Comrade Leo Bernard, 1939-1966
by Hank Kennedy
The Left was on the rise—and under threat—in the mid-1960s. Hank Kennedy tells the story of a hometown comrade who was a target of anti-communist violence.
Taiwan and the logic(s) of imperialism
On the visits of Nancy Pelosi et al.
by Charlie HoreCharlie Hore looks at the background to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan—which has further raised tensions between the United States and China—and asks what the U.S. expected to get out of it.
Taiwan: Caught Between Rival Superpowers
An Interview with Brian Hioe and Wen Liu
by TempestTempest interviews Brian Hioe and Wen Liu, two prominent commentators on Taiwanese politics and editors of New Bloom Magazine, about Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit and the geopolitical battle between the U.S. and China over the island.
Sri Lanka’s democratic revolution
The latest episode in a decades-long drama
by Rohini HensmanMonths of protests brought down Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last month. Scholar-activist Rohini Hensman situates this victory as one step in a protracted struggle for democracy in Sri Lanka.
Through DSA’s looking glass
An interview with Jenbo
by Andy Sernatinger & Natalia TylimJen Bolen from Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) National Political Committee (NPC) describes the story behind the controversial grievance report by the NPC regarding violations of the grievance policy during and beyond the 2021 DSA Convention.
The Democracy In Action slate offers a new path for UAW Local 2110
by Willem Morris
Willem Morris assesses the importance of the Democracy In Action slate in the UAW Local 2110 elections and its endorsement by the national reform group Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD).
A new era of labor revolt (1966)
On the job vs. official unions
by Stan WeirIn the mid-1960s, in the midst of Black urban revolt and radicalization on campuses, the U.S. working class was supposedly bought off and inactive. Worker-revolutionary Stan Weirdisagreed. In this 1966 speech, he detailed the broad stirrings of a rank and file rebellion—a revolt with roots in unbearable workplace conditions and a deep feeling that “something’s basically wrong with American life.”
It’s their democracy, not ours, but we must defend it
by David Renton
Bourgeois democracy isn’t full democracy, but British socialist David Renton argues that socialists should not be indifferent when the ruling class threatens to shed its democratic skin.
An unstable triumph: the Philippines after the election
Interview with Walden Bello
by Ashley SmithTempest’s Ashley Smith interviews Walden Bello in this follow-up interview after the national elections in the Philippines on May 9, which saw the consolidation of power under the right-wing populist and authoritarian Marcos/Duterte ticket.
Democratic decline in the U.S., democratic deficit in Puerto Rico
by Paul Figueroa
As the attacks on basic democratic rights picks up steam in the U.S., these reactionary politics have impacted Puerto Rico, where the right-wing seeks to deploy similar strategies and tactics. As a result, argues Paul Figueroa, the appeal of national independence has again started to grow across the Left in Puerto Rico.