Portside

1. Arab Spring: A Warning to All Tyrants
2. Tearing Out the Roots of Climate Crisis
3. Jayati Ghosh on Biden’s Global Economy Options
4. World Welcomes Nuclear Arms Ban Treaty
5. Nepal’s Ruling Party Expels Prime Minister
6. Colombia: FARC Becomes COMUNES
7. Palestinian Strikers Win
8. Ugandan Women Up Against Power
9. UK: Lessons from Public Service Union Election
10. German Parties, Peace and War
11. Legacies

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Arab Spring: A Warning to All Tyrants

Khalil al-Anani / Middle East Eye (London)

The experience of the Arab Spring revealed that, despite the power of security and intelligence services - and their use of all means of torture, murder and violation of human rights for the sake of intimidation - the structure of Arab despotism is subject to breakage. 

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Tearing Out the Roots of Climate Crisis

Tetet Lauron, Katja Voigt, Nadja Charaby and Nessim Achouche / Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Berlin)

Will the goal of net zero emissions usher in much-needed transformation, or is this a foreshadowing of dangerous distractions to come?

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Jayati Ghosh on Biden’s Global Economy Options

Jayati Ghosh / Project Syndicate (New York)

Note: Indian development economist Ghosh has been appointed to a high-level UN advisory board that will provide recommendations for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to respond to socio-economic challenges in the post-COVID-19 world.

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World Welcomes Nuclear Arms Ban Treaty

Jessica Corbett / Common Dreams (Portland ME)

Disarmament and peace campaigners won ratification of a treaty banning nuclear weapons on January 22. States party to the agreement cannot develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use, or threaten to use nuclear weapons.

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Nepal’s Ruling Party Expels Prime Minister

Tribune (Chandigarh, India)

A Communist Party faction led a massive anti-government rally, saying the “unconstitutional” dissolution of the Parliament by Prime Minister Oli has posed serious threats to the country’s hard-earned federal democratic republic system.

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Colombia: FARC Becomes COMUNES

Steven Grattan / Vice (Brooklyn)

The decision to finally change the name and move away from the acronym may allow members of the party to move away from their association with the guerrilla group and be considered as legitimate political actors. 

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Palestinian Strikers Win

New Unions (West Bank)

After 19 days of an open-ended strike demanding their human and labor rights, Palestinian workers at Yamit have suspended their strike. The workers’ committee has reached this decision following an agreement with the company to meet their demands.

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Ugandan Women Up Against Power

Dr. Stella Nyanzi / Africa is a Country (New York)

In recent years, the gender-inclusive politics of the 1990s has appeared to be primarily benefiting the incumbent National Resistance Movement party, rather than effecting any real change amongst the masses.

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UK: Lessons from Public Service Union Election

Charlie Macnamara / Novara Media (London)

Unison, the UK’s biggest union, announced Christina McAnea had won its general secretary election and will become the union’s first woman leader. This was not greeted by those on the left who had hoped to see the union – and perhaps Labour – shift direction.

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German Parties, Peace and War

Victor Grossman / MR Online (New York)

In Berlin and Thuringia the SPD, Greens and LINKE stick together in quarrelsome togetherness with a majority of seats, or close to one, and no credible alternatives. On the national level the three together now stand at only 42%.

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Legacies

Jonas Gwangwa, South Africa  Martin Johnson / NPR (Washington DC)

Ezra Nawi, Israel/Palestine  Margaret Olin and David Shulman / Mondoweiss (Detroit)

Laura Weinstein, Colombia  Michael K. Lavers / Washington Blade

Christian Krähling, Germany  Florian Wilde and Fanny Zeise / Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Berlin)

Mel Corry, Ireland  / Morning Star (London)