Countercurrents.org

UN Warns of Ethnic Cleansing Concerns as Israel Confines Palestinians to Ever-Shrinking Areas of Gaza by Quds News Network countercurrents.org/2026/10/… The UN Human Rights Office has warned of growing concerns over ethnic cleansing in Gaza as Israeli forces expand their military deployment and confine Palestinians to shrinking, overcrowded areas. Repeated displacement, attacks on camps and the destruction of civilian infrastructure have left most of Gaza’s population unable to return home. More than 80% of buildings and structures have been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN Satellite Centre. Despite a fragile ceasefire, killings and restrictions on humanitarian aid continue. For millions enduring another winter in tents, displacement and insecurity remain a daily reality, with little prospect of returning home.

The World’s Perilous Ebola Complacency by Tom Achoki, Nebiyu Dereje and Jean Kaseya countercurrents.org/2026/10/… The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing its deadliest and fastest-moving Ebola outbreak, with 10,193 cases and 4,960 deaths reported as of October 27. Caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the outbreak presents particular challenges because no fully licensed vaccines or proven antiviral treatments are available. Armed conflict, mass displacement, weakened health systems and funding cuts are hampering containment efforts. Tom Achoki, Nebiyu Dereje and Jean Kaseya argue that the international response must move beyond geopolitical rivalries and channel resources through African-led institutions. They call for unified coordination, community-based containment and sustained financial support.

India-China LAC dispute and the Border disputes and wars in the Northeast by Ramakrishnan countercurrents.org/2026/10/… The India-China Line of Actual Control dispute is often framed through allegations of Chinese incursions and appeals to national security. Ramakrishnan examines these claims alongside the longstanding border disputes, ethnic conflicts and political turmoil within Northeast India. The article discusses contested boundaries between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, tensions involving other northeastern states, the Manipur conflict, and the continued deployment of armed forces under AFSPA. It also examines the 2021 killings of coal miners in Nagaland and the lack of prosecution. The author argues that domestic conflicts and unresolved territorial disputes deserve greater attention than the recurring political rhetoric surrounding China.

When Losing Wages Means Losing the Womb: The Exploitation of Sugarcane-Cutting Women by Vikas Parashram Meshram countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In Maharashtra’s sugarcane fields, 107 women in Jalna district reportedly underwent hysterectomies to avoid losing wages during menstruation. Bound by advances from labour contractors, couples must meet daily cutting targets, leaving women with little room to take time off. Poor sanitation, long working hours and limited access to healthcare compound their difficulties. Similar cases have emerged in Beed, where thousands of women have undergone the surgery over the years. Despite government assurances and judicial guidelines, concerns persist over unnecessary surgeries, private hospitals and weak monitoring. The article calls for labour protections, compensation, healthcare access and accountability.

The Vietnamese Exception: The Communist State That Learned to Doubt Itself by Sahasranshu Dash countercurrents.org/2026/10/… Vietnam’s experience challenges conventional accounts of communist rule. Despite maintaining a one-party authoritarian system, the country avoided the sustained mass terror associated with Stalin’s Soviet Union, Mao’s China and Pol Pot’s Cambodia. Its leadership gradually acknowledged the failures of land reform and central planning, eventually introducing economic reforms that expanded private enterprise, agricultural autonomy and international trade. The 1986 Đổi Mới reforms helped transform Vietnam’s economy and reduce poverty. In "The Vietnamese Exception: The Communist State That Learned to Doubt Itself", Sahasranshu Dash examines how policy correction, institutional restraint and pragmatic experimentation shaped Vietnam’s trajectory without ending the Communist Party’s political monopoly.

The Geography of Our Prejudices by Ashish Singh countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In "The Geography of Our Prejudices", Ashish Singh examines how India’s public discourse swings between idealising foreign societies and celebrating Indian civilisation as inherently superior. Both positions, he argues, substitute national pride or insecurity for critical thought. Foreign societies offer valuable lessons in public services, education, welfare and institutional accountability, but they also face exclusion, inequality and social crises. India’s achievements coexist with caste hierarchies, unemployment and inadequate public services. Singh argues for evaluating ideas and institutions on their merits rather than their geographical origins. Intellectual independence requires acknowledging achievements, confronting failures and learning from other societies without surrendering judgement or national self-respect.

