Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

"One might have thought that the methods applied in the days of European colonialism and the resulting patterns were a thing of the past. But that would be mistaken. These methods and patterns are now seeing a resurgence, awakening in new and grotesque spasms. We don't even dare hope that these will be the last." Late colonial convulsions See also: A rotten legacy

The Nokdu Flower A drama about the Donghak Peasant Revolution that took place in late 19th century Korea. It is a drama, so for some historical background, I recommend you have an overview here . They are 24 parts, but it is worth watching it. Themes include: class struggle, war, betrayal, class, psychology, love, the Japanese occupation of Korea, communistic ideals, loyalty to ideas ...

"How privatisation increases corruption in the developing world"

Expand your knowledge 90% off on all Verso ebooks

State violence: Destruction of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem Another NYT's biased report

People as a number  The terrorist Mediterranean Sea killed up to 150 migrants in order to protect fortress Europe  

In Lebanon: New Waves of Hatred with Little Solidarity

Since the  establishment  of the High Council for Cyber Security in December 2014, the [Egyptian] regime has acquired increasingly sophisticated technological capabilities, used unprecedented measures to block internet activity, passed restrictive internet legislation and now surveils users and censors content on a scale never seen before. Much of this has been facilitated by Western companies, states and regional allies who have been more than happy to sell potentially repressive technologies to the authoritarian regime, emboldening Sisi’s attempts to eliminate freedom of expression in Egypt. As the regime  continues  in its “fight against existing and potential spaces where dissent might be possible,” the digital realm has become an increasingly important space for both dissent and its subsequent arrest. Egypt's Arrested Digital Spaces

The Cabinet Office secretary, David Lidington,  speaking  on behalf of now ex-prime minister Theresa May, recently told parliament that “there is no legal obligation” on the government to establish an inquiry to assess the extent of Britain’s complicity in war crimes, including abduction (“rendition”), false imprisonment and torture.  Why is Sajid Javid so rattled by Cage?

An interview with French sociologist Fabien Truong, author of Loyautés Radicales A Clash of Loyalties in the Parisian Suburbs

"Late in life, William F. Buckley made a confession to Corey Robin. Capitalism is "boring," said the founding father of the American right. "Devoting your life to it," as conservatives do, "is horrifying if only because it's so repetitious. It's like sex." With this unlikely conversation began Robin's decade-long foray into the conservative mind. What is conservatism, and what's truly at stake for its proponents? If capitalism bores them, what excites them? Tracing conservatism back to its roots in the reaction against the French Revolution, Robin argues that the right is fundamentally inspired by a hostility to emancipating the lower orders. Some conservatives endorse the free market, others oppose it. Some criticize the state, others celebrate it. Underlying these differences is the impulse to defend power and privilege against movements demanding freedom and equality. Despite their opposition to these movements, conservatives favor...

A group of people armed with a Bolshevik-Marxist programme are planning the overthrow of "the American way of life":

4th Industrial Revolution: Myth or Reality?

 "[A]nything that offers success in our unjust society without trying to change it is not revolutionary – it just helps people cope. In fact, it could also be making things worse. Instead of encouraging radical action, mindfulness says the causes of suffering are disproportionately inside us, not in the political and economic frameworks that shape how we live. And yet mindfulness zealots believe that paying closer attention to the present moment without passing judgment has the revolutionary power to transform the whole world. It’s magical thinking on steroids." The mindfulness conspiracy

Corporate extremism Kids working in banana trees, parents on strike

These Muslims who come to our country and don't like our way of life. These Muslims we went to their countries so that they adopt our way of doing things. The Real Trouble with Ilhan Omar

The cartoons the Guardian refused to publish

"Worship of markets threatens human civilisation"

What's in my coffee? £0.01 goes to the farmer.

The deal with the military means that the uprising has stopped short from becoming a revolution; it means that the balance of forces has tilted more than ever since the begining of the uprising towards the military leadership and genocidal militia; it means a win for the regional reactionary forces such as the Egyptian regime and the monarchies of Saudi Arabia and the UAE ; it means that the opposition has not been able to split the army, produce a revolutionary figure and create revolutionary organisations that could continue the struggle.