Articles
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Israel is continuously escalating its genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza and increasingly in the West Bank too. It has no interest in ceasefires or negotiations as it seeks to turn Palestine into an uninhabitable wasteland which it can permanently occupy. On the contrary it is now seeking to expand its aggression to Lebanon and Iran and to provoke a regional war.
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
One aspect of the build up for war with China is the rearmament and increasingly aggressive military posture of Japan. Imperialists in Japan have long sought to shed the constraints placed on it as a defeated nation after the Second World War and now they have been given the green light to do this by the United States, which wants Japan to be part of the military encirclement of China and of Russia in the East. However, as the only country which has experienced the use of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there is also a strong peace movement in Japan which rejects these moves.
Monday, October 14, 2024
In the 2024 South African election the African National Congress (ANC) received 40.2% of the votes, dropping below 50% for the first time since the first democratic election in 1994.
There are a variety of reasons for this decline but they include the growth of opportunism, careerism, corruption and state capture alongside dissatisfaction with the ANC government and its policies.
Whilst there has been progress in many areas since 1994 nevertheless inequality, poverty and unemployment have increased.
There is now a government of national unity. Will the ANC be able to renew itself and lead the GNU in a progressive direction - it will be a difficult task.
Sunday, October 13, 2024
In August the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina resigned. On the surface, and as reported in mainstream media outlets, she was forced to step down due to student protests, but there were deeper geopolitical reasons behind her ousting. Not least she had raised US ire by refusing to host a United States military base in Bangladesh and by drawing closer to China and the BRICS countries. The student movement, as has happened in similar situations in other countries, provided leverage for the US regime change agenda.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Chile is a very rich country but the people see little of the wealth. It has enormous natural resources, including huge reserves of copper and lithium, both essential for the transition to clean energy. The future is bright – but for whom? Politically the right is making gains and this favours capital over the ordinary workers in Chile.
Friday, October 11, 2024
Spring by Sergei Antonov (Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow 1954)
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Advanced computing systems are now essential to all aspects of our daily lives. They are also increasingly important to capitalism's power and to the West's military domination. Microchips are the fundamental components of key systems and hardware and the US in particular is battling to keep control of this strategic resource. This fight over tech lies at the heart of its confrontation with China and is the reason it threatens war.
Monday, February 12, 2024
The evidence of Israel’s genocide presented by South Africa to the International Court of Justice was so overwhelming that even though it has a Western bias, it had to accept that there are sufficient grounds to launch a full investigation. However, as the Western imperialist alliance becomes more isolated, over Gaza and before that over Ukraine, it becomes ever more dangerous. Mistrust of the United States is widespread and reflects itself not only in opposition to its policies but also in the increasing reluctance of countries to rely on the dollar. The move to use other currencies for international trade and transactions threatens one pillar of US power – the dominance of its currency. There are also the development and expansion of alternative international organisations like BRICS plus.