March 18, 1871: Revolt of the Paris Commune; March 18, 1921: The Bolsheviks crush the Kronstadt sailors’ rebellion against tyranny

Paris Commune: The revolt dividing France 150 years on Over 150 years after the Paris Commune, rival passions flare over how to remember the city’s brief and much-romanticised experiment in power to the people. The first act of the city’s famous insurrection came on 18 March 1871, when crowds stopped troops from requisitioning cannons parked… Read More March 18, 1871: Revolt of the Paris Commune; March 18, 1921: The Bolsheviks crush the Kronstadt sailors’ rebellion against tyranny

We Iraqis had survived Saddam Hussein. It was the US invasion that destroyed our lives

NB: Will George Bush & Tony Blair ever be held accountable for war crimes? DS We have a saying that captures the devastation of our country: ‘Saddam has gone, but 1,000 more Saddams have replaced him’ Balsam Mustafa Twenty years ago, around this time, the US-led military operation to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein’s… Read More We Iraqis had survived Saddam Hussein. It was the US invasion that destroyed our lives

French anger spreads after Macron forces pension age rise

Strikes escalate and MPs call for protection as interior minister warns protesters against wreaking havoc Angelique Chrisafis in Paris Refinery strikes have escalated in France as the interior minister spoke of protesters wreaking havoc across the country and some MPs called for police protection, amid anger at the government pushing through a rise in the pension age without… Read More French anger spreads after Macron forces pension age rise

Victor Jara murder: ex-military officers sentenced in Chile for 1973 death

First posted July 04, 2018 In Chile, a fascist junta in two years, wiped out 30,000 of the population, imprisoned 200,000 and left 22,000 widows and 66,000 orphans…the operation under the management of Augusto Pinochet, was fired off by a collective comprising the CIA, the State Department and American business interests. Read about Milton Friedman’s contribution here.… Read More Victor Jara murder: ex-military officers sentenced in Chile for 1973 death

Myanmar is a failing state, led by a junta fuelled by Russian arms, says UN rights envoy

Myanmar is a “failing state” and the crisis is getting exponentially worse, a UN special rapporteur for the country has warned, urging countries to adopt the same unified resolve that followed the invasion of Ukraine. “The same types of weapons that are killing Ukrainians are killing people in Myanmar,” Tom Andrews, special rapporteur on the… Read More Myanmar is a failing state, led by a junta fuelled by Russian arms, says UN rights envoy

South Africa downgrades Israeli Embassy over Ongoing Apartheid

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Middle East Eye reports that the South African parliament has voted to downgrade the Israeli embassy in Pretoria to liaison status. The resolution was introduced by the tiny center-left National Freedom Party, which has only two seats in parliament. Its passage was assured, however, when the African National Congress supported it.… Read More South Africa downgrades Israeli Embassy over Ongoing Apartheid

Rhapsody of emancipation: the interventions of Gáspár Miklós Tamás

Ferenc Laczó An anarchist philosopher turned right-leaning libertarian and anti-capitalist critic of the illiberal order, Gáspár Miklós Tamás (1948–2023) embodied what east European thinkers have tended to be best at: making paradoxes intelligible. Democracy is ‘an odd thing to be glad about all on one’s own,’ Gáspár Miklós Tamás quipped in the late 1990s, and… Read More Rhapsody of emancipation: the interventions of Gáspár Miklós Tamás

Traute Lafrenz, the last of the White Rose anti-Nazi resistance, dies aged 103

NB: The memory of these young people, their indomitable courage and humanity in resisting the criminal Nazi regime always brings tears to my eyes. They have left us something priceless: the belief in an undefeated human conscience. Goodbye Traute, and good bye again Sophie and Hans and all your comrades on the White Rose. Thank… Read More Traute Lafrenz, the last of the White Rose anti-Nazi resistance, dies aged 103