Articles
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Israel has long defied international law and has been repeatedly censured by the United Nations, which has also supported the Palestinians. As the genocide in Gaza continues, Palestinians are now the front line of defence for international law and the United Nations as its institutional expression.
The west does not talk about international law, but rather the rules based order – by which it means its rules and its order. Whilst the United Nation has not always been progressive – the security council has an inbuilt western bias – yet it has always been an arena of struggle for anti-imperialist forces.
South Africa’s bold move taking Israel to the International Court of Justice has proved a rallying call for supporters of Palestine and upholding the international law which Israel flaunts.
Seeing the danger of the UN becoming a real force to counter western aggression Israel and the US have launched attacks on UN institutions, especially those which offer practical support to the Palestinians, like UNRAW. The global south, South Africa and the Palestinians are taking the lead in defending international legal norms from the west.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Politically and economically the war in Ukraine is becoming less sustainable, with no sign that pouring more arms in is bringing Ukraine any closer to winning and every sign that it is losing. However, the mantra of western politicians remains that “Ukraine must win”. This has led to talk of dangerous escalation, like sending more advanced weaponry and NATO committing boots on the ground (more than the small number it already has). Desperation in Kiev and among Ukraine’s western backers is making the situation more volatile. Competing interests with the US and within Europe are complicating matters further and making a negotiated end to the war seem distant.
Monday, May 27, 2024
The miners' strike of 1984-85 demonstrated the power of the state acting in the interests of capital and against working people as jobs and mining communities were destroyed. That state power was no where more evident than the systematic attack on picketing miners at Orgreave with many injured and imprisoned. There were meticulous plans formulated by the government and the police to crush the miners. Orgreave became the blueprint for the policing of dissent and sent a harsh message to working class people that strike action would be met by the full force of the state. 40 years later those falsely arrested and injured are still waiting to see justice.
Sunday, May 26, 2024
There is always money to be made from war and Ukraine and Gaza are no exceptions. The arms industry has certainly benefited from both these current conflicts. Increasingly, however, electronic systems are vital to fighting wars. the US company Palantir has contracts in Israel, Ukraine and here in the NHS. It has been described as “…the AI arms dealer of the 21st century” and works closely with the US government. So what is it doing in our NHS? Apparently “integrating health data”. Access to data is a prime objective of tech companies and Palantir’s role in the Health Service has met widespread opposition.
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.
Friday, May 24, 2024
One of the main accusations leveled by capitalist ideologues against socialism is that it simply does not work. This is rather unconvincing coming from the system which has brought us close to the edge of climate catastrophe, decaying living standards and infrastructure, lower productivity and stagnating growth in western economies. And yet this critique of socialism is routinely accepted without examining the evidence of the achievements of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. When these are set out they reveal the opposite - growing economies and improvements in the well-being of the citizens of those countries. This should give us confidence and hope that there is an alternative to the dire reality of our capitalist world.
Thursday, May 23, 2024
in Britain we have seen a wave of strikes and massive demonstrations over Gaza. In response the Tory government has been passing multiple pieces of legislation designed to restrict free speech, the right to protest and the right to strike. This repressive agenda will give the government extraordinary tools to suppress opposition and represents a fundamental threat to democracy. And yet in defiance of these threats and ideological attacks protesters are still out in force in solidarity with the Palestinians and standing up for free speech.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
The rise in military spending by Germany rings alarm bells from a previous era when the fascists were in power preparing for World War 2. Even without fascism, the growth of militarism threatens world peace. War is not the only danger it poses. Carbon emissions by military hardware, like tanks add to the climate change crisis.