Surveillance Capitalism and the Erosion of Civil Rights by Pon Chandran countercurrents.org/2026/10/… Surveillance capitalism has made personal data a valuable commercial resource, enabling corporations to predict and influence human behaviour. While digital platforms provide convenient services, targeted advertising and data-driven systems raise serious concerns about privacy, autonomy and the concentration of corporate power. Continuous monitoring can discourage dissent, restrict freedom of expression and association, and expose activists, journalists and ordinary citizens to scrutiny. Algorithmic profiling can reproduce social inequalities in employment, housing, credit and policing. The growing overlap between corporate data collection and state surveillance further challenges civil liberties. Pon Chandran examines these risks and outlines legal, technological and public measures to protect democratic rights.

Global Economic (Dis)order, Governance Failure, and People’s Resistance Movements by Prof Dr P J Thomas Pathilchira countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In "Global Economic (Dis)order, Governance Failure, and People’s Resistance Movements", Prof Dr P J Thomas Pathilchira examines the widening gap between wealth and poverty, rising military expenditure and the failure of governments to address people’s basic needs. Drawing parallels with Charles Dickens’s "Oliver Twist" and George Orwell’s "Animal Farm", he argues that political leaders increasingly serve wealthy elites while ordinary people struggle for education, healthcare and dignified living conditions. From France and Serbia to Sri Lanka and India, public resistance reflects growing discontent. The article warns that governments cannot indefinitely suppress legitimate demands or evade accountability by manufacturing enemies.

The Squeeze Has No Border: Europe’s Cost-of-Living Protests and India by Utkarsh Mishra countercurrents.org/2026/10/… Protests over the cost of living have spread across France, Portugal, Italy and Belgium, reflecting mounting pressure on households. In India, rising food and fuel prices, stagnant real wages, insecure employment, healthcare expenses and unaffordable housing are squeezing ordinary families. Meanwhile, wealth remains concentrated among the richest sections of society, while climate damage adds to the burden on vulnerable communities. Student protests and demonstrations against voter-roll revisions reveal wider concerns about public accountability. The article examines how economic insecurity and political grievances intersect, arguing that wage reform, public services and electoral integrity are essential to social stability.

Israeli Forces Killed About 19 Palestinian Children in Gaza in October Despite Ceasefire: Euro-Med Monitor by Quds News Network countercurrents.org/2026/10/… At least 19 Palestinian children were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza in October, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. The victims included a four-year-old boy killed in central Gaza and a 16-year-old girl shot inside her home in Jabalia camp after returning from school. More than 21,900 Palestinian children have been killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, according to official figures. UNICEF has reported that 351 children were killed since the ceasefire was announced in October 2025. UN officials continue to condemn the killings and warn that Gaza’s children remain unprotected.

Who Owns India’s History: The Historian, the Politician or the People? by Jagjit Singh countercurrents.org/2026/10/… Who owns India’s history? Jagjit Singh examines the relationship between historical scholarship, political power and public memory. The article argues that governments must not dictate historical conclusions or reshape the past to suit ideological preferences. India’s history encompasses diverse cultures, philosophies, social struggles, achievements and injustices that cannot be reduced to a single narrative. From textbook revisions and the interpretation of medieval history to the many contributions to the freedom struggle, the author stresses the importance of evidence, academic independence and open inquiry. Historical memory, the article maintains, should foster understanding, not deepen divisions or impose conformity.

The Mystery of ‘Logical Discrepancy’: CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Wand of Voter Disenfranchisement by Arun Srivastava countercurrents.org/2026/10/… Arun Srivastava examines the use of the Election Commission’s Logical Discrepancy algorithm under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and its implications for voter rights. He argues that automated data matching, opaque verification criteria and the compulsory use of Form 6 have created barriers for millions of existing voters. Citing deletions from electoral rolls in Kolkata and the Supreme Court’s scrutiny of the process, the article questions the Commission’s reliance on automated systems and its handling of excluded voters. It contends that the exercise risks disenfranchising vulnerable communities and undermining democratic participation ahead of future elections.

Netanyahu’s Likud Claims “Stolen” Election, Blames Qatar for Arab Turnout as Shin Bet Opens Probe by Quds News Network countercurrents.org/2026/10/… Netanyahu’s Likud has alleged election interference after high turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel in the October 27 Knesset election. The Central Elections Committee chairman has asked Shin Bet to investigate suspicions of foreign funding intended to mobilise Arab voters, with Qatar and Turkey named in claims by Likud officials. Qatar denied involvement, while Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas condemned the allegations as incitement. Police reported no evidence of widespread polling-station fraud. The investigation follows Likud’s earlier warnings about alleged electoral fraud and plans to deploy activists at polling stations in Arab communities. Preliminary counts gave Arab parties about 19 seats.

