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Articles by Ben Curry
Alemania: ¿Por qué ganó la AfD en Sajonia-Anhalt?
El resultado de las elecciones en Sajonia-Anhalt, un estado rural y pobre del este de Alemania con solo 2.1 millones de habitantes, ha caído como un rayo sobre la clase dominante alemana. Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) ha obtenido casi el 44 por ciento de los votos, subiendo desde poco más del 20 por ciento. Mientras tanto, la CDU [partido demócrata cristiano], en el poder, cayó del 37 al 17 por ciento. Los votantes han emitido un veredicto contundente contra todo el establishment alemán.
Germany: why did the AfD win in Saxony-Anhalt?
The election result in the poor, rural East German state of Saxony-Anhalt, home to just 2.1 million residents, has hit the German ruling class like a thunderclap. Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has won nearly 44 percent of the vote, up from just over 20 percent. The ruling CDU meanwhile fell from 37 percent to 17 percent. The voters have cast a damning judgement on the whole German establishment. When we dig down into the astonishing result, we find a complex mix of feelings. There’s confusion.
Ucrania: drones, ilusiones y derrota
Después de meses en los que los medios y los políticos occidentales han estado viviendo en un mundo de fantasía, la realidad en Ucrania empieza a hacerse sentir. No hace mucho se decía que habían cambiado el rumbo y que, de hecho, estaban ganando la guerra. Esa historia ya se ha desmoronado. La situación en el campo de batalla se está deteriorando rápidamente. Un bloqueo naval total tiene al país en sus garras despiadadas. La economía está a punto de colapsar.
Ukraine: drones, delusions, and defeat
After months in which the western media and politicians have been living in make-believe land, the reality in Ukraine is beginning to bite. Not so long ago it was claimed that it had turned the tide and was actually winning the war. That story has now fallen apart. The situation on the battlefield is deteriorating rapidly. A complete naval blockade holds the country in its merciless grip. The economy is threatened with collapse. There is a black hole in the government budget.
La loca carrera de Trump de regreso a la guerra
Menos de un mes después de la firma del Memorando de Entendimiento (MOU) que aparentemente puso fin a la guerra entre Estados Unidos e Irán, las hostilidades se han reanudado. Esta vez, el imperialismo estadounidense está arrastrando al mundo entero hacia un abismo. El acuerdo pareció estar al borde del colapso desde el primer día. Netanyahu intentó sistemáticamente sabotearlo mediante provocaciones en el Líbano. Pero, al final, fue el propio Trump quien lo hizo fracasar.
Trump’s mad dash back to war
Less than a month after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that seemingly ended the war between the US and Iran, hostilities have recommenced. This time, US imperialism is dragging the whole world towards a precipice. The agreement has seemed to teeter on the brink of collapse from day one. Netanyahu systematically attempted to bring the agreement down through provocations in Lebanon. But in the end, Trump himself collapsed it. The latest pattern of escalation began on 7 July.
Trump signs America’s surrender
Editor’s note: Since the signing of the Memorandum last Wednesday, Israel threw a spanner in the works by continuing its bombardment of Lebanon. In retaliation, Iran has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz. While the Memorandum is still in effect, the latest developments highlight the extreme turbulence in the Middle East, the recklessness of Netanyahu and the Israeli regime, and the fragility of the entire ‘peace’ process.
Trump firma la rendición de Estados Unidos
El Palacio de Versalles fue una elección interesante por parte de Donald Trump para la ceremonia de firma que pondría fin a la guerra con Irán. Pero dado que estaba firmando un documento de rendición de facto, el lugar no resultaba inapropiado. Este Memorando de Entendimiento (MOU) de 14 puntos entre Estados Unidos e Irán representa una humillación para Trump, una derrota estratégica para el imperialismo estadounidense y un punto de inflexión en la situación mundial.
Trump signs America’s surrender
The Palace of Versailles was an interesting choice on Donald Trump’s part for the signing ceremony to end the war with Iran. But given that he was signing a de facto surrender document, the location wasn’t inappropriate. This 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran represents a humiliation for Trump, a strategic defeat for US imperialism, and a turning point in the world situation.
