GPJA #485 (2 of 2): International news and analysis – w/e 6/12/13

“How many times has the liberation movement worked together with workers and then at the moment of victory betrayed the workers? There are many examples of that in the world.

“It is only if the workers strengthen their organisation before and after liberation that you can win. If you relax your vigilance you will find that your sacrifices have been in vain.

“You just support the African National Congress only so far as it delivers the goods. If the ANC government does not deliver the goods, you must do to it what you have done to the apartheid regime.”

-Nelson Mandela, 1993

SOUTH AFRICA

The long walk of Nelson Mandela: An Intimate Portrait Of One Of The 20th Century’s Greatest Leaders http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/

Nelson Mandela’s Epitaph, in His Own Words http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/12/nelson-mandela-epitaph-own-words-rivonia

The need to remember history — & plan political homes http://terrybellwrites.com/2013/11/28/the-need-to-remember-history-plan-political-homes/

John Pilger: Mandela’s greatness assured, but not legacy https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54583#sthash.v8sbi284.dpuf

Numsa split could liven up the left http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-05-numsa-split-could-liven-up-the-left/

Party politics dominates Cosatu crisis http://terrybellwrites.com/2013/12/05/party-politics-dominates-cosatu-crisis/

The Mana of Mandela — as seen through the eyes of Maori

Nelson Mandela And Cuba: Late South African President Was A Friend To Fidel Castro http://www.latintimes.com/articles/10868/20131205/nelson-mandela-cuba-late-south-african-president.htm

STATS OF THE WEEK

Only 5.2 percent of the world’s 2,170 billionaires have so far signed the “giving pledge,” the commitment to give away at least half their wealth that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett three years ago started asking their fellow ultra rich to make. The pledge carries no legal or contractual obligation.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“There’s no way a Catholic who is a serious intellectual can ever again not address the issue of income inequality, of the structural sins of our economic system.” Michael Sean Winters, a Catholic University theologian, Pope Francis denounces ‘trickle-down’ economic theories in critique of inequality, November 26, 2013

“In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us.” – Carl Sagan

“There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.” Carl Sagan: A Pale Blue Dot – The Earth Is Where We Make Our Stand. Must Watch – 3 Minute Video. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37015.htm

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King Jr.

FEATURES

My week as an Amazon insider: It is the world’s biggest online business. But with questions being asked about its treatment of employees, what is it like to work at Amazon? Carole Cadwalladr lands a job in one of its giant warehouses and discovers the human cost of our lust for consumer goods http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/01/week-amazon-insider-feature-treatment-employees-work

Jeremy Scahill: From pursuing Washington over its secret war on terror to becoming a rebel fighter in the global war against journalism http://tinyurl.com/laoqs5z

Greenwald: National security officials ‘routinely lie’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25134925

The Pope Slams “Tyranny” of Capitalism and “Idolatry of Money,” But Opposes Shift on Women, Abortion http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/27/the_pope_slams_tyranny_of_capitalism

What the Pope Got Right About Capitalism http://www.thenation.com/article/177429/what-pope-got-right-about-capitalism

UN: Violence against women is unacceptable no matter what they are wearing http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14022&LangID=E

Noam Chomsky on Education & How “Manufacturing Consent” Brought Attention to East Timor Massacres http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/3/noam_chomsky_on_education_how_manufacturing

Alexis Tsipras: Left can unite to build a better Europe http://links.org.au/node/3609

PISA: A call for quality teachers and quality public education http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/2783?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=gplus

The Public Professor: Dissent in Commodified Higher Education http://www.juancole.com/2013/12/professor-commodified-education.html

The Arab Spring Three Years On By Noam Chomsky: One of the grim consequences of US-UK aggression in Iraq was igniting Sunni-Shia conflicts that had been subdued previously, leading to a horror story that is tearing Iraq apart and has spread over the region, with awful and ominous effects. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37014.htm

Discovering the Power of People’s History – and Why it is Feared Today By John Pilger http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36998.htm

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

Pope Francis Strafes Libertarian Economics http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/11/26/evangelii_gauddium_pope_francis_vs_libertarian_economics.html

George Monbiot: This transatlantic trade deal will put the lawyers in charge

Plans to create an EU-US single market will allow corporations to sue governments using secretive panels, bypassing courts and parliaments http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/02/transatlantic-free-trade-deal-regulation-by-lawyers-eu-us

The 1% Are The Very Best Destroyers Of Wealth The World Has Ever Seen – Our common treasury in the last 30 years has been captured by industrial psychopaths. That’s why we’re nearly bankrupt, By George Monbiot http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37003.htm

