Tag: history

The Market Was Born with a Gun: Colonial Plunder, Neoliberal Rule, and the Worker-Peasant Road Beyond Capital

Utsa and Prabhat Patnaik’s groundbreaking analysis dismantles the myth that capitalism flourished independently within Europe, revealing a system intricately linked to colonial exploitation. They illustrate how colonialism not only financed European industrial growth but also perpetuated poverty and dependency in colonized nations. The authors articulate that capitalism's survival hinged on subjugating external economies. With the unraveling of colonial structures leading to depression and famine, they propose a radical rethinking of revolutionary potential through a worker-peasant alliance, emphasizing organized power as essential to dismantling capital's dominance. Ultimately, their work challenges the notion of capitalism's self-sufficiency, exposing its reliance on imperial mechanisms for survival.

0

The Guardian’s Missing Clause: How Imperial Elections Became “Democracy” in Nicaragua

Daniel Ortega’s recent announcement that Nicaragua will cease future elections is portrayed by The Guardian as a blatant rejection of democracy, conveniently ignoring the historical context of imperial influences shaping Nicaraguan electoral politics. The claim that opposition parties are the embodiment of democracy is a façade; previous elections were tainted by U.S. interference, corporate financing, and foreign-imposed sanctions. Ortega's call to defend the Sandinista Revolution against imperial restoration isn’t about tyranny; it’s about reclaiming sovereignty from an electoral process manipulated by outside forces. Instead of clinging to an imperial framework, this moment presents an opportunity for Nicaragua to build a democracy rooted in popular power and authentic participation.

0

The Empire Calls Resistance Subversion: Cuba and Washington’s War on Revolutionary Consciousness

The State Department's report conflates documented espionage with a sweeping indictment of social movements, branding students, revolutionaries, and dissenters as part of a conspiracy orchestrated from Cuba. This narrative denies local struggles against oppression, instead framing resistance as a foreign-directed plot, thus erasing historical context and the material origins of dissent. The document's loose connection between Cuba's influence and contemporary activism serves as a McCarthyite tool against American dissent. By equating genuine political engagement with espionage, it aims to squash revolutionary consciousness and reinforce the status quo, revealing the empire's fear that the oppressed might unite and resist independently.

0

Un-American by Choice: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Revolution Liberal Memory Could Not Bury

For generations, the American academy celebrated W.E.B. Du Bois while burying the revolutionary conclusions that defined the final decades of his life. In this Weaponized Intellects review of Bill V. Mullen's Un-American, we excavate the real Du Bois: communist, anti-imperialist, Pan-African internationalist and unapologetic ally of socialist revolution. Mullen powerfully restores Du Bois to the global struggle against capitalism and colonialism, yet retreats into familiar anti-Stalinist assumptions when revolution becomes embodied in the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. The result is both an indispensable recovery and a revealing ideological battleground over the meaning of socialism, state power and the unfinished project of world revolution.

0

The Foreign Enemy Fraud: From Russiagate’s Thought Police to Chinagate’s Electoral Cage

David Corn's resurrection of Russiagate in response to Trump's accusations of Chinagate exposes the absurdity of electoral politics in a billionaire-dominated America. By framing the discourse as a conflict between foreign adversaries—Russia or China—Corn obscures the true culprits: a corrupt ruling class manipulating the political system to protect its interests. Both narratives serve to distract the populace from the reality of a plutocracy masquerading as democracy. The ongoing chaos is but a struggle within the elite, each side reinforcing the structures of oppression while preventing real power from reaching the working class. True resistance demands unity against this imperial façade.

0

When the Numbers Revolt: The World Stops Buying the American Empire

The world is turning its back on the American Empire as perceptions shift dramatically in favor of China, a shift underscored by a recent Pew survey revealing greater global trust in China over the U.S. The BBC attempts to downplay this trend, attributing it to America's chaotic leadership under Trump, but the truth lies in a stark reality: nations are weary of U.S. interference and long for a relationship defined by trade, not military might. This reversal signals not just a popularity contest but a fundamental reevaluation of power dynamics. The challenge now is to harness this anti-imperialist sentiment into a mass movement against war with China.

0

The Market Came Armed: Sven Beckert and the World Capital Built by Conquest

Sven Beckert demolishes capitalism’s favorite myth: that it emerged from free markets, innovation, and peaceful exchange. His global history shows a system built through conquest, slavery, colonial dispossession, state power, coerced labor, and repeated counterrevolution. Yet Beckert repeatedly turns rebellions, socialist revolutions, and anticolonial victories into episodes in capitalism’s adaptation. This review seizes his historical arsenal while rejecting that retreat, arguing that a world made through organized class and colonial power can be remade only through the organized power of workers and oppressed peoples.

0

The Development Racket: How the World Bank Repackages Empire in Burkina Faso

The World Bank's report on Burkina Faso masquerades as a beacon of growth while burying the sinister realities of imperialism and neoliberal domination. Beneath the polished metrics of economic success lies a nation striving for food and resource sovereignty, grappling with the vestiges of colonial exploitation. This report, cloaked in the language of reform, manipulates narratives to maintain control, ignoring the voices of those truly affected. Burkina Faso’s fight against the systems that dictate their development is not a mere economic story; it's a battleground for sovereignty, pitting genuine progress against imperial interests that aim to manage rather than liberate.

0

Same Boss, New Contract: USMCA and the Empire’s Grip on Mexico and Canada

NBC's portrayal of Trump's refusal to renew the USMCA is more than a mere disruption in trade; it’s a calculated move to establish an iron grip over North America. The article frames this as instability, ignoring the deeper narrative of imperial ambition where trade agreements become tools for coercion. The U.S. isn't retreating; it's reconfiguring the continent, tightening control over Mexico and Canada while excluding China from the fold. Workers from all sides suffer under this new order while corporate interests thrive unchallenged. Ultimately, this is not a story of chaos but of empire reshaping subjugation—inviting you to witness the birth of Fortress America instead of its decay.

0

Socialism Without Revolution: Jacobin’s Market Fantasy Against the Socialist World

Bhaskar Sunkara’s market socialism is a bold yet flawed vision that naively overlooks the burdens of imperialism. He critiques past socialist models while proposing that worker-run firms can flourish within a system still embedded in capitalist exploitation. However, the reality is that these worker enterprises would still rely on the global hierarchy that upholds imperial advantages. A true socialist awakening must reject these inherited structures and demands an anti-imperialist framework instead. Without confronting the realities of colonial legacies and ensuring reparative relations, Sunkara’s proposal risks socializing the benefits of imperialism while maintaining its oppressive mechanisms intact.

0

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