With Barack Obama launching airstrikes against the forces of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq & Syria) and Western leaders like Tony Abbott expressing their readiness to take their countries into military action also, Left Flank joins the discussion on the Left about the alternative to more imperialist militarism. The UK-based Counterfire website has run a good […]
01 Aug
Historical analogies can often be misleading, especially when a notable anniversary places them readily to hand. Mohamad Morsi is not Salvador Allende, overthrown in the seminal Chilean coup 40 years ago. But General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is Egypt’s Augusto Pinochet — complete with military regalia and sunglasses. The response of Western governments betrays all the […]
30 Dec
Just before 2012 closes out, I’m reposting my last Overland blog of the year, which originally appeared here. In some ways it is a summing up of themes we have developed at Left Flank since we started in mid-2010; chiefly in our attempts to present not just a general ideological or theoretical approach to the […]
24 Nov
Today we’re posting a follow-up piece by British-based socialist and leading pro-Palestine activist Kevin Ovenden, addressing some of the debates that are beginning to emerge in the wake of the Gaza ceasefire. The Gaza War — initial thoughts on the outcome By KEVIN OVENDEN It is far too early to provide a comprehensive account […]
22 Nov
Left Flank is very pleased to be able to post this extended analysis of Israel’s war on Gaza by British-based socialist Kevin Ovenden, set in its regional and international context. Kevin has been a leading activist in Viva Palestina and narrowly escaped death at the hands of the IDF as part of the first Gaza […]
19 Nov
The Australian Greens are deeply worried about the civilian death toll in Israel and Palestine, and urge both sides of the conflict to put down their weapons and respect a ceasefire. “The human suffering is too great and the continued recourse to violence has done nothing for peace,” Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said. […]
27 Jun
Comments Off on In Greece and Egypt, and in Egypt with Austin
This post appeared first at Overland Journal, just after the election weekend. As the weekend drew to a close in Europe and the Middle East, results of the Greek and Egyptian elections were becoming known. Both countries have seen a revival in progressive struggle and mass action on the streets over the last few years, and […]
01 Feb
Comments Off on With ‘friends’ like Western governments, the Arab Spring doesn’t need enemies
Protesters in Tahrir unfurl the flag of the Syrian rebellion This article first appeared on the ABC Drum website yesterday. One of the abiding images of the Arab Spring has been an aerial view of Tahrir Square in Cairo, brimming with thousands and perhaps hundreds of thousands of protesters. This image has returned most spectacularly on the […]
19 Nov
Comments Off on End times for democracy? How the 1% staged a coup & why worse is yet to come
‘Don’t forget who runs your economy now.’ For the 1 percent who rule society, democracy seems more than ever a hindrance to ensuring that the most calamitous economic crisis since the 1930s is paid for by the 99 percent below them. The most obvious expression of this is the installation of unelected technocrats as prime […]
13 Oct
Comments Off on Occupy Everywhere: Against capitalism and its paid prizefighters
During protests in Egypt to overthrow Mubarak, a protester displayed a handmade sign that said ‘Egypt Supports Wisconsin Workers – One World, One Pain’. The sign broke all the rules: it was terribly written, hard to read even up close, had a confusing graphic of a wrench and cog within the writing, and the text went in […]
18 Aug
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