Bhaskar Sunkara
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Articles by Bhaskar Sunkara
The Blueprint
This book will be shipped when it is published on 29 September 2026. You will be charged at the time of your order. This book will be available for download when it is published on 29 September 2026. You will be charged at the time of your order. Neither capitalism nor central planning, this is the future for socialism. Capitalism isn’t working. But is there a plausible alternative?
Rebuilding the Socialist Horizon
Eric Aarons lived through the great defeats of the twentieth-century socialist movement but refused to let those defeats have the last word. He joined the Communist Party of Australia as a young man. He believed, as millions did across the world, that he was on the right side of history.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Should Run for President
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Should Run for President Published July 22, 2026 In the summer of 2018, almost no one thought Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could beat Joe Crowley. Crowley was a 10-term incumbent, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, a man some thought would one day be speaker. A 28-year-old former bartender and democratic socialist was the longest of long shots to succeed him. But ever since she did, the political establishment has been trying to decide whether to take her seriously.
“Cuba Will Not Be Starved Into Submission” Original
Bhaskar Sunkara: Can you tell us a little about your own background, what your life in Cuba was like, and what first drew you toward diplomatic work? Ernesto Soberón Guzmán: I was born in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, and was educated entirely in my country. I originally trained as an industrial engineer before pursuing diplomatic studies. Like all Cubans, I grew up benefiting from universal access to education and healthcare. Those opportunities shaped my understanding of public service.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should run for president
‘To win, and to transform the country, she will have to speak to people’s anger and draw workers of every background into her coalition.’ Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA In the summer of 2018, almost no one thought Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could beat Joe Crowley. Crowley was a 10-term incumbent, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, a man some thought would one day be speaker. A 28-year-old former bartender and democratic socialist was the longest of long shots to succeed him.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should run for president
In the summer of 2018, almost no one thought Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could beat Joe Crowley. Crowley was a 10-term incumbent, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, a man some thought would one day be speaker. A 28-year-old former bartender and democratic socialist was the longest of long shots to succeed him. But ever since she did, the political establishment has been trying to decide whether to take her seriously. For a while it decided not to .
Platner’s collapse doesn’t mean we should reject outsiders in politics
‘The lesson of Maine is not that we need fewer amateurs.’ Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP But progressives should pay attention to the discussion around Platner. His collapse is being turned into something larger, supposed proof that people from outside politics have no business being in it. “Say what you will, but the establishment vets candidates,” the Center for American Progress president, Neera Tanden, wrote as the allegations broke.
Platner's collapse doesn't mean we should reject outsiders in politics
Graham Platner is out of the Maine Senate race , burdened by controversies that include a troubling rape accusation , which he denies. His departure is no doubt a good thing that will make it easier for Democrats to win back the Senate. But progressives should pay attention to the discussion around Platner. His collapse is being turned into something larger, supposed proof that people from outside politics have no business being in it.
Jonathan Chait Doesn’t Understand the Socialists He’s Attacking
Jonathan Chait has an essay in the Atlantic warning that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has become the very thing it was founded to oppose. There is nothing wrong with a liberal writer in a liberal publication taking aim at the socialist left. If anything, it is a good sign. The socialist movement in the United States is growing. Its ranks again include mayors and members of Congress, and I would be more confused if liberals were happy about this development.
Progressives are winning in American cities. Can they win rural voters too?
‘The math doesn’t work unless we contest rural America.’ Photograph: Jaysun Silver/Shutterstock I joined the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in April 2007 at the age of 17. DSA back then was a small group with an ageing membership and an almost negative amount of buzz. If you’d told me its candidates would someday sweep primaries across New York City, I would have been surprised to say the least. Last week, they did.
Brazilian Agribusiness Seeks Revenge
The centrality of agriculture to world capital cannot be underestimated. In the decade leading up to 2025, the value of the world’s agricultural exports rose by 34 percent to nearly $2.3 trillion, outstripping metal and mineral commodities and coming second only to fossil fuels. This massive material engine of production is only the tangible side of agribusiness, which increasingly commands enormous circuits of speculative financial capital.
Reforming Capitalism Is Not Enough
It’s a privilege to be speaking in this building. Thank you to the SEARCH Foundation and to our hosts for the opportunity. Unless I’ve been misinformed by a few of you in the crowd, Victorian Trades Hall is the oldest continuously operating trades hall in the world.