LAND, LABOUR AND THE ENVIRONMENT

As Environmentalists Walk Out of UN Talks, Top US Envoy Says No to Reparations for Climate Damage http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/22/as_environmentalists_walk_out_of_un

System Change or Climate Change? By Ben Campbell http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/904.php

As Poor Countries Walk Out of Climate Talks, Venezuela Calls on Industrial Nations to Take Action http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/20/as_poor_countries_walk_out_of

“Nature Does Not Negotiate”: Environmentalists Walk Out of U.N. Climate Summit in Warsaw http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/21/nature_does_not_negotiate_environmentalists_walk

Greenpeace: In Opposing Oil Drilling, Detained “Arctic 30” Are Standing Up for Planet’s 7 Billion http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/21/greenpeace_in_opposing_oil_drilling_detained

CULTURAL DISSENT

Remembering Doris Lessing: Doris Lessing responded to the contradictions of our time by facing them with unmatched courage. http://www.thenation.com/article/177347/remembering-doris-lessing

Revolutionary Egyptian poet dies at 84 http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/revolutionary-egyptian-poet-dies-84

Mark Perryman of Philosophy Football reviews an autumn of sports books http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/215-sport/16831-books-for-a-season-of-rain-and-grey-skies

Salvador Allende: Revolutionary Democrat http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/book-reviews/16832-salvador-allende-revolutionary-democrat

Summer reading: recommended books of 2013 https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/55520

AFGHANISTAN

Karzai says U.S. drone strike killed child, won’t sign security deal if similar attacks continue http://tinyurl.com/qbt3zhc

Perils and Possibilities http://www.socialistproject.ca/leftstreamed/ls193.php

Karzai, Pakistan Protests against US Drone Strikes may force US out http://www.juancole.com/2013/11/karzai-pakistan-protests-against-us-drone-strikes-may-force-us-out.html

AUSTRALIA

UNHCR reports harsh conditions and legal shortcomings at Pacific Island asylum centres http://www.unhcr.org/52947ac86.html

BANGLADESH

Massive Fire Started By Angry Workers Destroys Factory That Supplied To Gap, Wal-Mart In Bangladesh http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/massive-fire-started-by-angry-workers-destorys-factory-of-bi

BOLIVIA

Bolivia’s leader decrees special Christmas bonus http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11160716

CANADA

Ottawa’s proposed law on ‘cyberbullying’ attacks civil rights http://www.rogerannis.com/ottawas-proposed-law-on-cyberbullying-attacks-civil-rights/

Federal by-election results spell trouble for Conservatives and concerns for NDP; plus, more on Harper’s Senate scandal http://www.rogerannis.com/federal-by-election-results-spell-trouble-for-conservatives-ndp-plus-more-on-harpers-senate-scandal/

A new low in Toronto: Canadian socialist Roger Annis provides the background on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. http://socialistworker.org/2013/12/02/a-new-low-in-toronto

Privacy and the Right to Strike in Canada http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/902.php

Canada’s international spying agency, CSEC, under growing scrutiny http://www.rogerannis.com/canadas-international-spying-agency-csec-under-growing-scrutiny/

CHINA

Wildcat Strikes Push China to Write New Labor Laws

COLOMBIA

Full statement: FARC and Government reach agreement on political participation http://tinyurl.com/lmnxkwu

CUBA

Will Cuban Reforms Create More Inequality? – James Early on Reality Asserts Itself pt3

EGYPT

Crackdown disappoints Egyptians expecting social justice

FRANCE

‘We need a tax revolution’, says Left Front’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon http://links.org.au/node/3602

HONDURAS

Why the world should care about Honduras’ recent election – Hondurans are revolting against the US-backed outcome. There are too many reports of rampant vote-buying, fraud and violence http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/03/honduras-election-eu-oas-observer-fraud-violence

Xiomara Castro de Zelaya: ‘We will defeat them in the streets!’ http://links.org.au/node/3613

International Community Should Wait Before Recognizing Disputed Results of Honduran Elections, CEPR Co-Director Says http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/international-community-should-wait-before-recognizing-disputed-results-of-honduran-elections

Massive fraud attempts to deny LIBRE victory http://links.org.au/node/3603

Honduras Since the Coup: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/Honduras-2013-11.pdf Economic and Social Outcomes

IRAQ

‘The Near Future Of Iraq Is Dark’: Warning From Muqtada Al-Sadr – The Shia Cleric Whose Word Is Law To Millions Of His Countrymen http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37012.htm

Ten years after the invasion: Iraq helpless under rain of terror http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/ten-years-after-the-invasion-iraq-helpless-under-rain-of-terror-8967622.html

JAPAN

Fukushima two years on: a dirty job with no end in sight http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/03/fukushima-daiichi-tsunami-nuclear-cleanup-japan

