Wire | Progressive International

Wire

We are a wire service to the world's progressive forces.

Every day, the Wire translates stories, essays, and statements from Progressive International members and partner publications.

Our aim is to provide a diversity of perspectives on international issues. Publication in the Wire is not an endorsement from the Progressive International.

Teachers inspire revolt against austerity in Jordan

Jordan is erupting following a government crackdown on the teachers’ union.

“We demand the immediate release of Julian Assange”

PI Council Members support the freedom of Julian Assange against the unlawful and dangerous extradition trial against him currently taking place in London.

Stop the Incarceration and Targeting of Dissenters and Activists in India

Members of the PI Council ring the alarm on arbitrary arrests and the breakdown of justice in India.

Noam Chomsky: Internationalism or Extinction

PI Council Member Noam Chomsky’s keynote speech at the Progressive International’s inaugural summit.

The Thailand Uprising: “For the Rightful Owners of the Land”

For the past months, a broad political movement, primarily led by Thai youth, has advanced a series of increasingly provocative protests against the military government.

Beirut: Justice for the Victims, Revenge from the Regime

The Beirut explosion lasted an instant. But it has left a lasting wound in Lebanon, and laid bare the illegitimacy of the regime.

Britain’s Channel Crossings Policy Comes Straight Out of Fortress Europe’s Playbook

The UK’s threatened pushback of migrants and harassment of people in distress at sea are an attempt at mimicking Fortress Europe’s policies.

How the pandemic has exacerbated caste discrimination in Bangladesh

Dhaka’s street cleaners, many of them Dalits, faced a grim future even before the pandemic. Now, they keep the city clean at the risk of getting infected — as they fight against continued discrimination.

Africa’s Pandemic Response Calls for Reclaiming Economic and Monetary Sovereignty

More than 600 economists and academics from around the world call for Africa to acquire monetary sovereignty in order to revive its development after Covid-19.

An Interview with John Shipton, father of Assange: "Julian's oppression is the great crime of the 21st century"

Julian Assange remains in HMP Belmarsh maximum security prison in London, UK. Despite being in poor health, his extradition trial to the United States is scheduled for September 7, 2020.

SOS Colombia: massacres in the pandemic

In Colombia, paramilitary groups and their allies from parliamentary politics to the security forces are perpetrating a new genocide.

"Democracy in Ecuador will triumph or perish in broad daylight"

An interview with the former foreign minister of Ecuador, Guillaume Long.

International Corporations Want to Mine Armenia’s Gold. But the People Are Fighting Back

PI member Left Resistance, a coalition of grassroots movements from Armenia, calls on progressives to support the fight of the country’s local communities against the exploitation by international corporations.

Housing and Land Rights

For the People of the River, Not Investors: Guaranteeing Farmers' Rights to the Waters of the Nile

Negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have once again collapsed. The massive infrastructure project, under construction in Ethiopia on a tributary that ultimately feeds into the Nile, has become a point of contention between the countries over fears that it will cause water shortages downstream.

The Roots of Food Crisis in Pakistan

Solidarity must replace profit as the principle that organises Pakistan’s food systems and economy if it is to avoid mass hunger.

Domestic workers are the frontline of exploitation in Turkey

Domestic workers are suffering increased workloads and worsening working conditions while seeing their wages reduced.

Declaration of Solidarity with the People of Lebanon

Members of the PI call on all progressive forces to support the struggle for a just society in Lebanon.

“Bolivia’s Coup President Will End up Fleeing the Palace in a Helicopter”

The COB trade union federation is leading the fight for democracy in Bolivia with a general strike and road blockades around Bolivia, showing the might of the social movement behind it.

Anti-China Hysteria Drives Record 2021 U.S. Defense Spending

Anti-China hysteria has emerged as the central ‘threat’ designed to justify endless U.S. military spending and adventurism in the Asia-Pacific.

An Urgent Call for Solidarity with the Workers and People of Belarus

Belarusian workers and representatives of the organized left call for solidarity and support in resisting both Lukashenko and the pro-capital opposition.

Zakhyst Pratsi: An Appeal from the Workers of Ukraine to the Workers of Belarus

Appeal from PI Member the All-Ukraine Independent Trade Union ‘Zakhyst Pratsi’ to workers in Belarus, fighting the twin threats of neoliberal reform and autocratic rule.

Congreso de los Pueblos: Legislating from the Peoples of Colombia

The Peoples’ Congress is building a movement to replace the political economy of exploitation with an ethic of the commons.

The West is complicit in police violence in Hong Kong

Student activists are protesting their universities' decision to allow the HKPF to recruit on university job boards.

Will COVID-19 Spur a Wave of Unionization?

Workers have been infuriated by the callous treatment they’ve received in their workplaces. But many of them recognized that the most surefire way to get their employers to provide the protection they needed was through collective action.

The Global South Needs a Debt Write-Off

Global South economies like Zambia’s are being battered by the coronavirus. We must write-off their debt now.

