Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

A good piece as usual by Joseph Massad. However, I think he is doing a disservice to socialism by calling what existed in the Soviet Union and elsewhere before 1990 a ‘socialist world’. Economic democracy is the missing link in the struggle for human rights

Why the British system is so easily gamed by reckless opportunists

By blending historical inquiry with theoretical critique, Whyte’s account clarifies that neoliberal human rights did not emerge “from nowhere” but, rather, flowed from a long-standing, self-conscious, neoliberal tradition of forging rhetorical links between market morals and human rights. The Morals of the Market

 The controversy over left-wing populism

  Including Arab Americans in the Biden Administration

  Inside the university recruitment machine

  An interview with historian Enzo Traverso

 How capitalism survives

  Here is what you can do Related: The road to neoliberal autocracy

 The road to neoliberal autocracy

 It gives feminism a bad name

 ‘America has entered the Weimar era’ by the author of Dilemmas of Domination

Some statements in this article are arguable, but there is an interesting analysis of the situation in the country. 30 years to the day since Nicolae and Elena Ceaucesçu were executed. “Capitalist restoration, which followed the December 1989 uprising, led to the large scale collapse of industry and agriculture, forcing millions to emigrate. The majority of those who have remained are confronted with poverty, low wages, job insecurity, precarious public services and a political caste that is solely in the service of capitalist elites.” Capitalist restoration in Romania and the alternative A better analysis cab be found here Romania Redivivus

 Very good! Biden replaces Trump: A malignant ‘normalcy’ is restored

 A general strike in context

  Why the ‘Arab Spring’ failed

  Biden may pave the way for a more competent autocrat [sic] Trump has never been an autocrat. I don’t see the author using the word metaphorically.

  The Great Lockdown hits the Third World hard

 This is a good piece. The Economics of Palestinian Liberation

 Very engaging! “I  think that Benjamin has never been as relevant to questions of politics as he is today with the exception of his own lifetime. As I read him, Benjamin offers one of the best explanations both for the ongoing resilience of capitalism, despite all of its predations and all the instability that it creates, as well as the connection between fascism and liberalism that we are seeing being expressed today. He also offers, I think, the best way to understand how to address our contemporary moment and how to resist and upend capitalism, liberalism, and fascism all round.” Histories of Violence: Why We Should All Read Walter Benjamin Today