Now that Swaziland is on the verge of far-reaching change, with the Tinkhundla system teetering on the brink of collapse, we are seeing a scramble by reactionary forces to try to take the initiative in the name of the pro-democracy movement and set the agenda for Swaziland’s future. These forces, which have received backing […]
Archive | News
News updates or analysis.
Triplet Crises and the Ghost of the New Drachma
Much of the discussion surrounding the Greek crisis revolves around the probability and implications of a sovereign default and on whether the introduction of a national currency (which, for simplicity, we could call the new drachma) would help pull the Greek economy out of recession (see for example Manasse 2011 on this site). Less […]
Thai Election: A Slap in the Face for the Military, the Democrat Party, and the Royalist Elites
The Thai election results are a slap in the face for the dictatorship. They prove without any doubt that the majority of people have rejected the military, the Democrat Party, and the royalist elites. Peua Thai, the party closely allied to the Red Shirt movement, has won a clear majority. The result is all the […]
The Myths of Capitalism
There is a pervasive view that growth under capitalism, though it may worsen poverty, even absolute poverty, to start with, eventually leads to a lowering of poverty. The experience of the English Industrial Revolution is invoked in this context. There has been a huge debate among economic historians about the impact of the Industrial Revolution […]
Greece: Guarding Israel from Freedom Flotilla
“@USBOATTOGAZA Iceland Parliamentarian visits boat to show solidarity. ‘Greece sold its economy to western banks and its politics to Israel.’” — Medea Benjamin, 2 July 2011 Carlos Latuff is a Brazilian cartoonist. Cf. Fulya Özerkan, “Gov’t Pressure on İHH Divides Group before Flotilla Decision” (Hürriyet Daily News, 16 June 2011); Semih İdiz, “Why the Mavi […]
A Victory in Las Vegas: Teamster Reformers Win Ballot Status for Sandy Pope
Behind every good man, one finds a good woman, or so we’re told. In this year’s contest for the Teamster presidency, that traditional gender-based relationship has been reversed — at least in Sandy Pope’s campaign. In Las Vegas last Thursday night, it was a small band of good men (plus a handful of their union […]
Libya’s Fighting Women
“I liked training and defending my country, and now I’m training women from all ages to use weapons.” — Fatima Masoud 30 June 2011 30 June 2011 Cf. Waniss Otman and Erling Karlberg, “The Growing Role of Women in Libyan Society” (The Libyan Economy: Economic Diversification and International Repositioning, Springer, 2007). | Print
Gaza Mobilizes for Freedom Flotilla
An international flotilla of nine ships and hundreds of crew and passengers is a huge undertaking, in Gaza as much as anywhere. Mahmoud Elmadhoun knows this better than most. A member of Gaza’s Higher Government Committee, as well as the Governmental Committee for Breaking the Siege and Receiving Delegations (GCBS), which is tasked with […]
The Libyan Example
Many countries, Iran and North Korea are among them, told us it was our mistake to give up, to have stopped developing long-range missiles and to become friendly with the West. Our example means one should never trust the West and should always be on alert — for them it is fine to change […]
U.S. Boat to Gaza Seized by Greek Authorities and Captain Jailed: Passengers Determined to Free Captain and Set Sail Again
After a two-hour standoff at sea, the U.S. Boat to Gaza The Audacity of Hope was seized by the Greek Coast Guard and forced to return to the port of Piraeus under military escort. The boat’s captain has been put in jail, charged with disturbing sea traffic — which includes endangering the lives of […]
Libya: Massive Demonstration against NATO
“Don’t negotiate with Muammar Gaddafi. Negotiate with the Libyan people. . . . These are our voices against NATO. Here are the voices of the people.” — Muammar Gaddafi Green Square, Tripoli, Libya, 1 July 2011 Cf. “It can’t be denied that the demonstration in favor of Qadhdhafi yesterday was really massive. I used to […]
Hugo Chávez Addresses the Nation
Havana, Cuba, 30 June 2011 Now, in this new moment of difficulties, especially since Fidel Castro himself, the very man of the Moncada Barracks, of Granma, and of Sierra Maestra, the eternal giant, came to tell me the hard news of cancer, I began to ask my Lord Jesus, the God of my parents, […]
The German Left Party Adopts Another Resolution on Israel and Anti-Semitism
The debate within the Left party, and outside it too, was hot and heavy. It took a dramatic turn on June 28th when its Bundestag members, in caucus, modified their controversial position of June 7th. Ever since its formation in 2007 this party has been under savage attack from all four other major parties. But […]
Activists in Israel Reject Die Linke’s Equation of BDS and One-State Solution with Anti-Semitism
The German left-wing party Die Linke issued a shocking statement on 7 June 2011, stating that “We will not participate in initiatives on the Middle East conflict which call for a one-state solution for Palestine and Israel, or for boycotts against Israeli products, or even in this year’s Gaza Flotilla trip.” This position is particularly […]
Right-wing Paranoia about Iran-Venezuela Ties
Seeing a wind farm in Paraguaná, the Right says . . .“Look at how Chávez has camouflaged Iranian missiles.” Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. His cartoons frequently appear in Aporrea and Rebelión among other sites. Translation by Yoshie Furuhashi (@yoshiefuruhashi | yoshie.furuhashi [at] gmail.com). See, also, Eva Golinger, “Washington Plans Further Actions against […]
Welcome to Lebanon
“Making Memories!” 80 percent of domestic workers are not allowed to leave the house. “Shopping Paradise!” 85 percent of domestic workers are not allowed a regular day off. “Sea & Sun!” 56 percent of private beaches limit access for migrant workers. Directed by Jowe Harfouche. Actresses: Rahel Abebe, Priya Subedi, Michelle Cafarelle, Lioba Hirsch, […]
Sabotage of MV Saoirse in Turkey: ‘An Act of International Terrorism’
The Irish-owned ship, the MV Saoirse, that was meant to take part in Freedom Flotilla 2 has been sabotaged in a dangerous manner in the Turkish coastal town of Göcek, where it had been at berth for the past few weeks. Visual evidence of the undership sabotage, which was carried out by divers, will […]
Empire and Its Suckerfish
Among the empire’s suckerfish in Venezuela are Democratic Action (AD), the Independent Electoral Political Organization Committee (COPEI), For Social Democracy (PODEMOS), Justice First (Primero Justicia), Fatherland for All (PPT), and NGOs. . . . Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. His cartoons frequently appear in Aporrea and Rebelión among other sites. var idcomments_acct = […]
Ohio: Workers Deliver Nearly 1.3 Million Signatures to Repeal SB5
Today, thousands of Ohioans marched in downtown Columbus to the Ohio Secretary of State office to deliver 1,298,301 signatures to repeal Senate Bill 5, the vicious attack on workers’ rights. 1,298,301 is more than five times the number required to put the citizens’ veto on the November referendum. The People’s Parade Rally against SB5 Delivering […]
Public Spending on Education in India
The failure of the Indian state more than six decades after Independence to provide universal access to quality schooling and to ensure equal access to higher education among all socio-economic groups and across gender and region must surely rank among the more dismal and significant failures of the development project in the country. It is […]
