An undated engraving of a nineteenth century sweatshop, depicting a foreman browbeating a girl at a sewing machine.

Equality Is About Who Rules

What do we actually mean by “equality”? Few thinkers have answered that question better than Elizabeth Anderson: not identical outcomes but a society where no one gets to dominate anyone else, including at work.

Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to supporters at the Likud Party election-night event at the Teddy Hall, International Convention Center on October 28, 2026, in Jerusalem, Israel.

Israel’s Shaky Democracy Continues to Crumble

From military rule over Palestinians to apartheid in the occupied territories, Israel has never been a democracy for Palestinians. Efforts to restrict expat voting ahead of the elections showed how barriers to democracy can reach Jewish citizens, too.

Is Trump Crashing the Dollar Empire?

Economist Mona Ali on how the United States wields the world’s most powerful currency to shore up empire and its own ruling class — and how Trump’s careless moves might blow it all up.

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Hakeem Jeffries speaks alongside Chuck Schumer on the steps of the US Senate during an event with congressional Democrats on May 21, 2026.

The Democratic Coalition Still Has a Class Problem

The blue wave was undeniable. But early survey data suggest the party rode on a backlash against Donald Trump and a midterm electorate tilted toward college graduates, not a return of the working-class voters the party will need in 2028.

Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri’s Empire became a campus sensation because it offered a master theory for globalization at a moment when old Marxist categories seemed exhausted. But the capitalist internationalism they saw as permanent has now crashed and burned.

State Representative Claire Valdez, a Democrat from New York and US House candidate, center, speaks alongside David Orkin, New York State Assembly Democratic candidate, left, and Grace Mausser, co-chair of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC DSA), right, during a labor rally canvass event at London Planetree Playground on the first day of early voting for the midterm election in the Queens borough of New York, US, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.

Can DSA Build Working-Class Power?

The Democratic Socialists of America have gone from political obscurity to a major force in American politics. Vivek Chibber and Paul Heideman discuss its remarkable rise — and why electoral victories alone won’t build lasting working-class power.

Israeli soldiers are shown conducting a military raid in the Old City of Nablus on November 1, 2026.

Elections in a Genocidal State Are Not Democratic

The defining feature of Israeli “democracy,” including its elections last week, is its operation according to a Jewish supremacist logic, intensifying the discrimination, oppression, apartheid, mass violence, and genocide against Palestinians.

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Jacobin is a leading voice of the American left, offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture.

$29.95
1 Year / 4 Issues
Digital Subscription
$39.95
1 Year / 4 Issues
Print + Digital Subscription