Britain: Football and racism – don’t trust the two-faced Tories A huge backlash has occurred in response to the racist abuse suffered by England’s black players. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and one of his ministers, Priti Patel, have hypocritically offered their support. It is the capitalist establishment that are responsible for racism.
Riots in South Africa: the poor lash out Over the last few days two of South Africa’s most economically important provinces have been rocked by widespread rioting. Riots in Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng have been fuelled by anger, desperation and frustration over deepening poverty and the economic impact of COVID-19 restrictions.
China: suicide of 17-year-old worker exposes horrific exploitation in “factory internships” We received the following report about a horrific practice in China, where school students are contracted to work in factories by their schools and forced to toil in slave-like conditions. The original report was published on The Spark, the website of the Taiwanese supporters of the International Marxist Tendency.
USA: debt, inflation, and the new American normality US capitalism is rushing to return to 'business as usual', but the new normal bears the social and economic scars of a historical crisis. The spectre of stagflation haunts this deeply indebted country; workers and youth are left with the long-term health consequences of the pandemic; and the climate crisis continues to loom over the situation. All the signs point to renewed turmoil in the future.
Protests in Cuba: defend the revolution! The situation in Cuba is serious. On Sunday 11 July, there were protests in various towns and cities in Cuba that have enjoyed widespread coverage in the international media (how could it be otherwise?) Where do these protests come from? What is their character? How should we, as revolutionaries, respond?
Richard Lewontin: the dialectical biologist (1929-2021) On 4 July, the celebrated evolutionary biologist Richard Lewontin sadly passed away at the age of 92. Rare among scientists, Lewontin’s science and politics were guided by a conscious philosophical outlook, which he staunchly and unapologetically defended throughout his life. Lewontin was a Marxist, and therefore a dialectical materialist. Through his work, he gave the world a glimpse of the rich possibilities of applying a conscious dialectical approach to the study of nature.
Afghanistan: humiliating US defeat, the return of the Taliban and the threat of civil war Afghanistan is hurtling towards yet another civil war as US and allied forces withdraw after two decades of bloody occupation. The withdrawal of imperialist troops, announced by Joe Biden, is set to be completed by 31 August this year, although most US forces have already left or are in the process of hurriedly abandoning the country while the Taliban is advancing in many areas.
2020: bumper year for the ‘millionaire club’ A revealing new Credit Suisse report has exposed how in 2020 the ‘millionaire club’ grew dramatically, despite capitalism being on life support, as wealth inequality rose massively. The USA saw the creation of 1.73 million new millionaires; Germany, 633,000, and Australia over 300,000.
Cancel Canada Day, cancel capitalism In the wake of the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the former Kamloops residential school in British Columbia, a further 751 unmarked graves have been discovered on the grounds of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan. With the grounds of well over 100 schools (and possibly many more) still left to search, it is highly likely that more will be uncovered in the coming...
Haiti: President Jovenel Moïse assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated early this morning at his home by unidentified gunmen. At the time of writing, it is not clear who carried out this attack or to what end. With the country descending daily into a deeper and deeper crisis, there is now the possibility of an intense struggle for power between various actors, including the Prime Minister, the courts, as well as the armed forces and even Haiti’s powerful gangs. The fact of the matter is that Moïse, a corrupt, authoritarian, right wing president who was originally backed by US imperialism, had become increasingly isolated, and there are many different groups that would have an interest in his removal from...
Britain: after the lockdown – welcome to the new ‘normal’ The Tories have confirmed plans to lift all remaining COVID restrictions on 19 July. But society will not return to ‘normal’. The period ahead will be one of contagion, capitalist crisis, and class struggle. Workers must organise and fight back.
The lessons of the Myanmar revolution The revolution in Myanmar, after months of heroic struggles by the masses, has ebbed. The regime has clamped down brutally, while the protest movement has shifted from mass strikes and demonstrations to small-scale armed skirmishes. The question has to be posed, why have we reached such a situation, and what lessons need to be learned?
Spain: homophobic murder provokes furious protest – Justice for Samuel! The barbarity of the patriarchal capitalist system, which rests upon all forms of oppression, has once more been exposed. Among the different forms of oppression that it rests upon are the horrific abuses and violence suffered on a daily basis by the LGBT community.
Ethiopia: the fall of Mekele marks a turning point in the war in Tigray The civil war in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray entered a new phase over the last few weeks when Tigrayan rebels recaptured Mekele, the regional capital, and forced the federal government forces to retreat. The swift defeat of the Ethiopian forces was a stunning reversal in a civil war that has led to the displacement of nearly two million people in the Tigray region, widespread hunger and atrocities on all sides.
[Video] Is history bunk? Historical materialism on trial Bourgeois, liberal and postmodern historians alike tend to reject the Marxist view that history is driven by material laws and processes. Some also reject the idea of progress, saying this is merely a point of view. They say that history is basically random, punctuated by exceptional individuals on whom the fate of human society turns. But why is it that similar conditions result in similar events, outcomes and characters reoccurring across history? And has there really been no progress between stone tools and spacecraft? This talk from our 2020 International Marxist University demonstrates and defends the method of Marxist historical materialism.