Since the start of the war in Ukraine in late February, environmental writer and activist Bill McKibben has, in op-ed pieces, blog posts, and media appearances, been pumping out rationales in support of U.S. imperialism in its confrontation with Russian imperialism. As Russia escalated its brutal invasion of Ukraine—and as the U.S. and its West European allies ramped up military assistance to the government of Ukraine and stepped up economic warfare against Russia—McKibben has repeated the mantra of the U.S. ruling class that this is a battle between “democracy” (represented by the U.S. and the government of Ukraine) and “autocracy” (Putin and Russia). But Bill McKibben goes further. He gives his embrace of U.S. sanctions against Russia and bullets for Ukraine a particular environmental twist.
In recent years, there has been lot of talk, and a lot written, about the growing danger of “authoritarianism” in the U.S., as represented by Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Now, in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and U.S. moves in response to this, there is the spectacle of a number of supposed “experts” on “authoritarianism” rallying around the flag of U.S. imperialism in the face of the challenge to its dominance posed by Russia, with China lurking as perhaps an even more serious challenge. (Russia and China have not been “communist” for a long time—and instead have, for decades, been capitalist-imperialist countries and, as such, represent a significant challenge to the imperialist interests of the U.S.)
In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there has been a not-so-remarkable but thoroughly revealing, and disgusting, display of American liberals and progressives mindlessly mouthing condemnation of Russian aggression in a way that is thoroughly in line with the position and aims of the imperialist ruling class of this country (the “good old USA”), which by far holds the record for invasions and other acts of violent interference in other countries.
Tuesday, February 22, U.S. news media are reporting that Russia plans to send troops into breakaway regions of Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian forces. However things unfold, a war between U.S.-backed forces and Russia over Ukraine would be a humanitarian nightmare, a slaughter of innocent civilians. It would be fundamentally driven not by a triggering incident (real or fake) but by the insatiable compulsion for imperialist powers to grab more or be pushed off the table of global bloodsuckers. For people here in the belly of the beast, our interests lie not in getting behind our oppressors in any form, but in welcoming their defeats as part of building a movement to overthrow this system.
On November 18, two men had their guilty convictions for the February 21, 1965 assassination of Malcolm X finally and rightfully overturned in a New York court. Mohammad Aziz (now 83) and Khalil Islam—formerly known as Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson—together lost 42 of their prime years in prison. Islam, who had been Malcolm X’s driver, died in 2009 at age 74. They and their families had their lives shattered, both by prison and by the decades of carrying the social stigma of being wrongly designated as the killers of Malcolm X, a revolutionary beloved by millions then as now.
A Call to Those Who Want a Radically Different Future for Humanity
As the leaders of the world’s governments gather in Glasgow for the COP-26 conference on the climate, the situation of the planet and its inhabitants has never been clearer: To deal with climate change, we need System change. And this means Revolution – Nothing Less! An actual overthrow of the capitalist-imperialist system and its replacement with a radically different, genuinely socialist system.
On September 11, 2021, Abimael Guzmán, known widely as Gonzalo, chairman of the Communist Party of Peru, died in an underground prison in a naval base outside of Lima, where he had been kept in solitude for 29 years, deprived of any ability to speak publicly except in limited court proceedings.
In today’s world, to fundamentally change society, you must seize power—overthrow the existing state power and establish a new state power.
In the article Commodities & Capitalism—And The Terrible Consequences Of This System, A Basic Explanation, I examined the basic contradictions which have historically developed in the foundation and at the core of the capitalist system, and how the communist revolution—and only the communist revolution—can bring about a resolution of these contradictions that is in the interests of the masses of humanity, and ultimately humanity as a whole.
Be at Revolution Books in Harlem on Wednesday, September 29 at 7 pm Cornel West and the 60th Anniversary Edition of The Wretched of the Earth In Conversation with Andy Zee A Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend Event
No Going back—No Surrender! Abortion On Demand & Without Apology Forced Motherhood Is Female Enslavement! Christian Fascist Theocrat —Get Your Laws And Vigilantes Off Our Bodies ! Patriarchy And Capitalism: You Can’t End One Without Ending The Other— Revolution, Nothing Less!
This research paper examines the dimensions of, and explores key dynamics and historical factors driving, the global growth of prostitution and trafficking of women into prostitution. “Sex work” is a profoundly and obscenely misleading term—what is involved is sexual exploitation: themarketed degradation and organized sexual submission of women to male domination. The “industrialization” of sexual exploitation refers to the fact that this sexual exploitation is globalized, large-scale, and organized. The “sex industry” encompasses brothel, street, and escort prostitution; strip clubs and massage parlors; pornography; military prostitution; and global “sex tourism” sites. This sexual exploitation has become increasingly normalized.
“Dictatorship” is generally considered a very bad thing. The very word “dictatorship” scares people. But, in fact, as I spoke to in the article Dictatorship And Communism—Facts And Foolishness: “not all dictatorships are bad.”1 It depends on the nature of the dictatorship: who is exercising dictatorship, with what methods, in whose interests and toward what goal. This, of course, is a very controversial statement. So, here I am going to bring out some more basic truth about this.
We Need a Real Revolution
“Dictatorship” is generally considered a very bad thing. The very word “dictatorship” scares people. But, in fact, as I spoke to in the article Dictatorship And Communism—Facts And Foolishness: “not all dictatorships are bad.”