"For Democracy and Transparency in the Plurinational State of Bolivia"

Members of the Progressive International call on the UN & the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to guarantee fair elections in Bolivia.

Arundhati Roy: India’s Day of Shame

PI Council member Arundhati Roy on the anniversary of Modi’s crackdown in Jammu & Kashmir.

MSICG Denounces Consolidation of a Dictatorship In Guatemala

The State of Guatemala is experiencing its worst democratic crisis since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996.

The National Alliance of People’s Movements: Monument of Violations

The NAPM resolves to stand with the overwhelming number of common people, strengthen their cultures of co-existence, fight for the real needs of the poor, working and marginalized people – jobs, livelihood, dignity, security of life and work – and not allow religion to be misused to fuel sectarian strife, to distract us from peoples’ pressing issues and to destroy our secular fabric and constitutional democracy.

Internationalism in Vietnam, Then and Now

Internationalism in present-day Vietnam builds on the traditions established by Ho Chi Minh.

Reimagining Home in a Time of COVID

Recovery should not mean a return to normal. Instead we must reimagine what is needed to sustain a just home.

Identity and Anti-Capitalist Politics in Indonesia

To put an end to all forms of systemic discrimination, we need a clear anti-capitalist perspective and action, in both formal and everyday politics.

The Philippines’ New “Terror Law” is tantamount to state terrorism

Progressive groups in the Philippines protesting and seeking to nullify the new “Terror Law” are being met with state oppression.

PI to the United Nations: Protect Ecuador's Democracy

Members of the Progressive International urge the United Nations to safeguard democracy in Ecuador.

Rosa Pavanelli: We Must Organize Like Never Before

To rebuild our public services and protect our communities, we must break the unholy alliance of finance and the far right.

Transnational African feminisms

A conversation with Anette Joseph-Gabriel and Mame Fatou-Niang on the roles and legacy of francophone African women in movements for pan-African liberation.

La mobilisation et la répression des mouvements citoyens continuent en RDC

Un militant en RDC expose les cinq revendications des mouvements de protestation qui secouent le pays.

Blood On Their Hands: The Human Cost Of Foreign Support For Bolsonaro

Governments and corporations who supported Bolsonaro’s presidency helped enable a human catastrophe, in the name of “free trade”.

Using Trump’s “Vision” to Break Free of Past Frameworks

Palestinians can use the Trump “vision” to break free of the political frameworks that have limited their rights and freedoms for so long.

Capitalism in Kenya: The Breaking Point

Social justice activists start a project on capitalism in Nairobi by asking: Is there such a thing as a decent wage anymore?

Ne davimo Beograd: An Uprising in Serbia

The Serbian government is violently cracking down on protests against its handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Annexation: What exactly happened?

With every passing day, the prospect of annexation and what that means for Palestinians living under occupation becomes more and more unclear.

A Post-Pandemic World Order

Covid-19 has deepened a geopolitical realignment long underway. Where do we go from here?

Harsh Mander: For Our Constitution, For Love

PI Council Member Harsh Mander calls on India to rise up in defense of a just and plural politics.

COVID-19 Has Exposed the Need for Solidarity With Agricultural Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic could help foster solidarity and joint action among agricultural workers, who are geographically divided but closely linked to global food production and consumption chains.

Cuba Has Sent 2,000 Doctors and Nurses Overseas to Fight Covid-19

The Trump administration describes Cuba’s medical response teams as “slaves”—we asked the doctors for their take.

The Long June of Our Dignity

PI Council member Ece Temelkuran on the need to defend human dignity against the forces of capitalist exploitation and authoritarian violence.

HDP: Erdoğan Is Criminalizing the Kurdish Community

More detentions and arrests against the HDP and unlawful closure of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) in Diyarbakir, Turkey.

Countries to face a ‘wave’ of corporate lawsuits challenging emergency COVID-19 measures

Research shows top law firms are preparing to ‘cash in’ on the pandemic by helping corporations sue states for measures impairing their profits.

The Amazon Strikes and the Language of Power

Amazon workers in Germany are standing up for their rights today. Their demand is as simple as it is righteous: health before profit.

They’re Not Sending Their Best People to Stage a Coup in Venezuela

The recent failed invasion of Venezuela by several clown cars worth of idiotic “freedom fighters” is almost too absurd to believe.

Transparency Has Been Kerala’s Biggest Weapon Against the Coronavirus

Through daily media briefings and health bulletins about infected patients, the Communist government ensured people knew the threat posed by the pandemic.

Ending the Petroleum Age: Carbon Colonies & A Global Green New Deal

We think of ecological consequences as the rising seas, stronger storms and faster floods. But it is not just an ecological price being paid, it is also a political one. For those living in resource colonies, carbon emissions are a guarantee of both atmospheric and administrative misery.

Climate Justice For Africa

We need to envision a different world, a different Africa, so that this moment can mark a turning point for our region and the world. African Climate Justice Groups on COVID-19.

Chilean society is pushing for change

The Covid-19 pandemic has only aggravated inequality and highlighted the need for progressive alternatives.

