The correlation between free market capitalism and the democratic organization of society through civil society institutions and their members is steadily declining. The post 9/11 political order, seen as an accelerated mode of democratically unchecked globalization, is marked by increased militarization and repression of social organizations and democratic rights.
Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, South India: Kumar takes a small plaster elephant from the rows displayed on the glass cabinet of his shop. He starts drawing lines on the floor with its foot. 'The government wants to turn this place into a second Taj Mahal. Straight roads everywhere so you can see the monuments.' We've been talking about the recent wholesale destruction of most of the street trees.
Going to my flat in London from Heathrow last month, I found myself in a minicab driven by a man who spoke little English. But he was, like me, a Pakistani immigrant, and he told me in Urdu that his German was quite good. He had moved to the UK only recently. When I asked him why, he replied: "Because after ten years of driving a taxi in Germany, I never drove anyone who looked like you."
Argentina marked the 31st anniversary of the nation's 1976 military coup on March 24 with a series of marches to commemorate 30,000 disappeared during the so-called dirty war. As the perpetrators face trial 31 years on, key witnesses are disappearing and terror is back on the streets. In the face of threats and attacks, demonstrators demanded an end to impunity for military personnel who served in the 1976-1983 dictatorship.
George W. Bush and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez crisscrossed Latin America on parallel tours recently, pushing opposing agendas. While Bush touted free trade, cooperative ventures and US aid programs, Chávez touched down in Bolivia, where his socialist ally, President Evo Morales, is dancing precariously with a divided population.
Copyright Toward Freedom 2019