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NEWS AND ANALYSIS
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Read the latest news and analysis from Alternatives International!
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26 March, by
Anti-Colonial Labour Internationalisms: The Saharawi and Palestinian Liberation Struggles
Based on an interview with Mustafa Mohamed Lamin al-Kattab, representative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguía el Hamra and Río de Oro (Frente POLISARIO) for the Mashriq (Near East). (...) -
22 March, by
Far Right Extremism: The Perfect Storm
Rampant populism, identity politics, widespread disinformation, xenophobia and Islamophobia that fuel growing far right extremist violence around the world have created one of the most complex (...) -
22 March, by
The Iraq War Changed Our World for the Worse
Twenty years ago today, the US government and a “Coalition of the Willing” invaded the sovereign country of Iraq. According to Richard A. Clarke, former US chief counter-terrorism adviser, US (...) -
20 March, by
The Bloodbath in Iraq Shows the US Can Never Be a “Global Policeman”
The anniversary of the Iraq War has led to widespread discussion of the US’s “mistaken” invasion. But the deeper problem is Washington’s continued claim to be judge, jury, and executioner for the (...) -
17 March, by
The Ukraine Conflict and the Peace Question
1. What do we mean by constituent peace in the context of the Ukraine War? What will peace constitute so that it becomes a constituent power? This is important if any suggestion to launch a peace (...) -
13 March, by
Who Is Afraid of Caste Equity in Canada?
Anyone familiar with caste stigma and the violence endured by caste-oppressed Dalits and other minorities should have welcomed the Toronto school board’s move. So why are some Indian-origin groups (...) -
10 March, by
What Does the US Get Out of Shielding Israel From Accountability at the UN?
In his eloquent 2012 memoir, Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations, wrote that the failure of the UN to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East was a deep internal wound (...) -
28 February, by
Multipolarity, the Mantra of Authoritarianism
The Left’s advocacy for ’multipolarity’ against a US-led unipolar order has, in effect, defended authoritarianism across the world. The Left must reflect on how its language enables such regimes. (...) -
27 February, by
Paresh Chattopadhyay (1927–2023): Singleness of Purpose
The eminent Marxian socialist scholar and critic of Lenin’s Marxism, Paresh Chattopadhyay (PC) passed away on January 14, 2023, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was emeritus professor of political (...) -
24 February, by
Turkey’s Statequake
On 6 February, southern Turkey and northern Syria were shaken by two massive earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.7 respectively. At the time of writing, the death toll has climbed to over (...) -
9 February, by
Farewell to Europe?
The war between Russia and Ukraine is a much wider war A new-old ghost is hovering over Europe – war. The most violent continent in the world in terms of deaths in warfare for the last hundred (...) -
6 February
The Havana Declaration on the New International Economic Order
The Havana Congress on the New International Economic Order (NIEO), organised by the Progressive International, closed this weekend with delegates agreeing on a declaration and a commitment to (...) -
25 January, by
EU Says it’s Anti-Semitic to Call Israel an Apartheid State
It is anti-Semitic to say Israel perpetrates the crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people, according to the European Union. That would mean that major rights groups including Human (...) -
18 January, by
More Cops? Not What Our Communities Need
Listening to Chief Myron Demkiw’s pitch for the 2023 budget request to the Toronto Police Services Board (TPS), it sounded like the rationale for the budgets put together by school boards: the (...) -
10 January, by
Socio-Political Formations Behind Israel’s Neo-Zionist Government
Two months after the election of the new government of Israel, the blurred picture is becoming more transparent, and it seems one can offer some more informed insights about its composition, (...) -
1 December 2022, by
Does COP Stand For “Confession Of Powerlessness?”