From Rebellion to Revolution

PI Council member Kali Akuno argues that the Floyd rebellion must be followed by a general strike and People’s Assemblies in the streets.

How colonists exploit the COVID-19 crisis in Brazil’s Amazon

In line with the plans of Jair Bolsonaro’s government to open up the Amazon Rainforest to private development, miners, loggers and colonists are targeting indigenous peoples.

COVID-19 and the Destructive Force of Privatized Healthcare in Lebanon

How the fundamentals of late-stage capitalism, oligarchic rule, and privatization have gutted public healthcare and compounded the impact of COVID-19 in Lebanon.

Thousands protest against annexation. But is it enough?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are facing pushback over plans to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank as early as next month.

Julian Aguon: No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies

The militarization of Guam is threatening its ecosystem and important cultural and historical sites.

HKM: Our Internationalism Must Be Anti-Imperialist

HKM is a Pakistan-wide campaign for the enforcement of the fundamental rights in our constitution through grassroots organizing, momentum and pressure.

"Solidarity means dismantling the system everywhere"

PI Council members on the uprising in the United States and around the world.

We defend ourselves so we can all breathe in peace

To move from uprising to liberation we each have a role to play. The conflict is at our doors, and we need to put collective needs before individual wants.

The Only Solution Is to Defund the Police

The murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor prove what we already knew—police “reform” has failed.

A Progressive Alternative for Lebanon

Progressive voices in Lebanon call for solidarity in their struggle against inequality, oligarchy, and environmental degradation.

The Landless People’s Movement: Namibia in Lockdown

"The LPM aims to restore the dignity of the Namibian people through mobilization of the masses to stand up for their rights and root out corruption."

Paola Vega: Water Is a Basic Human Right

Costa Rican Legislative Assembly deputy Paola Vega on the pivotal role of water as a basic human right.

Symbiosis: Internationalism Beyond the Nation-State

"True internationalism means building people power wherever we live and work."

The MKSS: The Struggle Against Oppression in India

The MKSS fights for the full recognition and proper implementation of people's rights to education and a decent (working) life.

The Struggle Must Be Internationalist

PI Council member Ertuğrul Kürkçü on this crucial moment in the general crisis of capitalism.

The Pandemic Proves We Need a Green New Deal

This pandemic is unbearably painful; it would be unconscionable not to learn all we can from that pain.

Cuba’s Internationalist Campaign Against Covid-19

The Cuba Solidarity Campaign on the medical achievements of Cuban doctors around the world — despite the illegal US blockade.

A Green New Deal for South African workers?

COSATU, South Africa's largest trade union federation, has a plan to simultaneously tackle climate change and unemployment.

Life Contained in Gaza

Every Friday since March 30, 2018, mass demonstrations have taken place in Gaza along Israel’s separation fence.

Where the Linear Progression of Hindutva Will Take India

Hidden beneath layers of political exigencies for close to a century, the project is now out on full display.

An interview with Lula. Part One

Part one of Brasil Wire's interview with two term former Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

Katrín Jakobsdóttir: il tempo per una nuova Internazionale è adesso

La prima ministra islandese e membro del Consiglio del PI, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, lancia un appello per l'unità progressista nell’epoca della pandemia.

Arundhati Roy: Our Task is to Disable the Engine

Storied author and PI Council member Arundhati Roy on Covid-19 and the "super-surveillance" state.

20 Years After Seattle, the Clash of Globalizations Rages On

Alter-globalization is back — but this time, it’s coming from both the left and the right.

Miners in Georgia Are Staging Wildcat Strikes in a Bid to Survive As Their Working Conditions Worsen

As globalisation takes root in Georgia, its miners face increasingly deadly working conditions.

How Should We Understand the Results of 2020 Elections in Taiwan?

Looking back at the reelection of incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan.

The Coming Internationalism

In today's collapsing world, the demand for a new internationalism is not only a nostalgic reflection of another era, but a necessity to face the future that is fast approaching.

Health Nativism

Borders are not going to help us fight the coronavirus.

How climate policy stops at the border

The Port of Rotterdam boasts of its green credentials in the Netherlands but invests in fossil fuel mega projects abroad.

30 percent of the Polish population lives in “LGBT-free zones”

All around Poland, local authorities have been declaring their jurisdictions "LGBT-free zones". One Polish activist is fighting to bring them to light.

Unraveling India’s authoritarian nightmare

What can you do to fight the neoliberal Hindu nationalist state project?

The Calabria youngsters who don’t study and don’t work

In Italy's Calabria region in the south, many young people don't have a perspective for their future.

The Solution to the Coronavirus Recession Is a Global Green New Deal

A healthy, socially, and ecologically just world demands it.

Welcome to the Wire

Publishing grassroots and critical perspectives.

"You’re Not Welcome Here": How Europe Is Paying Millions to Stop Migration From Africa

The EU is paying African countries millions to stop migrants from reaching its shores.

Receive the Progressive International briefing

Privacy Policy Manage Cookies

Site and identity: Common Knowledge & Robbie Blundell