Democracy in Peril: Georgia’s Choice Amid Global Shifts in Power
Since November 28, a river of people has been flowing ceaselessly down Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli avenue, with diverse streams of protesters marching by day and merging into a powerful rush by night. Since regaining independence in 1991, Georgia has never witnessed such massive mobilization without a political leader helming the movement. Some have attempted to […]
Indoctrination From the Cradle. How Israeli Jews Struggle Against the Apartheid Regime
It is the twelfth month since the war between Israel and HAMAS began. So does the ongoing encroachment (demolitions, killings, and evictions of Palestinians from their homes) in the West Bank. Some Israelis are also aware of the situation and are trying to prevent further crimes by spreading information and by being present in the […]
Local Communities and Labor Movements Under Threat in Sakartvelo: Interview with Left Activists
In April-May 2024, tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets to protest against the new "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence," which was finally passed by the parliament on May 28th, overturning the presidential veto. This law requires NGOs that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to declare themselves as […]
“We Could Not Provide Any Credible Alternatives to NATO”: Interview With Finnish Leftist Henrik Jaakkola
Initially, Left Alliance (Vasemmistoliitto/Vänsterförbundet) was fiercely against Finland joining NATO to the point of making it a condition of your participation in the government. What was the reasoning behind V’s security policy back then? Not only was our party Vasemmistoliitto against Finland joining NATO, but so was also the overwhelming majority of both Finnish citizens […]
2004 and on: ‘Oligarchic Democracy’ and Crises
In this chapter of his book, The Making and Unmaking of the Ukrainian Working Class: Everyday Politics and Moral Economy in a Post-Soviet City, Denys Gorbach offers an overview of Ukraine’s politico-economic landscape. He puts the economic transformations over the last thirty years in the political and cultural context. The first part covers the 1990s […]
Ukrainian Political Economy: Property Regimes and Identity Cleavages
In this chapter of his book, The Making and Unmaking of the Ukrainian Working Class: Everyday Politics and Moral Economy in a Post-Soviet City, Denys Gorbach offers an overview of Ukraine’s politico-economic landscape. He puts the economic transformations over the last thirty years in the political and cultural context. The first part covers the 1990s […]
What happened to Ukraine’s May 9, Victory Day? A discussion with Ukrainian historian Georgiy Kasianov
Since Ukraine's declaration of independence, there have been shifts in various policies concerning the observance of May 9, whether as Victory Day or Memorial Day. How was Victory Day marked during the tenures of the first two presidents, Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma? Was there ongoing discourse regarding the commemoration and celebration of this occasion? […]
The Fall and Ambivalent Rise of East European Anti-Colonialism
At a conference in Prague this past spring (May 2023), a prominent theorist of colonialism and coloniality spoke to us via video chat from his office in the Americas. He was asked what he thought about the claim that Russia’s relationship to Ukraine is colonial. I was looking forward to hearing how he applied his […]
The Maidan Shooting: Conspiracy Theories and Unanswered Questions
A decade ago, the Euromaidan protests successfully toppled the Yanukovych government. Paradoxically, nobody faced justice for the bloodiest attack against the protesters, the mass shootings of people who went up Instytutska Street on 20 February. All the killed supporters of Euromaidan became immortalized as the Heavenly Hundred, with their names and photos being publicly displayed […]
International (In)Security: How the Global System is Disintegrating and Why the Left Cannot Stop It
We live in the time of rapidly escalating “frozen” military conflicts. Ukraine, Palestine, Yemen, Armenia, Sudan: status quo seemed immovable in these places, but now the “red lines” are crumbling while the front lines are coming to life. Within a few days, as a result of aggression and occupation, entire nations are plunged into a […]
