Cuba: "One day of the blockade is equal to 139 urban buses." The Cuban revolution has made many spectacular advances, but it faces serious problems. From the streets of Havana Darrall Cozens offers an eyewitness account of these successes, challenges, and the debates that are taking place in the island.
Balance sheet of the Argentine presidential elections: A helpless right and a left to be built Due to the lack of a genuine left alternative in Argentina, the masses have voted for Cristina de Kirchner, who will continue the policies of her husband, balancing between the classes while defending the common interests of the capitalists and multinational companies. However, owing to the deep contradictions in Argentine society, this cannot last forever.
Venezuela: counter-revolutionary provocations in the run up to the constitutional referendum In the build up to the forthcoming December referendum on constitutional reform some of the reformist elements within the Bolivarian movement are coming out with their true colours. General Baduel, recently resigned Minister of Defence, has openly joined the Opposition, as has "Podemos" a party that was part of the government coalition. Open appeals to the military officer caste to rebel are also appearing in the media. This highlights the dangers to the revolution and the urgent need to complete it.
Report: The Battle of Chile screening in London On Friday, October 19, the screening of the first and second parts of the legendary documentary film “The battle of Chile”, organised by Hands off Venezuela, drew a very large audience at the Bolivar Hall in London.
“Cuba: the only way out is to spread the revolution throughout Latin America” The Spanish Marxist journal, El Militante, recently interviewed Frank Josué Solar, a Cuban university lecturer and communist. As he says, “the only way out is the extension of the revolution throughout Latin America to create a socialist federation.”
Contracting Out the War in Iraq After Blackwater USA’s recent street shoot out in Baghdad, the role of mercenaries in Iraq has received extra attention in the media. Although they have played a key role in the occupation of Iraq, these “private security contractors” have for the most part flown under the public radar. During the 1991 Gulf War, the troop-to-private contractor ratio was about 60 to 1. Now they outnumber uniformed troops, more than doubling the actual size of the occupation force.
USA: Profits for the Few – War, Racism & Unemployment for the Rest of Us Most working people would agree that quality jobs, health care, education, housing and infrastructure aren't too much to ask for. Instead, capitalism gives us war, racism, economic turmoil, and unemployment. It’s not as though the money isn’t there – over $2 billion is spent each week just on the occupation of Iraq – it’s a matter of priorities. Just imagine how many badly-needed schools, bridges and hospitals could be built, providing quality jobs for millions of people in the process.
Is John Edwards an Alternative for U.S. Workers? Millionaire trial lawyer, one time Senator, and former VP hopeful John Edwards, is now seeking the U.S. Presidency. Like the rest of the candidates, he seeks to differentiate himself from Bush and even from many in his own Party, as there is a much-deserved disgust with the political rulers in Washington. But is Edwards fundamentally any different from the rest of the bosses’ candidates?
“Che” - an icon? The life and ideas of Ernesto Guevara Ernesto (“Che”) Guevara was executed by Bolivian troops near the town of La Higuera on 9 October 1967, following an ambush. The operation was planned by the CIA and organized by US Special Forces. On the anniversary of his death it is appropriate that we make a balance sheet of this outstanding revolutionary and martyr. In this article, originally written on the 40th anniversary of Che's death, Alan Woods looks at the evolution of Che Guevara from his early days to the day he was killed.
100 Years since Vancouver’s Anti-Asian Race Riots - Racism and its role in Class Society Last month marked the 100 year anniversary of one of the B.C. labour movement’s darkest moments – the anti-Asian riots of 1907. This mobilization of organized workers against other workers along racial lines highlights the need for a clear understanding of why racism exists and is allowed to exist, the pernicious role it plays under capitalism, and the real road to its abolition.
USA: The Anti-War Movement, the Troops & Some Lessons from Vietnam The Iraq War is taking place in a different historical period than the Vietnam War. The U.S. is by far the largest imperialist power, but its economic and political foundation are more unstable then was the case during the Vietnam War. Furthermore, it is now clearer to tens of millions of Americans that the Iraq War is being accompanied by a war on workers’ historic gains, living standards, and democratic rights here at home. The situation today is potentially far more combustible then it was even at the height of the Vietnam War.
USA: The Iraq War Comes Home to Roost Like the Katrina disaster two years ago, the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, MN is yet another reminder of the real effects of the capitalist policy of “guns before butter”. A recent opinion poll showed that Americans are as concerned about corruption in government and the economy as they are about the war in Iraq. This is an indication of things to come, as opposition to the war begins to shift to domestic issues.
Pickets of Mexican Embassies worldwide for the release of all political prisoners Yesterday pickets were organised outside Mexican embassies around the world, calling for the release of Adan Mejia (an APPO activist and supporter of the Marxist Tendency Militante) and of all the other political prisoners presently being held in Mexican jails. The campaign will continue until everyone is released and all charges are dropped.
September 11 and the total failure of Bush’s adventures Today the death of nearly 3000 people during the September 11 attacks will be officially commemorated once again. But will anyone at those commemorations mention how those deaths were cynically exploited by the Bush administration to carry out a plan hatched by the US oil lobby for its own greedy interests?
The challenges facing the Venezuelan Revolution The overwhelming victory of Chávez in the presidential elections last December marked a new shift to the left in the Venezuelan revolution, followed by the setting up of the PSUV, nationalisations, workers' control, enabling power. In a speech at the summer school of the International Marxist Tendency, Jorge Martin analysed the stage the revolution is at, the dangers it faces and outlined the way forward.