All articles from Jacobin
Mark Zuckerberg Wanted to Keep in Touch With Jeffrey Epstein
Despite his later denial, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wanted to keep a line open to Jeffrey Epstein. Emails between the two suggest that the world of the Big Tech elite is less a back room of evi
The Legacy of the International Socialists, 50 Years Later
Like many left-wing groups in the 1970s, the International Socialists hoped to build the class struggle by making a “turn to industry.” The IS’s efforts generated an important legacy in the form of La
Union Coordination Is Essential to Organizing Amazon
Unions have the resources to organize Amazon and are already working to do so. Building Amazon “labor tables” in key metro areas — regular meetings where unions agree to coordinate their efforts — wil
The Working Class Can’t Be Bought Off Quite So Easily
In one email to Jeffrey Epstein, former CEO of Barclays Jes Staley explains that the reason the masses aren’t in revolt against the rich is that they’re placated by consumerism and celebrity culture.
Trump Is Dismantling Civil Rights Oversight of ICE
When the Department of Homeland Security was first created, Congress established a civil-rights watchdog office for DHS and its various arms, including ICE. Amid mounting concerns about DHS’s rights v
Growing US Aggression Is a Symptom of Imperial Decline
From the Americas to the Middle East, the US is deploying the crudest forms of imperial aggression to shore up its power. This is ultimately a sign of weakness rather than strength, as the foundations
Trump’s SEC Is Moving to Silence Investor Whistleblowers
Under the Trump administration, the SEC has taken a sledgehammer to enforcement against corporate crimes, with cases dropping to record lows — at the same time that corporate lobbying of the federal g
Mohammed Harbi Was Algeria’s Revolutionary Historian
Mohammed Harbi went from participating in Algeria’s independence struggle to writing some of the most important books about its history. Harbi, who died last month at the age of 92, was a creative Mar
Socialist Co-Ops Against Silicon Valley Empires
Co-ops are often dismissed as attempts to create islands of socialism. But building democratically controlled tech infrastructure can be part of a wider movement for working-class power. Both Amazon a
Palestinians Have the Right to Return to Their Homeland
After Human Rights Watch blocked a report on Israel’s denial of the Palestinian right of return, its Israel-Palestine team resigned. One team member, Omar Shakir, spoke to Jacobin about why rights NGO
Real Estate Brokers Are Profiting From Warehouse Sales to ICE
Lucrative deals selling empty warehouses to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the Trump administration’s mass deportation machine are being quietly facilitated by a handful of powerful real esta
Tenants Have More Economic Power Than They Think
Just as workers can withhold labor to halt production, tenants can withhold rent to challenge corporate landlords. In Los Angeles, a coalition of tenants and debtors is proving that housing is a site
Donald Trump Is Kneecapping Oversight of Corporate Auditors
President Donald Trump has been carrying out a frenzied deregulation of financial markets. Recently, the administration stacked the US’s top watchdog of corporate auditors with Trump loyalists and for
The Blueprint for a Nationwide Immigrant Strike
The 2006 “Day Without an Immigrant” mobilized millions and killed a draconian anti-immigrant bill. With ICE waging war on immigrant communities, the playbook for a mass strike already exists — we just
In Chile, Starbucks Workers Have a National Union Contract
Starbucks has signed union contracts almost nowhere in the world. But in Chile, where in 2009 the coffee giant was first unionized, workers have a national contract covering 176 stores. In the US, 666
Kathy Hochul Is a Good Problem for Zohran Mamdani to Have
Zohran Mamdani’s endorsement of Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn’t sit well with some on the Left. But Mamdani can’t succeed without delivering for working-class New Yorkers and can’t deliver without navigatin
Taylor Rehmet Shows Working-Class Politics Can Win Everywhere
A union machinist just won a Texas State Senate seat Trump carried by 17 points. He was outspent four to one. How did he do it? By tossing out the Democrats’ playbook and running a grassroots economic
Trump Is Tearing Apart the North American Auto Industry
In the 1960s, the Auto Pact deal integrated the US and Canada’s auto sectors. Donald Trump’s trade war will all but guarantee its unraveling, spelling catastrophe for workers and firms alike. General
Under Capitalism, Democracy Stops at the Economy
In Escape From Capitalism, economist Clara Mattei offers an uncompromising defense of a Marxist account of society and makes the case for democratic control of the economy. In Escape From Capitalism,
