In Bahrain, too, the shouts of “The People Want to Overthrow the Regime!” الشعب يريد اسقاط النظامPearl Roundabout, Bahrain, 15 February 2011 For more information, visit, e.g., . Cf. As’ad AbuKhalil, “US Is Freaking Out over Bahrain” (Angry Arab News Service, 15 February 2011). | Print
Archive | News
News updates or analysis.
What Is Happening in Egypt
What is happening in Egypt is of immense importance, not only due to the importance of the country but also due to the radicality of the demand. The demand is not just that Mubarak should leave — that is a first step — but that the system be changed, putting an end to the neoliberal […]
Bahrain Protesters Die in Police Crackdown
Every time demonstrators regrouped, they were attacked again, with rubber bullets, tear gas, and reportedly even live ammunition. Later two protesters died: Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima and Fadhel Ali Matrook. This video was released by Amnesty International on 15 February 2011. Cf. As’ad AbuKhalil, “US Is Freaking Out over Bahrain” (Angry Arab News Service, 15 February […]
A Warning for Egyptian Revolutionaries: Courtesy of People Power in the Philippines
Much like Mubarak, the former democratic reformer turned long-serving US dictator for the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, demonstrates what can happen to even stalwart defenders of capitalism when they are opposed by their citizens en masse. Like Mubarak, Marcos previously provided a ray of hope for Western elites intent on quelling popular resistance within their own […]
Wisconsin Workers and Students: “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Union Busting Has Got to Go!”
Workers and students protested in Madison, Wisconsin today against Governor Scott Walker’s “budget repair” bill, which takes away public sector workers’ collective bargaining rights. “Kill this bill!” 15 February 2011 14 February 2011 For more information, visit, e.g., <www.facebook.com/WiscWorkersRights> and <www.onewisconsinnow.org>. Cf. “Thousands Converge For Rallies, Hearing On Union Bill” (Channel 3000, 15 February 2011). […]
Wael Ghonim, Wrong Again
Wael Ghonim tweets: Once again, this is wrong. This implies that the revolution was “organized” and orchestrated from the start by the internet activists, which is not true. Hossam el-Hamalawy is an Egyptian socialist, journalist, and photographer. Visit his blog: . Follow Hossam el-Hamalawy at . This note was first published in his blog on […]
The Day of Wrath in Bahrain
Among the most watched Bahraini protest videos today is this one showing police attacking protesters in Duraz, Bahrain, 14 February 2011: Protest organizers say a protester by the name of Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, 27 years old, was killed by police in Manama. For many reasons (the corporate media’s propaganda system, many Bahraini protesters’ apparent religiosity, […]
Father Thomas J. Hagerty: A Forgotten Religious Communist
In the usual roll call of religious communists, Father Thomas J. Hagerty — one of the central figures involved in establishing the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or the Wobblies) in 1905 — seems to have slipped off the radar, with nary an entry on the Marxist Internet Archive and the smallest comment on […]
Obama Gives Israel Too Much Love in Valentine’s Day Budget
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation today criticized the Obama Administration for giving Israel “too much love” in its FY2012 budget request to Congress. The budget request, delivered today to Capitol Hill, contains a record-breaking $3.075 billion in military aid to Israel. “With the United States facing an ongoing budget deficit and debt, […]
A Glorified Military Coup in Egypt: An Aborted Revolution or the Genesis of a Genuine Revolution?
Millions of people in Egypt and all over the Middle East erupted in joy as Omar Suleiman announced on Friday that Hosni Mubarak had resigned. The Egyptian military decided to oust a widely-resented dictator as it witnessed the growing threat of a potential revolution being born in Egyptian streets. Had it been allowed to continue […]
Egypt’s Uprising: Not Just a Question of ‘Transition’
The events of the last weeks are one of those historical moments where the lessons of many decades can be telescoped into a few brief moments and seemingly minor occurrences can take on immense significance. The entry of millions of Egyptians onto the political stage has graphically illuminated the real processes that underlie the politics […]
On President Obama’s Budget
President Obama’s basic budget for fiscal 2012 is mostly a done deal supported by the entire political establishment. The hyped choreography of forthcoming battles between Democrats and Republicans is a very secondary sideshow. The battles clothe basic agreement in a disguise of fierce oppositions perhaps aimed to mollify each party’s none-too-discerning militants. Both sides agree […]
Iran: Green Solidarity with (Some) Arabs
Critics of the Islamic Republic of Iran held a protest on 25 Bahman 1389 (14 February 2011). The protest turnout today — far from negligible given the well known severe limits to anti-systemic dissent imposed by the state — apparently failed to meet the expectations of some of its supporters, so one such individual went […]
Is There a Tahrir Square in Washington?
Egyptians are celebrating the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, as I write. Inshallah they will celebrate for a long time to come. But leaderless crowds are not well placed to govern. The triumph of the Egyptian people leaves the military in control. Let us hope that Egyptians will find no reason to share the complaint of […]
Egypt: Oil and Gas Workers on Strike
Thousands of workers from several oil and gas companies are on strike, protesting in front of the Ministry of Petroleum, in Nasr City. The workers have several economic and political demands, including putting an end to abusive management practices such as sacking workers who speak up for their rights, reinstating the sacked workers, raising salaries […]
Integration instead of a Clash of Cultures: An Open Letter regarding the “LSE German Symposium 2011 — Integration Debate”
We are irritated by the invitation extended to Mr. Thilo Sarrazin and Mr. Henryk M. Broder to sit on the panel of the opening event of this year’s “German Symposium” at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on 14 February 2011, which is entitled ‘Integration Debate: Europe’s Future — “Decline of the […]
Struggle for Democracy and Public Education in Puerto Rico
“The epicenter of the struggle for the public university in Latin America is Puerto Rico.” — José Carlos Luque Brazán, professor and researcher of political science and urban planning at the Autonomous University, Mexico City1 The social conflict taking place at the University of Puerto Rico is polarizing this island to such an extent […]
Washington Can’t Block Aristide’s Return or Deny Haiti’s Sovereignty
In 1915 the U.S. Marines invaded Haiti, occupying the country until 1934. U.S. officials rewrote the Haitian constitution, and when the Haitian national assembly refused to ratify it, they dissolved the assembly. They then held a “referendum” in which about 5 percent of the electorate voted and approved the new constitution — which conveniently changed […]
Palestinians Hail the Egyptian Revolution
Gaza, 11 February 2011 Ramallah, 11 February 2011 The Gaza video was shot by Ken O’Keefe and the Ramallah videos by Nick Marouf. var idcomments_acct = ‘c90a61ed51fd7b64001f1361a7a71191’; var idcomments_post_id; var idcomments_post_url; | Print
Egypt: Middle Class for Military Junta, Workers for Permanent Revolution
Since yesterday, and actually earlier, middle-class activists have been urging Egyptians to suspend the protests and return to work, in the name of patriotism, singing some of the most ridiculous lullabies about “let’s build new Egypt,” “let’s work harder than even before,” etc. In case you didn’t know, actually Egyptians are among the hardest working […]
