Category: World Politics

Iran Stymies U.S.-Israeli War

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It’s been two months since the allied U.S. and Israeli militaries launched their war against Iran. A war of plunder, aimed at regaining access to Iran’s resources — primarily oil and natural gas — and confronting China’s growing economic influence in the region and the world. Despite the mass destruction, and degrading of its military capabilities, Iran has been able to inflict major damage on U.S military assets and on oil and other facilities in the Gulf and nearby countries allied with Washington. Iran has so far stymied the U.S.-Israeli war, providing a bit of much needed breathing space to revolutionary Cuba.

Venezuela After the U.S. Coup: Interview with Federico Fuentes

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Federico Fuentes, a long-time Venezuela solidarity activist, was quoted at length in the two-part news analysis “Washington’s Conquest in Venezuela” that World-Outlook published last month. In the full interview published here, Ashley Smith of the online journal Tempest talks with him about the U.S. attack, Maduro’s regime, and the urgency of building resistance to Trump’s “vicious new imperialism.”

End the Bombing of Iran; No Blood for Oil!

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U.S., Israel Hands Off Iran

The massive bombing of Iran unleashed by the U.S. and Israeli governments on February 28, 2026, has thrust the Middle East into a regional war. This is an imperialist war shaking the Mideast and threatening world peace. It has set back prospects for the Iranian people to eventually rid themselves of the oppressive regime in Tehran. It is a war for oil. Ranked third after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, Iran sits atop one of the largest oil reserves in the world. Taking control of these enormous assets would put the U.S. military in a better position to face a future war with China — Washington’s top competitor. All this is done at the expense of working- and middle-class people in Iran and across the region.

Revolution and Counter-revolution in Iran: Origins of Clerical Regime

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This article was first published by World-Outlook on May 6, 2024, as the second of the two-part news analysis “Iran-Israel Shadow War: Its Role in Mideast Conflict.” We are re-publishing it now to bring it to the attention of all our readers — including more than 100 who have subscribed since it first appeared — because it provides valuable background information relevant to understanding current events in the Middle East.

Solidarity with Cuba Takes Off in Latin America

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Cuba is not alone. Around the world — including the United States, Cuba solidarity groups are organizing campaigns to send medical supplies and medications, solar panels, and other material aid. Pressure is now being applied to governments of oil-producing countries in Latin America to send Cuba the one thing that working people, youth, and anyone who cares for human decency cannot provide — petroleum.

Washington’s Conquest in Venezuela (II)

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An Answer to Party for Socialism and Liberation Claim that ‘Bolivarian Revolution Still Stands.’ This is the second of two parts. On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces bombed Venezuela and abducted the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. Among those in the United States who oppose Washington’s assault on Caracas and its saber rattling in the Americas, there are counterposed assessments on what has unfolded in Venezuela and on the character of the country’s current government. Manolo De Los Santos, executive director of the People’s Forum in New York City and a researcher in Tricontinental, outlined his perspective in the January 4 article Venezuela’s Revolution still stands: debunking Trump’s psyop. It was first published by the People’s Dispatch and immediately reprinted by Liberation, the newspaper of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. His claims fly in the face of reality as shown by this article.

Washington’s Conquest in Venezuela (I)

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An Answer to Party for Socialism and Liberation Claim that ‘Bolivarian Revolution Still Stands’. On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces bombed Venezuela and abducted the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. Among those in the United States who oppose Washington’s assault on Caracas and its saber rattling in the Americas, there are counterposed assessments on what has unfolded in Venezuela and on the character of the country’s current government. Manolo De Los Santos, executive director of the People’s Forum in New York City and a researcher in Tricontinental, outlined his perspective in the January 4 article Venezuela’s Revolution still stands: debunking Trump’s psyop. It was first published by the People’s Dispatch and immediately reprinted by Liberation, the newspaper of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. His claims fly in the face of reality as shown by this article.

Somalia’s Destruction by U.S. & European Gov’ts, Big Business

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On December 2, 2025, U.S. president Donald Trump unleashed yet another racist rant, this time calling Somalis “garbage” and stating that their country “stinks.” This comes after decades of distortions and lies about Somali piracy, which in fact emerged from the collapse of Somali government and society, a nightmare created by the intervention of the wealthy families ruling the United States and European countries in particular. This is a good moment to review the horrific history of U.S. imperialism in Somalia, and the decisive role of successive U.S. administrations — Democratic and Republican — in that country’s destruction.

