Global Left Midweek – October 25, 2023

Left responses to the Gaza siege, and news and analysis from all over

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Rally to mark mass women's strike in Reykjavik, October 24, 2023. Credit, AP Photo/Arni Torfason
  1. Left Responses to the Siege of Gaza
  2. Mass Strike for Gender Equality in Iceland
  3. Iranian Human Rights Activists: No War With Iran
  4. Bolivia: The Mess in MAS
  5. China Examined
  6. Lessons From the Spanish Election
  7. Cabral Speaks
  8. From LeftEast: Radical Socialists in Eastern Europe
  9. The Canadian Side of the Auto Strike
  10. New Collection: The Russian Invasion and the Ukrainian Left

 

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Left Responses to the Siege of Gaza

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Mass Strike for Gender Equality in Iceland

Egill Bjarnason / Associated Press (New York)

Schools, shops, banks and Iceland’s famous swimming pools shut on Tuesday as women in the volcanic island nation — including the prime minister — went on strike to push for an end to unequal pay and gender-based violence. Trade unions, the strike’s main organizers, called on women and nonbinary people to refuse paid and unpaid work, including chores. 

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Iranian Human Rights Activists: No War With Iran

Jake Johnson / Common Dreams (Portland ME)

Dozens of Iranian human rights activists, including the husband of jailed 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, released a joint statement Tuesday condemning recent calls for war against Iran, warning that a military attack on their country would undermine “the legitimate struggle of the Iranian people for democracy and peace.”

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Bolivia: The Mess in MAS

Olivia Arigho Stiles / Jacobin (New York)

Bolivia’s governing MAS party is mired in a deep crisis, the result of political infighting and a sharp economic downturn. If the country’s leftist leaders cannot come to some agreement, the unity of organized labor and indigenous movements may be at risk.

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China Examined

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Lessons From the Spanish Election

Laura Chazel / Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Brussels)

This article ianalyses the different actors on the Spanish Left, especially the PSOE and the new political movement Sumar that emerged in 2022. The analysis will be framed within the context of (1) the policies implemented by the Spanish centre-left government, particularly Sánchez’s second government which took office on 13 January 2020, and (2) the outcome of the 2023 general elections.

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Cabral Speaks

Mike Powell / Review of African Political Economy (London)

Amilcar Cabral was one of the most important figures of the 20th Century. He created and led a revolutionary movement in his country which not only led to its liberation against almost impossible odds but did so in a way which prepared the ground for the subsequent democratic revolution in the colonial power itself. 

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From LeftEast: Radical Socialists in Eastern Europe

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The Canadian Side of the Auto Strike

Jim Stanford / rabble.ca (Toronto)

The UAW’s ambition is celebrated among unionists on both sides of the border. It is another sign that the labour movement is rising. But there’s no doubt their counterparts in Canada (represented by Unifor) have been similarly ambitious. Unifor’s leaders also saw an opportunity this year to make historic gains.

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New Collection: The Russian Invasion and the Ukrainian Left

Stas Serhiienko, editor / Commons (Kyiv)

The idea of creating an English-language issue of Commons journal has been discussed for a long time. The materials presented here are not original articles written for this issue. They are either selected texts that we have published since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on our website, or publications with members of the editorial board on other resources.