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Socialism

Brazil: Again The Alternative Is Between “Socialism Or Barbarism”

October 9, 2018 Carlos Aznárez, Resumen-english.org , , ,
The most feared, but foreseeable at the same time, has already happened. Jair Bolsonaro almost won the presidency of Brazil in the first round and thanks to the consequent vote of the poor people of the Northeast, he has to go to a second round. I emphasize the word “consequent” since there were an abundance of peripheral neighborhoods in the great cities and towns of different States, that in this so called “democracy”, supported the Latin American Hitler. These neighborhoods not only experience the most stranded and plundered of the people of Brazil but also an ample amount are from afro-descendant sectors.

Project Veritas’ WaPo Stinger Strikes Socialist Group

September 17, 2018 Lauren Windsor, Ladylibertine.net ,
The Project Veritas operative who falsely alleged that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore impregnated her as a teenager, in an attempted sting of the Washington Post last year, is at it again. Using the alias Kimmie Gibson, Jaime Tennille Phillips has been infiltrating Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America since at least early August, according to four DSA members who interacted with her at meetings, actions, and happy hours. She often came early and stayed late for these gatherings, and was eager to make friends, and in at least one case, a lover. Phillips first met activist Arjun Comar at a DSA convention planning session on Sept. 5. Their interaction then was brief, but at a Sept. 12 Libertarian Socialist Caucus meeting at the Red Derby, they got to know each other better.

The Aftershocks Of The Economic Collapse Are Still Being Felt

September 16, 2018 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance , , ,
There has been a spate of articles recently on the ten year anniversary of the financial collapse. We wrote about this anniversary two weeks ago, describing the cause of the collapse and the reasons why we are still at risk for another one. Now, we look at how the aftermath of the collapse is shaping current politics, people's views on the economic system and the economy for the 21st Century. The stagnant economy, austerity measures and resulting increased debt have opened a space for people to search for and try out alternative economic structures that are more democratic. They have also created conditions for a rise of nationalism on the right.

Vision For A Socialized United States Presented On Politico

September 4, 2018 Kevin Zeese, Popular Resistance ,
Politico is a mainstream corporate news outlet that covers politics inside the box of the two Wall Street-funded political parties. So, while it does a good job of covering politics within that context it is not an outlet we go to for creative thinking. That is why it was surprising when Politico published a lengthy article "What Would A Socialist American Look Like?"  The article was a fair representation of the views of Democratic Socialists and laid out an image of what the United States would look like if the economy were democratized, workers were empowered, racism was confronted and equity in an economy that put the people's necessities first would look like.

An Open Letter To ‘Socialists’ Who Might Be Fronting For The Democratic Party

August 25, 2018 Quetzal Cáceres, Blackagendareport.com , ,
First, a confession. When I learned of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s primary victory against incumbent dinosaur Joe Crowley, I was, as embarrassing as it is to admit, moved to tears. I’m the emotional type, take after my mom. I’m also a Xicanx, a life-long socialist, and was overwhelmed to see a young brown woman step up and raise the socialist banner. Now, however, as weeks have passed since her primary victory, as she has made the rounds of the talk show circuit, been feted by progressive circles, interviewed by corporate and “Left” media, and shilled for Democratic Party candidates, she has said enough (and sometimes more disturbingly not said enough) to make one wonder if she’s making up this whole socialism thing as she goes along.

Socialists Need To Fight For Economic Change — Not Just Another Version Of Capitalism

August 18, 2018 Richard D. Wolff, Huffingtonpost.com , ,
“Socialism” has become the new political buzzword. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) surprised many during his 2016 presidential run by winning the votes of millions as an explicitly “socialist” candidate. In 2018 we’re seeing a rash of candidates running on socialist tickets. Most high-profile of these is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was propelled into the public eye ― along with her progressive policies like job guarantees and universal, single-payer health care ― following her unexpected victory against veteran incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in a New York Democratic primary. In contrast, capitalism, once defended as a seemingly unassailable ideology, is showing deep fractures. While the U.S. economy booms, “workers have been getting ripped off,” a New York Times editorial said in August.

What’s Left in Nicaragua After Ortega

August 18, 2018 Roger Harris, Popular Resistance , ,
Nicaragua has been tragically destabilized, threatening to reverse the major social gains achieved by the Ortega government. The North American left should unite around “US out of Nicaragua.” Let the Nicaraguan people choose their own government through elections as they have in 2006, 2011, and 2016 when they returned Ortega to the presidency with ever increasing voting margins. Beyond the US-backed interests and their NGO-activists are undoubtedly genuine social elements in opposition to Ortega. Likewise, any political party, especially one that has been in power as long as the Sandinistas, could benefit from rectification. But these are agenda items to be addressed by the Nicaraguan people without outside interference.

Why The Attempt To Assassinate Maduro?

August 12, 2018 Farooque Chowdhury, MROnline. , ,
The attempt to assassinate Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, has failed. This news is days-old but the facts are reiterated here starkly. The event raises serious questions for “progressive” critics now in close collaboration with imperialism. The assassination attempt was made on August 4, 2018, while Maduro was addressing the nation on live TV during a celebration of the 81st-anniversary parade of the National Guard parade in Caracas. The terrorists used drones loaded with explosives in the assassination attempt. However, snipers shot the killer-drones down before they reached Maduro.

