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The Central African Republic–the end of Françafrique and the return of imperialist competition
The Central African Republic has, despite being at the centre of the continent, been a country on the margins of global power since independence. Despite a conflict which has lasted for more than a decade, the country remains largely ignored. Ben Jackson writes that while African conflicts are often underreported, for example the war in Sudan barely gets a mention, the situation in the Central African Republic demands our attention.
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Internet ‘gardeners’ resist the communication blackout of Gaza
Since October, Gaza has been an internet black hole. But the Italian NGO ACS has helped build a network of e-SIM internet hotspots known as the Gazaweb.
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The gates of the great continent: Palestine, China, and the war for humanity’s future (Part 4)
Now, as in the worldwide revolutionary upsurge of the 1960s-70s, the strongest emotive and analytical connections between China’s historical experience and the Palestinian resistance come through the memory of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
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Some of my best enemies are feminists: on Zionist feminism
Historically speaking, Zionist feminism shares key characteristics of colonial feminisms of the nineteenth century.
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Sex, liberation and the Russian Revolution
My main argument is: On balance, the fledgling socialist country did more to liberate human sexuality and gender in a shorter period of time than any society since the rise of classes. Despite the serious political errors the country made, I believe those errors would have been corrected had there been the time and space for the organized voices of oppressed groups to develop and assert their rights.
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ACLU slams House for latest plan to ban TikTok and stifle free speech
This bill, which was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), would violate the First Amendment rights of hundreds of millions of Americans who use the app to communicate and express themselves daily.
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The Antisemitism Industry doesn’t speak for Jews. It speaks for western elites
Film-maker Jonathan Glazer’s crime at the Oscars was to threaten the establishment’s stranglehold on the West’s narrative about Israel–and itself
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Scholar or ideologue?
In mid-February, Chaguan, the (pen-named) Economist columnist based in Beijing, reviewed a new book by Professor Minxin Pei, who was introduced as an academic based at Claremont McKenna College in California. You can read the introductory paragraphs of this review here. Chaguan is, in real-life, David Rennie, the son of a former MI6 Director.
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The panic of the ruling class
Briefly, the chance of the kind of democratic triumph of the working people of which George Galloway dreams, became real with the popular uprising that led to Jeremy Corbyn being placed as Labour leader.
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Sexism and the system: Women speak out
For International Women’s Day, Counterfire asked women activists their views on the state of the struggle for women’s liberation. We are publishing a selection of answers over the weekend.
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BAP Backgrounder: Haiti behind the headlines
Haiti is in the headlines again and, as usual, the headlines on Haiti are mostly negative.
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The gates of the great continent: Palestine, China, and the war for humanity’s future (Part 3)
In the last section we explored the Axis of Resistance and its pursuit of material self-sufficiency, as well as Basel al-Araj’s incisive Mao-inspired analysis of asymmetric warfare against a technologically superior enemy.
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UNRWA staffers tortured by Israeli troops to falsely admit ‘Hamas links’
Israel has sought for years to dismantle the UN agency to destroy Palestinian refugees’ right of return.
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October Revolution: The first general recognition of women’s equality in history
The land of the October revolution: a country of women walking on the road to emancipation
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“What Is Anti-Racism? And Why It Means Anti-Capitalism,” A book review
Arun Kundnani details the histories of liberal and radical anti-racism and argues that anti-racism ultimately means anti-capitalism.
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A vision for transforming education in the face of climate and ecological breakdown
Preparing students for their futures requires nothing short of transformative systemic change in all aspects of society.
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Working class films and social change: An interview with Ken Loach
Ken Loach talks to Hilary Wainwright about his latest film, The Old Oak, and his long career dignifying the lives and struggles of ordinary people.
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The Historical Origin of “The Singing Union”
The early history of the Industrial Workers of the World has become the stuff of legend for the U.S. socialist left. Key to the legendary status of the early IWW is the notion that the organization was a “singing union.”
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Lenin in his own words: five key texts
Vladimir Lenin, leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution, is one of history’s most well-known figures, and one of its most maligned. Mainstream culture vilifies him as a despot.
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There will be reading and singing and dancing even in the darkest times: The Tenth Newsletter (2024)
Amidst the genocide against Palestinians and the war in Congo, human beings cling to hope. Saleem, in Rafah, dreams beyond the present, of Red Books Day and a brighter future.