Another COP (COP27), Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to give its full title) held in Egypt, has come and gone leaving, well, nothing much (...) -
30 November 2022, by
Back to Year Zero of the 1979 Iranian Revolution: The ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ Revolt
The time seems to be ripe for the women and the Kurds to write the last year of the Islamic State’s history through rewriting the year Zero of the Revolution. On July 14, 1789, when the (...) -
27 November 2022, by
The Last First Israeli Anti-Zionist
Sixty years after co-founding the radical leftist group Matzpen, Moshé Machover reflects on the organization’s enduring legacy, the internal splits that led to its demise, and its lessons for (...) -
26 November 2022, by
AYITI (HAITI) TALKS BACK TO CANADA
From Toronto Star-Week of November 20/22): Last week, Defence Minister Anita Anand noted that Canada could play a role by sending aid to the country. “We’re being very prudent about the next (...) -
22 November 2022, by
Morbid Symptoms, Premature Obituaries: The American Empire
Globalization, which now confronts us as a locked-in inevitability, looked quite different in the first half of the 20th century. Then, in the face of the horrors of two world wars and the (...) -
31 October 2022, by
Bring Politics Back Into Society: 40% Abstained – Not Without Justification
Now, either we confront the very core of our system of producing, consuming, and living – requiring a real revolution – or the road will be open to the violence inevitably produced by unsustainable (...) -
29 September 2022, by
Building an Emancipatory Program Based on Social Movements
We have entered a period of fundamental rupture, a period of transition marked by strong contradictions. The various social, ecological, geopolitical, political and ideological institutions are (...) -
29 September 2022, by
The Sankara Affair: The Glimmers of Justice
Amid a pandemic, while the world seems to be holding its breath and COVID is taking up all the media space, a courageous and tenacious effort continues to obtain justice for the death of Thomas (...) -
19 September 2022, by
Extreme Events Are the New Normal, And Not Just In The Weather
’We face today the genesis of a global social hurricane’ September 21 is the day the dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in the Philippines. For 49 years, it has been a day of (...) -
14 September 2022, by
The Bewildering Vote in Chile That Rejected a New Constitution
On September 4, 2022, more than 13 million Chileans – out of a voting-eligible population of approximately 15 million – voted on a proposal to introduce a new constitution in the country. As early (...) -
11 August 2022, by
Trial! Not an Apology
Leading up to Pope Francis’ arrival, the government prepared Canadians to expect a genuine apology for a crime that the Church could no longer mask: the forceful removal of over 150,000 indigenous (...) -
10 August 2022, by
PIPFPD Expresses Solidarity With Jammu & Kashmir People
As August 5 this year marks the third anniversary of the reading down of the Article 370 and the partition of J&K, Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD) expressed (...) -
14 July 2022, by
Sri Lanka’s Crisis is Endgame for Rajapaksas
Sri Lanka’s citizens’ movement known as the Janatha Aragalaya (‘Peoples’ Struggle’), notched its most significant victory yet, when Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced through the Speaker of Parliament that (...) -
14 July 2022, by
The First Principle of Union Organizing: Spontaneity Isn’t Enough
If today’s unionization rate in the US was the same as it was forty years ago (already a low bar, as that number is significantly down from the mid-1950s peak), the number of union members would (...) -
6 July 2022, by
“We Seek Lasting Peace While NATO Prepares for Perpetual War.”
