Category Archives: International

Vietnam Today: Did Anyone “Win” the Vietnam War?

Posted on April 2019 by Al Kagan

Going to college during the Vietnam War transformed my life. Because of my sheltered upbringing, I was rudely awakened. I learned the meaning of imperialism, and with that the lack of justice at home in a class- and race-based hierarchical … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Vietnam War | Comments Off on Vietnam Today: Did Anyone “Win” the Vietnam War?

Brexit, Regrexit, Lexit: Is Socialism in One (European) Country Possible?

Posted on December 2018 by Richard Esbenshade

On November 25, Great Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May returned from Brussels with approval from the other 27 European Union (EU) member states for a deal on Brexit, the British commitment to exit the EU pursuant to the results of … Continue reading →

Posted in Eastern Europe, European Union, International, International, socialism | Comments Off on Brexit, Regrexit, Lexit: Is Socialism in One (European) Country Possible?

Poland: Following in Hungary’s Footsteps

Posted on February 2018 by Richard Esbenshade

Second of two parts. On December 20, the European Commission—the executive arm of the European Union (EU), consisting of one representative from each of the 28 member countries—launched the “nuclear option” of EU politics against Poland: a proposed formal warning … Continue reading →

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The Honduran Crisis: Not Quite Your Father’s Oligarchy…

Posted on January 2018 by Janice Jayes

By Janice Jayes At first glance the political crisis in Honduras seems depressingly familiar: a military coup against a left-leaning President in 2009, continued repression of opposition groups, and now a Presidential election so full of irregularities that demonstrators refuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Environment, Honduran Election 2017, Human Rights, International, Land, military | Comments Off on The Honduran Crisis: Not Quite Your Father’s Oligarchy…

The U.S. Military in Africa: a Workshop for the Militarization of Foreign Policy

Posted on December 2017 by Janice Jayes

By Janice Jayes After four American servicemen were killed in in Niger in October, social media discussion fixated on President Trump’s insensitive remarks to the widow of one of the slain soldiers and questions about the logistics surrounding the unlucky … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Foreign Policy, International, military | Comments Off on The U.S. Military in Africa: a Workshop for the Militarization of Foreign Policy

Foreign Relations, Domestic Security, and the Trump Era

Posted on January 2017 by Janice Jayes

The foreign policy outlook for the near future is bleak, but not just because of the incoming Trump administration’s proposals. Trump’s public statements about rolling back U.S. investments in “soft” issues like human rights or economic development, abandoning multilateral obligations … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 election, International, military, Trump | Comments Off on Foreign Relations, Domestic Security, and the Trump Era

“Anti-Refugeeism without Refugees” in Eastern Europe

Posted on November 2016 by Richard Esbenshade

Analysts of post-World War II, post-Holocaust Eastern Europe coined the term “Anti-Semitism without Jews” to characterize the uncanny persistence of prejudice in countries mostly cleansed of any actual Jewish presence. The category of “Jew” took on a symbolic character, incorporating … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Politics, Refugees | Comments Off on “Anti-Refugeeism without Refugees” in Eastern Europe

October Surprise: Harold “Killer” Koh to Lecture at UI Law School in Election Week

Posted on September 2016 by Midge O'Brien

Harold Hongju Koh, Hillary Clinton’s former legal advisor at the State Department  has been invited as an ‘endowed speaker’ at the U.I. College of Law, twelve days prior to the November election. Koh, currently a Yale Law School professor and … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, International, Justice | Comments Off on October Surprise: Harold “Killer” Koh to Lecture at UI Law School in Election Week

Activists Among Us: Claire Szoke

Posted on September 2016 by Julie Laut

By Julie Laut Claire Szoke is an activist among us who has worked tirelessly on behalf of social justice issues for over forty years. She is currently the co-chair of Central Illinois Jobs With Justice, part-time director at the Channing-Murray … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, International, Refugees, Women | Comments Off on Activists Among Us: Claire Szoke

Orlando Shooter Was A Product of US Hyper-Masculinity

Posted on July 2016 by Tariq Khan

Like so many others, I’ve been at a loss trying to make sense of the heinous act of anti-queer mass murder in Orlando. The following are some of my scattered thoughts on the topic, some of which I originally posted … Continue reading →

Posted in International, LGBTQA, National, Politics | Comments Off on Orlando Shooter Was A Product of US Hyper-Masculinity