Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

War has been the most convenient pseudo-solution for the problems of twentieth-century capitalism. It provides the incentives to modernisation and technological revolution which the market and the pursuit of profit do only fitfully and by accident, it makes the unthinkable (such as votes for women and the abolition of unemployment) not merely thinkable but practicable.... What is equally important, it can re-create communities of men and give a temporary sense to their lives by uniting them against foreigners and outsiders. This is an achievement beyond the power of the private enterprise economy ... when left to itself. —Eric J. Hobsbawm,  London Observer , May 26, 1968

Reviewing The Age of Catastrophe by Henrich Winkler

Hickel goes against the grain, but wants to correct and better manage capitalism with modest solutions. Yet I think the book is worth reading. The Divide:  A brief guide to global inequality and its solutions

The Birth of History and the Past of the Third World

"Not so long ago, socialism in the USA was equated with Communism, which in turn was equated with Stalinist Russia, which in turn was equated with the Evil Empire, which, as we all know, was equated with the sinister realm of Satan, the Antichrist and everything that was contrary to apple pie, motherhood, and every other well-known American value." Trump's advisors slander socialism

"While climate change is a major global concern, the rush to link climate change with recent upheavals in the Middle East, such as Egypt’s 2011 revolution, is both simplifying and depoliticizing. The link between climate, bread, and protest erases important social, material, and cultural nuances, distorts the allocation of responsibility, and ultimately, obscures more than it illuminates." Overstating Climate Change in Egypt's Uprising

In Europe's richest country "There’s the conversation at the bakery where an old woman complains about the “bad” foreigners, and the woman serving her agrees. There’s the conductor on the tramway who deliberately checks only the tickets of the black passengers. And there are the attacks on leftwing cultural projects or community centres – stones thrown, beatings, the violence you experience when you try to get involved. And there’s the passivity of the so-called civilian population – locals who stand by when a black person is beaten up in the town centre. Racist, fascist normality sets in." I live among the neo-Nazis

“The problem with the Houthis,” he said, “is that they are a reaction to others’ behavior.” How the war in Yemen became a bloody stalemate and the worst humanitarian crisis in the world

In its latest report the National Crime Agency said "around 4,600 serious and organised crime groups existed in the UK and their activities affected more citizens than all other national security threats combined." I thought Muslims were the biggest threat to national security! Hang on! May be these group are run by Muslims! Organised crime in the UK

Lawmaker Khawla Ben Aicha expects to propose changes to Article 230 of the country’s penal code, a remnant of French colonial rule which  punishes same-sex physical relationships  with up to three years in prison, in early November. Anal tests could finally be banned in Tunisia