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New book gives inspiring account of Rojava’s revolutionary bid for autonomy and women’s liberation

Revolution in Rojava: Democratic Autonomy & Women’s Liberation in Syrian Kurdistan
By Michael Knapp, Anja Flack & Ercan Ayboga (translated by Janet Biehl)
Pluto, 2016
285 pp., $38.95

Rojava, which is Kurdish for the “west”, is to be found in Northern Syria. In the middle of a conflict zone, marked by the war against the Assad regime, a Turkish invasion and ongoing conflict with the brutal jihadists of ISIS and al-Nusra, the Kurds and their allies are creating a new kind of democratic system.

Testimony blocked in child rape case

Testimony blocked in child rape case By Dave Wright HOBART — A Supreme Court judge has refused to swear in a 12-year-old boy because he did not believe in God. The boy was called to give evidence against the man accused of raping him.

Moves to reform marijuana laws

Moves to reform marijuana laws By Frank Noakes Use of marijuana is so widespread in Australia that it represents civil disobedience on a mass scale. So it was only a matter of time before it returned to the political agenda. An

Clinton betrays on homosexual rights

By Catherine Brown and Frank Noakes SAN FRANCISCO — Gays in the US overwhelmingly supported Bill Clinton in last November's presidential election, largely because of his promise to end the official ban on homosexuals in the military. As

SA legislation targets youth

SA legislation targets youth ADELAIDE — "The Labor Party has failed: another 7800 on the dole queue in October alone. How many more thousands of people haven't even registered for the dole?" Andrew Hall, Democratic Socialist candidate for

Woodchipping: last wilderness threatened

By Catherine Brown "The same woodchip shadow from Daishowa in the NSW south-east forests is creeping further and further north. It is now threatening the integrity of parts of the Deua wilderness near Cooma. There seems to be an insatiable

Express yourself

Have you ever thought that something written in Green Left was wide of the mark? Ever wanted to raise a controversial political issue for national debate? If you answer yes to those questions, then you're probably already an avid reader of the

Life under Israeli occupation

By Vivienne Porzsolt Ha'fa Baramki, director of continuing education at Bir Zeit University on the West Bank, was in Sydney recently and spoke to Green Left Weekly of her experiences of the Israeli occupation. At the beginning of the

'Just our presence was our work'

'Just our presence was our work' By Jim McIlroy BRISBANE — Peace Brigades International "stands between conflicts. We provide people to help people under threat because of their human rights activities" in many countries divided by civil

British Tories launch 'war on single parents'

By Michael Rafferty LONDON — Winter in Britain this year looks like being a bitter and stormy one, with news that the November 30 budget is to target welfare cuts to single parent families and to entrench a harsh new tax on separated fathers.

Blockade planned against cable-car

Blockade planned against cable-car By Tony Hastings KURANDA — Preparation is being made for a campaign of direct action to prevent the construction of a sky-rail cable-way in World Heritage-listed national parks land just north of

WA meatworkers strengthen leadership

WA meatworkers strengthen leadership By Stephen Robson PERTH — Elections in the meatworkers union here have consolidated the team around branch secretary Glenn Ferguson. Ferguson originally won his position 18 months earlier, but