Marxist theory

Marx working on blackboard

Was Marx wrong about the declining rate of profit? William Jefferies response to James Doughney

William Jefferies — James Doughney’s attempted refutation of Karl Marx’s law of the tendency of the rate of profit to fall is thoughtful and thorough, but ultimately wrong.
Friedrich Engels

Friedrich Engels and the theory of the labour aristocracy

Jonathan Strauss considers the scope and significance of the theory of the labour aristocracy and its application by Engels to understanding the politics of the English working class.
Marx crisis

Marx was wrong about the declining rate of profit. Isn’t it time we put this false idea to rest?

James Doughney — Careful attention to Marx’s exposition of the theory of the declining rate of profit demonstrates that his theory is not coherent, even in its own terms.
Lenin writing

In defence of Lenin’s writings on the national question: A response to Hanna Perekhoda

Dmitry Pozhidaev — Lenin’s vision of the national question was far from assimilationist; it was a dialectical approach that recognised proletarian internationalism could only be built on respect for national and cultural differences.
capital flows

Surplus profits, capital exports and imperialism: An interrogation of commonly held beliefs and assumptions

James Doughney interrogates some commonly held beliefs and assumptions about monopoly capital, surplus profits and the export of capital — and explains why they are not coherent.
Lenin imperialism export capitals

The place of capital exports in Lenin’s conception of imperialism — A response to John Bellamy Foster

James Doughney — It is hard to avoid thinking that any attempt to airbrush Lenin’s ‘Imperialism’ is a form of avoidance behaviour in the face of awkward but stubborn facts.
CPI CPIM flags

What is left of the left in the new hyper-neoliberal India?

Raju J Das — The Indian mainstream left faces a paradox: while support for socialistic principles is on the rise, it appears to be in decline.
Biden Xi

Imperialism as antagonistic cooperation

Promise Li — Economic interdependence has shown surprising resilience even across rival geopolitical blocs. Existing theories of imperialism fail to fully account for these seemingly contradictory dimensions of today’s world system.
money bullets

State of the world: Economic crisis and geopolitical rivalries

Claude Serfati — The global space is being transformed under the dual pressure of economic dynamics and geopolitical rivalries.
Gustavo Petro

Marx’s theory of value: Collapse, AI and Gustavo Petro

Michael Roberts — It is not Marx and Engels who disregard the role and value of nature, but rather the capitalists.
Putin meeting with Russian capitalists

Class analysis and Russian imperialism: A response to Ilya Matveev

Dmitry Pozhidaev — By focusing on ideology and Putin’s personal motivations, Matveev overlooks class dynamics and the material interests of Russia’s capitalist class, which are crucial to understanding Russia’s post-2014 foreign policy.
Fredric Jameson

Boris Kagarlitsky: Obituary for Fredric Jameson (1934-2024)

Boris Kagarlitsky — While in prison, I have received several messages regarding the passing of colleagues. Now, news has arrived about the death of Fredric Jameson, the author of seminal works on the culture of late capitalism.