wisidagamage, Author at Lanka Socialists Forum

29 Mar

The war in Ukraine: The questions that must be asked

wisidagamage0 CommentsPolitics, World

Statement of the WSWS Editorial Board The deep-rooted and essential causes of a war are revealed not in how a war begins but in how it develops and to what it leads. The American Civil War was not caused by the firing on Fort Sumter. The assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand did not cause World War I. That the Civil War was ultimately about the destruction of slavery (and the resulting unfettered growth of modern capitalism in the United States) would become clear in historical retrospect. That the assassination of Ferdinand in Sarajevo was little more than a…

27 Mar

End the Humanitarian Disaster in Yemen – Stop Arming the Saudi Dictatorship!

wisidagamage0 CommentsHuman Rights, Politics

By Payam Solhtalab Originally From: https://labourhub.org.uk/2022/03/23/end-the-humanitarian-disaster-in-yemen-stop-arming-the-saudi-dictatorship/ This weekend – March 26th/27th – will mark the seventh anniversary of the beginning of the onslaught by a coalition of countries, headed by Saudi Arabia, against Yemen and its people. It’s a war that has exacted a particularly horrific toll on the country and its population, and which continues to do so unchecked as it is by the international community and powers that be. This bombardment of Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition has utterly devastated critical infrastructure across the country – leaving it in ruins and on the brink of a catastrophe of…

27 Mar

The Belligerati

wisidagamage0 CommentsFeatures, Politics

RICHARD SEYMOUR 22 MARCH 2022 Originally From: https://newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/the-belligerati The defenestration of dignity and common sense may be among the lesser tragedies of war. But in late capitalism the cynical, the sinister and the stupid tend to be enfolded in the same apocalyptic drive. Consider, for a moment, recent gestures of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, currently suffering under Russia’s increasingly brutal assault. As Western states have imposed vigorous sanctions on Russia, though not as severe as those imposed on Iran or Iraq, others have taken their own initiatives. In the United Kingdom, some supermarkets have taken Russian vodka off the shelves.…

27 Mar

War is good business

wisidagamage0 CommentsFeatures

Originally From: https://labourhub.org.uk/2022/03/18/war-is-good-business/ A new World Peace Foundation report, Missing in Action: UK arms export controls during war and armed conflict, authored by Anna Stavrianakis, Professor of International Relations at the University of Sussex, was published this week. Its findings are unequivocal. Despite the UK’s commitment to a ‘rigorous and robust’ arms export control regime, the outbreak of war or conflict has had little or no restraining effect on UK arms exports. Even where violations of human rights and humanitarian law are documented, UK arms export controls have not restricted transfers in any meaningful way. The report examines UK export patterns in…

27 Mar

The rulers of the great powers are playing with fire

wisidagamage0 CommentsFeatures, Politics

By Gilbert Achcar Originally From: https://labourhub.org.uk/2022/01/30/the-rulers-of-the-great-powers-are-playing-with-fire/?fbclid=IwAR2pRiWTOUO4SO__zBXAf3yjTECzIaSsM3XiXcCBRomlHZLsaVYgNNN45Dc It is not an exaggeration to say that what is currently happening in the heart of the European continent is the most dangerous moment in contemporary history and the closest to a third world war since the Soviet missile crisis in Cuba in 1962. True, neither Moscow nor Washington has hinted at the use of nuclear weapons so far, although there can be no doubt that the two countries did put their nuclear arsenals on standby in the face of the current circumstances. It is also true that the level of military alert in…

27 Mar

Ernest Mandel-Introduction to Marxist Theory: Selected Writings

wisidagamage0 CommentsReviews

Reviewed by Fabian Van Onzen Originally From: https://marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviews/19912_introduction-to-marxist-theory-selected-writings-by-ernest-mandel-reviewed-by-fabian-van-onzen/ Resistance Books, London and the International Institute for Research and Education, Amsterdam, 2021, 306 pp., £15 pbISBN 9780902869653 Ernest Mandel was one of the most significant Marxists of the twentieth century. During his life, Mandel participated in anti-fascist resistance, played a leading role in the Fourth International, and assisted Che Guevara with socialist economic planning after the Cuban Revolution. For many socialists, Mandel’s writings were their first encounter with Marxist theory and played an important role in their political education. In order to stimulate an interest in Mandel’s writings, the International Institute for Research…