Factory Explosion Kills Five Workers at Trikala, Greece

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In the early morning hours of Monday, January 26, 2026, a powerful explosion ripped through the Violanta biscuit plant on the outskirts of Trikala, a city in Thessaly, central Greece, about 320 km (~ 200 miles) north of Athens, the country’s capital. According to the fire department, 11 workers were inside the factory’s affected production wing at the time. Rescue crews recovered the bodies of five women workers from the debris. The rest were pulled out alive, along with a firefighter who suffered minor injuries during the response.

Minneapolis Fight Against ICE Inspires Mexican Ballads

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Mexican corridos are a narrative genre of music rooted in the 19th century that served as a “newspaper” for the oppressed. Beginning with the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821) and later becoming immensely popular during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), corridos recounted tales of heroes and the struggles of everyday life. A number of Mexican songwriters are now turning to this tradition to honor Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, both murdered this month in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Cuba’s Role in Venezuela

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On January 3, 2026, the U.S. military invaded Venezuela and abducted its president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Among the approximately 100 civilians and security personnel killed in the assault were 32 Cuban nationals. Since then, there has been rampant speculation about how the U.S. forces were able to breach Maduro’s security, what the Cuban nationals were doing in Venezuela, and the nature of the relationship between Cuba and Venezuela. This article clarifies Cuba’s role in Venezuela and answers many of the claims peddled as part of Washington’s propaganda.

Greek Farmers Escalate Protests: ‘It’s A Struggle for Survival’

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KALAMATA, Greece, January 8, 2026 — “We’ve taken to the streets for 35 days now because the government won’t listen to our just demands,” said Kostas Apostolopoulos, an olive oil producer, in a January 6 interview outside this city on the southern part of the Greek mainland. “We don’t intend to give up. It’s a struggle for survival.” The protests here are part of a nationwide revolt by farmers and livestock breeders that began November 30. After nationwide conferences on January 4 and 7 of representatives of agricultural producers in Nikea, outside the city of Larissa in central Greece, farmers resolved to escalate their protests since the government is not meeting the farmers even part way.

U.S. Out of Venezuela! No Blood for Oil!

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The U.S. military assault on Venezuela today, and the kidnapping of the country’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, is naked imperialist aggression, and a blatant violation of international law and of Venezuela’s sovereignty. Working people in the United States and the world and anyone supporting democracy need to swiftly condemn this Yankee onslaught and turn to the streets to protest it.

‘U.S. Hands Off Venezuela!’

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MIAMI, Florida, December 23, 2025 – Forty people demonstrated at the downtown Miami Torch of Friendship on Tuesday evening against Washington’s accelerating moves toward war on Venezuela. The protesters rallied at the call of the newly formed Miami Hands Off Venezuela Coalition. The coalition’s two points of unity in action are “U.S. Hands Off Venezuela!” and “No Deportations!”

U.S. Out of the Caribbean; No Blockade of Venezuelan Oil

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In a major escalation of its hostilities against the people of Venezuela and the government of Nicolás Maduro, U.S. president Donald Trump announced on December 16 “a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers” going in and out of that country. This is an act of war, aimed not only at Venezuela but Cuba, and a warning to all governments in Latin America and the Caribbean that dare stand up to the Yankee bully. Coming on the heels of killing at least 95 people in small boats off the Venezuelan and Colombian coasts on the pretext of fighting drug trafficking — nothing but murder at sea — and the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, the blockade of Venezuelan oil brings the region a step closer to war.

Syrian Australian Muslim Halts Indian Australian ISIL Attack on Jewish Australians

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The article below first appeared in Informed Comment on December 16, 2025. It emphasizes important aspects of what unfolded during the murderous attack on Jews at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, and its aftermath. “Muslims belonging to a small radical cult — born in the maelstrom of the American occupation of Iraq — perpetrated the unspeakable attack,” says author Juan Cole, a professor of history at the University of Michigan, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), with which the two Bondi Beach shooters had a connection. “Yet a mainstream Muslim intervened to halt it.”

Murderous Attack at Bondi Beach in Australia: A Heinous Act of Jew Hatred

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The murderous attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, was a heinous act of Jew hatred. It should be condemned as resolutely as we condemn Israel’s ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. As resolutely as we condemn all forms of bigotry and the violence it engenders. The courage of Ahmed al-Ahmed, an Australian citizen born in Syria who charged the younger shooter and disarmed him, saved lives. He deserves our immense respect.