¿Controla Israel a Estados Unidos?
Según The New York Times, la guerra contra Irán no se gestó en Washington, sino en Jerusalén. Fue Benjamin Netanyahu quien elaboró el plan, que luego presentó a Trump y a su gabinete para su aprobación en una reunión celebrada en la Casa Blanca en febrero. Cuatro meses después, Trump es un hombre desesperado. Todos los objetivos bélicos de EE. UU. declarados inicialmente se han archivado discretamente, y lo único que Trump quiere ahora es salvar las apariencias y reabrir el estrecho de Ormuz.
Does Israel control the United States?
According to The New York Times, the war against Iran was hatched not in Washington, but in Jerusalem. It was Benjamin Netanyahu who formulated the plan, which he then brought to Trump and his cabinet for approval at a meeting in the White House in February. Four months on and Trump is a desperate man. All the initially stated US war aims have been quietly shelved, and all Trump wants now is to save face and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Netanyahu has other ideas.
Operación «Epstein Fury»: cae la máscara del imperio estadounidense
Aproximadamente el 60 % de los estadounidenses se opusieron a la guerra en Irán desde el primer momento. Si comparamos esta cifra con el 90 % de los estadounidenses que apoyaron la guerra en Afganistán cuando comenzó en 2001, podemos dar un vistazo al enorme cambio que se ha producido en Estados Unidos en las últimas dos décadas. No fue hasta 1967 cuando la guerra de Vietnam llegó a ser tan impopular como lo es esta guerra desde el primer día.
Operation Epstein Fury: the mask falls from the American empire
Approximately 60 percent of Americans have opposed the war in Iran from its very outset. Compare that to the 90 percent of Americans who supported the war in Afghanistan when it commenced in 2001, and we can see at a glance what an enormous sea change has occurred in the US in the past two decades. Not until 1967 did the Vietnam War become as unpopular as this war was at day one. The difference is that by 1967, more than 11,000 American troops had already been killed.
Trump’s massive Iran aggression gamble becoming a catastrophic miscalculation
Drunk with success in Venezuela, Trump thought that the same methods could be used to force Iran to submit. Either a threatening naval force encircling the country would lead to capitulation, or a short sharp decapitation strike would produce regime change through the emergence of a new leadership willing to comply with imperialists’ demands (a ‘Delcy in Teheran’ as some put it). That was a very serious miscalculation. Trump probably believed his own boasts, despite warnings from military planners.
La fractura del Mar Rojo: los aliados de EE. UU. se dividen en bandos armados
Este mes de enero, dos días después de que Trump bombardeara Venezuela y secuestrara a su presidente, Nicolás Maduro, Arabia Saudí bombardeó el sur de Yemen y secuestró a los líderes del Consejo de Transición del Sur (CTS) del país. Esto desencadenó una serie de acontecimientos y ahora ha surgido una línea de fractura a lo largo del Mar Rojo, que se extiende hacia el oeste hasta Marruecos y hacia el este hasta el subcontinente indio.
Red Sea rift: US allies split into armed camps
This January, two days after Trump bombed Venezuela and kidnapped its president, Nicolás Maduro, Saudi Arabia bombed southern Yemen and kidnapped the leadership of the country’s Southern Transitional Council (STC). This kicked off a chain of events, and now a fault line has erupted all along the Red Sea, spreading westward as far as Morocco and east as far as the Indian subcontinent.
The endgame approaches in Ukraine
Two interlinked crises are tearing into the guts of the regime in Ukraine. On the one hand, the front is unravelling. The battlefield situation is deteriorating by the day, if not by the hour. On the other, an enormous corruption scandal threatens to engulf Zelensky and his whole regime. Kiev and western capitals are descending into panic. Let us start with the military crisis. Ultimately, it is the situation at the front which is driving everything else.
Two years into the Gaza genocide: will Trump bring “eternal peace”?
Last week, US President Donald Trump stepped in to impose his 20-point peace plan to end the genocide in Gaza. He is now proposing that Gaza be handed over to an American-led transitional authority, chaired by himself, with the assistance of the destroyer of Iraq, Tony Blair. All the western and collaborationist Arab leaders are piling their hopes upon this peace.