Democrats Propose Minor Reforms for ICE — and Record Funding
Congressional Democratic leaders are asking ICE to agree to reforms, promising to vote for $11 billion in funding for the agency if it does so. ICE has every reason to concede to the demands — then ig
“Movement Parties” and Democratic Socialists of America
The rapid growth of DSA in recent decades is part of a global phenomenon of voters and activists from the Left and Right who distrust the political establishment and traditional parties, and have form
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Show Was Political Art at Its Best
It’s no wonder Donald Trump was enraged by Bad Bunny’s halftime show at the Super Bowl. The Puerto Rican trap star has grown into the role of political artist, and the creativity of his music is an in
Southern Italy Is Still Not Italy
Cyclone Harry devastated infrastructure and caused billions of euros of damage across Southern Italy. Drawing scant media coverage and an inert official response, the disaster showed the depth of Ital
Go Left, Young Writers!
A century ago, a socialist magazine published a manifesto calling for workers to pick up the pen, heralding the dawn of America’s proletarian literary movement. Our society’s need for working-class wr
Unions Are Going to Die Unless Something Big Changes Soon
The labor movement isn’t just the weakest it’s been in a century. Without a radical and aggressive shift in organizing, US unions could effectively cease to matter in the very near future. Unions are
Charity Is No Substitute for Economic Rights
The United States is a global anomaly in our collective delusion about the power of charity to address human suffering. A far better approach would be to guarantee inalienable economic rights and stru
<cite>Heated Rivalry</cite> and Modest Fantasies for Monstrous Times
An obscure 19th-century Russian novel about love and class and a 21st-century gay hockey romance might seem worlds apart. But both Heated Rivalry and Molotov offer the same thing: small parables of te
Cem Kaya and the Politics of Migration
Today deportations and restricted asylum rights are changing the terms of political belonging around the world. With surreal and darkly humorous archival works, German filmmaker Cem Kaya is exploring
Syria’s Anti-Kurdish Offensive Suits Israeli Strategy
Israeli politicians often paint themselves as allies of Kurdish freedom against Arab dictators. Yet today Israel is dropping the act, now that it sees Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa as a potential a
Cuba Is on Edge Waiting for Donald Trump’s Next Move
Cuba has been living in the shadow of US threats and blackmail ever since the revolution of 1959. But Donald Trump’s nakedly imperialist power grab in the Americas represents one of the most serious d
Thomas Mann and the Temptations of Fascism
The resurgence of right-wing populism has set the table for the far right’s renewed fortunes. Published in 1947, Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus offers a guide to the mythmaking and rejection of reason t
How to Understand Nature From a Marxist Perspective
Nobody today denies that capitalism exploits nature. The disagreement is over why. Political theorist Alyssa Battistoni spoke to Jacobin about capitalism’s complex relationship to what economists once
Europeans Outraged at ICE Should Also Be Resisting Frontex
Reports of ICE thugs providing security for J. D. Vance at Milan’s Winter Olympics have sparked outrage in Italy. In Europe, too, multibillion-euro border agency Frontex is taking on increasingly trou
In Search of Russia’s Lost Opposition
The Russian state has forced many antiwar leftists into exile, cutting them off from ordinary Russians. But activists are well aware that change in Russia must come from within, mobilizing ordinary pe
Ehud Barak Had a Very Close Friendship With Jeffrey Epstein
The recent release of more Epstein files only provide more evidence about just how close former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein were to each other, despite
Our Obsession With Personal Responsibility Is Making Us Sick
Poor health outcomes are often treated as an unfortunate by-product of individual bad decisions. This moralizing approach ignores the role poverty plays in determining who gets ill and who can afford
Phara Souffrant Forrest: Why I Support NYC’s Striking Nurses
Socialist New York State Assembly member and nurse Phara Souffrant Forrest on why New York City nurses are right to be on strike demanding safer staffing levels, a modest pay increase, and new safety
The UAW Volkswagen Contract Is a Win for Unions in the South
After over 500 days of bargaining, the United Auto Workers have reached a first contract with Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee — a major breakthrough for unions in the South that lays the ground f
Britain’s Rulers Have Been Partners in the Gaza Genocide