Greek Farmers Revolt; Block Highways, Ports, Airports

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Since November 30, farmers and livestock breeders in Greece have been blockading highways, roads, border crossings, railway stations, and some ports and airports. They are demanding relief from the squeeze of low producer prices on the one hand and high costs of fuel, seeds, fertilizers, and equipment on the other. These are the largest such mobilizations in the country in more than a decade, and they show no signs of winding down.

U.S. Military Strikes in Latin America, Caribbean: Murder at Sea

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On November 6, the U.S. Navy carried out the latest in a series of strikes in international waters against small vessels allegedly trafficking drugs to the United States. These attacks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have resulted in at least 70 deaths — people killed without any chance to answer Washington’s allegations — and there is no sign they will stop anytime soon. The administration of U.S. president Donald Trump has yet to provide a shred of evidence showing that these boats were loaded with narcotics or that the people on board were willing participants in drug trafficking.

Author Adam Shatz on ‘The World since October 7’ (II)

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In this essay, author Adam Shatz raises important issues that deserve further discussion in light of the gruesome October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas that targeted civilians in Israel, the genocidal war Israel unleashed in retaliation on the entire population of Gaza, and a new wave of violence by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Zionist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Shatz also examines political developments in the Mideast and beyond after the recent U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. He spells out the implications of last year’s Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which decimated the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and caused a substantial death toll among the broader civilian Lebanese population, and of the overthrow of the Assad dictatorship in Syria. This is the second of two parts.

Author Adam Shatz on ‘The World since October 7’ (I)

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In this essay, author Adam Shatz raises important issues that deserve further discussion in light of the gruesome October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas that targeted civilians in Israel, the genocidal war Israel unleashed in retaliation on the entire population of Gaza, and a new wave of violence by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Zionist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Shatz also examines political developments in the Mideast and beyond after the recent U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. He spells out the implications of last year’s Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which decimated the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and caused a substantial death toll among the broader civilian Lebanese population, and of the overthrow of the Assad dictatorship in Syria. This is the first of two parts.

Oppose U.S.-Israeli War on Iran

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In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 22, the U.S. government joined Israel’s unprovoked aerial war on Iran, aimed — primarily — at destroying the country’s uranium enrichment facilities. This imperialist war has further destabilized the Middle East, set back any prospects for the Iranian people to eventually rid themselves of the oppressive regime in Tehran, and may contribute to new blows against the Palestinian people in Gaza and beyond.

Trump’s 2nd Term: One-Man Rule & the Danger of Incipient Fascism (II)

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In its first month in office, the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump has made clear in word and deed it represents a break from liberal democracy — the form of government that has prevailed in the United States through most of the country’s 250-year-long history. It is an abrupt shift to the right in U.S. politics, one with grave dangers for the working class and all who favor democracy. The evidence points to the danger of the rise of an incipient fascist movement. “Incipient” in the sense of beginning to come into being or to become apparent. This is the second of two parts.

Trump’s 2nd Term: One-Man Rule & the Danger of Incipient Fascism (I)

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In its first month in office, the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump has made clear in word and deed it represents a break from liberal democracy — the form of government that has prevailed in the United States through most of the country’s 250-year-long history. It is an abrupt shift to the right in U.S. politics, one with grave dangers for the working class and all who favor democracy. The evidence points to the danger of the rise of an incipient fascist movement. “Incipient” in the sense of beginning to come into being or to become apparent. This is the first of two parts.

Before Ethiopian Crash, Boeing Concealed Critical Safety Information

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This article details how Boeing concealed information on a critical flight-control system in its 737 Max plane. Ethiopian Airlines pilots had requested the information after the 2018 catastrophic crash of the same type of aircraft operated by Lion Air, an Indonesian airline. Soon after the Ethiopian Airlines’ request, a 737 Max operated by this carrier nose-dived after taking off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, killing all 157 people on board. After a lengthy investigation, and facing criminal federal charges, Boeing reached a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department to pay damages in order to avoid a public trial. Families of many of those killed in these crashes are now trying to block this deal and force the case to a trial.

