Archives

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The Shipwreck of the Markets: Globalization on the Rocks

David Ransom March 10, 2010 David Ransom

In September 1993 Mexicans were, it was said in high places, about to be liberated from their historic destiny: 'So far from God, so close to the United States.' The solution was simply to merge with the US and Canada in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), leaving the rest to take care of itself. Ciudad Juárez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, was on the front line of this radical advance, and I went there to take a look.

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10 Ways to Stop Corporate Dominance of Politics

Fran Korten March 9, 2010 Fran Korten

Illustration: Chris Clark
The recent Supreme Court decision to allow unlimited corporate spending in politics just may be the straw that breaks the plutocracy's back. Pro-democracy groups, business leaders, and elected representatives are proposing mechanisms to prevent or counter the millions of dollars that corporations can now draw from their treasuries to push for government action favorable to their bottom line.

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Celebrating Compromises in Uruguay: Mujica Inaugurated as President

Benjamin Dangl March 4, 2010 Benjamin Dangl

José Mujica
The smell of fried food and sausage sandwiches filled the Montevideo air as José "Pepe" Mujica assumed the presidency of Uruguay on Monday, March 1st. Street vendors lined the inauguration parade route selling Uruguayan flags to a boisterous crowd which cheered, "Olé, olé, olé, Pepe, Pepe." Mujica, a former Tupamaro guerrilla who was imprisoned and tortured under the country's dictatorship, stood in front of the multitude with his wife and vice president as he led the crowd in singing folksongs that were outlawed during military rule.

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Honduras After the Coup: Fear and Defiance

Peter Lackowski March 3, 2010 Peter Lackowski

"Nos tienen miedo porque no tenemos miedo." ("They are afraid of us because we are not afraid of them.")  This slogan was chanted by the thousands of demonstrators who defied the illegitimate de facto government imposed by the Honduran military in the protests that erupted throughout the country immediately after the after the coup of June 28, 2009.  On a recent human rights delegation to Honduras, I was introduced to the role that fear plays in the political life of the country, and to the importance of the fact that so many people are ready to defy that fear. 

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Challenging History: Why the Oppressed Must Tell Their Own Story

Ramzy Baroud March 2, 2010 Ramzy Baroud

When American historian Howard Zinn passed away recently, he left behind a legacy that redefined our relationship to history altogether. Professor Zinn dared to challenge the way history was told and written. In fact he went as far as to defy the conventional construction of historical discourses through the pen of victor or of elites who earned the right of narration though their might, power and affluence.