KOREA

Incheon Airport Workers to Go Back on Strike! http://tinyurl.com/qekwbgt

NEPAL

Nepal elections: Defeat for Maoists, victory for united left http://tinyurl.com/lo5y2wv

PALESTINE

Arafat’s murder is no mystery http://www.arabnews.com/news/478041

Gaza fuel crisis, left unaddressed, could result in humanitarian catastrophe – UN expert https://www.un.org/apps/news//story.asp?NewsID=46592&Cr=Palestin&Cr1

Ashrawi: We Are Witnessing End of Two-state Solution http://www.palestinechronicle.com/ashrawi-we-are-witnessing-end-of-two-state-solution/#.Up1l3cQW18E

Solidarity Saved Me from Hitler: Now it Must Save Palestine by Suzanne Weiss http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/905.php

‘Day of rage’: Police, protesters clash in Israel at plans to evict 40,000 Bedouins http://rt.com/news/britain-protest-prawer-plan-511/

Dr Ilan Pappe Testimony on Genocide in Palestine by Israel – Video: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36981.htm

PHILIPPINES

Typhoon Haiyan’s Message to the World – Climate change is upon us—and the danger is urgent by Walden Bello http://www.thenation.com/article/177297/typhoon-haiyans-message-world

SWEDEN

Sweden closes four prisons as number of inmates plummets – Decline partly put down to strong focus on rehabilitation and more lenient sentences for some offences http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/11/sweden-closes-prisons-number-inmates-plummets

SYRIA

Syria: On the Way to Genocide?Charles Glass http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/dec/05/syria-way-genocide/

The false analogy of Syria and Palestine http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2013-11-22/the-false-analogy-of-syria-and-palestine/

Syria dispatch: from band of brothers to princes of war http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10485970/Syria-dispatch-from-band-of-brothers-to-princes-of-war.html

THAILAND

Behind the latest reactionary ‘Yellow Shirt’ protests http://links.org.au/node/3604

UK

US and UK struck secret deal to allow NSA to ‘unmask’ Britons’ personal data http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/20/us-uk-secret-deal-surveillance-personal-data

Why are so many mentally ill children being held in prison cells? http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/28/mentally-ill-children-prison-cells-devon-cornwall

Black British citizens are being deliberately targeted in an ongoing and unprecedented campaign of criminalisation. Lee Jasper reports http://tinyurl.com/p2q2ojz

USA

Obama: Inequality Is ‘the Defining Challenge of Our Time’ http://www.thenation.com/blog/177477/obama-inequality-defining-challenge-our-time

Inequality Is (Literally) Killing America http://www.thenation.com/blog/177304/inequality-literally-killing-america

Forget the ‘Hunger Games’: Dystopia Is Alive and Well in America http://www.thenation.com/article/177346/forget-hunger-games-dystopia-alive-and-well-america

Trickle-Down Economics and Broken Promises – How Inequality Is Holding Back Our Economy http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2013/12/04/80381/trickle-down-economics-and-broken-promises/

Paul Krugman: Better Pay Now http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/opinion/krugman-better-pay-now.html

USA – WORKERS REVOLT

Fast Food Strikes Hit 100 Cities Thursday http://www.thenation.com/blog/177451/fast-food-strikes-hit-100-cities-thursday

 

“We Can’t Survive on $7.25”: Fast-Food Workers Kick Off National Day of Action for Higher Pay http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/5/we_cant_survive_on_725_fast

Support the Fast-Food Strikes http://www.thenation.com/blog/177479/support-fast-food-strikes

Here’s Why Fast Food Workers Are Striking This Week http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/fast-food-workers-strike_n_4379295.html

Americans Want a Great Big Increase in the Minimum Wage http://www.thenation.com/blog/177485/americans-want-great-big-increase-minimum-wage

Wage Strikes Planned at Fast-Food Outlets http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/business/economy/wage-strikes-planned-at-fast-food-outlets-in-100-cities.html

Ashton Kutcher vs. Wal-Mart: Epic Twitter clash rages over poverty wages http://www.salon.com/2013/11/20/ashton_kutcher_vs_wal_mart_epic_twitter_clash_rages_over_poverty_wages/

New York Airport Workers Organize to End Two-Tier Wage System http://www.thenation.com/article/177356/new-york-airport-workers-organize-end-two-tier-wage-system

Over 110 Arrested as Record Black Friday Protests Challenge Wal-Mart, Major Retailers on Low Wages http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/2/over_110_arrested_as_record_black

On Register’s Other Side, Little to Spend http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/29/business/on-registers-other-side-little-money-to-spend.html