In this issue:
From The Editors
From The Editors
As we go to print, we have learned of the U.S. attack on Venezuela, the seizing of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and Trump’s declaration that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela. New Politics unequivocally condemns this operation. We
Crisis in the United States
Democrats
Kim Moody offers a critical analysis of the Democratic Party, captured by wealthy donors and a vehicle for capitalist class interests.
Resistance to Trump Grows
Resistance to President Donald Trump is growing, taking the form of massive, peaceful protest marches, small local rebellions against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Democratic Party election victories, and a gradually changing public opinion. One could even talk about a
A Sobering but Hopeful Take on Mamdani’s Election
I do not share the euphoria of so many progressives and socialists at the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City. I came away sobered by it. Many of the left are celebrating Mamdani’s election as signaling
Education under Trump
Lois Weiner analyzes worsening attacks on education rooted in increasing big tech control, and calls for a resistance led by militant, democratic teachers’ unions.
Incarcerating Radicals
Samuel Barney narrates the history of Clinton Correctional Facility, a prison in upstate New York long used to imprison left radicals.
Articles
Sex, Work, and Capitalism
Nancy Holmstrom argues that socialist feminists should critique the institution of prostitution in a capitalist society, while supporting sex workers.
Imperialism and Campism Today
Venezuela and the Global Left
As the global right advances and socialists worldwide grapple with how to build left alternatives, Venezuela’s crisis raises fundamental strategic questions that extend beyond regional borders. The current political, economic, and social situation under Nicolás Maduro’s government represents one of
The Dominican Left
The Dominican Republic’s revolutionary left is caught in a continuous crisis at a time when the Dominican state is under the complete control of the capitalist class and the far right is on the rise both locally and internationally. Mostly
The Gaza Genocide in World-Historical Perspective
Gilbert Achcar argues that the Gaza genocide is a watershed in world history, representing the demise of the liberal illusion of a rules-based international order.
How (Not) To Apply the Marxist Theory of Imperialism in the Twenty-first Century
Michael Pröbsting criticizes distortion of the Marxist theory of imperialism today, which is used to justify support for imperialist states such as China and Russia.
A Look at the Problems of Stalinism
review
Losurdo’s Stalin
The late Italian Marxist Domenico Losurdo’s Stalin: History and Critique of a Black Legend exalts and even deifies the long-ruling Soviet despot Joseph Stalin (1924–1953). Indeed, the text’s cover and inside cover art strikingly depict Stalin with a halo, and
review
Stalin’s Latter-Day Defenders
Paul Le Blanc recommends Douglas Greene’s latest book In Stalin’s Shadow, a critique of the new wave of Stalinist revisionism.
Exchange: Comparing China, Cuba, and Vietnam
review
Comparing China, Cuba, and Vietnam
Samuel Farber critically reviews Carmelo Mesa-Lago’s latest book comparing Cuba with China and Vietnam, and its proposals for market reform in Cuba.
Comparing Cuba, China, and Vietnam
In response to Samuel Farber’s critique, Carmelo Mesa-Lago defends his economic reform proposals for Cuba as Keynesian and anti-neoliberal.
Reply to Carmelo Mesa-Lago’s Comments on My Review
Samuel Farber responds to Mesa-Lago’s comments and argues that China cannot be a model for Cuba, noting the connection between political repression and their model of capital accumulation in China.
Review Essays
review
Realism in Revolt
Daphne Lawless recommends William Gillis’ work Did the Science Wars Take Place?, which analyzes and critiques anti-scientific, obscurantist tendencies common in the left today.
review
The Fight Against Cops
brian bean recommends the book No Cop City, No Cop World, a collection of essays by activists in the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta.
review
Grandin’s New View of the New World
Latin America historian Greg Grandin, always aware of the subtexts of events and processes, combines a literary and cultural flair that makes America América: A New History of the New World both readable and enjoyable. His book is a carefully
Reviews
review
War, Masculinity, and Class Divisions in the Ukrainian Military
This short memoir charts the path of a forty-year-old Ukrainian writer and journalist who volunteers for military service days after Russia invades on February 24, 2022. He reaches this decision much to his own surprise while fleeing Kiev with his
review
Black History in the Age of Trump
Brian Ward recommends Brian Jones’ book Black History Is for Everyone, an essential resource on Black history as a vital part of collective human story for all.
review
A New Biography of Hubert Harrison
Brian Jones reviews Brian Kwoba’s biography of Hubert Harrison, a radical and socialist Black intellectual in early twentieth-century Harlem.
review
What Is Social Ecology?
Peter G. Prontzos positively reviews Eleanor Finley’s book on Murray Bookchin’s ideas on social ecology and their application in Rojava.
review
Palestine in Context
The genocidal Israeli assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023, is the latest development in the ongoing process of dispossession and erasure aimed at Palestinians since the Nakba of 1947–48. People around the world have mobilized in solidarity with Palestine
review
Gaza’s Horrors
We are told that to change the future, we need to understand the past. In Witness to the Hellfire of Genocide: A Testimony from Gaza, Wasim Said compels us to witness, feel, and understand the present to change the now.
Song
Refaat Alareer*
A song honoring Refaar Alareer, a Palestinian writer and poet in Gaza, murdered by the Israeli military in 2023.
Obituary
Ernest Haberkern
An obituary for Ernest Haberkern, a long-time revolutionary socialist militant, a founding member of the Independent Socialist Club and a close comrade of Hal Draper.
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