Israel Out of Lebanon and Gaza – End U.S. Aid

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On October 1, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) invaded Lebanon, the fourth time Israel has done so since 1978. The ground invasion followed a brazen Israeli escalation: exploding personal electronic devices, intense airstrikes, and the assassination of an array of Hezbollah leaders, including the group’s general secretary Hassan Nasrallah. Hours after the invasion of Lebanon, Iran launched 181 ballistic missiles at Israel, escalating the shadow war between the two countries. These events have posed the genuine danger of an even wider regional war that could spread beyond the Middle East.

Venezuela’s Elections: Fraud Foretold?

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“Fraud Foretold?”, an essay in the political journal New Left Review, and other articles have presented convincing evidence that the official results of Venezuela’s recent election, announcing the victory of Nicolás Maduro, are likely fraudulent. This article summarizes this evidence and outlines the political developments in Venezuela over the last three decades that are the root cause of Venezuela’s current political crisis.

Iran-Israel Shadow War: Its Role in Mideast Conflict (II)

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Iran’s theocracy took power through a counter-revolution in the 1980s. The clerics crushed the independent struggle of Iranian workers and peasants who had carried out a popular uprising in 1979. That social revolution had reverberated across the region and the world. The mobilization of working people toppled the U.S.-backed monarchy of the shah — a brutal and hated regime. Since it tamed the mass struggle, the theocracy has held on to power through periodic brutal crackdowns on any expression of opposition to the Islamist regime. This article sketches the origins of this regime that underlie its current trajectory, including the damage it has inflicted on the Palestinian struggle.

Iran-Israel Shadow War: Its Role in Mideast Conflict (I)

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Iran and Israel traded direct airstrikes on each other’s territory, for the first time, in a confrontation in April that raised the danger of a full-blown regional war. Both governments, however, stepped back from the brink after Israel chose to launch a limited strike in response to Iran’s large but ineffective rocket barrage aimed at Israel. Having avoided further direct military conflict, both countries returned to their long-running shadow war, in which Iran’s strategy is to arm and direct allied militias such as Hezbollah. These developments also shed light on Tehran’s pretentious “support” for the Palestinian liberation struggle. The clerical regime uses such posturing to prop up its dictatorial hold on power in Iran and its reactionary reach through proxy armies across the Mideast. Many Palestinians in the occupied territories, as well as working people and others in Iran, are beginning to see through such grandstanding and now openly oppose it.

Frantz Fanon and the Paradox of Anticolonial Violence (II)

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The March/April issue of Against the Current features the essay by Alan Wald “Frantz Fanon and the Paradox of Anticolonial Violence.” World-Outlook is reposting Wald’s essay with the author’s permission. Our views are not identical to all of those expressed in it. But we believe the main issues Wald raises deserve further discussion in light of the gruesome October 7 attack led by Hamas that targeted civilians in Israel and the genocidal war Israel unleashed in retaliation on the entire population of Gaza. This is the second of two parts.

Frantz Fanon and the Paradox of Anticolonial Violence (I)

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The March/April issue of Against the Current features the essay by Alan Wald “Frantz Fanon and the Paradox of Anticolonial Violence.” World-Outlook is reposting Wald’s essay with the author’s permission. Our views are not identical to all of those expressed in it. But we believe the main issues Wald raises deserve further discussion in light of the gruesome October 7 attack led by Hamas that targeted civilians in Israel and the genocidal war Israel unleashed in retaliation on the entire population of Gaza. This is the first of two parts.

Protesters in Bulgaria Condemn Violence Against Women

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SOFIA, Bulgaria — More than 5,000 people, mostly young, rallied outside the Palace of Justice here on July 31 to condemn violence against women. “Not one more woman!” proclaimed many of the signs. “We will not be silent,” was the theme of the action at Bulgaria’s capital. “Stop the genocide against women.” Similar protests took place nationwide. Bulgarian National Television reported the evening of July 31 that many thousands filled the squares of more than 30 cities and towns across the country. Demonstrations with the same demands spread to other cities on August 1. A harrowing attack against an 18-year-old woman — identified so far only by her initials, DM, to protect her from further abuse — and the authorities’ initial refusal to prosecute the perpetrator prompted the actions.

After One Year of War, Ukraine Fights On

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Russian president Vladimir Putin’s bloody invasion of Ukraine has now entered its second year. The war has developed quite differently from what many expected. The resistance of Ukraine’s people, determined to defend their right to self-determination, has been fierce and shows no sign of ebbing. The Russian military has proven far weaker than many supposed it to be. A year later Ukraine has fought Putin’s invasion to a stalemate.

