(2022-02-15). Blackwater is in Donbas with the Azov Battalion. orinocotribune.com By Manlio Dinucci — Feb 1, 2022 | The CIA and MI6 are reorganizing NATO stay-behind networks in Eastern Europe. If after the Second World War they relied on former Nazis to fight the Soviets, they still support neo-Nazi groups against the Russians. There is no obvious reason for this. The Nazis were omnipresent in the 1940s, but they are very few today and only exist thanks to the help of the Anglo-Saxons. | The phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky "did not go well," wrote CNN in its headlines. "Biden warned his Ukrainian counterpart that a Russian attack may be imminent, sayin…
(2022-02-15). Groups unite to oppose new U.S. war. workers.org 
The antiwar rally opposing the U.S./NATO war drive against Russia brought together a broad spectrum of participants, even before the official rally started at Love Park in Center City Philadelphia Feb. 12. Protesters gather at Love Park in Philadelphia, Feb. 12. Credit: Joe Piette As Indigenous performers Kalpulli Kamaxtle Xiuhcóatl . . . |
(2022-02-15). Headlines for February 15, 2022. democracynow.org Russia Withdraws Some Troops from Ukraine Border, Says It's Open to More Diplomacy, California Will Keep Mask Mandate for Schools as Universal Mask Mandate Ends, Canadian PM Invokes Emergency Powers as Police Say Anti-Vaccine Protesters Plotted Violence, Thousands of Nurses Go on Strike as Australia Suffers Its First COVID-19 Surge, Civil Society Groups Demand Moderna Drop Vaccine Patent Filings in South Africa, Sudanese Forces Kill Two More Protesters Demanding End to Military Rule, Israeli PM Meets Bahrain's Crown Prince in First-of-Its-Kind Visit, Mexican Media Workers Demand End to Impunity for Th…
(2022-02-15). Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act to end far-right Ottawa siege, border blockades. wsws.org While today the Emergencies Act is being employed against the far-right enemies of the working class, as the class struggle intensifies, it will inevitably be turned against workers.
(2022-02-15). What's at stake in the struggle by US rail and oil workers. wsws.org Over the last several weeks, railroad and oil refinery workers in the United States have come to the forefront of a growing movement in the working class against exhausting and dangerous work schedules and the explosive rise in the cost of living.
(2022-02-15). Thousands of Australian nurses strike in NSW, defying government-court ban. wsws.org The first nurses' stoppage since 2013 reflects a growing mood of resistance among nurses, health staff and the working class more broadly.
(2022-02-15). Puerto Rico: March Of Indignation Against 'Shakedown Plan' Of More Austerity. popularresistance.org Tens of thousands of teachers and other public workers have taken to the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a March of Indignation to protest a debt restructuring plan given the green light by Judge Taylor Swain of New York. Puerto Ricans call it the "Shakedown Plan" because it will enforce more austerity on a land where disinvestment in education and health care and privatization of the energy system have already caused great hardship. A National Strike has been called for February 18. Clearing the FOG speaks with Monisha Rios, a Puerto Rican social worker and psychologist, about who and what are behind the pro…
(2022-02-15). China holds first-ever carbon-neutral Olympics. workers.org 
This year's Beijing Winter Olympics is the first in history to be carbon-neutral. This includes renewable energy in all game venues, introducing new low-carbon technologies and using transportation fueled by hydrogen, natural gas and electricity. China completed the Zhangbei power grid station in time for the Olympics. That's the world's . . . |
(2022-02-15). Black History and the ongoing struggle for liberation. workers.org 
February, as we all know, is Black History month: a time to celebrate Black Americans and their accomplishments. Corporations and the bourgeois establishments will no doubt pay lip service to the African American experience by hawking items with Black historical figures on them, likely as another way to profit off . . . |
(2022-02-15). Solidarity needed to fight new wave of LGBTQ attacks that hurt all workers. liberationnews.org 
By standing against the integration of LGBTQ people, bigots hope to reinforce this demonization and alienation, which hurts all workers, both cisgender and transgender, both straight and gay.
(2022-02-15). Sri Lankan action committee to hold a public meeting in defence of Julian Assange. wsws.org The ACDAE meeting aims to mobilise workers and the oppressed in Sri Lanka and India to fight for the release of the imprisoned WikiLeaks founder.
(2022-02-15). Dana Fort Wayne workers speak on death of their coworker. wsws.org John Saraceno passed away under unknown circumstances on January 31 while working at the auto parts maker's Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant.
