The Philippines and Indonesia, two of Southeast Asia's largest archipelagic nations, often appear in separate narratives—one shaped by a Spanish–American legacy, the other by Dutch colonial rule. Yet a closer look reveals striking convergences that span their colonial foundations, struggles for independence, religious makeup, foreign influences, authoritarian legacies, environmental challenges, and patterns of corruption.
Colonial Foundations and the Fight for Liberation
To understand (…)

Kharkiv-based historian Vadym Ilyin offers a left-wing critique of Ukraine's official “decolonisation” policy. He argues that far from being genuinely anti-colonial, the policy conflates fundamentally different historical periods without scholarly rigour, serves right-wing nationalist interests, and erases the memory of Ukrainians' contribution to defeating Nazism. Ilyin contends that “decolonisation” is procedurally undemocratic, driven by far-right activists in coordination with state (…)

Walden Bello writes: “A few months ago, I posted on Facebook a cri de cœur lamenting the demise of what I had called the Third Force to the corrupt Marcoses and the bloody Dutertes. Recently, someone forwarded a response to that post that was quite thoughtful and deserved a wider audience. There are some points I disagree with, but there are many more points I agree with, including the advocacy of a third force from below. Of course, no one likes being called a”false prophet,“but one just (…)

Les centaines de milliers de personnes qui se sont rendues à Shangshad Bhaban pour assister aux funérailles nationales de Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi, cofondateur et porte-parole d'Inquilab Moncha et candidat indépendant pour la circonscription de Dhaka 8 aux prochaines élections nationales, témoignent de l'étendue de son influence et de la profondeur du sentiment de perte qu'il laisse derrière lui. Figure importante du soulèvement étudiant de juillet 2024, il s'est illustré comme une voix (…)

Des centaines de milliers de personnes ont assisté cet après-midi à la namaz-e-janaza de Sharif Osman Hadi, porte-parole d'Inqilab Moncha et l'un des leaders du soulèvement de juillet, sur l'avenue Manik Mia.
Rassemblement public massif à la namaz-e-janaza de Hadi sur l'avenue Manik Mia. Photo : Star
La janaza s'est déroulée après la prière du Zuhr, sous haute sécurité, les forces de l'ordre ayant été déployées sur l'avenue Manik Mia et dans les environs afin de gérer la foule et (…)

Après avoir passé sa première nuit à la prison de Oued Ghir près de Béjaïa, notre camarade Lyés Touati, membre dirigeant de notre parti le PST, suspendu arbitrairement depuis près de 4 ans, a reçu ce matin la visite de ses deux avocats.
Bien qu'il soit révolté et indigné par son emprisonnement arbitraire, il n'a pas perdu son sourire légendaire en dépit de la hogra évidente qui le frappe.
Le juge d'instruction aurait pu, au pire, l'astreindre au contrôle judiciaire au vu des accusations (…)

Le 14 décembre, Lyes Touati, le militant socialiste internationaliste, figure de proue du mouvement populaire de 2019 (Hirak) et du combat écologique, entre autres ; membre dirigeant du Parti socialiste des travailleurs (PST), est arrêté une fois de plus près de chez lui dans la localité d'Aokas.
Le juge d'instruction de Bejaia a ordonné son placement en détention provisoire à la prison d'Oued Ghir. Il est poursuivi sur la base de l'article 87 bis du code pénal pour une prétendue « (…)

Lyes Touati, a member of the Parti Socialiste des Travailleurs (PST), was arrested yesterday in Aokas (Algeria) and remanded in custody. We do not know the reasons for his arrest or the charges against him.
Crédit Photo. Photothèque Rouge
His arrest follows long-standing police harassment. In particular, he was sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined 10,000 Algerian dinars for posting a quotation from La Boétie on Facebook: ‘They are only great because we are on our knees'. He is also (…)

On 14 December, Lyes Touati, the internationalist socialist activist, figurehead of the 2019 popular movement (Hirak) and the environmental struggle, among others; leading member of the Socialist Workers' Party (PST), was arrested once again near his home in the town of Aokas.
The Bejaia examining magistrate ordered that he be remanded in Oued Ghir prison. He is being prosecuted under Article 87 bis of the Criminal Code for alleged ‘links with the MAK'. He faces between 5 and 10 years' (…)

After spending his first night in Oued Ghir prison near Béjaïa, our comrade Lyes Touati, a leading member of our party, the PST (Parti Socialiste des Travailleurs) which has been arbitrarily suspended for nearly 4 years, was visited this morning [17 December] by his two lawyers.
Although he is outraged and indignant at his arbitrary imprisonment, he has not lost his legendary smile despite the deep sense of injustice [hogra in Arabic].
The examining magistrate could, at worst, have (…)

While LDP-JIP coalition government has been trying to promote right-wing policies, how should the left forces fight against them?
Approximately two months have passed since LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) President Takaichi became the prime minister with the support of the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) outside the cabinet, establishing the Takaichi administration. During this period, the government has pursued policies markedly divergent from the previous Ishiba administration, including (…)

C'est un Congrès clé du FLNKS qui vient de se tenir le 6 décembre à la tribu de Nimbayes. Il a vu la passation coutumière de présidence entre le dernier président Roch Wamytan et le nouveau, Christian Tein, qui avait été nommé pendant sa déportation en France. Le Front de libération kanak et socialiste (FLNKS) sort de son 46^e Congrès refondé et unifié autour d'une ligne politique claire : défendre le processus de décolonisation inscrit dans les accords de Nouméa et porter la trajectoire vers (…)

La ratification du règlement gouvernemental sur les salaires 2026 confirme une fois de plus l'orientation de la politique de l'État qui favorise les intérêts des employeurs au détriment de la vie des travailleurs et travailleuses. Loin d'être un instrument de protection, ce règlement renforce au contraire la politique des bas salaires qui pèse depuis longtemps sur les travailleurs et travailleuses, en particulier les ouvrières.
Femmes libres considère que le règlement sur les salaires (…)

The ratification of the 2026 Government Regulation on Wages once again confirms the direction of state policy that favours the interests of employers over the lives of workers. Rather than serving as an instrument of protection, this regulation instead strengthens the low wage politics that have long burdened workers, particularly women workers.
Free Women considers that the 2026 Wage Regulation was not born from the lived reality of workers, but rather from the logic of economic (…)

From beginning to end, 2025 was a year of devastation for scientists in the United States.
January saw the abrupt suspension of key operations across the National Institutes of Health, not only disrupting clinical trials and other in-progress studies but stalling grant reviews and other activities necessary to conduct research. Around the same time, the Trump administration issued executive orders declaring there are only two sexes and ending DEI programs. The Trump administration also (…)

Are Americans about to be led again into a war based on misrepresentations and lies? It's happened before, most recently with the wars in Iraq and Vietnam.
President Donald Trump and his administration have presented the country's growing military operations against Venezuela as a war against drug trafficking and terrorism. Trump has designated the government of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro as a foreign terrorist organization, the first country to ever receive that designation.
The (…)