Between 28 and 30 June, the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met in Spain in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. But rather than seeking to secure collective (...) -
26 June 2022, by
The Supreme Court Has Made Progress. It Now Directs ‘Those Seeking Justice’ to Be Put in the Dock
The apex court judgment on Zakia Jafri’s plea has made the victims of the alleged state-sponsered violence lonely, threatening them against seeking the help of human rights workers. Revenge for (...) -
25 June 2022, by
One More Nail in the Coffin of Trudeau’s Latin American Strategy
Sunday’s presidential vote in Colombia strengthens the socialist, regional integrationist forces Ottawa has sought to undercut Gustavo Petro’s election victory in Colombia is a major blow to (...) -
21 June 2022, by
Some Questions For the World Revolutionary Movement
Translated from French: Le livre de la jungle insurgée. Plongée dans la guérilla Naxalite en Inde Auteur: Alpa Shah Préface de Naïké Desquesnes, éditrice, Editions de La dernière lettre, 2022 I am (...) -
16 June 2022, by
Why Peace and Disarmament Are at the Heart of Nonalignment
As our world spirals toward the catastrophe of nuclear war, there has never been a greater need for a new global balancing, a rejection of great power war, exploitation, and aggression. Now more (...) -
11 June 2022, by
Ukraine: Making a War of Liberation
Vladyslav Starodubtsev, an activist of the socialist organisation Sotsialniy Rukh (Social Movement) in Ukraine, spoke to Tom Harris. TH: The war has shifted focus towards the Donbas. What does (...) -
30 May 2022, by
For Israelis, the Future is Impossible to See
A society cannot go far with its head buried in the sand, and will certainly be unable to cope with the real challenges confronting it If there is one thing completely missing from the public (...) -
24 May 2022, by
Protests in Finland: No to NATO, Yes to Peace
Sunday, May 15th was a sad day for Finland’s long history of military non-alignment. On this day, the country’s President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin officially announced what (...) -
17 April 2022, by
The #GotaGoHome Protest Movement: Significance, Potential, and Challenges
After 31st March, 2022, Sri Lanka’s politics is no longer what it has been. It seems to have entered a qualitatively new phase. It is still too early to say anything definite about the true (...) -
21 March 2022, by
The War in Ukraine
This text is intended to introduce a debate within Alternatives. It argues that this conflict will change everything, including in our area of solidarity and international cooperation. As in any (...) -
13 March 2022, by
The War in Ukraine: Truth is the Whole
Two maxims come to mind as I sit to write about the war in Ukraine: ‘Truth is in the whole’ and ‘Truth is the first victim of war.’ The picture from the Canadian government and the major western (...) -
11 March 2022, by
Remembering Pierre Beaudet
Our friend and comrade Pierre Beaudet is no more. He passed away on 8 March 2022. Founding Director of Alternatives, Pierre was a man of multiple passions. A voracious reader with (...) -
6 February 2022, by
The Left is Nowhere on COVID: And That’s a Big Problem
They have failed to step into the current political climate and counter far-right protests, and get workers the income, housing and other social support they need. As bands of well-funded (...) -
2 February 2022, by
The Left Is in Grave Danger
As we enter Day 5 of the so called "Freedom Convoy’s’ siege of Ottawa it is alarming to see so many Canadians buying into the agenda of the organisers of this protest. On the surface it appears to (...) -
1 February 2022, by
Why Was Mahatma Gandhi Killed?
This January 30, let us remind ourselves of the motive behind the Mahatma’s assassination. An ideological argument was sought to be cut short with a revolver. The debate continues... As is (...) -
28 January 2022, by
The Demise of the World Social Forum
The International Renewal Group denounces the WSF’s irrelevance due to being unable to adapt to changes We, the members of the International Renewal Group, have been part of the founders of the (...) -
6 January 2022, by
Don’t Be Fooled, BJP’s Counter-Offensive Against Farmers Is Very Much Still On
The forced surrender and public humiliation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the politico-economic battle over the farm laws engenders feelings of revenge against the farmers. It might seem (...) -
21 November 2021, by
The Battle Has Been Won, But The War Is Still On
After over 15 months of farmers protests, Modi has finally been made to accept defeat and to come out and announce the repeal of the three farm laws. Indeed, this is a historic win. After (...) -
29 October 2021, by
‘No way back’ to Military Dictatorship Declare Sudanese Activists
The coup launched by Sudanese military leaders on the morning of 25 October is being resisted by mass protests amid calls for total civil disobedience and a political general strike. After mass (...) -
6 October 2021
Condemn the Murder of Protesting Farmers in India
The South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), the Indian Farmers and Workers Support Group and the Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association, Winnipeg strongly condemn the brutal (...) -
2 October 2021, by
Shift in European Politics Towards Green Left
It is for the first time in global history that science is influencing political change. The science of climate change is now so well established and irrefutable that it has completely silenced (...) -
