How Paul Robeson Became a Socialist
Paul Robeson’s encounters with the international labor movement inspired his socialism and anti-imperialism.
17162 Articles by: Karl Leffme
Karl Leffme is a socialist in New York CIty.
From the Docks to the Killing Floors
Episode 6 of Organize the Unorganized takes a deep dive into several CIO union powerhouses, including the United Electrical Workers, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and others in textile and meatpacking industries.
At San Francisco State, a Democratic Movement for Palestine
At San Francisco State University, students built a democratic pro-Palestine protest movement — convincing the university president to engage in open bargaining and to work on a proposal for divestment with the protesters.
When the Longshoremen Said “Enough”
Ninety years ago today, longshoremen led a militant wave of strikes that encompassed every West Coast port. In cities like Seattle, the 1934 strike became more than a labor action — it became a mass movement.
The Airline Industry Is Set to Lose Its Refund Racket
Airlines have made considerable money holding on to consumer refunds for canceled or delayed flights. New language including a refund guarantee in a must-pass Federal Aviation Administration funding bill could change that.
The Israel Lobby Matters
How should we explain the unflagging and disastrous Western backing of Israel? The Israel lobby plays a huge role, persuading lawmakers that support for Israel is still in the strategic interests of their countries.
White Rural Rage Is Shallow Pandering to Elitist Liberals
White Rural Rage, full of tired tropes about the bigotry of rural white Americans, distorts more than it reveals about the growth of the Trumpian right. It’s a shallow exercise in pandering to the prejudices of liberals.
Norman Finkelstein: Build a Majority for Palestine
Holocaust scholar and pro-Palestine activist Norman Finkelstein expresses his support for the student protests, insisting on the importance of free speech and uniting the majority of Americans around solidarity with Gaza.
Friedrich August von Hayek Was an Enemy of Freedom
Today marks 125 years since the birth of Austrian-British economist Friedrich August von Hayek. He theorized the need to keep the masses away from the levers of state power — and did it in the name of defending freedom.
How the Democrats Became Italy’s Establishment Party
Italy’s Democrats have often posed as a guarantor of institutional stability and Rome’s Atlanticist line. Current leader Elly Schlein has tacked left, but it’s done little to change the party’s identity as a force for steadying Italian capitalism.
How the Term “Hoosier” Became a Weapon in the Class War
In Indiana, “hoosier” is a badge of honor. In St Louis, it’s the nastiest insult around. The reason for the difference can be found in labor history, and it reveals the intraclass prejudice that breaks worker solidarity.
Ecuador Raided Mexico’s Embassy. Biden Has to Pick a Side.
On April 5, Ecuadorean police stormed into the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former vice president Jorge Glas. The unlawful act has put the White House in an awkward position in relation to AMLO and Ecuadorean president Daniel Noboa.
Israel Is Carrying Out a Horrific Ground Invasion of Rafah
Israel has begun a ground assault on Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge from the brutal war on Gaza. International observers say the attack on Rafah, now the most densely populated place on Earth, will mean mass killings of civilians.
Israel Rejected a Cease-Fire. The Media Isn’t Telling Us.
Israeli officials just rejected a cease-fire deal that could have brought hostages back because Israel wants to continue waging war. This should be a scandal — but American mainstream media isn’t reporting on it.
Student Protesters Are Right to Be Wary of Bad-Faith Journalists
The whining of prestige journalists like Peggy Noonan that pro-Palestine student protesters won’t talk to them speaks to both the protesters’ admirable discipline and the mistrust those journalists have earned by consistently distorting protesters’ message.
Rashid Khalidi: Violent Settler Colonialism Caused This War
Rashid Khalidi is a leading historian of the Middle East. In an interview, he explains how the current war in Palestine is the product of decades of violent settler colonialism designed to drive the Palestinians from their land.
Why Raphael Samuel Matters
Raphael Samuel, one of Britain’s most brilliant historians of the popular classes, was a contemporary of E. P. Thompson and Stuart Hall but never enjoyed their level of fame. He practiced a form of history from below that gave agency to the working class.
Houston’s Market-Driven Housing Solution Is No Triumph
Mayors of large US cities are looking to Houston for inspiration in solving their homelessness problems. But Houston’s “Housing First” policy is designed to clear the streets and buoy landlords rather than provide stable housing for all.
The Fall Guy Is a Sloppy but Sweet Ode to Hollywood Stuntmen
Ryan Gosling is all charm in the new action-comedy The Fall Guy. It’s overstuffed and uneven, but it’s so upbeat that you won’t even mind.
Can John Rawls Save Democracy?
In Free and Equal, economist and philosopher Daniel Chandler argues that the ideas of John Rawls offer solutions to the crisis of liberal democracy. Jacobin spoke with Chandler to discuss how socialists should engage with Rawlsian politics.