Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

‘The only Black person in the room’

“ I think we need a reconsideration of the whole of the post-1945 period, which is an era in which both authoritarian and semi-democratic governments across the region engaged in massive arms acquisition and then deployed many—in some cases most—of those weapons against their own populations. We usually see this as a process of violent decolonization and then an equally violent postcolonial descent into either authoritarianism or fractured forms of democracy, which is a pattern that of course we can identify elsewhere in the world as well. But actually, when we look through this lens of mass violence, we can see that there are many ways in which this is not a period of decolonization at all. It is a period of  recolonization : a recalibration and a recasting of empire into new shapes, in which superpowers control spaces by combining economic dominance with a deliberate flooding of weaponry in the relevant territory, alongside the careful—and sometimes not so careful—creation of spe...

The revolution of dignity hijacked - an updated background

The focus is on the role of the kafala system in relation to race and domestic labour . However, for a bigger picture that allows us to contextualise all of the above, one should explore  inequality, rentierism and the roots of Lebanon’s 2019 uprising.

On the Island’s diverse present and future

Using ‘imperial’ and avoiding imperialism and capitalism. America isn’t ‘back’. Here’s why Related “ About 42 percent of Americans are now either unaware of the fact that their country is still fighting wars in the Greater Middle East and Africa or think that the war on terror is over. Consider that for a moment. What does it mean to be fighting wars for a country in which a near majority of the population is unaware that you’re even doing so?” “I tell my son that people die in wars because so many of us turn our backs on what’s going on in the world we live in.” Andrea Mazzarino from Cost of War Project

The toppling of Saddam’s statue(s)

Why it was a resounding success

A good summary. But did the lights stay on?

Richard Lewontin obituary

  هذا موقف أكثر واقعية ورصانة من المواقف التي قرأتها إلى حد الآن حول 25 جويلية: مصلحة الطبقات الشعبيّة أهمّ من النقاشات الدستوريّة أنهى قيس سعيد هذه العشرية من الالتفاف على الثورة بتغيير من فوق. تلقّت الجماهير الشعبية بفرح كبير طرد كل الوجوه المشؤومة التي حوّلت حياتها إلى جحيم وشوّهت بفشلها ورداءتها الفعل السياسي، أيْ الفِعل الجماعي لتغيير الواقع ونفّرت الناس منه. لا يهمّنا النقاش الشكلي العقيم حول الدستور والقوانين وتوصيف ما حصل بالانقلاب من عدمه. كما لا نثق في الأشخاص وقدرتهم على التغيير بمفردهم، كائنًا من كانوا. تبقى ثقتنا الوحيدة في مبادرة وتنظّم الطبقات الشعبية لفرض مصالحها وإحداث التغيير من تحت، لا من فوق. يفترض ذلك الحفاظ على المكسب الوحيد الذي حققته ثورة 2010-2011، وهو الحرّيات العامة. تجدر هنا اليقظة حتى لا تأخذ "المحاسبة" منحى التشفي والقمع والاستئصال. يجب ضمان حق الدفاع للجميع ورفض المحاكمات الجائرة. فالقمع والاستبداد إذا انطلق لا يتوقّف عند أحد. كما يجب رفض عسكرة البلاد والدولة وفرض إعلان نظام سياسي جديد وانتخابات، بشروط جديدة، في أقرب وقت. انتهت عشر سنوات حكَمها ...

It might not be that left at all

This is not a radical anti-capitalist analysis, but it’s an interesting read. Why neoliberalism needs neofascists

How hardship and hopelessness have been exploited by the US. And it is acknowledged by the liberal the Guardian . “Cuba launched mobile internet late, in 2018, but more than 4 million people now access the web via their phones. The internet – and particularly social media – has altered the power balance between citizens and state. After hundreds of people came out in the western town of San Antonio de los Baños on Sunday morning, videos were viewed by people in Havana within minutes. The approximately $20m a year of US federal funds spent on “democracy promotion” factors into the way Cubans experience the internet. Anti-Castro news websites funded by US tax dollars advertise heavily on Facebook and YouTube . VPNs are needed to make purchases with credit cards in Cuba, and to download many apps. When using the popular VPN Psiphon, for example, adverts for Cubanet, ADN Cuba and Diario de Cuba – all financed by the state department – pop up as paid content. Articles from these outlets are...

Ideological, financial, physical and military contributions to colonisation

Farewell and thank you, Mona!

Ben & Jerry’s in West Bank settlements

“ Sunday’s coup had nothing to do with the virus. It was planned at a time when the virus was under control.” True. However, one also needs to look at what social classes and social strata involved in the protests on the eve of the coup and what alternative to the 10 years of political instability and worsening of living conditions the leaders of the coup have.  Is the situation in Tunisia unique and isolated from the global crisis and not structurally connected to the weak capitalism and the ‘unpatriotic’ bourgeoisie–be it Islamic or secular? Can a small, poor country with very limited resources escape the domination of and dependence on powerful states–regional and Western–and international capital? David Hearst speaks about the involvement of the United Arab Emirates. But is it disingenuous from him to ignore the involvement of other regional powers, including Qatar. There is nothing constitutional about Qais Saied’s coup In May, the country started talks with the International ...

Paintings that define atrocities