The Gen Z revolutions: India next?
After Nepal joined Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the list of countries yet to be roiled by revolution on the Subcontinent has been reduced to three: India, Pakistan and the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. [Even as these lines are being written, a mass movement is unfolding on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control in Kashmir.] Events just across the Indian border in Nepal unfolded in a matter of hours and days. If and when this revolutionary wave comes home to India, it will do so without warning.
Sri Lanka: lessons from the struggle
Just over a month ago, on 9 July, the insurrectionary masses of Sri Lanka stormed the Colombo residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This was the culmination of island-wide protests that had been ongoing since March. They had already brought down three government cabinets, the governor of the Central Bank, and Gota’s own brothers: the Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and the powerful then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who was forced to resign on 9 May.
De Sri Lanka a Nepal: lecciones de la ola revolucionaria
Un día, parece que un país está en calma y que la camarilla gobernante está firmemente afianzada en el poder. Al día siguiente, las masas revolucionarias se plantan frente al edificio del Parlamento en llamas. La policía se ha ido, los diputados han huido y también el primer ministro. Las fotografías y los vídeos que han salido recientemente de Nepal son asombrosos. También son sorprendentemente similares a las escenas que ya hemos visto: en Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Kenia, Indonesia.
Sri Lanka to Nepal: lessons from the revolutionary wave
One day, it seems that a country is calm and the ruling clique there is firmly ensconced in power. The next day, the revolutionary masses stand in front of the burning parliamentary building. The police are gone, the MPs have fled, and so too has the Prime Minister. The photographs and videos that recently emerged from Nepal were astonishing. They are also astonishingly similar to the scenes that we’ve already seen: in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Kenya, Indonesia. What is the meaning of these events?
'Helgoland': a quantum physicist’s crusade against Lenin
In Helgoland, physicist Carlo Rovelli introduces his own new interpretation of quantum mechanics, coupled with an attack on Lenin. As Ben Curry explains, Rovelli feels the need to attack Lenin, the 20th century’s greatest materialist, because Rovelli himself is clearly abandoning materialism. And while he is attempting to answer Lenin, it turns out that Lenin long ago answered Rovelli’s own philosophical errors.
Netanyahu y Jolani están llevando a Siria al abismo
La semana pasada, el régimen yihadista sírio de al-Jolani orquestó otro pogromo. Los objetivos eran miembros de la minoría drusa en la provincia sureña siria de Sweida. Utilizando esto como excusa, Israel lanzó enormes bombas sobre el cuartel general del Ministerio de Defensa y lugares cercanos al palacio presidencial en Damasco. Tanto Jolani como Netanyahu son criaturas del imperialismo occidental. Ahora, cada uno a su manera, están empujando al país al abismo de una renovada barbarie sectaria.
Netanyahu and Jolani are jointly driving Syria to an abyss
Last week, the jihadist regime of al-Jolani orchestrated another pogrom. Those targeted were members of the Druze minority in Syria’s southern Suweida province. Using this as an excuse, Israel dropped enormous bombs on the headquarters of the defence ministry and sites near the presidential palace in Damascus. Both Jolani and Netanyahu are creatures of western imperialism. Now both of them, each in their own way, are pushing the country to the abyss of renewed sectarian barbarism.
Kenya: after Ruto’s bloodbath, which way forward?
The mass movement to bring down Ruto rose up once more on 25 June. Its sequel was planned for 7 July, with another peaceful day of protest under the hashtag #SabaSabaRevolutionDay. But the day didn’t end with a revolutionary victory. Millions have been stunned by the scale and character of the violence unleashed by William Ruto and his jackals on 7 July. The idea that more day-long protests alone can bring him down is now unimaginable.
Kenya: how can Ruto be overthrown?
On 25 June, the youth erupted once more onto Kenya’s streets. One year to the day after the struggle to stop Ruto’s Finance Bill 2024 culminated in spectacular scenes of the youth overrunning the parliament building, Gen Z is on the move again. The movement has picked up where it left off. But this time, the mood is darker and angrier. Last year, the question that raised the youth to their feet in the maandamano (‘protest’) was Finance Bill 2024, then passing through parliament.
