Coups, colonialism, and various forms of political subterfuge are important elements in explaining the unequal terms of global exchange. Reducing global inequities requires economic interventions irrespective of “free-market” ideology or WTO rules. It is unsurprising that Canadian capital is hostile to measures that chip away at inequities they benefit from.

Public hearings on housing systematically underrepresent the interests of renters and those who have been priced out of communities. This problem is increasingly recognized and studied in cities across North America. Public engagement should take a more representative and deeply democratic form, and one that is consistent with rapid action to address the housing crisis.

Regardless of the political orientation of these coup governments, it is obvious that the West and its allies on the continent are irate. It is also clear that, in Niger’s case especially, the coups are speaking to the disadvantaged and impoverished victims of neocolonialism. The future is unclear, but for now, Washington and its allies are trembling with fury and trepidation.

On July 26, Niger’s presidential guard moved against sitting President Mohamed Bazoum and conducted a coup d’état. A brief contest among the various armed forces in the country ended with all the branches agreeing to the removal of Bazoum and the creation of a military junta. This is the fourth country in the Sahel region of Africa to have experienced a coup.

Meta is now dropping news here and Google is sure to follow pending one last Hail Mary by Canada’s news media organizations, which last week asked the Competition Bureau to commence an inquiry into Meta’s blocking of news content. Should the Competition Bureau accede to our news media’s ridiculous complaint, little doubt will remain that it lives nowhere other than in their pocket.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot fix the systemic problems of policing, writes professor Christopher Schneider, but better policies and legislation might. Public access to police disciplinary records must exist in all jurisdictions and should absolutely include language that closes loopholes that attempt to conceal police misconduct from public view.

To stand up to Israel has a political cost few, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are willing to pay. But if you do stand up, it singles you out as someone who puts principles before expediency, who is willing to fight for the wretched of the earth and, if necessary, sacrifice your political future to retain your integrity. Kennedy fails this crucial test of political and moral courage.

David Mandel and I share much more in common than our given name. We’re both French-speaking Anglophones who live in Montréal. We both consider ourselves humanists who want to help build a kinder, more democratic and socialist world. But while reading Mandel’s August 2 piece in this publication, it became clear that we profoundly disagree on how to get there.

The coup in Niger threatens Western governments’ interests. The ramifications are regional and international. In the short-term, military cooperation with the US, France, and Canada has been suspended. In the long-term, European energy supplies may be impacted by Nigerien efforts to reassert national control over their resources, a move that would influence Europe’s wider global policies.

Wages do not cause inflation but they do eat into profits. And profit, the unpaid labour of the working class, is the lifeblood upon which all the parasitic layers of society depend—from bosses to central bankers. The wage-price spiral is not a serious model; it’s a tale told to frighten workers out of threatening profit.