All articles from Jacobin
NYC Socialists Are Trying to Expand Their Electoral Wins
When I arrive at the new headquarters for ’s socialist campaign for state assembly, a small crew is hard at work painting the space, a storefront on a lively block of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Tompkins Ave
In Turkey, Criticizing a Corporation Can Land You in Jail
“In this country, laws don’t apply to the rich.” These words are the reason why Mehmet Türkmen, president of the United Textile, Weaving and Leather Workers’ Union (BİRTEK-SEN), spent two months behin
American Communists Did a Lot Right and a Lot Wrong
I was a small child while the Eastern Bloc was collapsing. During this time, my parents and I would vacation in Upstate New York at a retreat called Arrow Park. The austere resort was known for being
The USA Is Living Under Political Capitalism
Donald Trump and his family, according to the careful reporting of David Kirkpatrick at the , are reported to have amassed since the start of his presidency through a dizzying panoply of schemes, mos
Emmanuel Macron Has Boosted France’s Corporate Welfare State
The French economy is underperforming. Over the last twenty years, its level of growth has been consistently below the EU average. In cumulative terms, the EU grew by 27 percent between 2005 and 2024,
The Trumpian "War on Fraud" Is a Trojan Horse for Austerity
As the Trump administration has slashed benefits programs like and Minneapolis daycare centers in the name of a new, “war on fraud,” the innocuous-sounding State Financial Officers Foundation has b
A New Single-Payer Effort Is Underway in Georgia
On a Sunday afternoon in April, Atlanta residents gathered at St Paul’s Episcopal Church to discuss their alarm about the American health care system and what they could do about it. Attendants ranged
Russia’s War Machine Is Creaking
“I’m sure I’m not the first to tell you this. But something is definitely happening in Russia. You can feel it in the air. You walk down the street, get on the metro, sit in a café, and everywhere peo
Capitalism Won’t Collapse on Its Own
Socialists have long predicted capitalism’s overthrow and replacement by a better system. But do we have any reason to believe capitalism come to an end?must On the latest episode of the podcast , M
Can Britain’s Greens Become a Working-Class Party?
Britain’s local elections in May offered the Left much reason for anxiety. Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK swept up over 1,400 new council seats and won outright control of fourteen councils, leapf
Labor Can’t Remain Shackled to the Democrats
In 1992, West Virginia was one of the country’s “bluest” states, while Democratic victory in Connecticut — today very much one of the bluest — was hardly assured. This was not a product of the unusual
New Jersey Immigrant Prisoners Are on Hunger Strike
On a patch of sidewalk on a busy industrial corridor in Newark, federal agents with rifles, metal batons, flak vests, and balaclavas faced off against unarmed activists with cardboard signs and a bull
Colombia’s Ban on Coal Exports to Israel Is in Danger
On July 24, 2025, the Malta-flagged bulk carrier left Puerto Drummond on Colombia’s Caribbean coast with of thermal coal in its holds, bound for Hadera. Later that day, Gustavo Petro that not anoth
Graham Platner Could Be the Bellwether of a New US Populism
I am not from Maine. I am “from away,” as locals describe outsiders. But if you asked me to imagine this far-flung swing state, I would conjure a haunted scene from its most famous resident, Stephen K
Keir Starmer Has Paved Nigel Farage’s Path to Power
Britain held local and regional elections earlier this month that proved to be catastrophic for the Labour government of Keir Starmer. Labour fell behind the right-wing party Reform UK that is led by
We Can Truly Forgive Oppressors Only When Oppression Ends
When Jews conceive of questions of guilt and forgiveness, they are often framed around the biblical concept of “Teshuvah.” While Teshuvah is often translated as “repentance,” that terminology has a pa
Turkey’s Opposition Party Is Mistaking Defeat for Virtue
Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) is both the country’s founding party and its main opposition force. The trouble is, after nearly a quarter century of Justice and Development Party (AKP) domin
The Left Needs to Have More Fun
Why has the US right since the 1970s been more effective than the Left at grassroots community organizing? Part of the answer is that our side has no events with bouncy castles. We have a lot to learn
Gad Saad Is Very Mad That His Books Are Bad and Sad
The release of Gad Saad’s is a great day for the Left. A year into Donald Trump’s second administration, many have that conservatism may now be on life support. Saad’s book constitutes the moment t
Why Have Concert Tickets Gotten So Expensive?