Papa Francisco: ¿El amigo de los pobres?
El lunes 21 de abril, el papa Francisco falleció a los 88 años. Durante su mandato en la Santa Sede, se le encomendó la tarea de limpiar la imagen de la Iglesia, darle un «rostro humano» y frenar la crisis de la institución. Independientemente de lo que se piense de él, lo cierto es que desempeñó su papel con habilidad, pero la tarea era imposible. La crisis de la Iglesia continuó a buen ritmo y se acelerará tras su muerte.
Pope Francis: friend of the poor?
On Monday 21 April, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. During his time at the Holy See, he had been charged with laundering the image of the Church, with giving it a ‘human face’, and stemming the crisis of that institution. Whatever else one thinks of him, he certainly executed his role with skill, but the job was itself impossible. The crisis of the Church continued apace and it will accelerate after his death.
Siria: Los yihadistas "buenos" de Occidente masacran a inocentes
Desde diciembre, cuando el grupo islamista Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) se hizo con el poder en Damasco, diplomáticos europeos y dirigentes árabes se han reunido con el ahora trajeado ex comandante del ISIS y de Al Qaeda, Al Yolani, para lavar la imagen del nuevo régimen, con la ayuda de la prensa. Ahora vemos la verdadera cara de sus amigos de Damasco.
Syria: West’s ‘good’ jihadists slaughter innocents
Since December, when the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept to power in Damascus, European diplomats and Arab leaders have been meeting the now besuited ex-ISIS, ex-Al Qaeda commander al-Jolani in order to launder the new regime’s image, with the help of the press. Now we see the real face of their friends in Damascus.
Trump pone fin al orden mundial liberal
Una sola llamada telefónica la semana pasada marcó la muerte de la llamada alianza occidental y el colapso del sistema de relaciones mundiales que ha prevalecido desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Esa llamada telefónica fue, por supuesto, entre Trump y Putin. No fue una mera apertura formal de diálogo. Según ambos, fue una llamada extremadamente cordial.
Trump ends the liberal world order
A single phone call last week signalled the death of the so-called western alliance and the collapse of the system of world relations that has held sway since the Second World War. That phone call was, of course, between Trump and Putin. This was no mere formal opening of dialogue. It was, by both accounts, an extremely cordial call.
Trump ends the liberal world order
A single phone call last week signalled the death of the so-called western alliance and the collapse of the system of world relations that has held sway since the Second World War. That phone call was, of course, between Trump and Putin. This was no mere formal opening of dialogue. It was, by both accounts, an extremely cordial call.
Europe without America: a dark road ahead
Before Trump had even been confirmed as the 47th President of the United States of America, one European think tank had declared that “the biggest crisis in transatlantic relations since Suez” is in progress. An EU bureaucrat echoed the same sentiment: “Are there any EU-US relations left?” Panic is ripping through the halls of power in Europe. It’s not hard to see why.
Europa sin Estados Unidos: un camino oscuro por delante
Antes incluso de que Trump hubiera sido confirmado como el 47º presidente de los Estados Unidos de América, un grupo de expertos europeo había declarado que se está produciendo “la mayor crisis en las relaciones transatlánticas desde Suez”. Un burócrata de la UE se hizo eco del mismo sentimiento: “¿Queda relación alguna entre la UE y EEUU?”. El pánico recorre los pasillos del poder en Europa. No es difícil ver por qué.
Europe without America: a dark road ahead
Before Trump had even been confirmed as the 47th President of the United States of America, one European think tank had declared that “the biggest crisis in transatlantic relations since Suez” is in progress. An EU bureaucrat echoed the same sentiment: “Are there any EU-US relations left?” Panic is ripping through the halls of power in Europe. It’s not hard to see why.
Science, society, and revolution
Throughout history, mankind’s ability to develop knowledge and advance our understanding of nature has been shaped by material conditions and social forces. It is not simply individual geniuses that have helped science to take leaps forward, but revolutionary changes within society. Today, far from fuelling scientific progress, the profit motive and capitalist competition have become an enormous barrier to human knowledge. Only socialist planning can free science from these chains.
