“There are two separate phenomena related to corruption but are not identical to it,” writes political scientist Francis Fukuyama. “The first is the creation and extraction of rents, and the second is what is alternatively referred to as patronage or clientelism.” In the Philippines, patronage/clientelism and rent creation/extraction time and again lead to corruption. Two of the country's biggest scams, the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) pork barrel scam and the Department of (…)

Or how tainted officials leverage scandals for a comeback in the lucrative game of power and rent extraction Why do public officials tainted or implicated in corruption scandals see the need to keep running again and again or at least be reappointed to public office? Why, for instance, have 15 politicians indicted or even convicted in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) pork barrel scam taken this path, with 14 of them, at some point, running again for public office, some even (…)

The spotlight is on the investigation of implicated officials and contractors, raising concerns about the potential for another cycle of corruption where the 'big fish' escape accountability The current focus of attention in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control projects scandal is the investigation and filing of charges against government officials (including legislators) and contractors implicated in the case. Thorough investigation and judicious prosecution of (…)

In the third week of January 2026, the Philippines resembles a jigsaw puzzle of tragedies, where the jagged edges of domestic instability—maritime disasters, indigenous displacement, and dynastic corruption—are being forced into the cold, rigid frame of global power competition. The convergence of these events suggests that the nation is not merely a developing country struggling with internal reform, but a localized theater for a much larger, global “game of powers.” War Ships vs. (…)

Book Review: Deeper Ground, Darker Shadows: The Making of a Mindanao Rebel by Eddie L. Quitoriano (The University of Wisconsin Press, 2025) Deeper Ground, Darker Shadows by Eddie L. Quitoriano chronicles his long journey from a moderate student activist in the early 1970s to a radical organizer, a commander of the New People's Army (NPA), the NPA's International Representative in the early 1990s, and finally a political detainee who returned to civilian life in the mid-1990s. The book (…)

During the first year of his second term, President Donald Trump had virtually absolute control over his Republican Party. No one criticized him, either because they agreed with his authoritarian and far-right policies, or because they feared that, if they raised their voices, they would find their careers ended. Now things have changed. Republicans have criticized his immigrant deportation policies, his racist posts, and his threat to take over the election process. At the same time (…)

The former senior French government minister had been under mounting pressure after Mediapart's revelations about his family's financial and business links with the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein. Jack Lang announced his resignation as president of the Institut du Monde Arabe on February 7th, the day after financial crimes prosecutors in Paris opened an investigation into aggravated money laundering linked to tax fraud, targeting both him and his daughter, Caroline Lang. Former (…)

Des sociologues ont enquêté sur les élus de Seine-Saint-Denis entre 2014 et 2024. Leur livre « Élus des banlieues populaires » décrit les mécanismes de sélectivité du personnel politique local, et la relation ambivalente qu'entretiennent les élus racisés à la gauche. Dans Élus des banlieues populaires (Puf, 2026), les sociologues Marie-Hélène Bacqué et Jeanne Demoulin ont enquêté sur les élu·es de Seine-Saint-Denis entre 2014 et 2024. Et elles pointent les limites de l'ouverture des partis (…)

The dismissal of General Zhang Youxia was officially announced on January 24. This is another step in the purges that have been taking place within the Chinese army's general staff. Zhang was considered “untouchable” given his supposed closeness to Xi Jinping. As for the Central Military Commission (CMC), it is now a hollow shell, having lost five of its seven members. Xi continues to clear the field around him, contrary to any form of collegiality. The only remaining member of the CMC, (…)

Des milliers de personnes provenant de 66 pays sont réduites en esclavage et emprisonnées dans des complexes cambodgiens qui gèrent des escroqueries en ligne à l'échelle mondiale. Un système d'esclavage moderne toléré par les autorités. [Synthèse d'une interview accordée par Ivan Franceschini , rédacteur en chef du Made in China Journal, à Radio Radicale et d'un article publié sur le site Aeon, complétés par d'autres sources (voir les liens vers les originaux ci-dessous). Cette synthèse a (…)

The publication of the Taliban's new penal code marks yet another step in their effort to drag the country back into a medieval order, this time under the guise of a seemingly legal document. This code, which has been issued and endorsed by the Taliban authorities, is made up of 10 chapters and 119 articles and reflects the group's intent to monopolize power, redefine social hierarchy, erase the civic status of the country's residents, and legitimize the widescale use of centuries-old (…)

Dave Kellaway celebrates a victory for Elbit Palestine Action activists and discusses the political implications A victory for us to celebrate today. We publish below the official press release from the campaign and a discussion of the political consequences of the verdict. Press release from the Filton 24 campaign Verdicts: Not guilty for all defendants on aggravated burglary, not guilty for Zoe Rogers, Jordan Devlin, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani of Violent Disorder. All other charges (…)

Verdicts: Not guilty for all defendants on aggravated burglary, not guilty for Zoe Rogers, Jordan Devlin, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani of Violent Disorder. All other charges resulted in no verdicts, so no convictions for any defendants of any offence. Video: The moment the five freed activists stepped out of Woolwich Crown Court after 18 months in prison On Wednesday, 4th February, after 8 days of deliberation time, the jury acquitted Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Ellie (Leona) Kamio, (…)

The Economic Survey 2025–26 and the Union Budget 2026–27 together reveal a deliberate reordering of the Indian state's priorities: capital accumulation over social balance, fiscal discipline over redistribution, and market credibility over employment. In this detailed analysis, Sushovan Dhar argues that what is being presented as fiscal prudence is in fact a structural retreat from the equalising functions of public expenditure, with profound consequences for inequality, employment and (…)

