Blog

From the continuities with Yeltsin’s disaster capitalism, the rise of the oligarchs to Putin’s ‘vertical of power’ in the post-Soviet state – what future is possible in Russia?

In this interview with Philippe Petit, Alain Supiot discusses the gilets jaunes protests and the urgent need to re-align the exercise of power with the rich and diverse experiences of people's lives.

The Stansted 15, who peacefully blocked a mass deportation flight in March 2017, were convicted on Monday under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act. They face up to life in prison and await sentencing in February. Luke de Noronha and Tanzil Chowdhury reflect on their conviction and its profound significance for all of us. 

The gilets jaunes are completely of this age, that of the Arab spring, the occupied squares and the ZAD." Alain Bertho, author of The Age of Violence, on the Gilets Jaunes.

Philosopher Frédéric Gros on the Gilets Jaunes protests.

How can we understand Russia beyond the larger-than-life figure of Vladimir Putin?

What is the true, revolutionary meaning of Christmas? In this article, originally published in the Christmas 1969 edition of Black Dwarf, Fred Halliday analyses the dialectic of Christmas in which the desire for happiness is marshalled into a tool of subjection (and alcoholic oblivion).

Who Makes Cents is a monthly program devoted to producing engaging stories that explain how capitalism has changed over time.

Sebastian Budgen discusses the Yellow Vests protests in France, the social composition of the movement, its relationship to established political forces, and the absent strategy of the Macron project, with Alex Doherty on the Politics Theory Other podcast

The publication of Felwine Sarr and Benedicte Savoy’s report recommending the restitution of stolen African objects and the approach of what is called a “migrant caravan” toward the US is not a coincidence.

Much has been written about the gilets jaunes and their relation to both politics, of the left and the right, and historical waves of labour unrest. In this article, Joshua Clover argues that the gilets jaunes are in fact a texbook example of a contemporary riot, and may be best seen as an early example of an approaching wave of climate riots.

Historian Sophie Wahnich compares the current period with the French Revolution, from the Marseillaise to the image of Macron as Louis XVI: possible parallels, excessive comparisons and potentialities at work.