24 September 2021, by
20 Years After Durban: Africans and Afro-Descendants Still Colonized or Emancipated?
At the end of the Durban -2001- conference, the international community, many NGOs, social movements and members of what it is agreed, in the UN corridors, to call « civil society », subscribed to (...) -
10 September 2021, by
Heil Xi Jinping!: Celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of the Communist Party of China
My using the term `Heil’ to greet Xi , recalling Hitler, may sound offensive to those who believe that China is a Communist state. But judging by the ominous signs emanating from that country, I (...) -
3 September 2021, by
Twenty Years of the Afghanistan Occupation Ends: A New Phase of Struggle Begins
In 2007, I travelled throughout Afghanistan with an Afghan-Canadian research partner,(1) and we asked more than one hundred Afghans: What do you think about the international intervention in (...) -
1 September 2021, by
Colonialism and the Epistemology of Ignorance: A Lesson from Afghanistan
The abrupt and chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in mid-August filled the news around the world. With more or less variations, these were the main topics: humiliation for the U.S. and its (...) -
30 August 2021, by
Afghan People Abandoned by President Joe Biden
After twenty years of war, led by a NATO coalition headed by the United States, the abandoned Afghans are looking to the international community for help, while apprehending what the future will (...) -
17 August 2021, by
Debacle in Afghanistan
The fall of Kabul to the Taliban on 15 August 2021 is a major political and ideological defeat for the American Empire. The crowded helicopters carrying US Embassy staff to Kabul airport were (...) -
12 August 2021, by
Canada’s Colonialism Extends Through Its Foreign Policy
Bilateral free trade agreements are not often at the heart of public focus around political firestorms today, however trade accords can speak profoundly to both the inherent priorities and long (...) -
12 August 2021, by
Agrarian Crisis and the Longest Farmers’ Protest in Indian History
“The farmers not only know how to farm, but they also know how to protect their fields,” said a farm leader from Punjab at the protest site on the outskirts of Delhi, where protesting farmers have (...) -
12 August 2021, by
Feminist Protests in Palestine
Palestine looks back on a long history of women organizing dating back to as early as 1917, as well as a vibrant history of women’s social and political participation in the country. Nevertheless, (...) -
12 August 2021, by
After the Blast
It has been just over a year since the devastating explosion at Beirut’s port on 4 August 2020, which destroyed several neighbourhoods and shattered the national psyche. The blast was all too (...) -
12 August 2021, by
Genocide and Colonialism: Challenging the Canadian State
Public opinion has been shaken by the “discovery” of unmarked graves of children who died in residential schools. The word “discovery” has to be placed in quotation marks because Indigenous (...) -
12 August 2021, by
Mohammad Ali Shah
With the passing away of Mohammad Ali Shah we have lost a dear comrade, friend and an untiring fighter for human rights of the most marginalized section of Pakistani society. He was a veritable (...) -
4 July 2021
Punjabi Writers, Activists Say Self-Proclaimed Sikh Leaders Can’t Take Away Women’s Rights
We, the undersigned, express our deep concern over the recent turn of events around young adult Kashmiri Sikh women who married Muslim men, and often converted to Islam, after exercising their (...) -
27 June 2021, by
Gramsci at the Delhi Border: Indian Farmers and the Revolution against Inevitability
In October 1917, a young Italian communist named Antonio Gramsci observed the Russian Revolution from afar with a mixture of amazement and confusion. He was thrilled that the Bolsheviks had (...) -
8 June 2021, by
Whither Farmers’ Struggles in India?
