Come descrivere gli eventi che hanno sconvolto l'economia globale negli ultimi tre anni? La maggior parte dei commentatori economici concordano sul fatto che ci sia stata una crisi finanziaria, che ha dato origine a una recessione, ma che una azione rapida del governo per salvare le società finanziarie e "stimolare" l'economia abbia scongiurato la minaccia di una vera e propria depressione. Alcuni economisti non si aspettano una ripresa economica prima di un anno o due, mentre quasi tutti sono d'accordo che anche un miglioramento dell'economia sarà una ripresa senza posti di lavoro, ma l'opinione comune, almeno per il momento, è che il peggio è alle nostre spalle. Ma, con qualunque variazione, l'idea di base è che la causa principale dei problemi del mondo è stato il crollo del settore finanziario americano, causato dalla assunzione di rischi finanziari senza precedenti, stimolati dai fantastici profitti raggiunti da questo settore negli anni 90 e aiutati da una regolamentazione governativa lassista. [English] ... read full story / add a comment

How are we to describe the events that have convulsed the global economy over the last three years? Most economic commentators agree that there was a financial crisis, which gave rise to a recession, but that swift governmental action to bail out financial corporations and "stimulate" the economy averted the threat of a full-scale depression. Some economists do not expect full economic bloom for another year or two, while almost all agree that even an improved economy will be a "jobless recovery," but the consensus view, at least for the moment, is that the worst is behind us. But, with whatever variations, the basic idea is that the root cause of the world's economic troubles was the collapse of the American finance industry, brought on by unparalleled financial risk-taking, stimulated by the fantastic profits achieved by this sector in the 1990s and helped along by lax governmental regulation. [Italiano] ... read full story / add a comment

One of the distinguishing features of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement is its apparent lack of central leadership. Not only does the movement seem leaderless; it does not appear to be organized around any clearly defined ‘demands.’ This has been perceived as something quite positive for participants and supporters of the movement, while being the primary point of criticism from opponents, particularly the mainstream media. Clearly, OWS stands against the unfair balance of wealth distribution in the United States (and around the world, for that matter), the unfair neoliberal politics that have swept the globe over the last four decades, corporate greed (especially in the financial sector), and various forms of systemic violence resulting from structural inequalities built into the capitalist system of exploitation. But what media pundits are looking for is something that they can represent: something, that is, with a timeline, that defines when the protestors will be ‘satisfied.’ This makes OWS qualitatively different from the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings that took the world stage last winter, popularly touted as the ‘Arab Spring.’ These groups had clearly defined ‘demands’: first and foremost was the overthrow of their political leaders. OWS is distinguished from the Arab Spring to the extent that its definitive aims and goals have yet to be defined.
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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama sought to ease doubts about his leadership on the world stage on Wednesday as he confronted a looming diplomatic crisis in the Middle East and hailed popular Arab revolts.

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Interview d’Henri Simon dans les numéros de mars et d’avril 2009 de l’Emancipation syndicale et pédagogique. http://www.emancipation.fr/ ... read full story / add a comment

Matt Birkinshaw, an anarchist from London, spent three months living in Abahlali baseMjondolo communes in Durban and Cape Town in 2008. This paper, prepared for a conference in Manchester, gives a brief but useful overview of the movement.

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ROMA - "Che vuole che le dica, la situazione è difficile ma bisogna fare di tutto per far sapere come stanno realmente le cose. Chiarire a chi non l'ha vissuto cosa è stato quel periodo storico". Giuliano Vassalli, presidente emerito della Corte Costituzionale, classe 1915, è amareggiato ma non rassegnato. A lui, arrestato e torturato durante il fascismo, il nuovo tentativo di "equiparare" per legge partigiani, deportati e militari ai repubblichini di Salò, proprio non piace. ... read full story / add a comment

For the first time in history more people in the world now live in cities than in rural areas. Globally one in five people live on land that does not legally belong to them. The UN predicts that this will rise to one in three by 2050. The future, to paraphrase Mike Davis, is not made of glass and steel, but of plastic, zinc and cardboard.

Rapid urbanization is outstripping the capacity and political will of local and national government to provide affordable housing or adequate infrastructure. This situation is heightened in middle-income countries such as South Africa, India and Brazil where cities such as Johannesburg, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro function as regional and global hubs. The urban struggle for land and housing is set to become a key area for future social change. ... read full story / add a comment

On average in South Africa over the last five years there are ten shack fires a day with someone dying in a shack fire every other day. Shack fires are not acts of God. They are the result of political choices, often at municipal level. ... read full story / add a comment

On July 11, one day after Forman got clipped, five workers walked off the floor and approached the floor manager, Jason Lyons, with a petition demanding Forman's reinstatement. Lyons told them it was out of his hands.

Now Forman and the IWW stand poised to organize baristas throughout the metro. On Monday, July 21, they went public. Their demands include a living wage, "respectful" scheduling, and an end to the company's alleged union-busting. ... read full story / add a comment

So let's be clear: We have a pressing responsibility to defend the Lebanese people, demand an immediate end to Israeli attacks, and expose the deadly U.S. role in the conflict.

But let's be clear about something else too: The fact that Israel and the United States want to destroy Hezbollah does not make it a positive political force... Yet no matter how courageous its fighters may be, no matter how many schools and hospitals it runs, Hezbollah is essentially a right-wing political movement. ... read full story / add a comment