Podcast: Bhaskar Sunkara: Politics under Trump and the prospects for Socialism
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Tracking the Crisis: Week of May 24
A vital news roundup from The Nation and Democracy Collaborative. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images] Published in conjunction with The Democracy Collaborative, “Tracking the Crisis” is a weekly round-up from tracking the administrative, legislative, and other actions of the Trump Administration, as well as the many forms of legal and movement response from across a broad range of social, political, and economic actors.
Rebuilding the Socialist Horizon
Eric Aarons lived through the great defeats of the twentieth-century socialist movement but refused to let those defeats have the last word. He joined the Communist Party of Australia as a young man. He believed, as millions did across the world, that he was on the right side of history.
A Journal of Ideas
Non-competes” are clauses in employment contracts that forbid people from quitting their jobs and going to work for a competitor, or sometimes from working in their field at all, for a period of time. They are far more common than most people realize. Non-competes show up in contracts across nearly all walks of life, from retail and food-service workers to professionals, executives, and creatives.
Class Dealignment Hasn’t Gone Away
Recent polling suggests that working-class voters have soured on the Trump administration over the past year. The president's approval ratings have cratered, war and tariff-induced inflation is on the rise, and some commentators have begun to wonder whether the much-touted exodus of working-class voters from the Democratic toward the Republican Party might be reversing itself. It is tempting, after months of watching Trump flail from one disaster to another, to declare the crisis over.
We Need a Socialism After Capitalism
It just occurred to me that during an earlier round of culture warring in the United States — back when the great pundits of American public life had turned their attention to the grave threat posed by youth sports participation trophies — I took part in a radio interview where the subject came up. I had to admit, on air, that as far as I remembered I had never in my life received any award other than participation trophies.
A Journal of Ideas
Charleroi, a little town of about 4,000 in the heart of western Pennsylvania’s Monongahela Valley, lost not one but three major manufacturers last year. First to go was the Quality Pasta company, with 100 jobs lost. Next was the more than a century-old Corelle glass-making plant that employed 300. Finally, just in October, the Fourth Street Foods processing plant announced it would be closing and permanently laying off 250 workers.
Why do elite Democrats fear Hasan Piker?
‘The Democratic establishment’s problem isn’t Hasan Piker. It’s that they’ve run out of ideas.’ Photograph: AP Gas has topped $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022. The president’s approval rating just fell below 40%. The war in Iran is entering its sixth week, with thousands dead and no end in sight. The strait of Hormuz is blockaded, food prices are climbing and US households are staring down hundreds of dollars in added living expenses.
Why do elite Democrats fear Hasan Piker?
; ; ; Continue reading More for You ; ; ; Continue reading More for You
For Democrats, fighting Trump isn't enough anymore
The Democratic party seems more united than it has been in years, thanks to one man: Donald Trump. Opposition to his presidency has papered over what would otherwise be serious disagreements about economic policy, civil liberties, foreign affairs, and the role of corporate money in politics.
For Democrats, fighting Trump isn’t enough anymore
‘The Democratic party’s anti-Trump consensus can’t be denied, but it is also thin.’ Photograph: David Dee Delgado/Reuters The Democratic party seems more united than it has been in years, thanks to one man: Donald Trump. Opposition to his presidency has papered over what would otherwise be serious disagreements about economic policy, civil liberties, foreign affairs, and the role of corporate money in politics.
A historic force to be reckoned with, a giant to be mourned. Our panel pays tribute to the Rev Jesse Jackson
Is it even possible to convey the vastness of a person’s life, both on a personal level and on a global public stage? Probably not. But what I can offer is a snapshot through my own lens: as a friend, a mentee and a collaborator on Operation Black Vote. Like many people, my first image of the Rev Jesse Jackson was that historic photograph taken in Memphis in 1968, pointing toward the direction of the gunman who had just assassinated his mentor, the civil rights icon Martin Luther King.
It’s Dangerous To Overestimate the Left’s Strength
It’s Dangerous To Overestimate the Left’s Strength Published January 15, 2026 Even with a couple of months’ distance, Zohran Mamdani’s election still feels almost unreal, like a dispatch from an alternate universe. But it’s happening: America’s largest city is now led by a young socialist, a Jacobin subscriber, and a committed member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Zohran Needs to Create Popular Assemblies
Zohran Mamdani’s electoral triumph represented more than just an off-year upset. It confirmed that democratic socialist politics, when pursued with discipline, vision, and vigor, can resonate broadly even in a city known for entrenched power structures and the quiet vetoes of wealth. The campaign succeeded not because New Yorkers suddenly became ideologues, but because Zohran came across as credible, authentic, and serious about improving people’s lives.