The ongoing struggle of farmers in India is the most significant mass mobilization in decades and represents the biggest challenge to the government of Narendra Modi since it first came to power (...) -
17 May 2021, by
Colombia’s Leaders Want to Stain Their Country with the Blood of the Working Class
As police and military forces in Colombia use violence to try to repress the massive mobilizations that grew out of a national strike, demonstrators have seen flagrant violations of their human (...) -
1 May 2021, by
The Paris Commune –Yesterday and Today – 1871-2021
‘Although we like to think in linear terms, history has its own cunning that carries us along strange and mysterious paths. Long forgotten, ‘defeated; movements and their ideals sometimes emerge (...) -
1 May 2021, by
The Paris Commune and Alterglobalism
The Paris Commune is a universal moment. We rediscover each time its significance in relation to the new questions that arise in building the future. A specific event of extraordinary density (...) -
1 May 2021, by
Embers of the Paris Commune
This year we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune of 1871 - the biggest urban insurrection of the nineteenth century, that led to the setting up of a grass roots based (...) -
1 May 2021, by
The Paris Commune and the Irish Freedom Struggle
In honour of the 150th anniversary of “La commune de Paris” To the contemporary left, the Paris Commune is an iconic event. However, like the Latin prayers I used to mumble as a Catholic altar (...) -
1 May 2021, by
The Paris Commune 1871: 150th Year Anniversary of the First Socialist Government
The French Revolution of 1789 opened up a period of French history that led to the first socialist government, The Paris Commune 1871. The French Revolution of 1789 ushered in an attempt, (...) -
1 May 2021, by
As Disaster Strikes, India Teeters on the Brink
In the internet age, news of disasters is difficult to hide even for authoritarian regimes that try to stifle dissent or conceal images that show them in a bad light. The videos from India freely (...) -
1 May 2021, by
Crossing the Threshold
I went through the Erez border crossing for the first time in 2006. The ultra-sophisticated architecture of this highly secured facility made of concrete, steel, wire and armored glass reminds (...) -
1 May 2021, by
I.A. Rehman: Tribute to a Great Peace and Human Rights Activist
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of long-time comrade and human rights activist I.A. Rehman in Lahore on April 12, 2021. Mr. Rehman, a veteran communist, was a co-founder (...) -
31 March 2021, by
Revisiting Ayodhya: A Multi-Religious Historical Site Turned into The Capital of a Majoritarian Hindu Religious Empire
Now that the foundation stone for the building of the Rama temple has been laid at his birthplace in Ayodhya, it is time to recall the history of Rama’s birth. The present hype over the occasion (...) -
31 March 2021, by
Ethiopia: Between Famine and Military Stalemate
During the liberation war from the mid-seventies to the early 1990s, Paulos Tesfagiorgis was head of the Eritrean Relief Agency (ERA), the central organism that organized the provision of goods (...) -
31 March 2021, by
The Struggle for Water Justice is a Struggle for Gender and Racial Justice
The essay is published in honour of World Water Day, which has been held every year on March 22 since 1993. The goal of this day is to celebrate water and raise awareness of the 2.2 billion (...) -
31 March 2021, by
Accelerating Decay
Spring is in the air, and Brussels should be buzzing with activity. Remember von der Leyen’s Next Generation EU (NGEU for short), the €750 billion ‘Corona recovery fund’ borrowed from the owners of (...) -
31 March 2021, by
Stop Fueling War in Yemen
On March 26, Members of anti-war organizations World BEYOND War, Labour Against the Arms Trade, and People for Peace London blocked railway tracks near General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, a (...) -
27 February 2021, by
Impact of the Farmers Agitation on India’s International Image
India’s current image in most of the mainstream western media is that of an authoritarian state: a state unwilling to tolerate any dissent or criticism of its actions and policies; a state that (...) -
21 February 2021, by
The Systemic Capitalist Crisis and the Advent of Neo-fascism
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown without a doubt how the capitalist class has not responded and cannot respond to the devastating consequences produced by the corona virus across our (...) -
19 February 2021, by
In Defence of Ken Loach
So, it’s come to that: Ken Loach is now the target of a character assassination campaign waged by those who will stop at nothing to shield the apartheid policies of Israel. Their message to people (...) -
