Emanuele Saccarelli, Gramsci and Trotsky in the Shadow of Stalinism (Routledge, 2008), £60 Books culled from doctoral theses are rarely page-turners but this work by unashamed Trotskyist Emanuele Saccarelli is better than most. Saccarelli attempts to rescue Antonio Gramsci and… Continue Reading
Mark Zeitoun, Power and Water in the Middle East: The Hidden Politics of the Palestinian–Israeli Water Conflict (IB Tauris, 2008), £47.50 Water is one of the most obvious symbols of the injustice of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians. In Israeli… Continue Reading
Francisco Boldizzoni, Means and Ends: The Idea of Capital in the West, 1500–1970 (Palgrave, 2008), £45 Francesco Boldizzoni sets out in this short book (169 pages plus notes) to write the history of capital or rather “the evolution of the… Continue Reading
Kate Crehan, Gramsci, Culture and Anthropology (Pluto, 2002), £18.99 Gramsci, Culture, and Anthropology is a welcome contribution to the revival of interest in the work of Antonio Gramsci. Kate Crehan’s clear and succinct book begins with a brief biographical summary,… Continue Reading
Alan B Krueger, What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism (Princeton University, 2007), £17.95 Explaining terrorism is a difficult and controversial business. Witness George Bush’s perplexed response to the 9/11 attacks: “I’m amazed that there’s such misunderstanding… Continue Reading
The responses in the previous issue of International Socialism by Panos Garganas and by François Sabado to my article “Where is the Radical Left Going?” are very welcome.1 As their articles bear witness, the condition of the radical left in… Continue Reading
The International Socialist tradition has made some remarkable intellectual breakthroughs, above all the theories of state capitalism, the permanent arms economy and deflected permanent revolution. A strength of our tradition has been the ability to look reality in the face,… Continue Reading
“Revolutionary socialists today should not be…pontificating on the degree of damage that capitalism has done to itself, on whether we are in 1929, 1992 or whatever… We do not have a crystal ball…but we can see all too clearly what… Continue Reading
Consider these two scenarios. The first is in Ireland in December 2005 when 100,000 Irish, Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian workers demonstrated together against attempts by bosses to recruit migrant workers on worse pay and conditions than Irish workers. The second… Continue Reading
In August 2007 the UK media reported the tragic death of a 17 month old boy (who became known as “Baby P”). In November 2008 two people were convicted of causing or allowing the death. The court was told that… Continue Reading