A scene from Beirut after Israeli bombing, April 8, 2026 -- Megaphone, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Vijay Prashad Mientras los Estados Unidos abandona de manera ridícula las negociaciones con Irán en Pakistán, siempre fue motivo de preocupación si Israel acataría cualquier acuerdo de este tipo. Este fue particularmente el caso del Líbano y los territorios palestinos, donde Israel parecía absolutamente empeñado en crear nuevos “hechos sobre el terreno”, incluyendo la

A man walks amidst the rubble in the wake of an Israeli airstrike on the Beirut neighbourhood of Bachoura on 18 March 2026 -- Megaphone, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Vijay Prashad As the United States farcically walks away from the negotiations with Iran in Pakistan, it was always a matter of concern whether Israel would abide by any such agreement. This was particularly the case with Lebanon and with the Palestinian territories, where Israel seemed absolutely hell ben

Trump with Pete Hegseth on March 23 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad US President Donald Trump has increasingly become unhinged as the war on Iran has not gone as he imagined. Both the United States and Israel felt that a series of domination strikes against Iran would decapitate the leadership of the country and force the remaining mid-level leaders into surrender. The miscalculation of the Trump-Netanyahu agenda has been total: a depth of wartime leadership has emerg

Battle of Cuito Cuanavale Memorial in Angola By Vijay Prashad In ‘Freedom Park’ (S’kumbuto) outside Pretoria (South Africa), there is a Wall of Names that honors the men and women who died in the fight to liberate South Africa from apartheid. Amongst these are the names of two thousand and seventy Cuban soldiers who died in Angola between 1975 and 1988 for the liberation of southern Africa. It is said, however, that two thousand two hundred and eighty-nine Cubans died in that

Trump and Vance at a ceremony for the return of the remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, Saturday, March 7, 2026 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad El pasado mes de julio, los Estados Unidos e Israel bombardearon las instalaciones de energía nuclear e investigación nuclear de Irán durante doce días. Tras unos días, las dos potencias beligerantes – que no contaban con la autorización de las Naciones Unidas para esta guerra de agresión

Trump and Vance at a ceremony for the return of the remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, Saturday, March 7, 2026 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad Last year, in July, the United States and Israel bombarded Iran’s nuclear energy and nuclear research facilities over twelve days. After a few days, the two belligerent powers—who had no United Nations authorisation for this war of aggression—opened the door for a ceasefire . At that time,

Flag at a ceremony on Wednesday March 18, 2026 -- Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Vijay Prashad Wars are rarely decided on the battlefield alone. Military campaigns can destroy cities and kill large numbers of people, but political outcomes are defined by endurance, legitimacy, and the historical currents that flow beneath the immediate violence. While the war that US President Donald Trump imposed on the people of Iran may produce tactical victories f

Image via Granma By Vijay Prashad Para Paki Wieland (1944-2026), quien luchó contra la crueldad del imperialismo estadounidense durante toda su vida adulta. La mañana de mi partida desde el Aeropuerto José Martí, que lleva el nombre del padre de la nación, abracé a todo el mundo: a la mujer que me facturó, al hombre que selló mi pasaporte, al personal de tierra. El día anterior había abrazado con fuerza a todos mis amigos, mientras mis lágrimas luchaban por derramarse por mi

Image via Granma By Vijay Prashad For Paki Wieland (1944-2026), who fought the cruelty of US imperialism all her adult life. The morning of my departure from José Martí Airport, named after the father of the nation, I hugged everybody: the woman who checked me in, the man who stamped my passport, the ground staff. I had hugged all my friends tightly the previous day, my tears fighting for the right to stream down my face. It felt as though, through these hugs, I wanted to som

The US-Israeli strikes against Iran are part of a decades-long war against the Islamic Republic which has refused to bow to US demands that it surrender its sovereignty. Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fires a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile at Iran, February 28 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad Having just formed the Board of Peace, the United States and Israel have begun the board’s first war, this time on Iran. The US-Israel attack launched ear

