(This essay is part 2 in a series called ‘The Working-Class Does Not Have the Time for Disunity’. You can read part 1 here).
(South Africa)
The idea of the Left in the Global South cannot be reduced to the electoral fortunes of communist parties, nor merely to the survival of socialist slogans in postcolonial states. The Left in the Global South is a historical force shaped by anti-colonial struggle, the unfinished project of national liberation, and the contemporary confrontation with global capitalism. To understand it requires that we move beyond the categories developed in Europe and North America and instead examine the actual terrain of political life in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the islands of the world system. (more…)
The Cuban flag flies in front of the Cuban parliament building in Havana. Photo: Prensa Latina
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) issued an urgent call for the unity of parties, social movements, unions, student federations, and popular organizations worldwide, to form a political and diplomatic front in defense of Cuba, in light of the threats of invasion made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In this regard, PSUV alerted governments, political parties, and movements in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the world about the consequences of the recent oil blockade and other coercive measures imposed by the U.S. against Cuba, especially following the Executive Order issued on May 1, 2026.
The statement added that this exacerbates the economic, financial, and commercial blockade against the island “to extreme and unprecedented levels” and represents “a crime of aggression.”
The statement further pointed out that the new provisions expand the secondary sanctions against companies, banks, and foreign entities, even when their operations in the U.S. have no connection to the Caribbean nation.
In the text, the organization also reaffirmed the historical and solidarity ties between Venezuela and Cuba, highlighting Cuba’s cooperation in various areas, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In turn, it reaffirmed its support for Cuba and its government and stated that “Cuba is not alone.”
The full statement is provided below:
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela alerts the parties and governments of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the world about the serious consequences of the recent unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States government against Cuba, especially the effects of the Executive Order issued on May 1, 2026, which exacerbates to extreme and unprecedented levels the economic, financial, and commercial blockade that has unsuccessfully attempted for over 60 years to break the sovereign will of our sister republic.
Venezuela denounces this action as a crime of aggression that adds to the oil embargo initiated since January 29 and multiplies the already sufficiently pernicious extraterritorial effects of the blockade, by enhancing the application of secondary sanctions against foreign companies, banks, and entities, even if their businesses in the United States have no relation to Cuba.
We are united with Cuba by centuries of history and common culture deeply rooted in our peoples, exalted by the permanent and invaluable actions of solidarity and cooperation that we Venezuelans have received from Cuba, even in the most remote places, where needs became overwhelming, and in the most critical moments when Fidel and Chávez often combined sagacity and wisdom, strength and state vision with the greatest love for humanity, to bring relief and hope to those who needed it, irrespective of beliefs, ideologies, or skin color.
Faithful to the internationalist spirit that guides the Cuban Revolution, its professional health teams risked their own lives to bring aid to other countries during the COVID-19 emergency, even to the most arrogant Western powers that succumbed to capitalist ambition. President Díaz-Canel was the first brave voice to rise up and condemn the military aggression against Venezuela on January 3 and demand the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Deputy Cilia Flores.
Only humanity has taken Cuba beyond its borders. Cuba deserves to receive respect and solidarity from those who cross its beautiful coasts full of color and life. Love is repaid with love.
Therefore, the PSUV urgently calls for the unity of parties, movements, unions, student federations, cultural and popular spaces from all over the world. We must stand together immediately, politically and diplomatically, to deter the attempt to create a forced “humanitarian crisis” scenario in Cuba as an excuse to escalate to greater aggression, including the military threat with unpredictable consequences.
Cuba is not alone. Today more than ever, it is essential to uphold this maxim in safeguarding the lives of 10 million Cuban brothers and sisters and in defending the stability, sovereignty, and peace of the entire Latin American and Caribbean region. We unite our strength with the Communist Party of Cuba, with its leadership and membership in this hour of firmness and patriotic clarity.
Over 75,000 of us have emailed our local hospitals to say no to Palantir. But how much do you really know about the spy-tech firm handling your health records?
Take our quick two minute quiz to uncover the facts – here’s the first question to get you started.
An “under-16s social media ban” would not really be a ban on children using social media at all.