Ukrainian Counteroffensive Prompts Desperate, Dangerous Moves by Russia

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As Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine enters its eighth month, the war shows no sign of ending. However, there is growing evidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s belligerence is not matched by Russian military success.To the contrary, Ukraine’s resistance has begun to bear fruit with a series of recent military advances. It seems clear those advances were made with the support of Ukrainians in the most affected areas, and throughout the country.The Ukrainian army is fighting for something it believes in and has popular support. The Russian army — or significant parts of it — is not, while popular support for the war in Russia seems to be on the decline. Ukrainians are fighting for self-determination and independence from Moscow. Russian soldiers have been sent to deny those rights.In response Moscow has taken what seem to be desperate — and increasingly dangerous — steps. They include “annexing” more Ukrainian territory, threatening to use nuclear arms, calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists into military service, ramping up repression against Russian citizens and soldiers opposing its murderous war, and launching new deadly missile strikes into civilian areas in Kiyv and other Ukrainian cities.

Russia’s Brutal War on Ukraine Sends Ripples Across Globe

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June 3, 2022 — One hundred days since Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor, Russia’s war on Ukraine shows no sign of abating. Stiff resistance aimed at defending Ukraine’s sovereignty has pushed Russian forces back in parts of the country — particularly around the capital Kiyv and most of Ukraine’s north.In the eastern region, however, the Russian military continues to conquer territory. The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. “think tank,” estimates that 95% of the Luhansk region is presently under Russian control. News reports on June 1 stated Russia was close to capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk. This would give Putin control of the last major city in the Luhansk province still in Ukrainian hands. Meanwhile, the consequences of Moscow’s war continue to spread around the globe. Vladimir Putin’s ongoing aggression has handed Washington a pretext to consolidate its military hegemony in Europe by further expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Russian assault, and the U.S.-European sanctions imposed in response, pose increasingly deadly dangers to working people around the world.

Decades Later, a Measure of Justice for Thomas Sankara (II)

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Like any revolution, the one led by Thomas Sankara aroused strong opposition. Just as its example inspired activists elsewhere, it stirred animosity among established rulers who feared that their own citizens might want to emulate the Burkinabè. The US, France, and other European powers did not hide their alarm at the National Council of the Revolution’s (CNR) radical foreign policy and its solidarity with liberation struggles in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Their African client states, especially in neighboring Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Togo, attempted to destabilize the Sankara government by helping dissident military officers conduct bombings. In 1986 Mali even waged a brief war against Burkina Faso. Within the country, those political and social circles that saw their interests threatened resisted the CNR’s programs and policies. They included: merchants linked to illicit commercial networks or smuggling rings, senior officers and bureaucrats removed from powerful positions, corrupt personnel no longer able to pilfer state resources, and traditional chiefs who lost some of their control over land or other prerogatives to young activists in the Committees in Defense of the Revolution (CDRs).

Decades Later, a Measure of Justice for Thomas Sankara (I)

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The moment the presiding judge of a military tribunal read out guilty verdicts against eleven accused killers of Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara, the courtroom audience burst into applause. As news spread across the capital, Ouagadougou, drivers honked horns and youths danced in the streets. Some chanted: “La patrie ou la mort, nous vaincrons!” (Homeland or death, we will win), the slogan of Sankara’s revolutionary government. A procession of activists and youth groups laid flowers at a memorial site dedicated to Sankara and the twelve aides slain with him in the 1987 military coup.Many thought the day would never come. Not least because the chief accused was Blaise Compaoré, who crushed Sankara’s revolution and then ruled the country with an iron hand—and with complete impunity—for the next 27 years. But Compaoré’s own overthrow in a popular insurrection in 2014 left him exposed to the possibility that he might one day have to answer for his crimes. So he fled to neighboring Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), beyond the reach of Burkina Faso’s judicial system, which thus had to try him in absentia. Still, the life sentence for Compaoré and sentences from three years to life for the others convicted, brought some satisfaction to the many, many Burkinabè who revere Sankara.