Anyone who’s recently bought concert tickets knows what a miserable and expensive process it’s become. Paying anything close to a reasonable price often requires scouting social media and news sites f
Scottish Nationalists Hang On to Power, Without Authority
The Scottish Parliament election on May 7 returned the Scottish National Party (SNP) to Holyrood for a historic fifth term in office. Bucking the anti-incumbency trend sweeping Europe, John Swinney’s
Spencer Pratt, the False Prophet of Los Angeles
In January, the Los Angeles–born reality television star Spencer Pratt published a memoir titled . the book for CalMatters, Jim Newton wrote that Pratt, who rose to fame as a villainous character on
Tony Blair Is a Demon the British Left Needs to Exorcize
During the pandemic, Tony Blair made a public appearance having clearly not been to the barber for some time. As many people , his lockdown hairstyle meant that he now bore an uncanny resemblance to V
Rebuilding the Socialist Horizon
Eric Aarons lived through the great defeats of the twentieth-century socialist movement but refused to let those defeats have the last word. He joined the Communist Party of Australia as a young man.
Your Favorite Doctor Influencers Don’t Support M4A
I always find it interesting when American doctors policy. I find it even more interesting when doctors opine on health care and fail to mention (M4A): a single-payer universal system that would cov
Kathy Hochul’s New Budget Fails to Meet the Moment
The New York State budget negotiations drew to an anti-climactic close this week. This was not only the longest budget negotiation in the last sixteen years but also one of the most nonsensical. The e
The Era of Central Bank Independence Is Coming to an End
Central banks are under siege in many countries but nowhere more prominently than in the United States, where MAGA partisans see control over the Federal Reserve as being critical to the future of the
Workers Are Demanding a Share of Samsung’s AI Windfall
A planned strike at Samsung this month would have been the biggest industrial action in a South Korean workplace since the heyday of labor militancy in the 1980s, involving more than .47,000 workers I
The Democrats Are Determined Not to Learn From Their Failure
Usually, a report might become major news because of some kind of damning or inconvenient revelation that’s contained inside it. But the Democratic Party is currently in such disarray, it’s managed to
The Long, Grueling Strike at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital
For twenty-nine years, Angela Spohn has worked at the same hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan, a suburb south of Flint along the long stretch of exurban highway connecting Flint to metro Detroit. She s
Mamdani Can Empower Workers Themselves to Enforce Labor Law
Since Zohran Mamdani took office in New York City at the start of the year, an important question has hung over his administration: Will the new mayor be able to use the power of city government to up
Capitalist Markets Won’t Solve Pandemics or the Climate Crisis
In 2000, the historian Mike Davis published a book that made what was to some a controversial claim: the horrors of the twentieth century had precedents in the era of colonial plunder. In , Davis expl
Japan Is Rearming and Embracing Nationalism
On April 21, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi officially announced that Japan had a decades-old ban on exporting lethal weapons. The new offer concerns at least seventeen countries as potential
How the UAE Built an Empire of Kleptocrats
On October 25, 2025, El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur, became the site of one of the most intense episodes of mass killing since the Rwandan genocide. A genocidal militia neighborhoods
We Rarely See Films as Fresh as I Love Boosters
readers hardly need to be told that the new Boots Riley movie is a must-see. It’s been eight years since the sleeper hit , during which time Riley was busy with his Amazon Prime series, . In that tim
The Pro-Israel Lobby Is Trying to Fly Under the Radar
Amid widespread public of Israel’s across the Middle East, pro-Israel donors aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) appear to be resorting to new, innocuous-sounding fundr
Who Should Take Care of the Children?