Tory and Labour governments in Britain have provided every conceivable form of support for Israel’s genocidal project in Gaza. Peter Oborne, an independent-minded conservative journalist, has now prov
Mongolia’s Crisis Is an Opportunity to Transform Its System
Over the last year, Mongolia has been experiencing a political crisis, with its parliament and president bitterly at odds. The crisis is symptomatic of a state and an economic model that denies the co
Credit Reporting Companies Want to Hide Consumer Complaints
The major credit reporting companies that help determine your ability to obtain a loan, buy a house, or get a job are urging the Trump administration to hide consumer complaints about their potential
Samantha Kattan Wants to Join New York’s Socialists in Albany
As socialist New York legislator Claire Valdez runs for Congress, socialist housing organizer Samantha Kattan is running to replace her in the state assembly. We spoke to Kattan about her campaign. Ho
Reading C. Wright Mills in the Age of Trump
Seventy years ago, C. Wright Mills published The Power Elite, a scathing indictment of corporate executives, state officials, and their academic apologists. His analysis has lost none of its bite as w
How Big Tech Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bombs
Until quite recently, many Big Tech firms opposed the militarization of AI, but that now seems like ancient history as they move to sign partnerships with arms companies. The prospect of lavish Pentag
Svalbard Could Be the Arctic’s Next Geopolitical Flashpoint
While Donald Trump’s bid to grab control over Greenland from Denmark has been attracting all the headlines, the focus on the Arctic is also making Norway anxious. Its northern territory Svalbard could
The Minneapolis Strategy for Fighting ICE Is Worth Studying
In Minneapolis, years of robust labor and community organizing set the stage for the fierce pushback against federal immigration agents’ aggressive invasion. Their experience may soon be relevant to c
Governor Kathy Hochul Is Undermining Striking New York Nurses
As a historic nurses’ strike enters its fourth week, New York governor Kathy Hochul has protected hospitals from the strike’s impact by making it easier to hire scabs and doing little to stop executiv
<cite>Send Help</cite> and Sam Raimi’s Genre Movie Joy
Are you desperate for genre movie escapist fun amid all this hell lately? Who isn’t? Sam Raimi’s Send Help is just what the doctor ordered. Sam Raimi’s Send Help often skirts on the edge of the ridicu
Did Big Oil Conspire to Kneecap the EV Industry?
The state of Michigan filed a lawsuit in federal court last week against major oil companies including ExxonMobil and Chevron, accusing them of engaging in a decades-long conspiracy to block the devel
The Netherlands’ New Era of Militarized Neoliberalism
The new Dutch government’s program splurges on the military while cutting the welfare state. With most NATO members committing to similarly high defense spending, working-class Europeans are forced to
Trump’s SEC May Tee Up a Repeat of the 2008 Financial Crisis
Amid aggressive bank lobbying and Donald Trump’s efforts at deregulation, we may be seeing the return of residential-mortgage-backed securities — one of the financial products that led to millions of
Fifty Years Ago, the Supreme Court Said Money Is Speech
Last week was the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision enshrining the idea that money in politics is not corruption, but constitutionally protected speech. States and cities across the US ar
Minneapolis City Councilor Robin Wonsley on Fighting ICE
Democratic socialist and Minneapolis City Council member Robin Wonsley was reelected and elevated to minority leader just days before ICE escalated its raids. We spoke to her about fighting immigratio
What New York Tenants Are Building Beyond the Courtroom
Tenants across buildings owned by Pinnacle Group are testing whether collective power can force new arrangements with landlords and the city government under a new pro-tenant mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Or
Single-Payer Champion Abdul El-Sayed Is Running for Senate
Physician Abdul El-Sayed, one of the most prominent advocates of Medicare for All, is now running for US Senate in Michigan. Jacobin spoke to him about his campaign and the continuing fight for single
US Labor Unions Can Take a Page From Sweden’s Meidner Plan
In the US, union pension funds collectively manage roughly $8 trillion in worker savings. Sweden’s Meidner Plan suggests how labor can wield that economic power effectively: by using pension funds to
How China’s Counterculture Went Online
A new book by the journalist Yi-Ling Liu documents the rise and fall of emancipatory politics on China’s internet and offers insights into the limitations of struggling for change online. Bill Clinton
Democrats Aren’t Reining in ICE. Here’s How They Could.
