While the Trump Administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the US-Mexico border drew intense condemnation, the practice has been going on in this country for centuries. Historian Laura Briggs argues that it has been part of strategy of counterinsurgency, as during the anti-communist wars in Latin America, in which rebellious populations are … Continued
It’s been likened to the Paris Commune, but took place a mere forty-one years ago. In 1980, the people of Gwangju, South Korea, rose up against dictatorship, and for some precious days the liberated city governed itself from below through mass assemblies. George Katsiaficas discusses the history of repression and rebellion in Korea and the … Continued
Since the ebbing of the Sixties, a particular form of protest captured the imaginations of many progressives and radicals: nonviolent direct action designed to disrupt power and prefigure the world to come. Longtime organizer L.A. Kauffman reflects on the complexities and challenges of that tradition. She also considers the politics of our time, in which … Continued
In the 2000s, various left-leaning governments swept to power in Latin America, known as the Pink Tide, raising the hopes of many around the world. But their successes were limited, and in places like Brazil, center-left governments have now been replaced by the hard right. Gianpaolo Baiocchi reflects on the crisis of the left in … Continued
What has been the relationship between queer struggles and other struggles on the left against racism, imperialism, and war? It’s often assumed that gay and lesbian liberation has run on its own separate track, but historian Emily Hobson argues that’s a misconception. She reflects on the history of LGBTQ liberation and the politics of solidarity, … Continued
We on the left find ourselves in a world that seems sullied in at every level — the air we breathe, the water we drink, the unequal social relations between people, and an exploitative relationship with the natural world. Our answer, not surprisingly, is to struggle for more purity, both in our environment and in … Continued