L'Economic Survey 2025–26 et le Budget de l'Union 2026–27 révèlent ensemble une réorganisation délibérée des priorités de l'État indien : l'accumulation du capital avant l'équilibre social, la discipline budgétaire avant la redistribution, et la crédibilité auprès des marchés avant l'emploi. Dans cette analyse détaillée, Sushovan Dhar soutient que ce qui est présenté comme de la prudence budgétaire constitue en réalité un retrait structurel des fonctions égalisatrices de la dépense publique, (…)

Bert Ratcliffe reports from Manchester on the by-election and difficulties within Your Party This election is a shock to the system for everybody. There are too many unknowns. Does anybody want this by-election? It is fraught with danger for all the main political parties, with the possible exception of the Green Party of England and Wales. All have something to lose, Starmer in particular. But here are downsides all around. For socialists and Your Party, the timing could not have been (…)

Anti*Capitalist Resistance statement on the Gorton and Denton by-election. 1. The UK is staring down the barrel of a Reform government in 2029. Such a result would be a historic defeat for the working class and minority communities. A victory for Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and candidate for the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) in this by-election would be a victory for the working class and all progressives. Hannah says her message is ‘that Greens will cut the cost of living (…)

L'Indonésie, quatrième pays le plus peuplé au monde avec environ 285 millions d'habitants, fait face à une vague de licenciements massifs alors que les embauches restent bien en deçà des niveaux d'avant la pandémie. Tandis que l'automatisation et la faiblesse de la demande frappent les secteurs à forte intensité de main-d'œuvre, les conséquences sociales --- dépression, criminalité, endettement --- menacent de dépasser de loin le coût économique. Le risque de licenciements s'étend en (…)

Indonesia faces the prospect of further mass layoffs in 2026, with new hiring likely to remain suppressed. Experts warn that the social costs of persistent job losses will extend far beyond the economy, affecting mental health, education, crime rates and the fiscal sustainability of social protection systems. The risk of layoffs is expected to continue to expand in 2026, potentially holding back new hiring. This situation will increase the social burden on society. According to (…)

À l'approche du 115e anniversaire de la Journée internationale des femmes, Free Women (Femmes libres) a organisé une discussion publique en ligne intitulée « Je veux arracher ma libération : résister à la politique d'assujettissement des femmes ». Les intervenantes étaient : Mutiara Ika Pratiwi (Free Women), Siti Maimunah (Mama Aleta Fund), Esther Haluk (West Papua Feminist Forum) et Sulistyowati Irianto (professeure d'anthropologie juridique à l'Université d'Indonésie), avec comme (…)

Ahead of the 115th International Women's Day, Free Women held an Online Public Discussion entitled “I Want to Seize My Freedom: Resisting the Politics of Women's Subordination”. The speakers were: Mutiara Ika Pratiwi (Free Women), Siti Maimunah (Mama Aleta Fund), Esther Haluk (West Papua Feminist Forum) and Sulistyowati Irianto (Professor of Legal Anthropology at the University of Indonesia), with moderator Luviana Ariyanti (Konde.co), on Tuesday 3 February 2026. The discussion was organised (…)

On 1 February, Jean Batou spoke at length with Joseph Daher, who had just returned from a third trip to Syria since the fall of the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Daher provides an update on the worrying developments under Ahmad al-Chareh's new government. He also highlights the opportunities opening up for working people and social movements, provided they prove capable of resisting sectarianism and ethnic discrimination. He believes that time is running short and that a (…)

L'État russe a contraint de nombreux militants de gauche antiguerre à l'exil, les coupant des Russes ordinaires. Mais les activistes savent bien que le changement en Russie doit venir de l'intérieur, en mobilisant les gens autour de leurs propres intérêts. « Veuillez vérifier auprès de chaque participant s'il est d'accord pour être photographié. » Après avoir pris une photo d'une diapositive pendant l'une des présentations, un homme s'approche de moi. C'est Mikhaïl Lobanov, un (…)

The Russian state has forced many antiwar leftists into exile, cutting them off from ordinary Russians. But activists are well aware that change in Russia must come from within, mobilising ordinary people around their own interests. ---- “Please check with each participant whether it's okay to take their photo.” After I take a picture of a slide during one of the presentations, a man approaches me. It's Mikhail Lobanov, a Russian socialist, who kindly reminds me that this is one of (…)

Gus Fagan reports on the repression of anti-fascists by Germany and Hungary. The state's use of law courts and prison as a weapon against democratic protest is happening not just in Britain but across Europe. In Britain, protesters have been imprisoned under anti-terrorism law. In Germany, they are being imprisoned under a law which charges them with being members of a ‘criminal organisation'. But what is most alarming in the German case is the way in which the German government is (…)

Une enquête révèle que les Palestiniens arrêtés par l'ICE sont transportés, ligotés et menottés, à bord d'un jet privé appartenant à un magnat israélo-américain proche de Trump. Les États-Unis expulsent discrètement les Palestiniens arrêtés par l'Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vers la Cisjordanie occupée à bord d'un jet privé. Deux vols de ce type ont été effectués en coordination avec les autorités israéliennes depuis le début de l'année, dans le cadre d'une opération secrète (…)

Professeur émérite à l'École des études orientales et africaines (SOAS) de l'Université de Londres, Gilbert Achcar analyse pour « L'Orient-Le Jour » la situation de blocage politique et socio-économique qui domine dans la région. Gilbert Achcar : Nous sommes dans la même impasse historique que lors des printemps arabes Une semaine après le départ de Hosni Moubarak, des milliers de manifestants sont revenus, vendredi 18 février 2011, place Tahrir au Caire, dans la capitale égyptienne, pour (…)