(2022-02-15). As COVID-19 surges, Sri Lankan apparel workers support Global Workers Inquest. wsws.org The Rajapakse government's "profits before lives" policy has resulted in thousands of apparel workers being infected with the coronavirus.
(2022-02-15). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Workers at an industrial park in the Haitian Capital of Port Au Prince are striking over pay while workers in the Dominican Republic have mobilized against rises in the cost of fuel and other basic necessities.
(2022-02-15). Denver, Colorado, BNSF worker killed in rail yard accident. wsws.org The death occurred eight days after the railroad imposed a punitive new attendance policy and one day after a judge extended a restraining order that forbids workers from striking over the policy.
(2022-02-15). The political dead end of Britain's Stop the War Coalition: For a socialist anti-war movement, not opportunist manoeuvres. wsws.org What determines the STWC's stance is the political imperative of the petty-bourgeois stratum orbiting around the Labour and trade union bureaucracy to defend the interests of British imperialism.
(2022-02-15). Maritime Union reaches new agreement with Patrick Stevedores. greenleft.org.au After two years of campaigning, and amid threats to cancel the enterprise agreement, the Maritime Union of Australia has reached an in principle agreement for a new work agreement with Patrick Stevedores. Jim McIlroy reports.
(2022-02-15). Walden Bello: Why democratic socialism is the answer. greenleft.org.au National elections are due in the Philippines on May 9. The Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Labouring Masses, PLM) and Laban ng Masa (Fight of the Masses) are jointly fielding a slate of candidates. Vice presidential candidate and Laban ng Masa (Fight of the Masses) chairperson Walden Bello spoke at the PLM/LNM election platform launch on February 8.
(2022-02-15). Photos: Nurses and midwives strike outside NSW parliament. greenleft.org.au The New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association went on strike on February 15, defying the Industrial Relations Commission's order to cancel its action, write Pip Hinman and Viv Miley.
(2022-02-15). UK university staff strike in defence of pensions. wsws.org Under the employers' proposal, the average higher education staff member would lose 35 percent of their retirement income.
(2022-02-15). Talk World Radio: Jonathan Katz on What You Don't Know About Smedley Butler. warisacrime.org 
AUDIO: Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm. Here is this week's video and all the videos on Youtube. VIDEO: This week on Talk World Radio we're talking about Smedley Butler with the author of a terrific new biography called Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and …
(2022-02-15). Backed by AOC & Bernie, House Candidate Greg Casar Says "Big Progressive Change" Is Possible in Texas. democracynow.org 
Two competitive congressional races are heating up in Texas. Former labor organizer Greg Casar and immigrant human rights lawyer Jessica Cisneros have both gained national endorsements from progressive lawmakers like New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who traveled to the state to campaign for them this past weekend. "We have a real opportunity for big progressive change here in the heart of the state where we've seen so many oppressive laws be pushed through the pandemic," says Casar, who is running in Texas's 35th Congressional District, which covers eastern Austin and east…
(2022-02-14). Threat of War between Syria and Israel is getting More Real. journal-neo.org 
On February 9, Israel launched yet another series of strikes on targets near Damascus, which resulted in one Syrian killed and five injured, which has aggravated the threat of war between Syria and Israel. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), on February 9, four Israeli F-16s, without crossing the state border of Syria, …
(2022-02-14). Ukraine: The Tip of the Spear for the Imperialist Project. libya360.wordpress.com Ajamu Baraka Azov Battalion volunteers in Kyiv, Ukraine / credit: EPA/TASS/Sergey Dolzhenko Editor's Note: This is based on a presentation the author gave during a February 6 webinar, "U.S./NATO Aggression at the Russian Border. No War with Russia." The event was a conversation between Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. activists the United National Antiwar Coalition had organized. We have serious…
(2022-02-14). "My pink socialism became red as a wound": Impossible interview from Ukraine. mronline.org 
In 2000s Ukraine, Anatoli Ulyanov co-made online media dedicated to art, culture, and politics, and became recognized for his provocative writing style.
