May 2012 - Page 4 of 7 - Toward Freedom

European Elections: Is the Center Holding?

Immanuel Wallerstein May 16, 2012 Immanuel Wallerstein

Elections in Western parliamentary systems are always about the center. The standard situation is one in which there are two dominant parties – one somewhat right of center and one somewhat left of center. There are differences between the policies these parties pursue when in office, but there are also enormous similarities. The election never reflects a profound political split. Rather, it is about recentering the center – what is to be considered the leverage point in the seesaw between the parties. read more

From the Streets of Chicago Spring: May Day and Beyond

Matt Dineen May 16, 2012 Matt Dineen

I found myself in Chicago on May 1st marching through the streets. I quit my job to come out here and cover the fight for a different future, what local organizers are calling “Chicago Spring.”

How Occupy the Farm Gave a Breath of Fresh Air to the Occupy Movement and Asserted its Right to Reclaim the Commons

Jeff Conant May 16, 2012 Jeff Conant

When hundreds of people took up the banner of “Occupy the Farm” on April 22nd and laid claim to a patch of urban farmland owned by UC Berkeley, it was not the first time this 5-acre parcel had become the flashpoint of a struggle between the University and local communities.

Francois Hollande: The Steep Path Ahead in France

Rene Wadlow May 16, 2012 Rene Wadlow

With the change of President in France, there are likely to be few radical changes in French government policy, neither in foreign policy or domestic programs.

Labor Trafficking: Modern-day Slave Trade

Walden Bello May 14, 2012 Walden Bello

The freer flow of commodities and capital has been one of the features of the contemporary process of globalization. Unlike in the earlier phase of globalization in the 19thcentury, however, the freer flow of commodities and capital has not been accompanied by a freer movement of labor globally.

From California to Quebec, Students Fight Tuition Hikes

Diana Rosen May 14, 2012 Diana Rosen

Source: In These Times

Though high-quality, low-cost education is fast becoming a relic, militant student protests are very much alive. This year marked the first time students in the world-renowned University of California system contributed more to their education than the state, a fact that has been met with demonstrations, boardroom occupations and a detailed proposal for free up-front tuition to be financed through repayments proportional to students’ income after leaving school.

While activists in the United States have struggled to stem the tide of disinvestment in public education, students in Quebec have sustained the longest student strike in the province’s history – and they are beginning to win results. read more