It’s Dangerous to Overestimate the Left’s Strength
Even with a couple of months’ distance, Zohran Mamdani’s election still feels almost unreal, like a dispatch from an alternate universe. But it’s happening: America’s largest city is now led by a young socialist, a Jacobin subscriber, and a committed member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). For many of us on the New York left, this is the high point of our political lives thus far, a vindication of patient, often grinding organizing.
Inside Venezuela’s Response To Donald Trump’s Attack
Above photo: Supporters of Nicolás Maduro and the late Hugo Chávez hold posters with their images after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard on January 3, 2026, in Caracas, Venezuela. Jesus Vargas / Getty Images. A former Venezuelan diplomat speaks to Jacobin about how the state, military, and popular forces are responding to US military aggression. And what comes next.
Zohran Needs To Create Popular Assemblies
Zohran Needs To Create Popular Assemblies Published January 1, 2026 Zohran Mamdani’s electoral triumph represented more than just an off-year upset. It confirmed that democratic socialist politics, when pursued with discipline, vision, and vigor, can resonate broadly even in a city known for entrenched power structures and the quiet vetoes of wealth.
Brad Lander on What It Takes to Win as a Progressive
Politics / Q&A / December 19, 2025 Brad Lander on What It Takes to Win as a Progressive The outgoing New York City comptroller discusses governing on the left, his run for Congress, and why housing and affordability should define the next Democratic fight. Ad Policy Brad Lander, the outgoing New York City comptroller, is running for Congress against Representative Dan Goldman in New York’s 10th District.
Zohran Mamdani on FDR, LaGuardia-and Trump
by John Nichols Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media on December 17, 2025.(Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Zohran Mamdani won’t become New York City’s mayor until January 1, but there is already immense pressure on him to achieve great things. Yet the 34-year-old democratic socialist, who will be the city’s youngest mayor since Hugh John Grant served in the late 19th century, shows few signs of being overwhelmed.
The Plans That Failed
When Nikita Khrushchev was born in 1894, shoes were a luxury for peasants. In his memoirs, the Soviet leader says he went barefoot from spring until late autumn. “Every villager dreamed of owning a pair of boots.” The best they could muster were lapti, easily frayed slippers woven from tree bark. It’s fitting that when many people think of Khrushchev today, a shoe comes to mind. By 1960, he’d long outgrown his lapti.
The Goal of Socialism Is Everything
The Goal of Socialism Is Everything Published November 26, 2025 On Saturday, November 22, Jacobin founding editor Bhaskar Sunkara delivered the keynote at New York City Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) biannual organizing conference at the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn. Below is a transcript of his remarks on why the Left must win real gains today — but also keep fighting for a socialist society beyond them. I'm so excited to be here with you all.
The Goal of Socialism Is Everything
I’m so excited to be here with you all. It feels to me that this is the political moment so many of us have been waiting for and working to build for years. We’re a month away from one of our comrades becoming mayor. We’ve built a network of socialist elected officials, we have a real organization to call home, and there’s a growing base of support in this city for our immediate demand of taxing the rich to expand public goods.
Mamdani: Win of global socialism’s new face has lessons for India
When Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City this week, it marked a political first: the most prominent democratic socialist to hold executive office in the US — and one with deep Indian roots. Born in Kampala, Uganda, to academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, Zohran represents a global story. His father was among the Ugandan Asians expelled by Idi Amin in 1972, an experience he has written about at length.
‘A historic victory': our panel reacts to Zohran Mamdani's triumph
Osita Nwanevu: ‘a historic victory of the American left' Set aside for a moment the interminable back and forth over whether Zohran Mamdani represents the future of the Democratic party. This much is beyond dispute: Mamdani represents the immediate future of New York City, America's largest town and the financial capital of the world.
‘A historic victory’: our panel reacts to Zohran Mamdani’s triumph
‘Does this victory matter beyond New York? Absolutely.’ Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Osita Nwanevu: ‘This is a historic victory of the left’ Set aside for a moment the interminable back and forth over whether Zohran Mamdani represents the future of the Democratic party. This much is beyond dispute: Zohran Mamdani represents the immediate future of New York City, America’s largest town and the financial capital of the world.
