Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

Inside the world that decides what porn you see

American women should go to Tunisia or Bahrain to have abortion! Related "I would consider myself a practising Muslim. I try my best to abide by the Quran and the Sunnah [teachings of the Prophet Muhammad]. Based on my faith, I know I did the right thing. I know it was ok for me to have an abortion. Islam gave me that right," Fatima said. " But now this country doesn’t recognise these rights. What will other women like me do?"

A very interesting review. The review too, I think, stops short at determining the cause(s) of imperialism. He does not identify the cause of power. “Power is the axis upon which the imperial machine turns and under which its various tentacles are subsumed. It is the means by which imperialists consolidate their near total control and domination of the lives of the imperialized. Kohli does discuss power in his analysis of imperialism, indeed, pointing out that, ‘Britain used its power superiority to build both a formal and informal empire’ (6); and ‘Force was used periodically to establish and maintain these economic interactions…’ (142). Also, ‘The use of coercion is especially significant for assessing a relationship as imperial’ (392). But so strong is the emphasis on motives (economic interest) that the significance of the concept of power or coercion is lost within the historical narrative. Indeed, in the case of the US, Kohli talks about ‘surplus power.’ We shall return to this ...

“ In short, the political economy of the Abraham Accords may serve as the new anchor of a regional security arrangement that is US-stamped, but no longer necessarily directly backed militarily by a US presence on the ground. They facilitate a region-wide, Israeli-produced surveillance architecture; new flows of weaponry to repressive states known to target civilians; and trade and investment patterns that promise an authoritarian model of prosperity at the expense of the most vulnerable communities of the region. This is, of course, in addition to the violation of the most basic rights of Palestinian and Sahrawi communities.” The empire is changing its strategy Related Israel-Egypt-EU gas deal

 

“The statistics show very clearly that the cost of living crisis is not being driven by workers demanding higher wages. The combination of the war in Ukraine and disturbances to supply chains that took place during the Great Lockdown are the main factors explaining higher prices. As I argued in  Tribune  last week, the crisis in  global shipping  is particularly important in explaining why prices have risen so much over the last few years. But the issue isn’t simply macroeconomic changes that are beyond our control — it’s also the profiteering of large corporations in response to the inflationary environment.” Rising prices are not driven by rising wages

We have been here before. A social democrat with a reformist programme.

المناضلة المصرية سارة حجازي التي انتحرت قبل سنتين 

Resolution calls on governments of Catalonia and Spain to hold Israel accountable

The age of the performer-entrepreneur Related Iron Musk is not a renegade outsider Employees fired after writing letter criticising Musk

A review of  Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany’s Wealthiest Dynasties  

“When Ihat [ Iraq Historic Allegations Team]  closed, outstanding cases were reduced, overnight, from 3,400 to just 20. It had cost the taxpayer £34m and failed to secure a single prosecution. Fifteen years after it began, we are no closer to holding any politicians or high-ranking soldiers accountable for the disaster of the Iraq war.” “The last person in Britain to be prosecuted for crimes committed by forces under their command was in 1651 during the civil war.” Why we may never know

“ Most agree that the root of the problem lies in the ongoing economic crisis”

"How can I support my people dying? My grandchildren and great-grandchildren were forced to go to Poland. We live in fear and terror." "I was just happy that Russians would come and not fight with us. I was happy that we would unite again." The red flag, she says , is not the flag of the Soviet Union, not of Russia, but "the banner of love and happiness in every family, in every city, in every republic. Not of bloodshed. And whoever says otherwise, is wrong." "If I could speak to Vladimir Putin I would say, you've made a mistake. Us Ukrainian workers, what have we ever done to deserve this? We are the ones who are suffering the most." "Putin is a president. A tsar, a king, an emperor."

Capitalism and the Shipping Chaos

Mortgages to universal credit claimants

What it can tell us about the world

A book review

Should it be cancelled to protect workers?