19 February 2021, by
Living Socialism Today: Remembering Leo Panitch
Standing outside a conference with a group of devotees, a famous political scientist brags that there’s only two people in the world he’s afraid of: his mother and Leo Panitch. To anyone who knows (...) -
18 February 2021, by
Humour in the Time of COVID-19
Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote his novel `Love in the Time of Cholera’ in 1985. It ends with the tale of a couple of elderly lovers persuading the captain of the ship by which they were travelling (...) -
1 February 2021, by
Global Pandemics as Historical Catalysts and Literary Allegories
The outbreak of Coronavirus all over the world has set alarm bells ringing among policy makers, economists, scientists medical practitioners, politicians – in other words, all those who set the (...) -
1 February 2021, by
Israel at the Current Global Juncture
How does Israel fit in with current global emergencies and unprecedented dangers, those being the worsening provision of food, water, shelter, and healthcare for the global population, the (...) -
1 February 2021, by
Left and the Populists
Subhoranjan Dasgupta interviews eminent political scientist and founder of the Calcutta Research Group, Ranabir Samaddar. Subhoranjan Dasgupta (SD): The General Secretary of CPIML (Liberation) (...) -
1 February 2021, by
The Conflict in Ethiopia: A Humanitarian Disaster
In conversation with Paulos Tesfagiorgis, Pierre Beaudet While over 950,000 people are on the move in the northern province of Tigray, a huge humanitarian disaster is already hitting Tigrayans (...) -
1 February 2021, by
Review: The Fascism This Time
What does progressive patriotism look like? Theo Horesh’s book The Fascism This Time provides a timely blueprint for what must be done to nourish and reinvigorate the democratic spirit of (...) -
1 February 2021, by
South Africa: Vaccine Apartheid or Equality?
We are in the middle of a global shortage of supplies of COVID-19 vaccines. We are reliving the saga that happened early in the pandemic around access to personal protective equipment (PPE), (...) -
18 January 2021, by
Challenges for Justice in Palestine
Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM UTC Zoom link It seems that in Palestine old is new and new is more of the old. Justice remains elusive, a mirage in the fields of resistance. (...) -
21 December 2020, by
Leo Panitch (1945-2020)
Leo had recently been diagnosed with multiple myeloma—a type of cancer that affects the plasma cells located in the bone marrow. Justifiably optimistic about treatment, he had the misfortune to (...) -
25 November 2020, by
Thirty Sixth Anniversary of the Bhopal Disaster
The cusp between Dec 2nd and 3rd marks the 36th anniversary of the Bhopal Disaster that occurred at the Union Carbide pesticide factory in the city of Bhopal, India. Tanks containing 40 tonnes of (...) -
31 October 2020, by
How Can Socialists Help Stop Trump?
Eric Blanc interviews Leo Panitch about the upcoming presidential election in the US. Eric Blanc (EB): I would love to hear your take on the question of whether or not socialists should be (...) -
30 October 2020, by
How Low Can a Country Go?
How low can the country go? To what moral depths can the “world’s largest democracy” descend? These questions emerge naturally in the aftermath of two horrific events: the rape and killing of a (...) -
19 October 2020, by
Why is the Israeli Military Still Recruiting in Canada?
For three quarters of a century Canadians have been recruited inside this country to fight in Israel’s military There’s a Canadian law that makes it illegal for the armed forces of any foreign (...) -
17 October 2020, by
Will Escaping Americans Test Canada’s Capacity for Sympathy?
When Donald Trump was elected in 2016, I started hearing from American friends that they were thinking of migrating to Canada. Sensing that most of them didn’t really mean it, I would joke in (...) -
5 October 2020, by
Internationalism or Extinction
Returning to the major crises we face at this historic moment, all are international, and two internationals are forming to confront them. One is opening today: the Progressive International. The (...) -
1 October 2020, by
India’s March to a Police State Intensifies
Last month’s editorial focused on how India, often billed as the world’s largest democracy, was marching towards an authoritarian police state. It was argued that while the formal institutions of (...) -
1 September 2020, by
Two International Webinars on Kashmir
Kashmir is under siege. Seven million people are under virtual lockdown for nine months since the BJP government abrogated Articles 370 and 35 reducing the former Princely state of Jammu and (...)
