
Between Washington and Beijing
The conventional wisdom about the Hong Kong protests is wrong. The threat to Hong Kong's already-weak democracy comes not only from China’s authoritarian state capitalism but the West’s neoliberalism.
The conventional wisdom about the Hong Kong protests is wrong. The threat to Hong Kong's already-weak democracy comes not only from China’s authoritarian state capitalism but the West’s neoliberalism.
The new national security laws that Beijing has imposed on Hong Kong criminalize dissent — and they could make it harder for workers in mainland China to organize, too.
In Hong Kong, leftists of all kinds support ongoing protests for democracy and civil liberties. Leftists everywhere else should, too.
China’s new national security laws are a significant escalation against the protest movement in Hong Kong. Rather than act through Hong Kong officials to carry out its will, Beijing has decided to directly restrict the free speech rights of Hong Kong residents.
In the wake of Chile’s popular uprising, the country’s right-wing government is carrying out a ruthless legal crackdown against all forms of protest. Some call it “law-and-order populism” but there’s nothing populist about it — it’s inspired by the penal practices of twentieth-century fascism.
Why is Beijing so worried about the Hong Kong protests? Because they know that the movement, now in its twentieth week, could become a symbol of democratic resistance that all disenfranchised people in the region could rally behind.
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions has dissolved after months of media and government attacks. It’s a blow to worker organization across China.
We covered the good, the bad, and the ugly all year, from Bernie Sanders's presidential run to the violent coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia. Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights).
We can oppose the saber-rattling and militarism of the US’s China hawks without downplaying the oppression of the Uyghur people.