This is Christmas Eve here in India. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of the greatest Palestinian ever to have been born. The true descendants of Jesus are genocided and those left behind are shivering without even a blanket or food in their torn tents. In this issue, we have two excellent articles by Ranjan Solomon and Kary Love. Read. Reflect. Act.
Wish You All A (Merry) Christmas. Merry as possible as we can, in this devastated world.
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In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org
“No room at the inn”: Radical solidarity with the marginalized and excluded is the call of Christmas
by Dr Ranjan Solomon
https://countercurrents.org/20
This Christmas, while glitter and gifts mask inequality, the ancient story of “no room at the inn” summons us beyond consumer spectacle to radical solidarity with the marginalized. Jesus’ birth in a humble manger wasn’t an accident—it was a declaration that God stands with the excluded, the poor and the stranger. Today, as caste, class, xenophobia and state repression deny dignity and space to countless lives, the true call of Christmas is to make room in our hearts and communities for those pushed to the margins. Inaction isn’t an option. Solidarity is the real celebration.
A Christmas Story: The Courage Jesus Learned as a Refugee
by Kary Love
https://countercurrents.org/20
This Christmas, we revisit a story of courage born not in comfort but in exile — the early years of Jesus, shaped amid violence, fear and displacement. Far from the “silent night” cliches, the Gospel shows Jesus’ family fleeing as refugees under Herod’s terror, surviving without rights or protection in a foreign land. His life among the poor and oppressed taught him resistance to power and solidarity with the dispossessed. In a world of widening inequality, looming wars and rising walls, this Christmas story calls us to remember whose courage truly matters — that of the refugee, the marginalised, and the humble heart.
The Prisoners for Palestine Hunger Strike: How Time Becomes Punishment
by Rima Najjar
https://countercurrents.org/20
Time itself has become punishment. Eight young people held in British prisons refuse food to protest extended remand, restricted communication, and criminalization of solidarity with Palestine. In a world that names and humanizes some suffering bodies, their anonymity has been engineered by legal delay and editorial silence — until hunger, exhaustion, and organ strain expose the deeper violence of procedural detention. Drawing on a long history of colonial hunger strikes, this essay contends that refusing food is a moral act against injustice. Their bodies are the measure of time that grinds dissent into erasure.
Indiscriminate Suppression: Attacking pro-Palestinian Protests After the Bondi Killings
by Dr Binoy Kampmark
https://countercurrents.org/20
In the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre, Australian authorities have seized on tragedy to justify a sweeping crackdown on dissent. What should be space for mourning has morphed into an excuse to muzzle pro-Palestinian voices, restrict speech, and tighten protest laws. Rather than confront the real roots of violence and state complicity, policymakers are wielding fear to erode democratic rights and police language itself. This is not public safety — it is indiscriminate suppression, equating solidarity with genocidal resistance to a threat. In diversity’s name, repression has never looked so palatable.
The Jeffrey Epstein Murder was Authorised by President Trump alleges his Brother Mark Epstein in FBI Memo!
by Feroze Mithiborwala
https://countercurrents.org/20
A stunning revelation now lies exposed in the newly released Epstein files: an internal FBI memo contains a submission from Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, asserting that the billionaire sex trafficker was murdered to protect the powerful — and that President Donald Trump authorised it. Far from fringe chatter, this allegation is archived in federal records, yet silenced by official narratives that cling to ‘suicide.’ As the state buries inconvenient truth under procedure and secrecy, the real question remains: who benefits from Epstein’s death — and why has accountability been buried with him?
Our Deeply Troubled World Today Must Seek the Guidance of a Distress Minimizing Model
by Bharat Dogra
https://countercurrents.org/20
Our deeply troubled world measures “progress” in GDP, weapons and power — but such metrics mask pervasive suffering and insecurity. Today’s crises demand a radical reimagining of global priorities. Instead of pursuing dominance or endless growth, humanity must adopt a distress-minimizing model that places the reduction of suffering — of people, communities, ecosystems and future generations — at the core of policy and society. Only by centring justice, peace, compassion and the protection of life’s conditions can we steer away from avoidable harm and build a more humane, sustainable world.
Collective Well-Being in an Age of Intelligent Machines: Disability, Human Security, and Belonging
by Ghassan Shahrour
https://countercurrents.org/20
In an era when intelligent machines permeate every sphere of life—from health services to social networks—our collective well-being hangs in the balance. AI can open doors for persons with disabilities, yet it can also invisibilize lives already at the margins, reducing dignity to data points and efficiency to value. This piece argues that well-being is more than optimization; it is about belonging, human security, inclusion, and dignity—values too often overlooked in tech debates. As we build tomorrow’s systems, we must choose justice over convenience, ensuring every life is seen, heard, and protected.
Chomsky Reassessed?
by Michael Albert
https://countercurrents.org/20
In this provocative reassessment, Michael Albert confronts the growing calls to dismiss Noam Chomsky’s legacy in light of recent controversies, urging readers to weigh a lifetime of radical critique against isolated personal associations. Is the rush to cancel one of history’s fiercest critics of power a betrayal of the very movements that drew inspiration from him? This piece challenges us to look beyond social-media outrage, honor Chomsky’s enduring commitment to justice, and ask a deeper question: in seeking another world, how do we balance critique with collective memory?
