International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

The crushing of Chechnya's aspirations for independence:

Philippe Alcoy, Tony Woods — 2020-11-04T08:05:56Z

“The Chechen national movement emerged during perestroika, a time of real political ferment across the USSR, when a huge variety of ideas and currents that had been suppressed surged into the open. In a sense, nationalism provided a coherence and focus that was otherwise lacking in this new political landscape. But in the Chechen case, the trauma of the deportations added an urgency to the nationalist imaginary: many of the leaders of the movement had been born in exile, and were committed above all to ensuring the same disaster never befell their people again. Sovereignty became the means for achieving that.”

- IV550 - November 2020 / Russia, Chechnya

Mass teachers' strike: “We were afraid parents would be angry; I am pleasantly surprised”

Philippe Alcoy — 2019-05-07T04:31:19Z

Just before Polish teachers suspended their strike to allow for exams, Philippe Alcoy interviewed Dagmara. She gave us an insider view on the causes of the historic struggle of Polish teachers as well as on the solidarities of pupils and parents.

- IV532 - May 2019 / Poland

Student protests in Albania: “What we are witnessing is the direct effect of the neoliberal reform in education”

Philippe Alcoy, Redi Muçi — 2018-12-30T10:01:44Z

Albanian students are protesting en masse against a new hike in tuition fees in one of the poorest countries of the continent. While the medium wage in Albania is 350 euros per month, the tuition fees can go up to 2000 euros per year. Government wanted to make students pay for retake exams but it was forced to retreat to try to calm down the movement. But it seems not enough. We interviewed Redi Muçi, lecturer at the Faculty of Geology and Mining and member of Movement For University (Levizja PÃ«r Universitetin), one of the organizers of the protests.

- IV527 - December 2018 / Albania, Youth and student movements

Protests in Hungary: “The slave labor law was clearly written to appeal to German industrial interests!”

Philippe Alcoy, Gerg? Varga — 2018-12-28T06:26:34Z

Protests against what is being called Viktor Orban's “slave [labour] law” in Hungary are turning into a questioning of his entire regime. For nearly 2 weeks now, Hungarians have been taking to the streets in Budapest and in other cities across the country, protesting labour law reforms that will allow bosses to force workers to work up to 400 extra hours a year. For many observers, this movement is unlike others the country has experienced. We interviewed Gerg? Varga, editor of the web site Mérce.hu.

- IV527 - December 2018 / Hungary, Trade unions/workplace organizing, Far Right

The Gypsies' Tortuous Journey

Philippe Alcoy — 2016-08-11T12:27:14Z

The New York Times reports that France has become one of the most hostile European countries for the Roma. In 2013, there were 19,000 forced removals of Roma people; 13,500 in 2014, and an average of 150 each week in 2015.

- IV499 - August 2016 / France, Hungary, Racism and Islamophobia, Romania