The fight against all forms of oppression was central to the Leninist concept of the role of the party—and to the task the Communist International (Comintern) set itself for the overthrow of capitalism.1 In a previous article, I looked at… Continue Reading
The global movement of solidarity with Palestine is extensive and vibrant. Everywhere, there are pressing questions about the Palestinian future—and about the Palestinian past, especially histories of colonial rule, imperialist strategy, Zionism, resistance and national liberation.1 Two issues come up… Continue Reading
On 13 September 2025, Britain saw the largest far-right rally in its history.1 Around 110,000 people marched through central London, dwarfing all previous mobilisations, including the British Union of Fascists’ (BUF) infamous Olympia rally of June 1934.2 The march was… Continue Reading
Is there a geography of crisis?1 Does it have a physical location on the surface of the globe? American officials certainly thought so 50 years ago, designating large swaths of the Middle East and Afghanistan as an “arc of crisis”… Continue Reading
In the 1990s and beyond, the concept of globalisation dominated the business press and academic economics.1 Globalisation became a new orthodoxy and was declared to be sweeping aside state economic intervention of various sorts (planning, nationalised industry and welfare spending)… Continue Reading
Italy’s wave of mobilisation and general strikes for Palestine in September and October 2025 was unprecedented. Millions of workers and young people stopped work, blocking roads, railways and ports across the country to demand an end to the state of… Continue Reading
Sexism is on the rise.1 “Misogyny is 2025’s Biggest Trend”, claimed Glamour.2 “Misogyny has reached ‘epidemic scale’ among young people, education chiefs say”, the Independent reported.3 Powerful currents within the global far right glorify and promote violence against women. Others… Continue Reading
A few months after Hitler took power in Germany, the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky described the fevered atmosphere: “The multiplicity of parties, the icy fever of elections, the interminable changes of ministries aggravated the social crisis by creating a kaleidoscope… Continue Reading
Capitalism and war have always been profoundly connected. Max Weber noted the important role that financing the wars of European states played in the development of early modern capitalism.1 The bond remains as tight as ever today. As the illusions… Continue Reading
The advance of the far right internationally has disturbing echoes of interwar Europe.1 Just before Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP) came to power in 1933, the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky wrote: Any serious analysis of… Continue Reading