ICE is out of control. Democrats have numerous ways to restrain the agency, from barring ICE from domestic spying and terminating its contracts with tech companies to creating and fully funding an ind
In <cite>Melania</cite>, the Emperor Has a Lot of Clothes
It’s hard to imagine viewers who end up tuning in to the new hagiographic Melania Trump documentary, Melania, having a reaction other than “time to sharpen our guillotines.” In her new documentary, Me
How to Organize a Real General Strike in the US
General strikes are the most powerful tool in the working class’s arsenal. Recent mass actions in Minnesota against ICE terror were strong steps toward such a strike, but much more organizing is neede
Four Lessons From the UAW’s Turn Toward Class Struggle
Chris Brooks, former chief of staff to United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain, was key to an attempt to transform a once mighty union hobbled by corruption and lethargy. Here’s what he learned from
Meet Diana Moreno, Zohran Mamdani’s Successor in Queens
With Zohran Mamdani now mayor, Diana Moreno’s run for his old assembly seat in Queens tests how durable democratic socialist organizing has become in New York. From Astoria to city hall, democratic so
Why America Never Got a Labor Party
In Europe, labor unions and socialist parties marched together and won massive reforms. In the United States, they were divided. Vivek Chibber explains how that split still shapes US politics today. P
We Need Natural Disaster Insurance for All
California’s private insurers are abandoning homeowners and dodging payouts while padding executives’ pockets. A public disaster insurance system would cover everyone automatically, spread risk fairly
An ABC of Authoritarianism: Argentina, Brazil, and Chile
Aside from its authoritarian ambitions, the Trump administration shares few of the conditions of Latin America’s past military dictatorships. But its echoing of fearful rhetoric about an “enemy from w
Israel’s West Bank Occupation Is a Danger to Women
Women in the West Bank face daily harassment by Israeli settlers and troops. While Israel often paints itself as more forward-thinking on women’s rights, its occupation crushes Palestinian women’s aut
Your Party Can Realign the British Left
Britain’s new left-wing force Your Party has got off to a troubled start. But faced with the historic decline of working-class organization, it’s vital that it makes good on its promise to rebuild gra
<cite>Wake in Fright</cite> Made Us Fear the Australian Outback
Ozploitation classic Wake in Fright holds a mirror up to some of the ugliest parts of Australia. Fifty-five years after its premiere, audiences can’t get enough. The Australian horror film Wake in Fri
Coupang, South Korea’s Amazon, Is Copying Its Worst Habits
The South Korean e-commerce platform Coupang has been engulfed by scandals over data breaches and dangerous work conditions. Having spent millions to lobby US politicians, the firm is now calling in t
Socialist David Orkin Aims to Unseat a Key Eric Adams Ally
Democratic socialist David Orkin is running for New York State Assembly in Queens, aiming to further bolster the left-wing stronghold and unseat a key ally of former mayor Eric Adams. Jacobin spoke to
What Was History's Deadliest Era?
A recent history of guns and empire argues that early modern Europe marked the origins of a uniquely murderous era. But the world it describes is not so different from our own and making sense of its
Spain Shows Another Immigration Policy Is Possible
Spanish political leaders know that the economy relies on undocumented migrants and their labor. Rather than step up expulsions, Pedro Sánchez’s government has announced plans to regularize over 500,0