In Sweden, few institutions are as ideologically celebrated as preschool. For decades, Swedish childcare has been held up as proof that gender equality and a strong welfare state can coexist with high
NYC’s Economic Development Corporation Can Build Public Options
In January 2021, workers at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx walked off the job for a one-dollar raise. Some pro-labor politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the picket line. Bu
Congress Must Investigate War Profiteers Once Again
In April, President Donald Trump requested a $445 billion dollar increase to the defense budget, meaning the United States will be spending around on the military. Much of the largesse will benefit t
Is Ann Arbor Ready for Democratic Socialism?
Last year, Zohran Mamdani, Katie Wilson, and other socialists surprised mainstream commentators by overcoming to win major offices across the country. Their example has been electric: the Democratic
The Outsize Political Power of Canada’s Western Separatists
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conspiracy theorist before entering politics, has scheduled a referendum for October on whether the oil-rich Canadian province should hold . . . a future referendum
Class Struggle Was a Crucial Part of the American Revolution
Late in 1776, with the War of Independence underway in the American colonies, a twenty-four-year-old housepainter named James Aitken walked into Britain’s most important naval dockyard and set it on f
Is British Steel the Next Green Betrayal?
Just days after Britain’s right-wing party Reform won a huge number of local government seats in Lincolnshire, home of the UK’s last remaining coal-fired steel mill, Keir Starmer’s Labour government a
Meet Rae Huang, the Progressive Pastor Running for LA Mayor
Rae Huang is a pastor and community organizer. She’s been a visible presence in the landscape of left-wing activism in Los Angeles for many years, and now she’s running for mayor. Most progressive vot
The EdTech Backlash Is Here, and It's Just Getting Started
When nine-year-old Sunny entered second grade at his Los Angeles public school three years ago, a surprise awaited him: a personal Google Chromebook to use in his classes and take home each afternoon.
The Key to Climate Action Is Building Working-Class Power
All of us can agree the climate situation is bad and getting worse. After a sustained period of decline, US emissions in 2025. The second Trump administration has rolled back the Inflation Reduction
Congress Is Trying to Preempt State Robotruck Regulations
After months of industry lobbying, House lawmakers inserted a provision into a must-pass transportation funding bill that would block states’ from setting safety standards for self-driving trucks, bus
A Second Chance at Blocking Funding of Israeli Settlements
One of Zohran Mamdani’s signature legislative proposals from his time in the New York State Assembly has been reintroduced by his successor and allies. And while the original proposal for the “Not on
Another Chance at Blocking Funding of Israeli Settlements
One of Zohran Mamdani’s signature legislative proposals from his time in the New York State Assembly has been reintroduced by his successor and allies. And while the original proposal for the “Not on
Trump Is Plunging Cuba Into a Humanitarian Crisis
Havana is running on fumes. For the first time since the Special Period, Cuba faces a crisis of near-existential proportions — and the threat of US military intervention is now being spoken aloud. Cen
The Enhanced Games Are a Scam on Steroids
A new epoch of sports — and, we are told, of human achievement — is upon us. The Enhanced Games, an athletic competition that organizers promise will “push the boundaries of human performance,” kicks
Why the US Is Losing the Iran War
The American-Israeli war on Iran has not been going to plan. The sweeping assassination campaign and massive aerial bombardment of Tehran’s military and civilian infrastructure did not cause the Islam
The Real Cost of Union Busting Is Much Higher Than You Think
The most militant class warriors in the United States aren’t New York City nurses, UPS delivery drivers, or Midwestern autoworkers. They’re employers who are willing to spend big to maintain their dic
Bernie’s Burlington Was an Experiment in Practical Socialism
“I am a democratic socialist,” Dan Chiasson, the fifty-five-year-old author of , told me proudly over Zoom, his “Zohran for New York City” cap visible in the frame. Chiasson and I have known each oth