Defending Ukraine’s Independence: An Interview with Yuliya Yurchenko

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This interview first appeared in the on-line journal Spectre on April 11, 2022. World-Outlook is publishing it because it provides information that will be of interest to our readers. Yuliya Yurchenko is the author of Ukraine and the Empire of Capital: From Marketization to Armed Conflict. She is also a Senior Lecturer on Political Economy at the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom and Vice-Chair of the Critical Political Economy Research Network. At the time of the interview, Yurchenko was in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. The interview offers valuable insight into the struggle to defend Ukraine’s right to self-determination after centuries of Russian domination. It includes information on the establishment of the “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk with Russian government support following Putin’s seizure of the Crimea in 2014. Yurchenko also discusses the role of far-right forces in Ukraine. Her description of the way capitalism was re-established in Ukraine following the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991 is persuasive.

Why Lenin, Bolsheviks Backed Independence for Ukraine

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This is a resolution adopted by the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in November 1919. Russian revolutionary leader V.I. Lenin drafted the original text. The resolution can be found in Vol. 30 of Lenin’s Collected Works under the title “On Soviet Rule in Ukraine.” World-Outlook is publishing it because it is relevant to the world-wide discussion and debate on Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow’s brutal attack on a sovereign neighboring republic smacks of the Great Russian chauvinism prevalent under the czars, the barbaric monarchy that ruled the Russian empire for centuries before it was overthrown by workers and peasants in 1917. That same chauvinism animated the reactionary policies re-established by the late 1920s in the former USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) during the counterrevolution led by Joseph Stalin—a regime Russian president Vladimir Putin faithfully served decades later as an officer of the KGB, the secret police. The resolution illuminates the stark contrast between the position of Putin and Russia’s capitalists today, with that of the workers and peasants’ government Lenin led after the Russian revolution.

Vienna State Opera Rejects Calls to Ban Its Russian Artists

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This is a statement the Vienna State Opera issued on March 21, 2022. World-Outlook is publishing it because it addresses an important issue in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as U.S. and NATO sanctions against Russia. We agree with the Vienna opera’s call to reject demands to exclude Russian artists from performing “as well as a world view that classifies people as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ only on the basis of their origin.” We should note that during the long U.S. war against Vietnam 50 years ago, and during many other acts of aggression by Washington since, such a policy against artists from the U.S. would have been wrong for the same reason. It would also have deprived the world of many outstanding voices opposing that aggression. Any denial of the stage to Russian artists today only makes it more difficult for Russian artists to emulate that example now.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Stalls, for Now

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March 28, 2022—In the face of fierce and effective resistance by Ukrainian forces, signs are appearing that the Russian military may be adjusting the goals of its brutal invasion. “Russia says its main goal is Donbass, suggesting scaled-back ambitions in Ukraine,” Reuters reported March 25. Russian president Vladimir Putin originally aimed a substantial military convoy at Ukraine’s capital city with the goal of capturing it and, if possible, installing a compliant regime that would accept his false assertion that there is no Ukrainian nation; that Ukraine is nothing other than a “creation” of Russia. Achieving that goal has proven impossible, for now. Frustrated by the inability to score a quick, decisive military victory, Putin intensified a brutal air and artillery assault on the Ukraine, one that is intended to terrorize the civilian population. That offensive has created an enormous humanitarian crisis, but it has not broken the will of the Ukrainian people despite the fact that one in every four Ukrainians have been forced from their homes.

Lenin on Internationalism, Fighting National Oppression

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This is a selection of writings by Russian revolutionary leader V.I. Lenin on internationalism, fighting national oppression, and the need for a voluntary union of soviet socialist republics. In recent posts, World-Outlook has referred to the fight Lenin carried out at the end of his life for a genuinely internationalist approach to ensuring such a voluntary union in the early years after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine this year, and Vladimir Putin’s distortions of Russia’s and Ukraine’s revolutionary history, give renewed importance to these issues.

Ukrainians Fiercely Resist Brutal Russian Invasion

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March 16, 2022—Moscow is escalating its savage assault on Ukraine in the face of worldwide opposition to the invasion ordered by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Any idea that Russia’s military could score a quick victory and rapidly impose a successful occupation of the country has proven false. Ukrainian resistance has been stiff and determined. Inside Russia, demonstrations against Putin’s war have occurred in over 150 cities leading to more than 13,000 arrests by Putin’s cops. The population of Ukraine is engaged in a war for national independence against a regime in Moscow that aims to restore in Ukraine the situation that existed under the Russian Tsar, when the Russian empire was a prison house of nations. This explains the fierce resistance that has clearly come as a surprise to Putin, as well as others. Ukrainians will not easily become the subjects of efforts to establish a new Russian empire.