Caracas, 27 August 2006 Dear Friend, It is my great pleasure, on behalf of the Centro Internacional Miranda (CIM, Miranda International Centre), to contact you to tell you that the Centro Internacional Miranda now exists. As a sympathizer with and an activist in the Bolivarian cause, we value your cooperation highly and we hope […]
Archive | Commentary
Monthly Review Magazine
Just Sign on the Dotted Line: Iraqi Oil and Production Sharing Agreements
“A critical component of the overall strategy is to contain expenditures within revenues and available financing, by prioritizing expenditures, controlling the wage and pensions bill, reducing subsidies on petroleum products, and expanding the participation of the private sector in the domestic market for petroleum products. . . . The authorities have recently increased prices of […]
The Irish Soldiers of Mexico
One of the least-known stories of the Irish who came to America in the 1840s is that of the Irish battalion that fought on the Mexican side in the U.S.-Mexico War of 1846-1848. They came to Mexico and died, some gloriously in combat, others ignominiously on the gallows. United under a green banner, they participated […]
Mexico at the Edge:Toward a Declaration of Dual Power
Mexico stands at the brink of a social upheaval of major proportions after the Electoral Tribunal threw out most challenges by presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, leading him to call for the creation of a new government. (See “Election Decision Favors Felipe Calderon of the Pan.”) In the face of what he calls a […]
Sacramento County Workers on Strike: Largest Labor Action in Decades
Thousands of Sacramento County workers in a coalition of labor unions went on strike on September 5. The union coalition includes the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union Local 535, Stationary Engineers Local 39 AFL-CIO, and the United Public Employees Local 1. Labor leaders and […]
A New Phase in the East Timor Crisis
A mass breakout from Dili’s Becora jail has opened a new phase in the East Timor crisis. On 30 August, Alfredo Reinaldo, a key figure in the rebellion which brought down the Alkatiri government, waltzed out the gate with 56 other prisoners. Until that happened, the tiny, impoverished country had seemed to be slowly […]
Preface to the Turkish Edition of Naming the System
I am honored to write this preface to the Turkish edition of my book, Naming the System: Inequality and Work in the Global Economy. I thank Neset Kutlug and everyone else who helped bring this edition to fruition. I wrote the book with an international audience in mind, so it is gratifying to see […]
Address at the Washington National Cathedral, 7 September 2006
In the Name of God Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, “As-Salam-u-‘Alaikum” — Peace be upon you. Knowledge of the human soul has been one of the most significant debates in philosophical discourse throughout history. A part of this tale was written in the Orient and another part in the Occident. It is important to […]
Praise/Protest Your Senator for Voting for/against the Use of Cluster Bombs in Lebanon
Praise/Protest your Senator for voting for/against the use of cluster bombs in Lebanon. In response to Israel’s use of American-made cluster bombs in heavily populated areas of Lebanon, Senators Feinstein and Leahy introduced legislation that would require recipients of such munitions not to use them in or near civilian centers. The Cluster Munitions Amendment failed […]
The Rebirth of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
A small kitten scampers up the steps of ivy-laden Cobb Hall at the University of Chicago. Nearby, a mohawked student attempts to spear a stale, “dumpstered,” bagel mid-air with a PVC pipe. He’s surrounded by dozens of other young radicals mingling in the school’s immaculate green courtyard, chatting about music, activism, and revolution. Just […]
Marathon for Peace
“I was born by the river in a little tent And just like the river, I’ve been running ever since It’s been a long time coming But I know a change is gonna come.” — Sam Cooke Dear family & friends, “A Change Is Gonna Come” was one of my favorite anthems back in the […]
Dylan Puts His Pitchfork on the Shelf and Faces the Apocalypse Again
I took my Harry Choates CD off the player even though that Cajun violin he plays had a lot to say a year after Katrina hit. The new Bob Dylan album was in my hand and it was time to put the little disc on. Modern Times is what he’s calling it. The cover has […]
Railroading Economics: Michael Perelman’s Call for “the End of Economics”
Michael Perelman, Railroading Economics: The Creation of the Free Market Mythology, Monthly Review Press, 2006, 238 pages, $20.00 RAILROADING ECONOMICS: The Creation of the Free Market Mythology by Michael Perelman BUY THIS BOOK Railroading Economics by Michael Perelman is an indictment of economists. But the indictment is not, thankfully, the familiar rehearsal of untenable […]
Labor Day 2006, St. Paul, Minnesota
Click on the photo for a larger view. Stephen Philion, Assistant Professor of Sociology at St. Cloud State University, contributed the photographs. | | Print
Patrick Buchanan’s European Americans: Rethinking White Identity
“If we do not get control of our borders, by 2050 Americans of European descent will be a minority in the nation their ancestors created and built,” writes Patrick Buchanan in his new book titled State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America. For him, border control is the key to the […]
Despite Settlement with BHP Billiton, Miners Will Continue Campaigning for Chilean Copper [Pese a arreglo con BHP Billiton, seguirán campaña pro cobre chileno]
Mineros de Escondida harán plebiscito para medir apoyo a renacionalización Los patos negros de la mina de cobre La Escondida, quienes recién acaban de superar una difícil huelga de 25 días, planean efectuar en Antofagasta un plebiscito ciudadano que mida el apoyo para iniciar el debate sobre la conveniencia de una renacionalización del cobre. […]
Appraising the Bamako Appeal: A Contribution to the Debate
1. Introduction This commentary is offered as a contribution to the ongoing debate on the Bamako Appeal. On the 18th of January, on the day preceding the start of the Polycentric World Social Forum in Bamako, Mali, a conference was held in the same capital, commemorating the holding of the Bandung Conference 50 years back. […]
China Shapes/Shakes World’s Economies
Over at least the last decade, employers in the West have been able to enlarge profits dramatically by taking simultaneous advantage of the following three opportunities: raising workers’ productivity (computerization, etc.), merging to reduce costs (vertical and horizontal), and keeping wages from rising much or at all (outsourcing jobs and importing ever-cheaper consumer imports from […]
Anti-Arab Racism, Islam, and the Left
Racism against Arabs and Muslims long preceded the 9-11 terrorist attacks and has much of its roots in Western imperialism in the Middle East, especially Israel’s colonization of Palestine. Yet, the escalation that we witness today can be traced to the war on terror launched after 9-11 by Bush and his neoconservative ideologues with the […]
Welcome to the Service Economy
“We are moving into a service economy.” How often have we heard this in the past twenty-plus years? Most of us here in the Twin Cities have thought little about it until we received the jolt this year that, after eighty years in operation, the Highland Park Ford plant is going to be closed. We […]