Make Sports Sacred Again
AddictionChauncey Billupsfbigambingkash patelNBASports bettingterry rozierVice The arrests of three basketball pros — Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player and assistant Damon Jones — made for the kind of cable-news spectacle the new FBI leadership clearly loves.
Can Substack Recover the Blogosphere We Lost?
Generate Key Takeaways When I started Jacobin in 2010, my first milestone of the magazine “making it” wasn’t a glossy cover or a TV hit. It was landing on a Crooked Timber sidebar.
No Kings Tomorrow, No Kings Forever
by John Nichols In Lubec, Maine, the easternmost municipality of the United States, a good number of the community’s 1,237 residents will gather at 11 am Saturday to deliver a message from just this side of the border with Canada that, despite what an obsessive fan of the British monarchy named Donald Trump may think, “this country does not belong to kings, dictators, or tyrants.” The Nation is a reader-supported publication.
Democratic candidates can win Rust Belt voters by … attacking the Democratic party
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Democratic candidates can win Rust Belt voters by … attacking the Democratic party
‘What does resonate with Rust belt voters is a tougher, more credible economic message.’ Photograph: Rick Findler If anyone could have broken through as a progressive in red America, it was Sherrod Brown. For decades, the Ohio senator railed against corporations for shipping good-paying jobs overseas and pleaded with Democrats to take the struggles of deindustrialized communities seriously. Yet in 2024, even Brown, a model economic populist, fell to a Republican challenger.
Your Party: A Left for Itself
When it comes to absurd beginnings for new left-wing formations, it’s fair to say that Britain has a certain notoriety. In 2014, before Corbynism’s spectacular rise, there was a nascent formation known as the International Socialist Network (ISN). This split from the Socialist Workers Party came amid much optimism; it seemed to be younger, more democratic, and more in touch with the zeitgeist than its rivals on the revolutionary left. This optimism, unfortunately, was short-lived.
Jacobin Turns 15
This issue hits newsstands on almost exactly the 15th anniversary of Jacobin magazine. Since 2010, we’ve published 59 issues and 19,626 online articles. Around 200,000 individuals have been Jacobin subscribers at one point or another, and we’ve helped shape the theory and practice of a generation of socialists. It’s been a fun ride. But to […]
Una nuova generazione di populisti per battere Trump
Mentre i democratici statunitensi continuano ad analizzare le macerie lasciate dalle disastrose elezioni del 2024, c’è una verità impossibile da ignorare: il partito sta continuando a perdere sostegni tra gli elettori della classe lavoratrice, un problema che i passi falsi di Donald Trump non bastano a risolvere. La sua rielezione ha dimostrato che i lavoratori statunitensi, dagli uomini neri e latinoamericani ai giovani con un reddito basso, si sentono sempre più lontani dal Partito democratico.
Democrats Keep Misreading the Working Class
Comment / August 11, 2025 Democrats Keep Misreading the Working Class Many in the party see workers as drifting rightward. But new data show they’re more progressive than ever on economic issues—if Democrats are willing to meet them there.
A new generation of populists is showing Democrats how to defeat Trump
Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy Microsoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
A new generation of populists is showing Democrats how to defeat Trump
‘Reversing the Democratic party’s working-class decline will not be solved by platitudes or photo ops with hard hats.’ Photograph: Derek French/UPI/Shutterstock As Democrats continue to sift through the wreckage of the 2024 election, one truth should be impossible to ignore: they are bleeding support among working-class voters and Donald Trump’s stumbles alone will not save them.
New York sogna una rivoluzione politica
Il trionfo di Zohran Mamdani alle primarie democratiche per scegliere il candidato sindaco di New York è più di una semplice sorpresa elettorale. È una conferma del fatto che una politica progressista, se condotta con disciplina, visione ed energia, può riscuotere un consenso ampio, anche in una città nota per le sue strutture di potere ben consolidate. Non sono state delle primarie normali.
Il candidato sindaco di New York che promette una rivoluzione
Il trionfo di Zohran Mamdani alle primarie democratiche per scegliere il candidato sindaco di New York è più di una semplice sorpresa elettorale. È una conferma del fatto che una politica progressista, se condotta con disciplina, visione ed energia, può riscuotere un consenso ampio, anche in una città nota per le sue strutture di potere ben consolidate. Non sono state delle primarie normali.
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