In practice, it would almost certainly require millions of ordinary adults to prove who they are online simply to access parts of the internet – with pressure over time for wider and wider forms of digital ID, age verification and biometric checking.
The back-to-back summits in Beijing revealed not only China’s growing diplomatic confidence but also the emergence of a deeper Sino-Russian axis that increasingly challenges the foundations of the US-led global order.
Keir Starmer saw off calls to resign following the heavy losses in the local elections, but his premiership remains far from secure.
On Tuesday, Andy Burnham was confirmed as the Labour Party candidate in the Makerfield by-election in June. It’s set to be a significant proxy leadership battle.
It’s been a turbulent couple of weeks in British politics!
In the wake of the local election results we have seen a number of senior ministers resigning from the Labour government, and that included the Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
Just a few weeks ago we sat in his office, urging him to do more to protect patients and the NHS and presenting him with a list of 10 demands for change.
Fidel and Raúl. Photo: Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate
The Trump administration’s decision to pursue an indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro (2008–2018) over the shoot-down of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft in February 1996 has drawn attention amid broader allegations of U.S. double standards. Analysts and political figures point to the contrast between this legal action and reported U.S. military operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have destroyed small boats and resulted in nearly 200 deaths, without any legal accountability.
Editor of the Cradle Sharmine Narwani joins the show to discuss the major reversal under way in the US-Israeli war on Iran and the bombshell dropped on Trump that is precipitating a massive geopolitical shift in the region and beyond.
While the capitalist system rewards short-term cycles, building a dignified future is a slow task that requires disciplined organisation and an enduring struggle to bring forth the social forces of a new world.
Olalekan Jeyifous (Nigeria), Devotees of the Petrotopia 01, 2021.
Has Putin finally given up on the illusion of a grand deal with the United States after this visit to China?
According to Pepe Escobar, Washington is no longer confronting only Iran, Russia, or China — it is increasingly confronting the global economy itself. From the Ukraine war to Iran, energy routes, and the future of the petro-dollar system, this is no longer just a regional conflict, but part of a much larger geopolitical transformation.
Watch my appearance on Palestine Deep Dive with Lowkey.
Ahmed Alnaouq and Hala Hanina are joined by hip hop artist, activist and journalist Lowkey and author and investigative journalist from the Electronic Intifada, Asa Winstanley.
They discuss the rise of the far right in the UK and its connections to Israel, the unprecedented legal proceedings facing direct action activists and the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Venezuela’s betrayal of Alex Saab in handing him over to the U.S. leaves little room for debate. The Bolivarian revolution has been seriously undermined and can only be revived by the Venezuelan people themselves.
The super-rich and their vassals are deeply invested in the system because it richly rewards them. They’ll deploy everything they can – from the media to the ‘security’ forces – to prevent change
We talk the latest developments in the US war on Iran as Trump and Israel rush to prepare renewed strikes. PLUS, we dive deeper into Trump’s professed victory in China and much more
Washington arrived in Beijing carrying sanctions, aircraft carriers, and the exhausted myths of neoliberal supremacy, while Silicon Valley and Wall Street arrived carrying spreadsheets, supply-chain dependencies, and demands for access to the very industrial system the empire now seeks to contain. Beneath the summit’s choreography unfolded a deeper crisis of hyper-imperial decline, where deindustrialization, financialization, technological warfare, and collapsing Western legitimacy have forced the United States into negotiated rivalry with China. The struggle over chips, AI, Taiwan, Iran, chokepoints, and Eurasian integration revealed that the New Cold War is a battle over who will control the infrastructure of the twenty-first century. Yet the summit also exposed the reopening of history itself, where imperial decline creates dangers of war and technofascism, but also openings for anti-colonial struggle, proletarian internationalism, and revolutionary transformation.
By Prince Kapone | Weaponized Information | May 16, 2026
We talk the latest in geopolitics as Iran consolidates control of Strait of Hormuz and Israel threatens renewed war with Iran as soon as Trump touches down on US soil. Join us for this and much more!
Olalekan Jeyifous (Nigeria), Devotees of the Petrotopia 01, 2021.
The New Dark Age 