Archive | Commentary

  • From Marx to Morales: Indigenous Socialism and the Latin Americanization of Marxism

    Over the past decade, a new rise of mass struggles in Latin America has sparked an encounter between revolutionists of that region and many of those based in the imperialist countries.  In many of these struggles, as in Bolivia under the presidency of Evo Morales, Indigenous peoples are in the lead. Latin American revolutionists are […]

  • The Indian Judiciary, the Salwa Judum Criminal Vigilantes, and Political Prisoner Dr. Binayak Sen

      Analytical Monthly Review, published in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, is a sister edition of Monthly Review.  Its June 2008 issue features the following editorial. — Ed. When the issue is class struggle, everyone knows that today’s judiciary in India exhibits no qualitative difference from that of the British colonial regime.  When workers try to […]

  • Naval Blockade against Iran?

    The USA and the EU planning to escalate confrontation with Iran.  A military blockade discussed. In the conflict over Iran’s civilian nuclear program, the United States and Europe are intensifying confrontation.  At the top of the measures that are now being discussed is an international naval blockade by a “coalition of the willing.”  As in […]

  • Reading Marx’s Capital with David Harvey

      David Harvey is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the City University of New York (CUNY) and author of various books.  He has been teaching Karl Marx’s Capital, Volume I for nearly 40 years.  Help keep this open course online: donate.

  • Call for Submissions to the 2008 Daniel Singer Millennium Prize

    Click on the flyer for a larger view. Click here to download the flyer in PDF. For more information, visit . | | Print

  • A Region in Chaos: An Interview with Dr. Mohssen Massarrat

      Mohssen Massarrat, born in Tehran in 1942, is Professor of Political Economy and International Relations at Universität Osnabrück.  Deutsche Militärzeitung: Professor Massarrat, William Fallon, US Commander responsible for the Middle East, unexpectedly resigned after just one year.  A cause for his resignation is obviously the US policy toward Iran.  Admiral Fallon criticized the US […]

  • The Irish “No”: Voting on Behalf of the Silenced Majority of the EU

    Today the results were announced of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, a revised version of the prior “free market” EU Constitution decisively defeated by the voters of France and the Netherlands in 2005.  The masters of the European Union were careful this time not to permit the peoples of Europe a chance to […]

  • Che Guevara’s Final Verdict on the Soviet Economy

    One of the most important developments in Cuban Marxism in recent years has been increased attention to the writings of Ernesto Che Guevara on the economics and politics of the transition to socialism. A milestone in this process was the publication in 2006 by Ocean Press and Cuba’s Centro de Estudios Che Guevara of Apuntes […]

  • The End of a Despicable Prosecution

      Buffalo, NY — Dr. Steven Kurtz, a Professor of Visual Studies at SUNY at Buffalo and cofounder of the award-winning art and theater group Critical Art Ensemble, has been cleared of all charges of mail and wire fraud.  On April 21, Federal Judge Richard J. Arcara dismissed the government’s entire indictment against Dr. Kurtz […]

  • Gap Between Latin America and Washington Still Growing

    Washington’s foreign policy establishment — and much of the U.S. media — was taken by surprise this week when President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, stated that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) should lay down their arms and unconditionally release all of their hostages.  The FARC is a guerrilla group that has been fighting […]

  • Three Days in Cairo: Egyptian Workers Impose a New Agenda

      The road from the airport to the hotel shows the story: modern buildings partly conceal dilapidated, crowded structures that seem on the verge of collapse.  Ancient jalopies chug along as if by inertia, while the latest luxury models zip past them.  Huge billboards advertise multinational corporations.  All this goes side by side with centuries-old […]

  • Big Stakes in Venezuela’s November Regional Elections

    Coming out of the December 2 referendum defeat — the first for the Bolivarian movement since the election of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 1998 — and facing discontent amongst popular sectors at the lack of advance in the Bolivarian process, the pro-revolution forces face a big challenge in securing an overwhelming victory in the […]

  • The Current Financial Crisis and the Future of Global Capitalism

    Prophecies of Downfall The fact that Marx finally began with the composition of his long-planned economic work in the winter of 1857/1858 was directly occasioned by the economic crisis that broke out in the autumn of 1857 and the concomitant expectations of a deep trauma from which capitalism would no longer recover.  “I am working […]

  • Can Sudan Survive?

    Lecture to Royal African Society, 21 May 2008 The modern history of Sudan is riddled with bloodshed, destruction and squandered chances for peace and democracy.  Consistently, the worst case scenario comes to pass and, just when it seems as though things could get no worse, they do precisely that.  But occasionally, the Sudanese succeed in […]

  • Is “Made in China” Good for the Chinese? Three Questions Answered

    Q1: Why are nearly all of your material possessions (clothes, kitchen appliances, computers, sneakers, electronics, etc.) made in developing countries?  Obviously, it’s cheaper.  And for many commodities, China is cheapest.  But is 57 cents an hour a decent wage in China? No, according to Judith Banister (November, 2005) at the U.S. Department of Labor, on the […]

  • Support Indian Guestworkers in Their Historic Hunger Strike

    From the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice.  Many of you know about this courageous group of workers, who have won incredible victories already for guestworkers and gained the support of labor, immigrant rights, and civil rights communities as well of a number of elected officials.  Your contribution would go a long way in […]

  • We’re Gonna Win!If the Left Were More like the Red Wings1

    I’ve come to the startling realization that few people outside of Detroit and Canada know or care about hockey.2 So I would understand if you didn’t know about Detroit’s recent return to glory as the National Hockey League champion.  So let me fill you in for a moment on what it was like after we won. […]

  • Cuito Cuanavale: A Tribute to Fidel Castro and the African Revolution

    In March 2008, the President of the African National Congress of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, led a high-level delegation of South African parliamentarians to the site of the victory of the forces of liberation at Cuito Cuanavale in Angola.  This visit was linked to the numerous ceremonies in Angola to commemorate the victory of Angola, […]

  • The Life and Death of Harriet McBryde Johnson

    Monthly Review received the news of the death of Harriet McBryde Johnson from the National Lawyers Guild: The National Lawyers Guild sadly announces the loss of the co-founder and Treasurer of the Disability Rights Committee of the NLG, a leader of the Disability Liberation Movement, and so much more, our own Harriet McBryde Johnson.  She […]

  • Xenophobia, Neo-liberalism, and NEPAD: The End of African Unity?

    Introduction In August and September of 1974, people across the length and breadth of South Africa celebrated the coming independence of Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Mozambique.  People like Mamphela Rampele led massive rallies honoring the success of the liberation movements in these countries.  There was even spontaneous dancing in the streets, and the air was filled […]