How far can artists go in satirising or sending up the powerful? That is the essence of the brouhaha over Brett Murray’s contentious The Spear painting depicting President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed in a pose reminiscent of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin....
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Economic crisis and class struggle | by Phil Gasper
Are recessions better for the left or right, asks Phil Gasper? The most fundamental argument in favor of socialism is that capitalism is an irrational system that over the long term cannot meet the basic needs of the majority of the population because of its tendency...
Greece: Answering the critics of a united front | by Andrew Burgin and Kate Hudson
Greece stands on a precipice. There can be no return to the old politics there and a revolutionary situation is emerging amid the chaos of everyday life. The classic conditions for revolution are present: a working class no longer prepared to live in the old way and a...
Time to End the Madness | by C.P. Chandrasekhar
May brought home to the world evidence of the popular rejection of the irrational pursuit of austerity amidst recession in Europe and elsewhere. One telling signal was the victory of Francois Hollande in the French Presidential run-off, making this the first...
Inclusive Green Growth Or Extractive Greenwashed Decay? | by Patrick Bond
The debate over the Green Economy rages on next month in Rio de Janeiro, at the International Society for Ecological Economics meetings, the Cupulo dos Povos alternative people’s summit, and the UN’s Rio+20 Earth Summit. Proponents and critics of ‘green growth’...
Greece, the EU and the world economic crisis… again | by John Reimann
Like a cancer brought under remission in one part of the body, only to pop up again elsewhere, the world capitalist economic crisis is back Last year the Greek ponzi scheme, whereby the extent of Greek national debt was hidden from its creditors (international finance...
Students Starve in a Show of Solidarity | by Micah Roshan Reddy
This year has borne witness to some staggeringly large student protests, with over 200,000 recently taking to the streets of Montreal in opposition to tuition fee hikes. But a less spotlighted action took place last week at the University of the Witwatersrand in...
The militarisation of poverty in Africa | by Toby Leon Moorsom
KINGSTON, CANADA - Over the past year, Africa has seen the decomposition of states from coast to coast. A belt of war, coups and large-scale spontaneous demonstrations has emerged across the Sahel, from Guinea-Bissau to Somalia. The situation represents a significant...
Arab Left: paying the price for Stalinism | by Marcus Halaby
The Arab Spring of 2011 inspired millions around the world through its acts of heroism. But now the revolutions have stalled. In the spirit of solidarity with these movements and communist internationalism, Marcus Halaby takes a critical look at the far left in these...





