Opinion – Zabalaza for Socialism

Back to the Stone Ages

Charlie Kimber7 April 2026

In his book, Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost, Joe Allen analyses why President Lyndon Johnson decided on all-out war in Vietnam rather than make a deal that was on offer with nationalist forces.He writes, “The Johnson administration chose war because anything less than a total victory of U.S. imperialism would be seen as […]

Zionism, anti-Semitism and eugenics

Terry Bell31 March 2026

The conflation of the religio-nationalist ideology of Zionism not only with Judaism and the nation state of Israel, but also with antisemitism, continues to be widely promoted. Yet the terminology and the manner of its use grew out of the pseudoscientific racism that flourished in the 19th Century. This came in response to the humanist […]

“Bombing never leads to positive regime change”

Charlie Kimber31 March 2026

Mediapart, the French leftist website, has an interview with Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago and author of the most-referenced book on the effects of air attacks throughout history. He says, “The carpet bombing of Iran will not achieve its goals, even if the regime has been decapitated.” I post a […]

Whose Growth?

Suliman Rajah31 March 2026

We do not seek to grow the economy. That statement, within the narrow confines of the present, is heresy. It is the ultimate rejection of the gospel according to the economists, the ministers, and the commentators who see only percentages and indices where we see suffering. Their eternal plea is for “growth,” for “investment,” for […]

Beyond the Script: Why the State of the Nation Needs a Rupture, Not Reform

Brian Ashley11 February 2026

As Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to deliver yet another State of the Nation Address, the ritual repeats itself. Big business demands “confidence.” Ratings agencies insist on “discipline.” Trade union federations and NGOs submit carefully worded proposals about what the President “should prioritise.” Once again, we will be told that progress is being made, that stability is […]

The death of politics in South Africa.

Zwelinzima Vavi11 February 2026

We are underestimating the devastating impact of the death of politics in South Africa. Not politics as elections, conferences or speeches, but politics as the conscious, organised participation of ordinary people in shaping their collective future. We have never honestly analysed how the “big man” phenomenon hollowed out our democratic culture. The towering moral authority […]

Mazibuko Jara | Why the SACP needs to focus beyond the Alliance

Mazibuko Jara3 February 2026

Dinga Sikwebu’s article in last week’s City Press (“SACP’s umms and ahhs: Holes in motivations to contest elections”, Sun 18 Jan 2026, https://www.news24.com/citypress/voices/dingwa-sikwebu-sacps-umms-and-ahhs-holes-in-motivations-to-contest-elections-20260117-1174) lands a necessary challenge: the SACP’s decision to contest the 2026 local government elections is politically significant, but it currently reads as a half-step — an “umming and ahhing” posture that may […]

Alex Callinicos: Is the United States turning to fascism? With aggression abroad and repression at home, Donald Trump’s drive to centralise power in his hands is undeniable

Alex Callinicos28 January 2026

It’s hardly surprising that social media is full of claims that fascism now reigns in the United States. Since 2026 began, two features of fascist regimes have been very visible. On one the hand, aggression abroad—the violent kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela, the threats of military action against Iran and Greenland. […]

Selective Bombs and Selective Grief: Empire, Muslim Suffering and the Imperial Logic of War in Nigeria

Lawan Musa Danlami (Baba Lawan)23 January 2026

If the United States were truly motivated by the protection of Nigerian Christians, its actions would follow the geography of human suffering. But they do not. Instead, what we see is a familiar imperial pattern: war waged selectively, morality applied unevenly, and suffering acknowledged only when it aligns with strategic interest. Numerically, most victims of […]

Iran, Imperialism and the Left: Why We Must Stand With Struggle From Below

Admin15 January 2026

Please note the following opinion piece has been written prior to the likely US military intervention in Iran. We must be absolutely clear that US military intervention has nothing to do with support for the oppressed masses in Iran. The US has been and is intent on making Iran a client state of US imperialism […]

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Category: Opinion