En Passant

The Kurds of Kobanê are the latest victims of a war that arose as a direct consequence of imperialism and oppression. Alan Maass and Tom Gagné explain the background in Socialist Worker US. They argue we must oppose every counterrevolutionary attempt to undermine either Kurdish self-determination or the Syrian uprising. One face of that counterrevolution is the reactionaries of ISIS, with their barbaric war on Kobanê. Another is the authoritarian and undemocratic regimes of the region–even when they oppose each other, as Erdogan’s Turkey and Assad’s Syria do. Last but not least is U.S. imperialism, which bears responsibility for the horrors unfolding in the Middle East today. Whether through direct intervention or support of reactionary forces, the U.S. is intent on maintaining its dominance in order to control the world’s most valuable resource: oil. As anti-imperialists in the U.S., we want to expose the hypocrisy and deceptions of the latest U.S. war drive–and build the forces demanding an end to its wars, so the masses of people in the Middle East can decide their collective future for themselves.

Wake up Australia. Life is tough at the top – but top sorts aren’t being paid their due, writes Ben Hillier, tongue firmly in cheek, in Red Flag. The rich need a champion, not ever more detractors stoking class envy and making the nation uncomfortable.