Part Two: Capitalism or Socialism: Challenges of the Revolution  [Author's note: this is the concluding part of the series. To read Part One, click on this link: https://www.blakdwarf.org/post/dynamics-of-the-syrian-revolution ]  A cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Controlled a vast business empire that spanned telecommunications, real estate, and banking. Syrian Capitalism in crisis: Neo-liberal Reforms and Rising Inequality   The Syrian uprising of 2011 ha

Part One:   Independence, class struggle and state capitalism   [ Author’s note : this is the first instalment in a two-part series, Part two looks at how the ciriss unfolded and the challenges of reconstruction, revolution and Kurdish self-determination. It is available now by following this link: https://www.blakdwarf.org/post/dynamics-of-the-syrian-revolution-2 ] Introduction “ Whatever comes next will be better than what came before. Syria has been mired in civil war

How the tax system helps conceal the daily fraud of capitalist exploitation

El resultado oficial de las elecciones presidenciales del 28 de julio en Venezuela, en las que el actual presidente Nicolás Maduro fue declarado vencedor por un margen del 51% frente al 44% del principal candidato de la oposición, está siendo muy cuestionado por un amplio abanico de fuerzas sociales y políticas. Tanto a nivel internacional como en la propia región, incluidos algunos de los aliados tradicionales de Maduro, se ha hecho un amplio llamamiento a la transparencia m

The official result of the July 28 Presidential election in Venezuela, in which the incumbent Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner by a margin of 51% over the main opposition candidate´s 44%, is being hotly contested by a broad array of social and political forces. Both internationally and within the region itself, including some of Maduro´s traditional allies, there has been a broad appeal for transparency via the publication of verifiable electronic data that would ordina

Bienvenue Bienvenida Huānyíng Dobro pozhalovat' Wilkommen kalos IRTHATE Since its inception 4 years ago, Black Dwarf has...

As a new generation of young fighters take centre stage in opposition to the Israeli butchery in Gaza, I am excited to announce the...

(PART ONE: THE DYNAMICS OF THE ARAB LIBERATION STRUGGLE) As Washington and Westminster use their imperial might to protect their vast trade and commercial interests in the Middle East,  they are upscaling their narrative that the primary source of the regional conflicts is to be found in the machinations of Tehran and its alleged proxy forces. This is echoed by a recent statement of Netanyahu decrying the supposedly Iranian-led “axis of evil” intent on destroying the Israeli

“Casi 80 años después del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, es impactante escuchar hoy cánticos abiertamente antisemitas en las calles de Londres. Hay personas que claramente quieren ignorar la masacre de Hamás del 7 de octubre. Quieren borrar a Israel del mapa. Eso es lo que estaban cantando hoy. No deben tener y no tendrán éxito. Agradezco a la policía todos sus esfuerzos para mantener a la gente segura, pero todos debemos hacer más, porque un antiguo odio está resurgiend

“Almost 80 years after the end of the Second World War it is shocking to hear nakedly anti-Semitic chants on the streets of London today. There are people who plainly want to ignore the Hamas massacre of October 7. They want to wipe Israel off the map. That is what they were chanting for today. They must not and will not succeed. I thank the police for all their efforts to keep people safe - but we must all do more, because an ancient hatred is rising again in Europe. It must

Como un cadáver en descomposición exhumado de su tumba, el horror de la guerra - con sus enigmas éticos aparentemente intratables - ha vuelto a salir a la luz en suelo europeo. En respuesta, la clase dominante británica y sus diversos portavoces mediáticos han orquestado un coro de indignación moral ante las innegables barbaridades cometidas por su antiguo amigo en el Kremlin, Vladimir Putin. Por si acaso, incluso han cuestionado la decisión de Washington de suministrar a Ucr

La campaña de bombardeos genocidas del Estado israelí contra el pueblo palestino en Gaza es la última entrega de un esfuerzo de casi 80 años para establecer y consolidar un Estado tapón imperialista en Medio Oriente. La filosofía y la práctica de este ataque -identificado en todo el mundo como castigo colectivo- estaban construidas en sus propios cimientos. En 1950, apenas dos años después de su creación, el futuro Ministro de Defensa israelí, Moshe Dayan, fue el primero en d

The Israeli state’s genocidal bombing campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza is the latest instalment of a nearly 80-year-old effort to establish and consolidate an imperialist buffer state in the Middle East. The philosophy and practice of this assault - identified the world over as collective punishment - was built into its very foundations. In 1950, just two years into its establishment, the future Israeli Defence Minister, Moshe Dayan, was the first to openly s

How the UK and USA deployed weapons of mass destruction to slaughter millions of civilians.

Eight hundred years and counting, but still there appears to be no end in sight to British rule in Ireland. After a further quarter...

“In ordinary times the state, be it monarchical or democratic, elevates itself above the nation, and history is made by specialists in...

The following is a photographic and video record of the worldwide mobilisation of women fighting for their rights on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 2023. The photos are from actions that occurred on the day itself when women sometimes came out on strike and, in the case of Turkey, directly defied the authorities' ban on the march. The demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan was tiny, but the fact that it took place at all was testimony to the immense bravery and dete

December 2022 through to January 2023 will go down in history as an unprecedented winter of discontent in the UK. Following closely on the heels of December actions which saw strikes by train drivers, bus drivers, ambulance paramedics, school teachers, university lecturers, post office workers and others, nurses at hospitals across England and Wales have come out on strike for the first time in their history. As with most public sector workers, they are striking for higher

[Part 2 of a 3-part series] " The whole of Europe is filled with the spirit of revolution. There is a deep sense not only of discontent but anger and revolt amongst the workmen against pre-war conditions. The whole existing order in its political, social and economic aspects is questioned by the masses of the population from one end of Europe to the other". David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister, 1919. The Irish revolution is traditionally associated with the War of Inde

At the recent congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chinese President Xi Jinping, forcefully re-asserted China’s seemingly unquestionable sovereignty over the island of Taiwan and, therefore, its right to annex it by force if necessary. This followed the recent visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan which raised tensions in the South China sea to unprecedented levels. Although the respective fleets of China, Taiwan, the USA and NATO forces have yet to square up to each oth