by Eduardo Miguel Álvarez Estévez
Russia says it is Cuba’s strategic ally. They repeat it at every summit. In every communiqué. On every anniversary of our bilateral relations. But the oil is not arriving. The ships do not appear. And the electric power blackouts continue to happen.by Tom Wetzel
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the onset of the civil war and revolution in Spain. In this essay I suggest that the efforts of the Spanish working class in that epic conflict provide elements for building a model of socialism based on direct working-class control and participatory, democratic planning of a socialized economy.by Murtaza Shibli
Five years after the Taliban returned to power, Afghanistan presents a mixed picture of consolidation and crisis. Large-scale violence has declined, security has improved, and the Taliban have pursued major infrastructure and connectivity projects while expanding ties with neighbouring countries. At the same time, the economy remains fragile, unemployment is high, and millions of returning refugees are placing additional pressure on limited resources. Relations with Pakistan have deteriorated sharply, while the exclusion of women and girls from education, employment and public life remains the most serious human rights issue. Murtaza Shibli examines the Taliban’s record, evolving regional relationships and the challenges shaping Afghanistan’s future.by Hedelberto López Blanch
On August 7, a shadowy figure took office as president of Colombia. He has been implicated in various drug trafficking and money laundering scandals, but because he is a friend of the convicted U.S. president, Donald Trump, and other far-right figures in that northern nation, his crimes were swept under the rug.by Vijay Prashad
Six months after the United States intensified pressure on countries supplying oil to Cuba, the island faces a deepening energy and economic crisis. Fuel shortages have contributed to prolonged power cuts, disrupted public transport, strained hospitals and water systems, and made it harder to move food from rural areas to cities. Vijay Prashad examines the unequal impact of the crisis and argues that humanitarian relief must be separated from political coercion. He outlines a path centred on predictable fuel supplies, international cooperation, negotiated de-escalation, diversified energy sources and investment in renewable, decentralised power systems that can strengthen Cuba’s energy sovereignty.by Don Fitz
Openly discussing degrowth can be a great activity both for those who think about it a lot as well as those who never imagined that life can improve with less stuff. Our group examination proved a great way to let a thousand flowers bloom in people’s minds. Removing the ills of the old society is critical for survival but will come to nothing without provoking a cascade of ideas for building a new one.by José Seoane
The export-oriented extractivist model imposed on Our America since the 1990s poses a major threat to populations, ecosystems, and water resources. In response, communities and peoples have been proclaiming that water is worth more than gold, copper, lithium, uranium, and rare earths.by Orinoco Tribune
The U.S. is not shy about proclaiming its control of Venezuela and its resources.by Rima al-Swisi
In Gaza’s displacement camps, access to a safe and private toilet has become a serious health and safety concern. At al-Deira camp, around 70 displaced families share three makeshift toilets without plumbing or sewage systems. Many women avoid using them at night because of fear, poor lighting, roaming dogs, bombing, lack of privacy and unsanitary conditions. Some restrict their water intake and hold their urine for long periods, contributing to urinary tract infections, kidney stones and other health problems. Rima al-Swisi reports on the daily realities faced by displaced women whose basic sanitation needs remain largely unmet amid the destruction of Gaza’s housing andinfrastructure.by Junaid S. Ahmad
The USS Abraham Lincoln’s prolonged deployment near Iran offers a view of the human costs beneath America’s global military posture. While policymakers and strategists discuss deterrence, readiness and strategic flexibility, sailors face extended periods at sea, exhaustion, psychological strain and prolonged separation from their families. Junaid S. Ahmad examines the widening gap between the projection of American military power and the conditions experienced by those who sustain it. The article places the Lincoln’s deployment within a broader critique of US military overstretch, permanent overseas commitments and the class dynamics of war, where decisions made by political elites impose lasting burdens on military personnel.by Joshua Frank
The amount of materials needed to sustain an electrified future at the world’s continued pace of economic growth is as remarkable as it is troubling. By one estimate, at least 384 new mines will be needed by 2035.by Richard Heinberg
Household experience is currently about the closest thing we have to operating pilot projects. So, go solar. But notice how much energy you use and what you use it for; also, pay attention to what energy you can control, and what you can’t. You may discover that your most impactful efforts to reduce your carbon footprint involve simply reducing your travel and consumption.by Guillermo R. Barreto
This year we commemorate the centennial of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro. Like few others, Fidel embodies human dignity and the defense of principles as unyielding values for building that other possible and necessary world of justice, equality, and peace. This article was produced by Globetrotter.by Eirini-Erifyli Tzekou
Thessaloniki’s alternative food networks offer a grounded view of what degrowth can look like in practice. Cooperative groceries, solidarity kitchens, direct producer markets, community gardens and seed networks have developed around principles of solidarity, democratic participation, ecological sustainability and sufficiency. Emerging partly from Greece’s debt and social crisis, these initiatives have created new forms of food distribution, work and community participation. Yet they remain fragile, facing financial pressures, limited infrastructure, burnout and questions about social inclusion. This article examines both their achievements and contradictions, and considers what policymakers can learn from grassroots experiments already reshaping food systems.by Steve Early
Review of Kim Scipes' new (2026) book, which is a comparative historical study of the development of unionization in the steel and meatpacking industries in Chicago and Northwest Indiana between 1933-1955, and examines how each union addressed white supremacy and racism in workplaces, the union, and in the communities in which workers lived.by Mark Burton
The way of life of the vast majority of humanity is now wholly dependent on petroleum: in effect we eat it, wear it, get carried around by it, communicate through it, sit on it and medicate ourselves with it. Oil has the virtue of being a dense and transportable energy source. It is not so difficult to substitute for oil in applications such as electricity generation, although the renewable energy capture systems themselves are made and maintained by burning oil.by Jeremy Lent
Approximately fifty citizens’ assemblies now convene worldwide each year, addressing the long-term, complex issues that elected governments are structurally least suited to handle: climate change, urban planning, health policy, infrastructure, and democratic reform itself.by Pon Chandran
"The Motorcycle Diaries" traces the journey that helped shape Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s political consciousness, from a young medical student travelling across South America to a revolutionary committed to transforming society. Pon Chandran examines Guevara’s encounters with poverty, Indigenous communities, exploited workers and social exclusion, and the development of his Pan-Latin American outlook. The article then follows the emergence of foco theory and its application during the Cuban Revolution, before examining its failures in the Congo and Bolivia. It considers the strategic limitations of relying on small guerrilla groups to generate revolutionary movements and places Che’s legacy within the wider history of Latin American revolutionary politics.by Aaron Kirshenbaum
Last week, millions of people around the world were subjected to record-breaking heatwaves. At least 25 deaths in the U.S. from this heat dome were reported. The French government also counted over 2,000 excess deaths during the June heatwaves. At the same time, this past weekend, a devastating super typhoon hit the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, leaving islands like Rota, where 2,000 people live, without running water and most buildings impacted.by Stephen Zunes
The United States has launched an all-out assault on the International Criminal Court (ICC). In the past few weeks alone, the Trump administration has vowed to eradicate the top court, pressured countries to withdraw from it, and has attacked progressive political leaders like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who seek to carry out its mandates. These attacks are jarring, but they are not new, are not only about Israel, and are not just coming from Republicans.
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