sales-floor for arms dealers. Profits for investors in the war machine will undoubtedly continue to grow as global warfare continues to escalate.
This article is the first of a three part in-depth series exploring Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan and wider Global War on Terror after ten years.
By Michael Skinner
After a decade of fighting, what did the Canadian Forces accomplish by joining the Global War on Terror and invading Afghanistan? The answer depends on the objectives of the war.