In coming days, the World Bank will have a new president. Smart money backs Barack Obama’s choice: Dartmouth College president Jim Yong Kim. But two weeks ago, Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was endorsed by her Pretoria counterpart, Pravin Gordhan....
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Promise-breaking at the World Bank | by Patrick Bond
Promise-breaking at the World Bank, Part 1: Before That 66th birthday month of his, March 2012, was auspicious for adding a little spice to his dreary life, but no, it just can’t last. Born in March 1946 alongside his evil twin, IMF, in Savannah Georgia, after...
The naked truth about our culture | by Simphiwe Sesanti
This week the world witnessed a heated debate around Brett Murray’s painting exposing SA president Jacob Zuma’s genitals. Those in defense of Murray argued that this was purely an artistic act, while those in favour of Zuma argued that it was merely the work of a...
U.S. Jobs, GDP, and the Eurozone | by Jack Rasmus
Friday, June 1, is a date that marks a shift in the public consciousness of the state of the US and global economy. What was touted for months over the past winter as a rebound taking hold in the US economy and that the US economy was ‘exceptional’ and would not...
Economics: selling the truth, or telling the truth? | by Khadija Sharife
The fundamental market theory of equilibrium, in economics, can be compared to notions of justice conceived in other disciplines, such as electoral democracy and politics. After centuries of trading trials and wars, we were told by leading governments (who may be...
No Zunami on the Streets | by Richard Pithouse
There's no question that the debate, in and around the media, ignited by the ANC's response to Brett Murray's painting has been voluminous and intense in equal measure. And there have been important insights and lessons learned amongst the sound and fury. But the way...
Revolutionising production itself: for humanity and for the world | by Mike Ely
Under capitalism it is “profitable” to scar the precious mountains to retrieve coal in small seams. There is a valuable exchange happening on the Kasama website site. I won’t try to encapsulate it here, but want to respond to it. I think there are some sharp...
Ayanda Mabulu vs Brett Murray | by Unathi Kondile
Firstly, I’d like to thank Brett Murray for his contribution to the arts. Secondly, I wish I could deliver canapés and wine to all the South African households who have had the privilege of entering a gallery from the comfort of their homes, courtesy of our media’s...
‘Closing the doors of learning’ (to the Israeli state) opens the doors of freedom | by Patrick Bond and Muhammed Desai
One of South Africa’s largest tertiary institutions, the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, is a site of multiple controversy but a near-disaster on Monday deserves more reflection because it points us in a positive direction: away from allying with the...