Ireland: ‘apathy bordering on anger’ - what the elections really show
The Irish general election has returned the two main capitalist parties to the Dáil with enough seats to form the core of a new coalition. The establishment is forcing a weak smile and trying to celebrate. “The choice of the Irish people is clear,” The Irish Times attempted to convince itself, “they want more of the same”. [Originally published at communism.ie] On the face of it, what is there not to be pleased about for their part?
Trump vs the ‘deep state’
The weeks that follow a presidential election, when the outgoing President occupies himself with putting the finishing touches on his legacy while leaving it to the President-elect to put together the team that will take the reins of power, are usually a fallow period in US politics. Not this time. On the one hand, the outgoing president is engaged in a breathtakingly cynical and reckless game of brinkmanship against Russia.
Trump vs the ‘deep state’
The weeks that follow a presidential election, when the outgoing President occupies himself with putting the finishing touches on his legacy while leaving it to the President-elect to put together the team that will take the reins of power, are usually a fallow period in US politics. Not this time. On the one hand, the outgoing president is engaged in a breathtakingly cynical and reckless game of brinkmanship against Russia.
50 years since the Ethiopian Revolution
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Ethiopian Revolution, which began as an uprising against the semi-feudal despotism of Emperor Haile Selassie but would go much further, culminating in the abolition of capitalism in the country. In this article, Ben Curry, gives an account of these dramatic events, and explains the complex processes that shaped the revolution’s course.
Sri Lanka: a new chapter in the revolution
Details ‘Marxist-leaning president wins Sri Lanka’s elections’: this is how the result of the country’s presidential elections on the weekend have been reported in the international press. The headlines are incorrect, but the facts are sensational enough. For the first time, a party outside the duopoly that has dominated Sri Lanka since independence in 1948 has taken the presidency.
Where next for Bangladesh?
Since the revolutionary tide swept away Sheikh Hasina one week ago, the masses, led by the students, have continued to mobilise. Committees have been expanding across the country – especially, but not exclusively, among the students. In many places they have displaced the functions of the state. The ruling class is suspended in midair. A kind of dual power exists.
¿Qué sigue para Bangladesh?
Desde que la marea revolucionaria barrió a Sheikh Hasina hace una semana, las masas, dirigidas por los estudiantes, siguen movilizándose. Los comités se han ido extendiendo por todo el país, sobre todo, pero no exclusivamente, entre los estudiantes. En muchos lugares han desplazado las funciones del Estado. La clase dirigente está suspendida en el aire. Existe una especie de doble poder.
Where next for Bangladesh?
Since the revolutionary tide swept away Sheikh Hasina one week ago, the masses, led by the students, have continued to mobilise. Committees have been expanding across the country – especially, but not exclusively, among the students. In many places they have displaced the functions of the state. The ruling class is suspended in midair. A kind of dual power exists.
Bangladesh: La apuesta de Hasina sellará su destino
En los últimos cuatro días, Bangladesh ha cambiado por completo. Desde el jueves, el gobierno de Sheikh Hasina ha tendido un velo de oscuridad sobre todo el país. Al amparo de un apagón de las telecomunicaciones, ha cometido la peor masacre que Bangladesh ha visto desde la década de 1980, si no desde la guerra de independencia de 1971. Con ella, ha expirado la última gota de legitimidad de la Liga Awami (AL) y del gobierno de Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh: Hasina’s gamble will seal her fate
In the past four days, Bangladesh has completely changed. Since Thursday, the Sheikh Hasina government has drawn a veil of darkness over the entire country. Under the cover of a telecommunications blackout, it has committed the worst massacre Bangladesh has seen since the 1980s, if not since the 1971 war of independence. With it, the last drop of legitimacy has expired from the Awami League (AL) and Sheikh Hasina’s government.
‘An inch from civil war’: A near miss for US capitalism
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has accelerated the polarisation of American society. The Republican presidential candidate dodged death by the narrowest of margins. But it wasn’t just Trump who dodged a bullet. The entire country went right up to the edge of a precipice, before taking half a step back. As the title of a Financial Times article put it: “America is staring into the abyss.” The thinking representatives of capital understand this and are gripped by feelings of dread.
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