The elections were certainly a rebuke of the most corrupt and preposterous world leader since the bunga-bunga days of Silvio Berlusconi. Believe me, I have no illusions about the Democrats, but we must take our victories where we can, hold the ground and move on. As my old mentor Dave Brower always warned, “When they win, it’s forever; when we win, it’s a stay of execution, requiring eternal vigilance to maintain.” But it’s not every day–or even every decade in this country, which, need I remind you, is not France–some of the worst people in the world take it on the chin and some of them, like AIPAC and Elon Musk, directly in the balls. And that’s something to celebrate for a few hours, at least. Victories, and the knowledge that we can take on and defeat entrenched power, can build movements. The challenge is to sustain and grow them and that work begins, like, right now… More
Europe’s Streets Reject the Economy of War
Europe’s autumn unrest did not begin beneath the television cameras in Paris. Before students blockaded schools in mainland France, teachers and parents in Mayotte (a French territory in the Indian Ocean) and students in French Guiana (a French territory in South America) had already demanded the elementary conditions of an education. Their protests received little attention, since the geography of recognition follows an old colonial map. When the same anger reached the French capital and its suburbs, it became a national crisis. From there, images of marches, school occupations, and confrontations travelled across a continent where millions recognise the same predicament: everything necessary for life becomes more expensive, while the institutions meant to sustain life are steadily weakened. More
NATO Expansion: Root Cause of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
In conversations with Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, Putin strongly emphasized that NATO expansion was among the “root causes” of the war and that root causes must be resolved as preconditions for any future peace negotiations. Putin’s reference to “root causes” is shorthand for Russia’s maximalist war demands that include “retrograding” the membership of many new NATO members recruited during the Clinton and Bush administrations. NATO’s members would not agree to this, but surely limits can be put on the numbers and capabilities of weapons systems placed on Russia’s western border. More
The World in a Cloud: Digital Chokepoints and Global Power
Amazon has followed what has become the standard playbook for platform capitalism: First, be good to users, then abuse users on behalf of business customers, then squeeze the business customers to grab almost all the value. As late as 2014, Amazon’s cost to sellers was still reasonable at about 19 percent of sales revenue. Yet, after establishing its online and logistical dominance (helped by buying rivals like Abe Books, Zappos, and Diapers.com) to hook sellers to the platform, Amazon ratcheted up fees, soon reaching 30 percent. Then there is the matter of the advertising fee to generate visibility on the site. Those who don’t pay get demoted toward the bottom on searches. More
THIS WEEK IN
When Monsters Walk Among Us
Don’t Look Away
The Extremism of Moderates
The Michigan Earthquake: Did Data Centers Clinch Al-Sayed’s Primary Victory?
Graham Crackers: The Words of a Professional Warmonger
Unphazed w/ Nasser Mashni of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network
In this episode of Counterpunch Radio, Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt speaks with Nasser Mashni, Palestinian-Australian activist and president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network. The son of a generation of Palestinians displaced by the ’48 Nakba, Mashni shares stories of growing up in the Palestine Liberation movement in the Australian diaspora and the growth of the movement since the 1970s. Unphased by relentless smear campaigns and lawsuits, Mashni emphasizes the breadth and depth of the movement, which unites Aboriginal Australians, Jews, unionists, queers, churchgoers, and others to advocate for Palestinian rights and challenge Australian complicity in the Gaza genocide.
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Fired Up About Unions w/ Cole Rockarts
This week on CounterPunch Radio, Erik Wallenberg and Joshua Frank talk with Cole Rockarts about their new book Fired Up About Unions, published by Between the Lines. Cole is a labor educator, organizer, and writer. They have worked in public- and private-sector unions in Canada and the US since 2016.
Cole will be kicking off their book tour in Los Angeles at Skylight Books on November 5.
Pre-order a copy of Fired Up About Unions from AK Press.
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Nurturing a Free Palestine w/ Dr. Fauziah Hasan and Azra Banu
This is part two of our series with Palestinian solidarity activists from Malaysia. Dr. Fauziah Hasan and Azra Banu of the Asia Pacific Women’s Coalition for Al Quds and Palestine discuss the importance of consisent, coalitional efforts to support Palestinian women. Dr. Fauziah sailed on the Women’s Boat to Gaza in 2016 and again on the 2025 Freedom Flotilla that was abducted by Israel. Azra participated in a humanitarian land convoy in 2010 that drove from London to Gaza, and went on a second mission to Gaza in 2012. As mothers and grandmothers, they emphasize the passing on of intergenerational activist knowledge and the necessity of nurturing a generation of young people committed to Palestinian Liberation in the Asia-Pacific.
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