Class, Identity and Socialist Strategy

A review of Asad Haider’s “Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump” (Verso, 2018). This article takes up the debate between "insurgent universality," economistic "class politics," and the fight for proletarian hegemony.

Subaltern Hegemony and the Recomposition of the Left

Autonomy, strategy, experimentation and creativity will all be necessary in order for the subaltern classes and the Left to develop their own hegemonic forms and practices. Doing so will be necessary to challenge capitalist social relations and hegemony.

Anti-Imperialism and Socialism—A Reply to Charlie Post

The struggle for consistent anti-imperialism is a question of the first order for the socialist movement. A contribution to the current debate about the legacy of Karl Kautsky, focusing on the concept of the “labor aristocracy.”

Progressive Illusions, Radical Promises: The Working Class and the State

Capital mobility and the threat of disinvestment seriously constrain the capacity of progressive politicians to act. Where, then, does “progressive” legislation come from? American Communists in the 1930s offer an insightful model for the contemporary left.

Social Democracy and Imperialism: The Problem with Kautsky

The ongoing debate about the legacy of Karl Kautsky has touched on many issues of socialist strategy today. In this article, originally published in the magazine Ideas de Izquierda from Argentina, the author focuses on a central question: imperialism.

Kautsky, Luxemburg, and Lenin in Light of the German Revolution

What can socialists today learn from Karl Kautsky? To answer this question, we need to see how his theories held up during the German Revolution of 1918. This presentation, part of an ongoing debate with Eric Blanc, Charlie Post, Mike Taber, and other socialists, was given at the Socialism in Our Time conference on April 14 in New York City.

Karl Kautsky: From Pope to Renegade

In the last few years, there has been a revival of interest in Kautsky's politics in both academia and on the political left.

Open Letter to Kshama Sawant: Don’t Support the Police!

Kshama Sawant, a socialist on the Seattle city council, has just voted to confirm the new police chief. This is a serious mistake, as the police are defenders of capitalism. Socialists should aim to expose the role played by the police against working people.

The Problem of Reformism

Revolutionaries have classically rejected the reformists’ political method of relying on the electoral/legislative process and the capitalist state. Here is why.