Does the ‘Great Sex Work Debate’ matter at all? The real-world implications of the two strategies
The debate about how the state should regulate sex work seems to be everlasting. Some feminists strongly insist on the need for regulation, while others point out an inherent ethical contradiction: “How can one be a feminist and opt to legalize a trade that harms the very selfhood of a ‘worker’?” The two sides are […]
Legislating Land Reform in Ukraine
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, newly independent Ukraine carried out a land reform designed to abolish the collective farm system and distribute land among the peasants, laying the foundation for the development of a private economy. But in 2001, fearing the possible consequences of launching a land market, the […]
Oleksiy Burkovsky: “Land reform leads Ukraine not to Europe but to Latin America”
What will be the dynamics of soil erosion and desertification in Ukraine after the launch of the agricultural land market? How will these processes affect the environment? And what should the Ukrainian authorities do in order to regain control over the ecological condition of the land? We discussed these questions with Oleksiy Burkovsky, Ukrainian ecologist, […]
Squeezed between Iran and the US: the future of the protests in the Middle East
The US and Iran teetered on the brink of war as Iranian missiles hit the American bases in Iraq in response to the killing of the Quds Corps commander Qasem Soleimani. In this interview, Marxist scholar Jakob Rigi discusses these events in the context of the Iranian domestic politics and the social tensions in the […]
Organising for peace in Ukraine: an interview with Nina Potarska
Last month, Russia began to amass troops close to its border with Ukraine. Kremlin top brass’s media interventions seeking to explain the buildup of around one hundred thousand troops were ambiguous: from reassurances that these were simple military exercises to effective threats of a full-fledged war if Ukraine should join NATO. The demonstrative character of these actions […]
Fighting for justice in Ukraine’s construction industry
With plans afoot for a new Labour Code in Ukraine, we spoke to Vasyl Andreyev, head of the Union of Construction Workers and Building Materials Industry about the reality of defending workplace rights in the country. Trade unions today are often associated with the Soviet era, when they performed an assistive function for the authorities, rather than […]
The left group GUE/NGL will not split: MEP Helmut Scholz on elections in the EU and Ukraine
In previous materials we’ve already generally informed our readers about how the European Parliament functions and which parliamentary groups are represented in it. In our interview with you we whould like first of all to focus on the radical left in the European Parliament and their group GUE/NGL. What do the radical left parties of […]
Commons has turned 10
In March of 2019, we mark 10 years anniversary of the journal ‘Commons’, which is a good occasion to draw some conclusions and think about the future. At the time when we started the journal, there was a lack of quality texts with left perspective in the Ukrainian language. That is why over past years […]
The Land Question: land concentration and the agricultural land moratorium in Ukraine
Mykhailo Amosov For almost 30 years, the question of land reform has occupied Ukrainians. Currently, this stalemate seems irreversible. This article considers what has been happening with regards to the ‘land question’ over the past 30 years, where we stand today, and what to expect in the future. Land during Soviet times From 1921 until […]
Democracy or the power of experts? A Review on “The New Authoritarianism” by Salvatore Babones
This provocative book is full of straightforward critical statements and fresh ideas, supported by logical argument and historical excursus. Those, who seek a sharp analysis and a clear diagnosis of the contemporary state of American democracy, will find those answers in this thrilling read. Adversely, those, who prefer a more global intellectual exercise, will find […]
