Past Posts by Descending Date

How to describe the character of Russian society during the Putin presidency brings forth strong opinions, including from Marxists. Karl Sanchez believes that one must distinguish 'State Capitalism and the type of Socialism being employed by Russia and China. Currently all political-economies are hybrids - no nation is purely one or another. However, it is clear that some political-economic formats are detrimental to the majority and merit being radically reformed. Karl Sanchez is based on the US West Coast. He had a long career as a culinary worker before turning to academia. His popular Substack blog - Karlof1's Geopolitical Gymnasium ...

80 Years after the US Bombing of Hiroshima and NagasakiAre We on the Verge of Another Nuclear War? Speaker: Gerry Condon “Nuclear weapons are used every day.  They are like a gun you point at somebody’s head.”                                                                   – Daniel Ellsberg Eighty years ago, the US dropped nuclear bombs on the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, the world is closer to nuclear war even than during the Cuban missile crisis, and the Pentagon is planning a nuclear first-strike against China. Some say the absence of another nuclear war in the last eighty years proves that nuclear “deterrence” is ...

Project Censored and award-winning investigative journalist Peter Byrne present his groundbreaking exposé on the dangerous militarization of artificial intelligence—and the profiteering that drives it. Byrne, known for his deep investigations into the intersection of science, industry, and government, uncovers how Silicon Valley, the Department of Defense, the banking sector, corporate media, and scientific institutions are collaborating to develop AI for military use. Northern California-based journalist Peter Byrne combines investigative reporting with science writing. In 2017, Peter's 11-part series in the Point Reyes Light “Busted: Breast Cancer Money and the Media” won the top science writing award from the American Association ...

Marcy will share the work of CODEPINK's Drop the ADL campaign, which involves passing resolutions at union meetings, testifying before local school boards and educating teachers and parents about the Israel lobby group. She will also discuss rank and file Drop the ADL organizing at the NEA, the largest teachers union and the largest union in the country. Marcy Winograd, coordinator of CODEPINK'S Drop the ADL campaign, co-produces CODEPINK Radio and organizes with the California legislative team of Jewish Voice for Peace-Action. A member of CTA and UTLA Retired, Marcy blogs about militarism and US foreign policy at CounterPunch, Common Dreams, CODEPINK ...

Cyprus is located at the intersection of three continents, east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Asia and north of Africa. It has been colonised by various occupiers throughout history and was described by imperialists as an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’. Cyprus' modern history spans the past 200 years, from Ottoman rule to British domination and Turkish occupation. Following the decolonisation process after World War II, Cyprus joined the anti-colonial struggle and became a republic in 1960. From 1958 onwards, various paramilitary terrorist organisations emerged, orchestrated by NATO's Gladio. This paramilitary terrorism laid the groundwork for Turkey's invasion of Cyprus in ...

The AFL and then the AFL-CIO have had an imperialist foreign policy program where they have operated in other countries around the world for over 100 years, beginning in the late 1890s.  They have never given an honest report of these operations to their members that can be independently verified.  Activists and scholars have discovered they have supported military coups that overthrew democratically elected governments, supported dictators, and right-wing labor movements operating against progressive ones, etc.  In ALL cases, with the arguable exception of their work in Poland in the 1980s, these have only hurt workers, their families, and destroyed ...

Dan Kovalik, critically acclaimed author of The Plot to Attack Iran: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran, will speak on the war against Iran. Dan is a labor and human rights attorney who teaches International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  He graduated from Columbia University School of Law and then served as in-house counsel for the United Steelworkers, AFL-CIO (USW) until 2019.  Dan has received the David W. Mills Mentoring Fellowship from Stanford University School of Law and the Project Censored Award for his article exposing the unprecedented killing of trade unionists in ...

Bring your ideas, comments, and questions on current politics and anti-imperialist struggles, including the attacks on immigrants and the working class, imperialist wars, increased repression and the danger of fascism.  Share your ideas about how to resist, and the fight for socialism. \ ...

The dramatic shift in the Trump led U.S. foreign policies, as seen recently in the bombing in Iran, has created enormous confusion and consternation within establishment centers of power. These changes are manifested in the abandonment of both the liberal international order constructed under U.S. hegemony after the Second World War and the long-term strategy of NATO enlargement and proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. Imposition of high tariffs and shifting military priorities have put the United States in conflict with even its long-term allies, while the New Cold War on China and the Global South is accelerating. Guest Speaker: John Bellamy ...

With the current occupant in the White House unleashing the Marines and National Guard against immigrants, banning US entry to citizens from nearly 20 non-white countries, flouting court orders, accusing media as "the enemy of the people," and extending executive power, can the US be said to be fascist or on the brink of becoming so? To have a provocative discussion on this topic, we have invited long-time activist and past speaker Stansfield Smith to return to present on his recent article (https://orinocotribune.com/trump-fascism-a-reality-check/). Stansfield Smith was a leader of the Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban 5 and has been ...

South Asian nation states were formed at the end of WWII, when Colonial Imperialism was given a body blow by the war. Britain, France and other European colonial capitalist states were badly weakened. Socialism was in ascendency, but US capitalism was also advancing. Today capitalism is in decline and is in its rottenest stage in the G-7 countries. The impact of it in South Asia will be examined, keeping in view the short military conflict between India and Pakistan. Raj Sahai is a retired engineer and has been a researcher and activist with the Institute of Critical Study of Society, ...

Sunday Morning at the Marxist LibrarySun., June 8, 2024: 10:30 am-12:30 pm PDTThe Great Patriotic War and its AftermathSpeaker: Mark Albertson June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler hurled 3,300,000 German troops against the Soviet Union, the start of the greatest land war in modern times. It will be the Soviets who will win the land war, defeating the German Army, not the United States and the Western allies. During the second chapter of the Great War, Britain will incur 495,000 dead; 405,399 for the US. A colossal 25,000,000, one of every seven in the Soviet Union, will die in 47 months ...

On June 3rd, South Korea will hold its ninth presidential election—a pivotal moment following a year of political turmoil and mass mobilization. The election follows far-right President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, a move that sparked a nationwide democratic uprising. In response, nearly 10 million Koreans braved freezing temperatures and escalating repression to demand his removal. Their efforts culminated in a historic victory on April 3rd, when the Constitutional Court upheld the National Assembly’s impeachment vote, officially removing Yoon from power. This mass democratic uprising—now known as the Revolution of Light—is not only a struggle against ...

We will have a group discussion on the lessons of the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany and the significance of the worldwide celebrations of Victory Day 2025.   Join us with your ideas, comments, and questions for what should be a lively and informative session! ...

"What is Economic Nationalism?"  Some historian's notes on the present antagonisms among the great powers. Anthony D'Agostino is a diplomatic historian, emeritus of SF State University, and has written 5 books, along with many articles and reviews over the years, on the history of international politics, with attention to the Russian revolution, Soviet politics, the Gorbachev period, and the fall of the Soviet Bloc. The last book was The Rise of Global Powers: International Politics in the Era of the World Wars (Cambridge U. Press, 2012).  Anthony is currently finishing up a history book on the Era of Globalization, 1968-2025. He also has ...

The US/Israel are actively and overtly preparing for war on Iran. From their perspective current conditions may be favorable for an attack due to several strategic and geopolitical factors. Iran could be nearing weapons-grade uranium enrichment levels, but it does not yet have a nuclear deterrent capability. Additionally, regional instability—such as the weakening of Iran’s allies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen—may reduce the risk of retaliation. Israel’s recent normalization of relations with several Arab states could also provide a buffer against diplomatic backlash. Domestically, political leaders both Washington and Tel Aviv may view military action as a way to ...