Every day I walk from my fashionable neighborhood to the university and pass a pair of very kind, white-uniformed police officers. They stand in their almost blindingly clean attire, only a block from my crumbling apartment building, smoking Egypt’s cheapest Cleopatra cigarettes and directing traffic. “Ya Pasha!” they shout, “Habibi!” This is my daily greeting […]
Archive | Commentary
Monthly Review Magazine
Nepal: Witnessing the People’s Movement
As the Nepalese people’s struggle against the autocratic feudal monarchy to establish a democratic republic hit a high point during the month of April, it coincided with the arrival from India of the Second International Road-Building Brigade. While the old oppressive and exploitative feudalist world was being attacked and dismantled in the country’s towns […]
Open Letter to Monthly Review Editors
I received the following open letter from Yassamine Mather, signed by seventeen activists and intellectuals in the Iranian diaspora including herself, and with her permission, I am publishing it here. Among activists and intellectuals on the Left committed to the advancement of women in particular and the working class in general, as well as to […]
Obrador Will Contest Elections before the Electoral Tribunal [Impugnará AMLO elecciones ante el TEPJF]
México. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, candidato presidencial de la coalición Por el bien de todos, anunció que acudirá — en tiempo y forma conforme a la ley — al Tribunal Electoral para impugnar los comicios presidenciales, tanto en la jornada electoral como en el escrutinio. Convocó asimismo a sus simpatizantes y seguidores a una asamblea […]
The Impending Political Crisis in Mexico
The electoral crisis in Mexico has not been resolved. In fact, judging by yesterday’s events, it is metastasizing into a serious political crisis. But before I comment on the recent events, I want to step back a little and look at the big picture. For the most part, and regardless of noises made by Calderón […]
Roz Payne Archives Presents: The Black Panther Library
3 Newsreel Films on the Black Panther Party plus A Massive Quantity of Rare and Exclusive Material of Exceptional Quality This is a large box set of 4 disks, each with 340 minutes. The editing has been done. I am looking for total donations $4,000 to help pay for the color and sound correction and […]
With 99.36% of Election Certificates Counted in the Districts, Felipe Calderón has a 0.39% Advantage
Con 99.36% de las actas computadas en los distritos, Felipe Calderón tiene ventaja de 0.39% Cuando se lleva el cómputo del 99.36 por ciento de las 130 mil 477 actas electorales en los 300 consejos distritales*, el candidato del PAN, Felipe Calderón, lleva en su favor el 35.79 por ciento de los sufragios y su […]
Iran and Venezuela Will Review Bilateral Relations and Energy Issues in July [Irán y Venezuela revisarán relaciones bilaterales y tema energético en julio]
Caracas, 28 Jun. ABN. — Con la finalidad hacerle seguimiento a las relaciones bilaterales y discutir sobre el tema energético, los presidentes de la República Islámica de Irán, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad y la República de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, se reunirán en Teherán a finales de julio. Haga click en la foto para agrandar. Hugo Chávez […]
“Our” Real Addiction: Capitalist Waste in Transportation
“America is addicted to oil.” Thus spake George W. Bush in his 2006 “State of the Union” speech. At first hearing, this sounds like a remarkable breakthrough in public discourse. A sitting U.S. President admitting that the nation’s relationship to petroleum is one of addiction? Sounds like a major advance in honesty, doesn’t it? And, […]
Israel Has the Right to Defend Itself
Click on an image for a larger view. Israel Has the Right to Defend Itself We Didn’t Intend to Kill the Civilians Carlos Latuff, born in Rio de Janeiro on 30 November 1968, is a political cartoonist. He is the author of the famous “We Are All Palestinians” series, comparing oppressed peoples at various times […]
98.45% of Polling Stations Tallied, Difference of One Percentage Point between Calderón and Obrador [Con 98.45% de casillas, diferencia de un punto entre Calderón y AMLO: PREP]
Revela el conteo desplome de Madrazo Da a conocer el IFE archivo de inconsistencias Faltan por computar 2 mil 17 casillas, lo que supone un millón 111 mil 350 sufragios potenciales Al computarse 98.45 por ciento de las casillas de la votación para la Presidencia de la República, el Programa de Resultados Electorales Preliminares (PREP) […]
In One Sigh
In one sigh, Death in a third world, A hand lies withered and curled, Peals of death rain down on a child, Artists of life are ruined and defiled, My ovaries sag with hate, I am death to procreate, In one sigh. Ros Csikc-Cyr is an activist. Her poetry offers a perspective on issues […]
Why You Should Read Solidarity for Sale If You Care about Unions in the United States
I loved Bob Fitch’s new book, Solidarity for Sale. For someone like myself, who has been battered around a bit by a few union leaders, it was like a drink of cool water at the end of a long, hot run. I’m troubled by the tone of some critical reviews of Solidarity for Sale I’ve […]
When Will the AFL-CIO Leadership Quit Blaming the Chinese Government for Multinational Corporate Decisions, US Government Policies, and US Labor Leaders’ Inept Reponses?
The AFL-CIO has just formally petitioned the Bush Administration to “take immediate action to stop exploitation by the Chinese government and multinational corporations of workers in China, who are paid as little as 15 cents per hour” (AFL-CIO, “AFL-CIO Files Workers’ Rights Case Against China ,” Press Release, June 8, 2006). It appears that the […]
When the Union Is the Boss
Editor’s Introduction It’s no secret that there exists (1) a high turnover rate among entry-level organizers, many of whom are (2) young college graduates, rather than people recruited out of the communities that are organizing targets — the interrelated problems that Kevin Funk’s essay below illustrates. Daisy Rooks’ qualitative study (based on interviews with […]
Put Down the Government Rag: (tune borrowed from Allen Ginsberg)
All candidates look the same that is part of their game and what they do to you will always be the same CHORUS: Don’t vote, don’t vote, don’t vote. . . it’s a capitalist hoax. . . Businessmen in suits white shirts and boring ties even the women look like one of the guys The […]
The Day Will Come When Koizumi’s US Visit Will Be Damned
Submissions
Reflections on the June 9-10, 2006 Hong Kong Conference: “The Fortieth Anniversary: Rethinking the Genealogy and Legacy of the Cultural Revolution”
Flying into Hong Kong with my wife, Amy Demarest, early in the morning of June 8, 2006 and jetlagged, I wasn’t sure I’d be up to the next two days of a fully packed conference on the Cultural Revolution. The conference was sponsored by the China Study Group, Monthly Review, and the Contemporary China […]
Since There’s No Longer Any Israeli Settlement, Gaza Is Now a Free Fire Zone!
Click on an image for a larger view. Gaza: Free Fire Zone Does the Israeli Army Need Smart Bombs or Smart Soldiers? Accept the Existence of Israel Carlos Latuff, born in Rio de Janeiro on 30 November 1968, is a political cartoonist. He is the author of the famous “We Are All Palestinians” series, comparing […]
Gaza: Do the Palestinians Have the Right to Exist?
I am so tired of hearing Tel Aviv complain that certain Palestinian factions do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Regardless of their opinion of Israel’s right, even Hamas leaders have stated that the fact is that Israel does exist. Meanwhile, Israel is once again waging a military campaign against the Palestinians that, in essence, […]
