The revolution and the counterrevolution: Egypt 2013
June 30 may be remembered as another turning point for the Egyptian Revolution. Opponents of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood will take to the streets on the one-year anniversary of Morsi’s first day in office to call on him to resign. The June 30 mobilizations are the culmination of the “Tamarod” (Rebellion) petition […]
Istanbul to Brazil: neoliberalism, democracy and resistance
Three weeks ago, police moved in to clear a protest camp out of an inner-city park, to make way for a shopping mall. The protesters were a mixed bunch: leftists, environmentalists, even architects,who felt they had no other option than direct action to stop the destruction of another piece of history, another park, another shared […]
The roots of Turkey’s rebellion
Richard Seymour analyzes the issues involved in an Occupy-style revolt in Turkey. ON FRIDAY [31 June], Turkish police surrounded protesters in Gezi Park near Taksim Square, the central square in Istanbul. Police blocked all exits and attacked them with chemical sprays and teargas. An Occupy-style movement has taken off in Istanbul. The ostensible issue spurring […]
Hezbollah and the Syrian Revolution
Hezbollah fought on the front lines against Israeli aggression against Lebanon in 2006, winning respect from Sunni and Shia in Lebanon and all opponents of Zionism. But Hezbollah fighters have now turned their fire on the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad’s regime in Syria, raising the risk of the Arab Spring becoming a sectarian war […]
The Legacy of Hugo Chavez: Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution
Hugo Chavez was a figure that had the neoliberals of the world worried. He led a democratic sweep of changes across his country, appropriating businesses, nationalizing oil wealth and providing services for the people and the poor, something that, according to the logic of the market’s apologists, cannot work. For all that Time magazine called […]
The Second Chinese Revolution 1925-27
The Second Chinese Revolution of 1925-27 was a turning point in world history. Consider the world situation around 1924-1925. In Europe the revolutionary wave that accompanied the end of the First World War had exhausted itself to leave the Russian Revolution isolated. In Germany the revolutionary process from 1918 to 1923 had been halted and […]
The Arab Revolutions Two Years On
What has come in the West to be called the ‘Arab spring’ was one of the largest outpourings of anger at corruption and injustice in the Arab world in many decades. It saw dictators forced from their palaces, and the people of many nations embrace their ability to make this change. It saw the resurgence […]
Hasta siempre Chavez! The revolution must continue
Revolutionary movements invariably produce great leaders. The name Hugo Chavez stands among these. Judging the role individuals play in historic processes is a precarious affair. But having some estimation is important to understanding the challenges that may await. The US Marxist, George Novack, observed that the “leadership, collective and individual, embodies the conscious element in […]
The year the masks fell: Egyptians against the alliance of the Brotherhood, military and capital
The Egyptian people’s great revolution, which threw the dictator and his cronies into prison, is still aflame as it marks its second anniversary. It has already toppled several failed governments, and forced the Military Council to quit after elections which brought Mohamed Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood to power. Their electoral success reflected the fact […]
Will Morsi hijack the revolution?
EGYPT IS facing one of its biggest political crises since the 2011 revolution that toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak as more than 100,000 people protested November 27 in Tahrir Square against President Mohamed Morsi’s bid for virtual dictatorial powers. The crisis was triggered November 22 when Morsi issued a decree placing himself beyond the review of […]