Iran Is Prepared for a Return to War and Wary of US Talks
Iran is bracing itself for a second round of US and Israeli hostilities following a swirl of bellicose social media posts from Donald Trump. On May 17, the president posted an AI image of himself with
The Labour Party’s Main Problem Isn’t Losing Voters to Reform
Not long before Britain’s recent local elections, Home Secretary “white liberal” protesters to “f-ck right off” for opposing the Labour government’s highly punitive migration policy. Mahmood’s outbur
Raúl Castro’s Indictment Is a Pretext for War
Violence, including terrorism, against Cuba has long been tolerated in Washington; Cuba’s response to it has not. That double standard is once again on full display as the Trump administration former
Paul Robeson Defended Jewish Anti-Fascists From Stalinism
In 1949, the African American singer Paul Robeson, known for his anti-racist stand, performed the “Song of the Jewish Partisans” (“Zog nit keyn mol”) in its original version, in Yiddish, at a concert
The Socialist Running for Congress in South Florida
When Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush lost their congressional seats in 2024, the number of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)–affiliated members in the House of Representatives shrunk to two: Alexandr
The UAW’s Reform Process Is Being Put to the Test
The strength of a union and its leadership can be gauged most accurately when the headwinds are strongest: when political opponents command the White House and Congress, when the economy sours, employ
Debanking, an Authoritarian Threat to the Left
The twenty-first century brought the utopian promise of an ever more interconnected world. Champions of globalization aspired to ever more international connectivity, meant to discourage powerful acto
It’s Not Neofeudalism, It’s Hypercapitalism
One of the most persistent left shibboleths is the notion that productive investment is giving way to unproductive speculation, leading to the “hollowing out” of the industrial economy and the decline
Socialist Juliana Bennett Is Running for Wisconsin State House
New York’s democratic socialists typically get most of the national media attention. But socialists have also been quietly winning elections across the Midwest over the last few years. That includes i
Amazon Is Bleeding the Post Office Dry
Finn Green works for the US Post Office as a rural carrier associate in and around Ojai, California. On a typical Monday, Green and other carriers deliver Amazon packages for hours without overtime p
Climate Action Can Win Majorities
Corporate Democrats have spent the last year and a half trying to deflect blame for their party’s 2024 losses away from themselves and toward their ideological opponents. Perhaps the most consistent t
The Case Against Money
It’s cliché to say that money can’t buy happiness, although nobody denies that lack of it can cause a lot of misery. Perhaps surprisingly, economists spend very little time thinking about money, let a
Palestinian Solidarity Faces Growing Repression in Australia
The Palestinian solidarity movement in Australia has endured a wave of repression throughout the first few months of 2026. Every attempt to silence Palestinian voices, however, has been met with resis
Rejecting the Health Care Trap of the Democrats’ Donor Class
The Democratic Party’s donor class is freaked out by the prospect of a massive populist wave election that doesn’t just switch control of Congress but puts into office the particular kinds of Democrat
Julie Su Wants Economic Development for NYC’s Working Class
As I wait to speak with Julie Su, a lifelong labor advocate who has, under socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, become the first deputy mayor for economic justice, I watch people come through the doors of
The Many Casualties of Precision Warfare
Omar Ahmad Abdallah al-Jamili cannot fully open his mouth. His ear is deformed, and his face is a topography of surgical scars — skin grafted and stretched across bone in operations performed in Amste
Christian Nationalism Has Arrived in Britain
“Can we still have an ethos if we don’t have an ethnos?” This question is unlikely to preoccupy many readers, but it’s at the top of James Orr’s mind. Orr, a Cambridge don who’s become the policy chi
A Pro-Palestine Lawmaker Accused of Supporting Terror
“It’s the first time the police has sought this type of charge for a tweet,” Rima Hassan explained, a month after she was arrested and held in custody for charges relating to “terrorism apologia.” A p