By Vijay Prashad En enero de 2026, el presidente de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, declaró que Cuba era una “amenaza inusual y extraordinaria” para la seguridad de los Estados Unidos, una designación que permite al Gobierno de ese país aplicar restricciones económicas radicales que tradicionalmente se reservan para los adversarios de la seguridad nacional. El bloqueo de los Estados Unidos contra Cuba comenzó en la década de 1960, justo después de la Revolución Cubana de 19

Tarique Rahman on the campaign trail -- image via X video screenshot By Vijay Prashad and Atul Chandra El Partido Nacionalista de Bangladesh (BNP) obtuvo una victoria aplastante en las elecciones del 12 de febrero de 2026, asegurándose 212 de los 300 escaños parlamentarios. Esta victoria no representa simplemente un cambio de gobierno. Es la culminación de un proceso político que no comenzó con la ira espontánea de los estudiantes en las calles de Daca en 2024, sino mucho ant

BNP leader Tarique Rahman -- Image cropped via X By Vijay Prashad and Atul Chandra The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a sweeping victory in the 12 February 2026 elections, securing 212 of 300 parliamentary seats. This victory represents not merely a change of government. It is the culmination of a political process that began not with the spontaneous anger of students on the streets of Dhaka in 2024, but much earlier, in the strategic calculations of sections of the B

Flag of Rojava By Vijay Prashad The agreement that terminated the Syrian Kurdish enclave was presented by its signatories as a pragmatic settlement. But, in fact, the deal is a major political defeat for the Syrian Kurdish political formations. Certainly, the rapid advance of the Syrian armed groups loyal to President Ahmad al-Sharaa broke the resistance of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the largely Kurdish group, but this advance can only be understood by the total back

Image via X By Vijay Prashad Iran is in turmoil. Across the country, there have been protests of different magnitudes, with violence on the increase with both protesters and police finding themselves in the morgue. What began as work stoppages and inflation protests drew together a range of discontent, with women and young people frustrated with a system unable to secure their livelihood. Iran has been under prolonged economic siege and has been attacked directly by Israel an

Maduro at a rally in late December -- image via his Facebook page By Taroa Zúñiga Silva and Vijay Prashad Poco después de las dos de la madrugada del 3 de enero de 2026 , hora de Venezuela, y violando el Artículo 2 de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas , los Estados Unidos iniciaron un ataque contra varios puntos del país, incluida Caracas , la capital. Los habitantes se despertaron por fuertes estruendos, destellos de luz y la presencia de grandes helicópteros en el cielo. Pron

Nicolas Maduro at a rally at the end of December -- image via his Facebook page By Taroa Zúñiga Silva and Vijay Prashad A little after 2am, Venezuela time, on 3 January 2026, in violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, the United States began an attack on several sites in the country, including Caracas, the capital. Residents awoke to loud noises and flashes, as well as large helicopters in the sky. Videos began to appear on social media, but without much context

Gaza, December 2025 -- image via the UNRWA on X By Vijay Prashad On 19 January 2025, a ceasefire took effect to halt the Israeli bombing of Palestinians in Gaza. This ceasefire emerged from a mediation process by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, which had been sealed in June 2024 with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735 . However, the Israelis rejected the agreement and waited until Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election to proceed so that Trump coul

Ursula von der Leyen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mark Rutte & António Costa, December 8, 2025 -- © European Union, 2025, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Vijay Prashad Sitting in a lively room in the University of Amsterdam, I ask a question about the respect accorded by students to their former Prime Minister and now head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Mark Rutte. The room is animated and funny. No-one seems to accord Rutte with the respect that he might deser

Donald Trump on the USS Harry S. Truman, October 5, 2025 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad Desde que Hugo Chávez assumiu o poder em 1998, os Estados Unidos têm tentado derrubar a Revolução Bolivariana. Eles tentaram de tudo, exceto uma invasão militar em grande escala: um golpe militar, a construção de um presidente substituto, o corte do acesso ao sistema financeiro global, a imposição de várias sanções, a sabotagem da rede elétrica, o envio de mercenários e a tentat