Exiled Russian political scientist and activist Ilya Budraitskis explains the causes of the rise of the extreme right, the goals of the new fascists, and what lessons the radical left should draw from the 20th century for the fight against fascism. He makes a few suggestions for where anti-fascist politics could begin today in this interview by Philipp Schmid (BFS Zürich) first published in Sozialismus.ch.
Three Requisites for Syria’s Reconstruction Process
18 May 2025, byFor the country’s revival to be successful after years of war, inclusion of the population and democratization during the transitional period will be necessary, or national cohesion may be undermined.
Kashmir, India, Pakistan: on the history and internationalist stakes of a state of war
17 May 2025, byThis article attempts to take stock of the recent ‘hot’ crisis between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Many factors need to be taken into account. Recent events are undoubtedly part of a long history of military tensions and wars dating back to the disastrous partition imposed on the sub-continent by British imperialism in 1947. In recent years, however, profound changes have affected the countries concerned, as well as the geopolitical environment, regional management of water resources and the weapons used. So we cannot assume that history will simply repeat itself almost identically. This is perhaps the main question before us: what’s new? The answer, of course, lies primarily with the left-wing organisations in the region. I shall confine myself to submitting some elements of analysis or hypotheses for discussion and criticism, even if I have to revise later my copy.
Francis. The Pope Who Spoke Softly—and Carried the Same Big Stick
12 May 2025, byPope Francis was better than his predecessors. He integrated climate change into the Church’s concerns and widened space for discussion of social justice. His reign as Pope left the Catholic Church a marginally better place for the poor and the weak. He named more Cardinals from the Global South, where most Catholics live.
The Unexpected Pope
12 May 2025, byThe Marxist scholar proposes a reading of the ruptures that marked Francis’s papacy, particularly his commitment to the poor and his ecological sensitivity. Was Bergoglio merely a parenthesis in the long history of the Catholic Church or the beginning of a different path?
Revolutionary defeatism, yesterday and today
8 May 2025, byThe debate on the Left over the war in Ukraine has exposed serious disagreements on international questions, ones that have been brewing and deepening for over a decade. From 2001 to 2011, there was general unity on the socialist Left about the question of imperialism and the response to it. This was a period of explicit and obvious attacks on sovereign countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq by the United States, United Kingdom, and other imperialist forces. This naked imperialist aggression triggered global mass movements against the so-called “War on Terror.”
Dreaming as internationalist materialists
8 May 2025, by , , , ,“We will begin with a statement: yes, we dream, and we desire! We dream of emancipation, and we desire equality (individual, collective, between peoples).
And we are on the left, a radical and revolutionary left at that. What should be troubling us today is not changing our dreams and desires. Certainly not going poaching on the side of those opposed to us, claiming that “only the far right dreams”.”
Vietnam, 30 April 1975 - 50 years ago, a historic victory, but at what price?
29 April 2025, byVietnam’s independence was first proclaimed in August 1945, and we could soon be celebrating its 80th anniversary. De Gaulle decided otherwise, sending an expeditionary force to reconquer his lost colony. Indochina had to endure two devastating successive imperial wars, first French, then American. Washington mobilised all the means at its disposal to crush the Vietnamese revolution, certain that it would prevail - and was defeated. The image has gone down in history: the staff of the US (…)
Trump’s New Cuba Policy: Bad for Cuba and Migrants
24 April 2025, byOn his return to the presidency on January 20, Donald Trump rescinded his predecessor Joe Biden’s short-lived removal of Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism (SSOT) designation. The SSOT designation will further isolate Cuba diplomatically and economically.
The Carnation Revolution of Portugal Today: The New Challenge from the Far-Right
24 April 2025, byFifty-one years after the Revolution, fifty years after the first elections by universal suffrage which saw a 92% turnout, what is the legacy of the Portuguese Revolution?