Life on Earth (Past, Present, and Future)
by Roy Ratcliffe
https://countercurrents.org/20
Humanity now dominates a planet that once teemed with life’s myriad forms — yet this domination has come at an unbearable cost. Life on Earth (Past, Present and Future) strips away comforting myths and exposes the brutal truth: our species has polluted skies and seas, decimated countless others, entrenched inequality, and disrupted the very processes that sustain life itself. More than a history, this is a radical critique of anthropocentric arrogance and ecological devastation. It demands we rethink our place in nature, confront the deep roots of the crisis, and envision a future grounded in ecological humility and justice.
Ending the American Dream by 2029?
by Alfred W McCoy
https://countercurrents.org/20
In his stark new piece, Alfred W. McCoy strips back the illusion of U.S. global supremacy and charts a coming unraveling of the so-called American Dream. Grounded in Trump’s foreign and domestic policies, the article warns that shrinking diplomatic influence, economic turmoil, climate denial and fractured alliances could converge to weaken America’s place in the world and quality of life at home. A critical, urgent read for anyone questioning the myth of unending power and prosperity in a changing global order.
Late Review of “SNCC: The New Abolitionists” by Howard Zinn
by Raghav Kaushik
https://countercurrents.org/20
In an era when the hard-won gains of the civil rights movement face relentless assault, revisiting Howard Zinn’s 'SNCC: The New Abolitionists' is more urgent than ever. Written in the fiery crucible of 1964, Zinn’s account of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee electrified a generation of activists and exposed the ruthless violence and daring courage at the heart of the struggle for Black liberation. This late review not only honors that legacy but challenges today’s movements to reclaim radical resistance against authoritarianism and injustice.
A Critical Response to Raymond Ibrahim’s Israel vs. Islam: The False Moral Seesaw
by V A Mohamad Ashrof
https://countercurrents.org/20
This paper serves as a rigorous, humanistic rebuttal to the thesis presented by Raymond Ibrahim in his December 2025 article, “Israel vs. Islam: The False Moral Seesaw.” Ibrahim posits a Manichean world divided by ancient, immutable hatreds—a zero-sum game where the moral elevation of the West or Israel necessitates the demonization of Islamic civilization. This paper argues that such a binary is not only historically inaccurate and theoretically flawed but geopolitically dangerous.
India’s Moment of Truth: Apologize, Reset, or Risk Losing Bangladesh
by Habib Siddiqui
https://countercurrents.org/20
India stands at a crossroads. Once proclaiming neighbourly solidarity with Bangladesh, New Delhi now confronts deep mistrust, boiling public anger, and the unraveling of years of strategic gains. From the fall of Sheikh Hasina to the assassination of a revolutionary youth leader, anti-India sentiment has surged, exposing the costs of a domineering approach that many in Dhaka see as political interference rather than partnership. The old script of connectivity and cooperation is fraying. Without humility, an honest apology, and a genuine reset grounded in mutual respect, India risks not just diplomatic ties, but its influence and moral standing in South Asia.
Chipko 2.0: How Environmental Protest Can Rebuild Indian Democracy
by Sahasranshu Dash
https://countercurrents.org/20
Chipko 2.0 isn’t just a revival of environmental protest — it’s a challenge to the corrosive forces hollowing out Indian democracy. As citizens rally against the destruction of the Aravallis, choking urban air, megaproject wreckage, and ecological collapse, a new wave of resistance unites communities across caste and class. These struggles expose corporate capture and authoritarian complicity, forging a politics beyond divisive sectarian frames. When people reclaim public space to defend land, forests, water, and life itself, they revive the spirit of grassroots democracy and reclaim hope for a future shaped by justice, ecology, and collective power.
Politics of Centralisation in the Name of Ram Rajya
by Vikas Parashram Meshram
https://countercurrents.org/20
In the name of “Ram Rajya”, the mighty centralisation juggernaut rolls on — and rural India pays the price. The government’s new VB–G RAM G employment scheme isn’t just a rebrand of MGNREGA; it shrinks democratic decentralisation and hands decision-making to the centre, stripping states of fiscal autonomy and grassroots power. What’s being touted as progress masks a political agenda that sidelines Gram Swaraj and marginalises the vision of people’s right to work. This isn’t development — it’s centralisation dressed up in mythology.
Skill India Under the Scanner: CAG Flags Deep Fault Lines in PMKVY
by Mohd Ziyaullah Khan
https://countercurrents.org/20
As India grapples with an unprecedented youth unemployment crisis, the Comptroller and Auditor General’s latest audit exposes deep structural decay in the flagship Skill India initiative, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Behind glittering enrollment figures lie missing or bogus bank details, broken monitoring systems, closed training centres, stalled payments, and dummy documentation—raising fundamental questions about accountability and transparency in public welfare. The CAG report lays bare how technocratic fixes and partisan narratives have masked policy failure and institutional neglect. Unless these fault lines are addressed with rigorous oversight and public scrutiny, PMKVY risks remaining an empty slogan rather than a pathway to meaningful employment.
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