Nicaragua: Dynamics of an Interrupted Revolution

August 8, 2018 Jeff Mackler, Popular Resistance , ,
The unfolding events in Nicaragua over the past three months pose two critical questions for socialists and antiwar activists. Where do we stand on the critical issue of U.S. imperialist intervention and where do we stand with regard to the dynamics of the still-unfolding confrontations? That U.S. imperialism is intervening in Nicaragua today against the capitalist FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) government of Daniel Ortega cannot be denied. President Trump has openly threatened to send U.S. troops. In this anti-imperialist context, however, each component of any successful U.S.-based united front, democratic, mass-action movement must be free to express its own views on the internal dynamics operating in each nation where any form of U.S. intervention is underway. While we considered Daniel Ortega and the FSLN’s central leaders “revolutionists of action,” that is, honest revolutionaries who desired important changes in Nicaraguan society, we recognized that they were fundamentally adverse to breaking with Nicaragua’s capitalist class...

Best Satire Of The Unjust Absurdity Of Wage Slavery?

August 2, 2018 By Harel B., EconomicDemocracy.org , , ,
One century, one decade, and a year ago — that's going back 111 years, to 1907 — a lovely little gem of a playful yet brilliantly provocative rabble-rousing pamphlet was published about economic exploitation. It focused more specifically on what's come to be called wage slavery, the economic dynamic whereby in order to have a roof over our heads and not to starve, we're compelled to allow certain people and artificial legal creations (employers and corporation) to not so much outright own us (that's illegal) as to "rent" us, so we're essentially temporarily owned via wage slavery.

What Makes Millennial Socialism Different

July 27, 2018 Natasha Hakimi Zapata, Truthdig.com ,
The Occupy movement, British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders all changed what the millennial generation thinks of as socialism—and made the come-from-behind win of New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez possible. At least, that’s what Ben Judah argues in a recent piece for The American Interest, in which he outlines the many differences between the “old left” and the “new left” in the U.S. and the U.K. One major shift on the left, Judah says, has been the coining of the terms “1 percent” and “99 percent,” which he considers one of the most powerful accomplishments of the Occupy movement, because they allowed a new kind of revolution to seep into the imagination of young Americans.

Socialist International Of 140 Global Political Parties Adopts BDS, Calls For Military Embargo On Israel

July 9, 2018 Staff, Imemc.org , , , ,
The Council of the Socialist International (SI) has called for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) for Palestinian rights at their meeting in the United Nations in Geneva on June 26-27. SI also called for a “total embargo on all forms of military trade and cooperation with Israel.” Socialist International brings together 140 global political parties, including 35 parties in government in South Africa, Argentina, Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Tanzania, Luxemburg, Romania, Iraq and elsewhere. The SI has reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and called on governments and civil organizations to “activate Boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against the Israeli occupation.” It called for the “total embargo on all forms of military trade and cooperation with Israel as long as it continues its policies of occupation and Apartheid against the people of Palestine.”

The Death Of Neoliberalism Is An Opportunity To Birth A New System

May 13, 2018 Cliff DuRand, Truthout , ,
Today in the US, as well as globally, we find ourselves in multiple reinforcing crises. There is a crisis of legitimacy in established institutions ranging from Congress, the presidency and the Supreme Court, to the media, the criminal legal system, organized religion, Wall Street banks and corporations. Along with this, there is a loss of belief in social mobility and fairness. The neoliberal ideology that has dominated public discourse for four decades has failed, and we are set adrift with no vision to replace it. We are in a mounting crisis of neoliberal capitalism and a political system unable to steer a way out of it. These intersecting crises place us in a period of extreme indeterminacy. Old norms and expectations no longer hold, leaving us disoriented and having to improvise. One thing that has become clear to us now is that such circumstances offer fertile soil for the rise of a demagogue who can take advantage of popular anxieties. What new order will replace the old one.

A Socialist Economy For The 21st Century

April 24, 2018 Richard Rosen, Thenextsystem.org , ,
In Next System Project Report 3, author and Tellus Institute co-founder Richard A. Rosen explores the changes he deems necessary for a modern definition of “socialism”, and describes key concepts and issues that arise when aiming to restructure the American economy to include social and environmental sustainability in the Twenty-First Century. To elucidate some of these concepts and issues, Rosen analyzes a set of economic sectors that have very different mechanisms and structures for determining prices, and very different environmental impacts, including: chemical manufacturing, small businesses, housing, defense manufacturing, nonprofit sector, agriculture, and finance. Through these seven-industry sector analyses, Rosen offers a number of changes to each– many of which are also applicable to the economy at large.

Vijay Prashad On War And Socialism

April 7, 2018 By Vijay Prashad, thetricontinental.org , ,
There is a good reason why our Dossier #3 is called A Bloody and Unforgiving War. It is about the conflict in Syria. It could very well be the name of the battering faced by the people of Yemen or even – truly – the ongoing war against the Palestinians. These are conflicts with no easy end and yet with such violent presents. Wars are ghastly. No doubt about that. Those on the Left are easily united regarding the conflicts in Palestine and Yemen – there is clarity here about the genesis of the occupation and war. With Syria, matters are murky. The origins of this conflict are contested as are the very terms used to define this or that aspect of the war. Is it the Syrian government or the Syrian regime, a term used to deny legitimacy to the government? Are they rebels or are they extremists and jihadis? There are no innocent choices here.
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