(2022-02-14). How the U.S. Keeps Fascism Alive and Well in Italy Today—As It Has Kept It Alive Every Year Since 1943. libya360.wordpress.com Aidan O'Brien The U.S. Continues to Manipulate Italian Politics to Ensure that Italy Remains a NATO Vassal State "The impression was that the Americans would do anything to stop Italy from sliding to the left." —General Giandelio Maletti, Head of Italian Counter-Intelligence in the early 1970s.[1] "The Pentagon has turned the Italian peninsula into a…
(2022-02-14). Along the Belt and Road: Breaking the Cycle of Underdevelopment in Latin America. libya360.wordpress.com Carlos Martinez The following article by Carlos Martinez was commissioned by the Taihe Institute for the January 2022 edition of its monthly magazine, TI Observer. Carlos gives an overview of the history of European and North American subjugation of Latin America, and explores the ways in which the expanding relationship between China and the region is…
(2022-02-14). Canadian Tire Fire #29: Anti-Convoy Counter-Protests Spread; Truckers Win Back Stolen Wages; Montreal Fights Eviction. itsgoingdown.org photo: Chris Dixon This week, we provide an update on the status of far-Right "Freedom Convoy" protests across so-called Canada and actions folks have taken to counter them. We also take a look at some more inspiring truckers and their comrades, organizing with the Naujawan Support Network in the Greater Toronto Area. Finally, we cover…
(2022-02-14). Strike victory: King Soopers grocery workers in Colorado win major wage increases. liberationnews.org 
The wage increases that King Soopers workers' collective action won them will make a difference for thousands of working class families in Colorado and sets a standard for grocery store workers across the country…
(2022-02-14). Ottawa Trucker Protests Do Not Represent The Working Class. popularresistance.org Ottawa truckers have been blocking roads, airports, and border crossings from the U.S. to Canada to protest coronavirus restrictions and vaccine requirements. Despite the many illegal activities associated with the right-wing protests, they have not been attacked or sabotaged by police — in stark contrast to the many Indigenous protests over access to ancestral land and water. Q. Anthony Omene, columnist for The Globe and Mail & co-host of TheKulture.TV, joins The Freedom Side to explain more about what's going on.
(2022-02-14). Despite Public Support, Southern Unions Still Face Barriers To Growth. popularresistance.org Public support for labor unions in the United States is at an all-time high. According to a Gallup survey last fall, 68% of U.S. residents approve of unions — the highest level of support the polling firm has registered since 1965. Pew Research similarly found last summer that 55% of U.S. adults believe unions have a "positive effect" on the country, including 69% of adults under 30. | But the latest federal data on union membership shows the share of workers belonging to unions actually declined in 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unionized workers declined by more than 240,…
(2022-02-14). Canadian labor movement united against reactionary trucker insurrection. peoplesworld.org 
WINNIPEG, Manitoba—Canadians are increasingly fed up with the reactionary big rig trucker protests blockading U.S.-Canada trade routes and closing major streets in several cities. Factories are closing on both sides of the border, leaving tens of thousands of workers without a job. By now it is clear that Justin Trudeau's Liberal minority government treats the …
(2022-02-14). For New York Home Care Workers, Fair Pay Is Possible. inequality.org
(2022-02-14). NUWH workers at Kaiser strike on MLK Day. liberationnews.org 
On Jan. 17, while millions of workers across the country had the day off to honor Martin Luther King Jr., Kaiser health care workers in California were denied the day, prompting swift action from the National Union of Healthcare Workers. A hundred people gathered outside the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center to picket the health industry giant forcing its overworked health care professionals to work this holiday honoring a man who held the power of labor in such high regard. Close to 200 workers went on strike, joined in solidarity by labor organizers and community members.
(2022-02-14). Biden pro-union panel's recommendations: Boost organizing, hit union-busters. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Not waiting for a gridlocked Congress to act on worker rights, the special Biden administration commission on increasing unionization issued 70 recommendations on how the administration could do so on its own. Measures range from making organizing easier within government agencies to—in the general workforce—forcing more disclosure by union-busters, among other plans. The report also …
(2022-02-14). All readers invited to massive solidarity event for striking Alabama miners. peoplesworld.org 
BROOKWOOD, Ala.—Forced to strike since April 1, some 1,100 United Mine Workers at Alabama's Warrior Met mine are gaining solidarity around the U.S. and abroad and new visibility in the Nation's Capital. The national solidarity will come to the fore when People's World, the South Dakota AFL-CIO and the Coalition of Labor Union Women and …
(2022-02-14). Canadá: Una movilización derechista. workers.org 
Actualización — Sábado, 12 de febrero, 2: 30 p.m. Ottawa: A pesar de que el primer ministro de Ottawa, Doug Ford, declaró el estado de emergencia el viernes 11 de febrero, amenazando con duras sanciones, y de que la policía local fue reforzada con agentes provinciales y federales, los policías no . . . |
(2022-02-14). Large protest of teachers hit the streets of San Juan. mronline.org 
The discontent comes just weeks after a federal judge in the U.S. approved a restructuring plan to repay creditors at a discounted rate. Even at that the creditors are first in line to be paid over public workers.c…
(2022-02-14). UK university workers begin strikes against attacks on pensions, pay and conditions—Unite education workers and students! Build rank and file committees! wsws.org This month's strikes confront the wholesale marketisation of higher education, and a union that is seeking to accommodate the universities' rampant cost-cutting.
