Contested Terrain

In the latest issue of Upping the Anti journal, two articles were published on the question, “How should Left groups relate to non-Left anti-Imperialist movements?”

The first article, “Challenges to Capitalism, Challenges for the Left: Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and the Three Way Fight,” Michael Staudenmaier introduces the “three way fight” analysis, as an attempt to go beyond the bi-polar worldview that the author finds both widespread on the Left and an unsatisfactory analytical framework. As a response, the journal published the article “Islam and…

The following is the text of a talk I gave on the panel “Anarchism and Responding to Anti-Semitism,” at the 2006 conference, “Facing a Challenge Within: A Progressive Scholars’ and Activists’ Conference on Anti-Semitism* and The Left.”

In my short presentation, I laid out a very basic hypothesis about why U.S. anarchists have a blindspot regarding the issue of antisemitism. The hypothesis is by no means meant as a comprehensive theory to the topic. Rather, it focuses specifically on the limitations…

I was told about this project by an acquaintance at a party and was quick to brush it aside as a ridiculous fantasy. When I looked into it, I came to appreciate it as a ridiculous fantasy and to find it positively provocative.
Medinat Weimar is a “movement for a Jewish State in Thuringia. Deutschland.”

From their 13 Principles:

2 > Medinat Weimar is a solution to overcome the present crises and heal Jewish trauma, German guilt, East Mediterranean conflicts, East German troubles and many other problems…

After my latest experience with antisemitism on the New York City Indymedia website — in which the first reply to an article I posted about the firebombing of the home of a member of the Jewish Agency on Brown University, was something like “so what?”, and the ones that followed were explicitly justifying the attack — I’ve decided to finally pen my very first blog entry here.

I would like to provide a link to the thread I’m referring to, but…

Jewish Currents Magazine, July-August 2007

In the post-9/11 world, progressive people are faced with deep challenges. Racist and anti-Semitic resentments are informing judgments about social groups and legitimizing discrimination, terrorism, war and hatred. In too many parts of the world, groups of victims seem to be in desperate confrontation with each other. In Berlin, Germany, I encountered a group working on some of these issues in ways that could provide insights for the left.

Kreuzberg is the easternmost district of what used…

ZNet - June 2007

“Make Capitalism History: Shut Down the G8!”

The grassroots mobilizations against the G8 summit, held in the northern German town of Heiligendamm in early June of this year, were organized by broad networks of direct actionists, anti-racist groups, anti-border groups, anti-fascist militants, queer activists, squatters, debt-relief groups, trade unions, environmental organizations and many others. Despite the very restrictive policy of the German state that forbid any demonstrations in a large perimeter around the ’security fence’ protecting the G8 summit,…

The Advocate - March 2006

After three years of war and occupation in Iraq, many Americans across the political spectrum are having a difficult time finding a constructive position. According to media reports, one would think there is only a choice between two sides: you either support the U.S. occupation and the Iraqi National Congress, or you support the armed groups opposing them. For those who want to support the freedom of Iraqis, neither side of this constructed conflict seems to be…