There is an entire genre of theory explaining why the Western capitalist democracies did not undergo socialist revolution in the 20th Century, as Classical Marxism had predicted. Not surprisingly, most of this material comes from the Left itself.1 We can include Antonio Gramsci’s work on hegemony in this genre, as well as the entire output of […]
Geography Archives: Americas
South America, Central America, United States & Canada
Union-busting by any other name…
The huge meatpacking plant had been cited by government agencies for numerous violations of environmental and labor laws and for “acts of inhumane slaughter” of animals. New inquiries were under way into allegations of wage violations and the illegal employment of minors. A large national union was trying to organize the factory’s 970 workers. But […]
Palestine in the Middle East: Opposing Neoliberalism and US Power (Part 2)
Adam Hanieh, “Palestine in the Middle East: Opposing Neoliberalism and US Power: Part 1,” MRZine, 19 July 2008. Neoliberalism, the “New Middle East” and Palestine In the late 1960s, with the definitive collapse of British and French colonialism in the Middle East, the US rose to become the dominant imperial power within the region. Because […]
Democracy: Too Important to Leave to the Members?
Earlier this summer, it looked like the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union was about to experience something truly unusual in its history – — a contested campaign for national president. The last contest for the union’s top Canadian officer was in 1960, a quarter of a century before the formation of the CAW and a […]
Declaration by Zimbabwean Civil Society regarding a Transition to Democracy in Zimbabwe
Briefly. . . 15 July 2008 Broad Zimbabwean Civil Society adopted Declaration calling for establishment of transitional authority, drafting of a new peopled-driven constitution and subsequent democratic elections DECLARATION BY ZIMBABWEAN CIVIL SOCIETY REGARDING A TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN ZIMBABWE following the “Whither Zimbabwe: National Civil Society Consultative Conference” We, civil society organizations acting on […]
Rethinking Venezuelan Politics
Steve Ellner. Rethinking Venezuelan Politics: Class, Conflict, and the Chavez Phenomenon. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner, 2008. Since the arrival of Hugo Chavez on the Venezuelan scene — and later, for the left and the right, on the world scene — he’s been the source of considerable interest. Is he a new caudillo in […]
Labor Imperialism, Corporate Unionism, & the SEIU Convention in Puerto Rico
This video is an edited part of a 60 minute labor TV show the Labor Video Project is producing on the 2008 SEIU convention in Puerto Rico. To find out more about the issue of the Puerto Rican teachers and the struggle against privatization you can go to: www.fmprlucha.org mysite.verizon.net/vze2kxcd/fmprsupportcommitteenewyork/ www.coordinadorasindical.org/ www.utier.org/estructuras/index.php More Videos about […]
Has the “Surge” in Iraq Worked?
In 2006, things seemed to be going badly for the U.S. military efforts in Iraq. The Iraq war became a top issue in the 2006 Congressional elections in the United States. It is generally agreed that the Republicans did poorly in those elections, largely because the U.S. electorate had become disillusioned with the viability and […]
Sixties Rebel Undaunted (Maybe Just a Little Daunted)
Kendall Hale. Radical Passions: A Memoir of Revolution and Healing. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, 2007. 225pp. $18.95 (pbk). Radical memoirs of 1960s veterans seem to be coming out in considerable numbers now, and that’s no surprise. The veterans are getting old and summing up their lives’ experiences, just at the moment when the Iraq war […]
Iranians Speak Out on Regime Change Slush Fund
On Wednesday, July 16 the House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs will meet to mark-up the FY’09 International Affairs budget. Included in the budget is the so-called program to “promote democracy” in Iran, the regime change slush fund. The FY’09 International Affairs budget request (also known as Function 150) includes $65 million […]
Oil Prices and the Economy
With oil prices having more than doubled over the last 12 months, various reasons are being cited for the price increases. Adhip Chaudhuri, a visiting professor of economics at Georgetown University’s campus in Doha, Qatar, explains the cause and effect of high oil prices. Is the increase in oil prices plunging the global economy into […]
SEIU: Debating Labor’s Strategy
Introduction by Michael D. Yates Over the past several years, a vigorous debate has taken place within organized labor and among its allies over how best to rebuild a dying labor movement. Much of the is debate has centered around the actions and arguments of the leaders of the nation’s largest union, The Service […]
Letter from Gonubie
July 13, 2008 It is hard to believe that I am in my fifth week of working and living in South Africa. I am doing really well in acclimating to new work, new home, and new challenges. I moved into a small place in a seaside town called Gonubie, just outside of East London. It […]
Interpreting after the Largest ICE Raid in US History: A Personal Account
On Monday, May 12, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., in an operation involving some 900 agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed a raid of Agriprocessors Inc, the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant located in the town of Postville, Iowa. The raid — officials boasted — was “the largest single-site operation of […]
The Red Dance: Memory of the Silenced
The Red Dance (with English subtitles) Memoria de los silenciados: el baile rojo Colombia: Film Documents ‘Red Dance’ of Annihilation by Constanza Vieira BOGOTA, Jan 24 (IPS) — The Colombian documentary film “El baile rojo” (The Red Dance), competing this week at an international film festival, marks an effort to restore collective memory […]
In Memorian
Hollmann Morris is a Colombian television journalist. A recipient of many awards, he was awarded the Human Rights Defender Award by Human Rights Watch in 2007. “In Memorian,” like The Red Dance (Dir. Yezid Campos Zornosa, 2003), documents the Colombian government’s campaign of assassinations to destroy La Unión Patriótica (Patriotic Union), a political party […]
The Longest Walk 2008
WASHINGTON, DC — The answer to one of the biggest questions in Washington D.C. has been manifesting for over five months and more than 8,000 miles that span across the sacred grounds of living sovereign nations. The question is what steps can be taken to make known that “All Life Is Sacred, Save Mother Earth?” […]
Meeting Bashar al-Assad
He receives us at the door, at the entrance to a one-story house located on the hills of Damascus. No protocol, no security measure: we are not searched, nor are our recording devices inspected. “Here is the house where I read, where I work. There are only this room, a conference room, and a kitchen. […]
“Health Care for America Now”: Which Side Are They On?
On June 19th, twenty of us from Gainesville, Florida traveled to Jacksonville to protest Blue Cross Blue Shield, my health insurance company. The effort was part of a nationwide protest of insurance companies, led by the coalition Healthcare NOW: Cigna in Philadelphia, Aetna in Hartford, Humana in Louisville, and many more. The biggest demonstration […]
An Iranian’s Letter to the US Congress
Honorable Ladies & Gentleman! National Call-in Day on Iran Blockade Resolutions Wednesday, July 9 is a national call-in day for H.Con.Res 362, the blockade resolution. Call your member of Congress and ask him or her not to support a blockade on Iran. It was with great dismay that I, and many of my fellow […]
