Articles
Monday, November 29, 2021
When the United States, Britain and Australia formed the AUKUS pact tensions were ramped up further with allies. The move enraged France as it meant Australia cancelling its order for new French submarines in favour of buying US nuclear powered ones instead. It is not just this further snub which has implications, AUKUS is a new alliance among several which are being orientated towards confrontation with China. This is a significant escalation of the threat to peace in the Asia/Pacific region and it is particularly concerning that the US is transferring nuclear technology to Australia as part of the submarine deal.
The United States’ strategic priority is now pushing back China. To that end it is building up its military alliances and power in the Asia/Pacific. It is also reorienting the alliances it leads, like NATO, towards China and corralling its allies into following its hostile approach. It has had success at this but relations are increasingly strained with countries which take a different view of how to deal with China (and it should be said Russia), like Germany. This has been exacerbated by the US’ contemptuous treatment of them over Afghanistan and AUKUS.
Friday, November 26, 2021
Well into our second year since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the world capitalist economy is now also suffering from a new malaise, a global economic pandemic involving some symptoms which seem entirely new and others which have not been seen for many years. These symptoms can only be understood in terms of capitalism, and of the actions taken by the capitalist states and central banks to shore the system up. It involves price inflation. This is not caused by workers demanding higher pay, but by the use of monetary policy to protect big business and the ultra-rich.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Soviet military assistance was sent to Afghanistan in 1979 to help defend the progressive and democratic government against Islamic fundamentalist terrorists. This is well known, as is its outcome - the withdrawal of the Soviets, final defeat of the government and the take over by the Taliban. What is less well known are the historic links between the young Soviet Union and the newly formed Afghan state, which involved aid and cooperation over decades. Neither are the achievements of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, overthrown by the Taliban, which promoted the rights of women and girls, workers and farmers.
By contrast the West and the USA supported the terrorists facilitating the seizure of power by the Taliban. They wreaked further destruction and massive loss of life through their invasion. And now the US has withdrawn and the Taliban are back in power again.
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Haiti is once again in the news. It only features when there is a disaster or crisis of which there have been many in its troubled and complex history. These have usually been caused by a combination of a small but bitterly-divided dominant political elite allied to dominant foreign powers, once European but since the late nineteenth century the United States and now including the United Nations. The current situation is essentially no different, but in its combination of natural disaster and several inter-linked political crises it is different in its intensity, imposing even greater misery on the ninety per cent plus of Haitians who get absolutely nothing from the present system.
Friday, August 27, 2021
For centuries enormous struggles have taken place a across Latin America against Spanish, British and US imperialism and their domestic allies. In the course of that time there have been tremendous victories, like the Cuban revolution, and huge defeats like the overthrow of the Popular Unity government in Chile. But people across the continent have kept resisting and fighting for change. Even a few months ago few would have predicted that a self-declared Marxist would be elected president of Peru. In Bolivia, after a bitter defeat for the left and Evo Morales and a campaign of right wing terrorist violence, nevertheless, Luis Arce from Morales’s party, the Movement Towards Socialism, won the presidential election. In Chile the left has a majority on the convention writing the new constitution for the country. None of this was achieved by purely electoral politics – these successes arose from the struggles of the working class, social movements and indigenous peoples.
Thursday, August 26, 2021
More than 4 million people, by official estimates have now died from coronavirus. Inequality between rich and poor has been the cause of high death tolls as countries lack the infrastructure and resources to treat and vaccinate people. Even in some rich countries, such as Britain, there have been high death tolls as governments have little regard for the welfare of their people. But some countries, such as China and Vietnam, have done a much better job of looking after their populations.
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Capitalism has major issues to address about the failures of its neoliberal model. Greater state intervention in the economy is being pursued in the United States and Britain. Although this may seem a radical departure from neoliberal orthodoxy, nevertheless it is nothing like the levels of nationalisation and state intervention which once prevailed. Facing global challenges, especially from China, will these modest departures from free market dogma be enough to save capitalism?
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
The Working Class and 21st Century Capitalism. The growth in homeworking during the pandemic has highlighted that workers are being watched and monitored to an ever greater degree. This is all about speeding up work and extending the working day to increase exploitation. It has major implications for the health, well-being and privacy of employees and their families and for how Trade Unions respond.