(2022-02-14). Young workers in Australia speak on dire working conditions amid pandemic. wsws.org "I guess the government is looking at it as 'We saved enough people, it's time to just move on and whoever suffers now, it's too bad.' It's so depressing."
(2022-02-14). Minnesota public defenders, support staff, taking strike vote. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Public defense workers in Minnesota are ready to strike. The negotiating committees of both the lawyer bargaining unit and the support staff bargaining unit voted unanimously to reject a "last best final offer" from management. That unanimous vote carries with it a recommendation to strike if better terms are not reached. The membership of Teamsters Local 320 will begin voting on the offer next week, with ballots counted March 7. | At issue are wages and working conditions. Public defense workers in Minnesota are both underpaid and overworked. Pay parity with those who work in prosecutors' offic…
(2022-02-14). Socialist senate candidate: 'This bill was never about protecting lives — Christian or otherwise'. greenleft.org.au If we needed more proof that the "religious discrimination" bill was anything more than an attempt to discriminate against the LGBTIQ community, the Australian Christian Lobby provided it, argues Petrina Harley.
(2022-02-14). Socialist candidate calls for support for NSW nurses strike. greenleft.org.au Paula Sanchez, who is running for the Socialist Alliance in the NSW Senate, has called on the public to back the nurses' strike on February 15. Pip Hinman reports.
(2022-02-14). Socialists announce WA candidates. greenleft.org.au Climate activists Petrina Harley and Alex Salmon are running for the Socialist Alliance in the WA Senate while Sam Wainwright is standing for the House of Representatives seat of Fremantle. Janet Parker reports.
(2022-02-14). 'Friedrich Engels and the Dialectics of Nature', by: Kaan Kangal. mronline.org 
Friedrich Engels' Dialectics of Nature has been arguably the most polemic 'book' within the corpus of classical Marxist literature.
(2022-02-14). Seattle Educators Rally For A 'Thriving Wage'. popularresistance.org Teachers and librarians at Seattle Colleges in AFT local 1789 are fighting for a "Thriving Wage," open negotiations, and a democratic and transparent union. They are beginning contract negotiations with the college administration on Feb. 8. Seattle Colleges include North, South and Central College, which are all part of the former community college system. "Community" was dropped from their name when they started offering four-year degrees. | On Feb. 7, at Seattle Central College, they rallied to raise their demands. Dozens of members came out and many more joined on Zoom. The rally was organized by a grassroots…
(2022-02-14). African Union Ignores Foundational Values By Upholding Apartheid Israel's Observer Status (PAPSN Statement). orinocotribune.com [Palestine Chronicle Editor's Note: The Pan African Palestine Solidarity Network (PAPSN) issued the following statement regarding the African Union (AU) Summit and the way that Israel's "observer status" was handled by AU leaders and new chair, Macky Sall. | Though initially, the AU had decided to suspend Israel's observer status, which was granted by AU Commission Chair Moussa Faki in July 2021, the new chair has reportedly ended deliberation with the understanding that Israel's status is to remain in effect until a new AU Commission produces a final verdict.] | PAPSN Statement, February 7: | The Pan African Pal…
(2022-02-14). Starbucks Launches Propaganda-Filled Anti-Union Website. truthout.org 
As more and more Starbucks locations file for unionization each week, the company has launched a new anti-union website full of misinformation and propaganda against unionization. | "We are one Starbucks" reads the top of the
(2022-02-14). The United Nations: Beyond Reform? transcend.org The Collective Insecurity of the International System and the Prospects for Sustainable Global Peace and Justice…
(2022-02-14). The Science of Socialism and Socialism as a Science. libya360.wordpress.com Olga Pérez Soto The debates on contemporary national and global social issues, in our realities, become very complex. At the same time, determinations of diverse paradigms coexist in the academic, political, governmental, institutional, militant, individual and collective spheres. It is vital in the debate to achieve a dialogue that allows us to advance in the…