I’m from Gaza. NAZA made me scream. by Samah Sabawi countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In "I’m from Gaza. NAZA made me scream", Palestinian writer Samah Sabawi reflects on watching "NAZA", a documentary featuring Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers describing their roles in the genocide in Gaza. Drawing on her memories of life in Gaza City before October 2023, Sabawi confronts accounts of mass destruction, AI-assisted targeting, civilian deaths and the deliberate burning of Palestinian homes. She criticises the film for presenting perpetrators as cogs in a system while avoiding a deeper examination of Zionism and Jewish supremacy. Sabawi questions the protection afforded to anonymous perpetrators and the meaning of accountability.

Fascists at a Festival and anti-fascist Resistance by Malini Bhattacharya countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In West Bengal, left-wing bookstalls at Durga Puja have faced threats, assaults and demolitions by BJP and ABVP activists, with police and state authorities also involved in removing stalls despite permissions. In her article, Malini Bhattacharya describes how activists have returned to damaged stalls, sold books from roadsides and three-wheelers, and received support from local residents. At a bookstall near Jadavpur University, people formed a human chain to protect it through the night. Bhattacharya also links the diversion of police resources to the fatal stampede at Chorbagan, where 18 people died. She calls for solidarity with those defending books and free thought.

Serbia After the Student Landslide: The Black Box in Parliament by Biljana Vankovska countercurrents.org/2026/10/… Serbia’s student movement has secured a sweeping electoral victory after months of mobilisation following the Novi Sad tragedy in November 2024. But the defeat of Aleksandar Vučić’s government leaves fundamental questions about the country’s political future unresolved. Biljana Vankovska examines the contradictions within the Student List, whose broad coalition united people with sharply different ideological positions without establishing a clear political programme. The challenge now is to move from protest to governance, addressing questions of economic policy, social justice, foreign relations and the distribution of power. Without substantive democratic debate, the victory could change political personnel without transforming existing power structures.

The Brazilian Victory: Left Unity and Digital Autonomy by Rezgar Akrawi countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In "The Brazilian Victory: Left Unity and Digital Autonomy", Rezgar Akrawi examines the political lessons of Lula da Silva’s electoral victory in Brazil. The article highlights how diverse left-wing and progressive forces can cooperate around common objectives without abandoning their ideological differences or organizational autonomy. It also argues that confronting the far right requires sustained grassroots mobilization, social and economic policies addressing inequality, and the defence of democratic rights. Akrawi identifies digital autonomy as a fifth pillar of left independence, alongside ideological, organizational, financial and media autonomy, emphasizing the need for democratic digital alternatives and independent technological capacities.

India’s Quest for Political Alternative Beyond the BJP and Congress by Bhabani Shankar Nayak countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In "India’s Quest for Political Alternative Beyond the BJP and Congress", Bhabani Shankar Nayak argues that both parties have sustained corporate crony capitalism through economic policies that prioritise corporate interests over public welfare. Tracing this trajectory from the Bombay Plan and the 1991 economic reforms to the present, he examines the effects on agriculture, employment, natural resources and public assets. The article also addresses the use of anti-terror laws against political activists and the erosion of democratic freedoms. Nayak calls for political alternatives and alliances beyond the BJP and Congress, rooted in social justice, citizenship rights and public welfare.

Beyond Netanyahu: What Israel’s Election Means for Palestinians by Dr Ramzy Baroud countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In "Beyond Netanyahu: What Israel’s Election Means for Palestinians", Dr Ramzy Baroud examines why changes in Israel’s political leadership have rarely altered the realities of occupation. Drawing on settlement expansion under successive governments, rising settler violence and continuing land confiscation, Baroud argues that the differences between Israeli political factions often concern strategy rather than fundamental objectives. He also examines competing proposals for Gaza, none of which, he argues, offers a clear commitment to ending the genocide, lifting the siege or ensuring accountability. A change of government, Baroud warns, may improve Israel’s international image without changing conditions for Palestinians.

Beyond East and West: Towards a More Balanced World Order by Dr Salim Nazzal countercurrents.org/2026/10/… In his essay, Dr Salim Nazzal examines the relationship between East and West through three major works of Arabic literature: "Bird from the East", "The Lamp of Umm Hashim" and "Season of Migration to the North". The novels explore cultural identity, the encounter between tradition and modernity, and the enduring psychological effects of colonialism. Nazzal connects these literary concerns to the changing global balance of power, particularly the growing influence of China, India and other Asian nations. He argues for an international order that moves beyond Western dominance and civilizational rivalry towards greater balance, mutual recognition and cooperation.