The Barricade – Left wing views from Eastern Europe and around the world

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From wild dingo children to the cannibal generation: the history of the disappearing East

The novel Sălbaticii Copii Dingo (The Wild Dingo Children, Polirom 2021) by Vasile Ernu was awarded the Observator Cultural 2022 prize for the best book in the memoir category. This text is a longer form of the award speech....

Want political glory? Just ban the opposition and become a war pornographer!

Boyan Stanislavski
China
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Fresh from banning opposition parties and outlawing the Russian language, the hero of the 'free world' Zelensky urges the 'Collective West' to go to war with China over Taiwan. I'll admit that there are times...

Maria’s thoughts on the book “Covert Regime Change” by Lindsey O’Rourke

Maria Cernat
Democracy
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Maria Cernat, one of the hosts of "On the Barricades," recorded a solo commentary. She discusses Lindsey O’Rourke’s study on the use of regime change as a tool for the US to advance its interests...

Thumbs up, thumbs down, part 2: Government breakdown in Bulgaria; The Summit of the Americas

Maria Cernat - Boyan Stanislasvski
Bulgaria
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This is the second instalment of this week's “On the Barricades” release. This episode is part of our regular series, which we co-produce and co-host with Youri Smouter of 1+1. Maria, Boyan, and Youri discuss:...

Thumbs up, thumbs down, part 1: The media’s harsh treatment as Romania becomes a grain corridor

Maria Cernat - Boyan Stanislasvski
Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe
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This our thumbs up and thumbs down session with Youri Smouter of 1+1 (https://www.youtube.com/user/Yourismo...) 01:00 Maria Cernat on the meeting in Kiev of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis with leaders Macron, Schultz, Dragi to negotiate a...

The real Zelensky: From celebrity populist to unpopular Pinochet-style neoliberal

Natylie Baldwin
Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe
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Ukrainian academic Olga Baysha details Volodymyr Zelensky’s embrace of widely loathed neoliberal policies, his repression of rivals, and how his actions fueled the current war with Russia. A comedic actor who rose to the country’s...

The privatization of anti-racism

...Or, how the state institutions were sacked and all we got was this suspect philanthropist funding anti-racism projects. In this second episode of this week’s “On the Barricades”, hosts Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski continue...

Capitalist society, not just attitudes, are to blame for social exclusion of the Roma population.

Boyan Stanislavski
Bulgaria
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The Roma population in Romania, 86% of whom live in appalling conditions that force children to beg and hunt through trash to survive, are the target of major, normalized racism by their non-Roma neighbors; similarly...

And now even the Polish politicians cheer for nuclear war

Maciej Wiśniowski
Global affairs
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Politicians in countries aspiring to be democracies or presenting themselves as such, for the most part, try to maintain a semblance of subservience to their constituents. Those in high positions in national administrations (prime ministers,...

Imagining the Ukrainian-Polish La-la land

Boyan Stanislavski
Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe
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It is not authentic or 'natural,' as some claim; on the contrary, it defies logic, history, and popular sentiment (and resentments). If the situation worsens and the sovereignty of both countries is actually merged, even to...