By Andrew Nash from Monthly Review The Tribal Model of DemocracyIn his speech from the dock, at his 1962 trial for inciting African workers to strike and leaving the country without a passport, Nelson Mandela described the initial formation of his political ideas....
Democracy
Every Cook can govern
The Greek form of government was the city-state. Every Greek city was an independent state. At its best, in the city state of Athens, the public assembly of all the citizens made all important decisions on such...
Thatcher: an Obituary from Below | by Richard Seymour
Thatcher's great achievements were also what made her so vile. Her many talents were harnessed to bigoted, class-supremacist ends. Obituaries are typically concerned with the accomplishments and worthwhile qualities of the deceased. Thatcher's achievements are...
Our own Zuma moment?| by Amandla! Editorial staff
Brazilian President Lula entered the elections for his second term with his back against the wall, confronting a massive corruption scandal and growing disenchantment at the base of his party. In response, he changed course, turning to organised labour and social...
Europe’s crisis and the rise of the far right| by John Palmer
The general election of February in Italy produced a political deadlock over the formation of a new government and reawakened fears that the crisis of the European Union currency – the Euro – could take a new turn for the worse. A low turnout of voters (by Italian...
Chavez: Lessons for SA
Fidel Castro said of Chavez, "If you want to know what kind of man he was, look who was crying at death and who was celebrating". The torrential hatred directed at Chavez from the metropoles of global power is hardly surprising. Perhaps more than any other, the...
From the World Social Forum to the Arab revolts | by Esther Vivas
Tunisia, cradle of the revolts in the Arab world, hosts from today [26 March] and until Saturday the World Social Forum (WSF), the most important international meeting of social movements and organizations. And this is not by chance. The promoters of the WSF chose...
Chronicle of a Death Foretold: The Post-Chávez Venezuelan Conjuncture | by Jeffery R. Webber
On live television, Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolás Maduro choked on his words. Hugo Chávez, the improbable President, born in the rural poverty of Sabaneta, in the state of Barinas, in 1954 had died of cancer.[1] To his wealthy and light-skinned enemies he was evil...
Noam Chomsky: Can Civilization Survive Capitalism?
There is "capitalism" and then there is "really existing capitalism." The term "capitalism" is commonly used to refer to the U.S. economic system, with substantial state intervention ranging from subsidies for creative innovation to the "too-big-to-fail" government...









