May 25DSA and the Russian War on Ukraine: Political ParalysisThe Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the United States, with about 75,000 members (down from 94,000) in more than 200 chapters, has been unable to play any significant role regarding Russia’s war on Ukraine. …Democratic Socialists3 min read
May 10Our Support for Ukraine: Moral, Political, and StrategicThis essay was originally published in French in the pamphlet Soutien à Ukraine Resistante, №6 of a series of pamphlets in support of Ukraine from Editions Syllepse, Paris, May 9, 2022, edited by Brigades Éditoriales de Solidarité. We support the Ukrainian people and Ukraine because it is an independent, sovereign…Ukraine4 min read
Feb 17Prospects for the Teamsters Under New LeadershipProspects for the Teamsters Under New Leadership [Feb. 16, 2022] The victory of the OZ slate in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) union, headed by Sean O’Brien and Fred Zuckerman and backed by Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), has raised the question: Will this new leadership bring about reform in one of the nation’s largest…Teamsters36 min read
Jan 24Mike Parker: Socialist, Labor Educator, Political Activist — 1940–2022Mike Parker spent his entire adult life engaged in movements and organizations that he believed would advance the struggle for the creation of a democratic socialist society. In the 1960s he was first a leader of the Student Peace Union, then in California of the Free Speech Movement and the…14 min read
Aug 6, 2021Understanding the Paris Commune On its 150th AnniversaryIntroduction The Paris Commune of 1871 only lasted from March 18 to May 28, just 72 days, yet it is one of the most celebrated events in socialist history. It is a legend. Yet, what was it? What is it for us today? A model for socialists? A heroic failure…Paris Commune48 min read
Jul 30, 2021France’s Confusing Political Demonstrations on July 24 — Another Planned for August 1By: Dan La Botz and Patrick Silberstein July 30, 2021 At least 150,000 French people in cities large and small throughout the country demonstrated on July 24, an extremely large number given that July and August and months in which demonstrations never take place because most French people go on…France2 min read
Jul 28, 2021DSA’s Flawed International Outlook:The Appeal of the Mass Party and its Contradictions The Democratic Socialists of America has decided that as its international policy, it should principally work to establish political ties to leftist parties that are “mass parties of the working class.” These are parties, like the Workers Party (PT) of Brazil with over 1.5 million members or the United Socialist…Pink Tide15 min read
Jul 25, 2021Report on DSA Participation in the Foro de Sao Paulo, San Salvador, El Salvador, June 22 — June 25, 2016I am making this report public at this time — July 2021 — because the Democratic Socialists of America will be considering a resolution calling for joining the Foro de São Paulo at its national convention in August. The report below, of which I was the principal author, is reprinted…Foro De Sao Paulo22 min read
Jul 12, 2021Where Should Socialists Stand on Cuba Today?Yesterday, July 11, 2021, Cubans in several cities took to the streets to protest lack of health care, lack of food, and to demand freedom. Where should socialists stand on these protests and the Cuban government? First, international socialists like myself, in a variety of organizations or independently, have always…3 min read
Jul 8, 2021Democratic Socialists of America Faces Challenges at ConventionThis article was written for L’Anticapitaliste, the weekly newspaper of the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA) of France. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the largest socialist group in the United States, will hold its biennial national convention during the first week of August, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the…3 min read
