The elections in Russia took place as usual, with massive fraud and the pressure of the regime to ensure the victory of the ruling party, United Russia. What has changed is the scale of the protests against this fraud. This time, a large part of the population is rising up to testify: “We did not vote for you!” [This article was written on 9 December 2011, in Moscow.]
What priorities, tasks and ambitions for the citizens’ audit in Europe?
18 February 2012, byAt a time when the Greek Campaign for the Audit of the Public Debt is being imitated a little all over Europe, a first assessment of its activity is necessary in order to draw useful lessons for everyone. Indeed, since this Greek campaign took its first steps exactly a year ago, and since it was the first to try this hitherto completely new experiment in the planetary North, we should consider its gains and dilemmas, successes and setbacks so as to debate not the debt itself, but rather the political and social dimensions of the combat for the independent audit “from below”.
Is the "Green economy" the new Washington consensus?
17 February 2012This text was presented by the Working Group on the "Green Economy" at the Porto Allegre Social Forum in January 2012.
Eleftherotypia’s Workers are back with their own newspaper !
16 February 2012, byHere it is ! Done ! The workers at Eleftherotypia, one of the biggest and most prestigious Greek daily newspapers, go forward undertaking the great endeavour of editing their own newspaper Workers at Eleftherotypia!
The roots of the world economic crisis
15 February 2012, byThe European financial crisis is the expression in the sphere of finance of the situation of semi-paralysis in which the world capitalist economy finds itself. It is at this moment the most conspicuous expression of it, but by no manner of means the only one. The austerity policies that are being conducted simultaneously in the majority of the countries of the European Union (EU) contribute to the world recessionary spiral. They are not the single cause of it. The chapter headings of the OECD note on perspectives of September 2011 were eloquent: “World activity is close to stagnation”; “World trade has contracted, world imbalances persist”; “In the job market, improvements are less and less perceptible”; “Confidence has been degraded”, etc. Following on the projections of Eurostat in mid-November of an economic contraction of the EU, to which even Germany would not be an exception, the most recent note of the OECD (November 28, 2011) spoke of a “considerable deterioration”, with growth for the OECD as a whole of 1.6 per cent, and 3.4 per cent for the world economy.
From Lula to Dilma
14 February 2012, byBrazil is an immense country in terms of population (180 million in habitants), area (half of Latin America) and natural resources. And yet it is a country where the majority of the population live in the direst poverty. In fact, in a recent United Nations international ranking, Brazil emerged as on the most unequal countries on the planet, a country where the gap between the privileged minority and the impoverished majority is one of the greatest. According to some observers, Brazil is a kind of “SwissIndia”, where the rich live as in Switzerland while the poor live as in India.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters opposed repression at Syntagma Square - we will continue the fight until we drive them out!
13 February 2012, byANTARSYA is on the side of hundreds of thousands who demonstrated on the streets of Athens, at Syntagma Square and in other cities across the country. The massiveness of the militancy, the political orientation, persistence, and the rebellious attitude with which the workers and young people have been protesting for hours, demonstrate that we are entering a new phase.
Restructure, audit or cancel the debt?
12 February 2012, bySince the beginning of the Greek public debt crisis three different demands have been put forward by the left and the workers’ movement: either to restructure (and so reduce), to audit or to cancel the debt. This is not just a matter of slogans, but it also implies different political strategies. OKDE-Spartakos, as well as ANTARSYA, despite its contradictions, have opted for the third choice.
The point of no return
10 February 2012, byOn February 1, 2012, Robert Fisk ended his article in the British daily newspaper “The Independent” as follows: “But there is one unasked question. Just suppose the regime [of Bashar al-Assad] did survive. Over what kind of Syria would it rule?” In other words, the revolt has reached a point of no return.
Occupy Nigeria: A general strike against the “Cabalocrocy”
9 February 2012, by"Prosecute the Cabal!" With millions of on strike and crowds singing Solidarity Forever, Occupy Nigeria has shut down the most populous country in Africa. Here in New York, the diaspora is rallying in support as well, and on Saturday, Jan. 14, I went to the second rally at the Nigerian Embassy and the UN this week. Though big labor actions might be more common in Nigerian than in the US, folks are saying this one feels different. Maybe it’s the wave of protest against neoliberalism around the world in 2011, maybe it’s the corruption—facilitated by neoliberal deregulation — or maybe it’s the high unemployment rates (over 40% among young workers), maybe it’s that oil is so central to the economy; or maybe it’s all of this together.