The Bolivarian Revolution and the Warmongering ‘Pacifists:’ Yet More War and ‘Peace’

by Arnold August

Council on Hemispheric Affairs | May 22, 2019

“Oh, I am against military intervention!” goes a “pacifist” narrative heard in the North that serves as pretext for a statement on Venezuela. This prelude consoles the soul, clears the liberal conscience and strives to maintain the desired – but increasingly elusive – “progressive” academic, journalistic and political credentials.

However, the “pacifism” dealt with here has nothing to do with Norway’s recent gesture to seek a peaceful solution. The government of President Nicolás Maduro is of course fully involved in this latest attempt at negotiations. In fact, the Venezuelan government has been proposing this throughout the crisis.

Why Stagnation?

by David M. Kotz

Marxist Sociology Blog | May 24, 2019

The U.S. economy has been stuck in stagnation for a decade. The GDP growth rate has been only 2.2% per year since the recovery from the Financial Crisis and Great Recession of 2008-09 began. That is far below the growth rate in past post-recession recoveries since the end of World War II. The last long period of stagnation in the U.S. economy was the lost decade following the stock market crash of 1929.

Five Amnesty bosses resign following a review of the organization’s “toxic” work culture

Countercurrents | May 29, 2019

Five members of Amnesty International’s leadership team are on their way out, following a damning report about what’s been described as the human-rights organization’s “toxic” culture.

Amnesty said the senior leadership team accepted responsibility and all seven had offered to resign.

Five of the seven senior leaders, based mainly in London and Geneva, are either have left or are in the process of leaving the organization.

Strike wave 1919: The radical forerunners of the CPUSA

by David Cavendish

People’s World | May 17, 2019

Striking steel mill workers holding bulletins in Chicago, Illinois, September 22, 1919.

Throughout history, wars have had profound impact on human society. Not only does territory often change hands, but there are often great changes in political structures and systems, social upheaval, and economic dislocation. World War I is a prime example.

Not only did more than 15 million people die, but the cost of the war, by some estimates, reached more than $300 billion (the equivalent of $4.5 trillion today), and four major empires—the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian—disappeared from the face of the earth. It’s the fourth, the Russian, that interests us in this story.

Military junta’s threats fail as civilian strike brings Sudan to a halt

by Pavan Kulkarni

People’s Dispatch | May 29, 2019

Bank employees in Sudan participated massively in today’s strike. Photo: Sudanese Professionals Association

The two-day general strike which began in Sudan on May 28, saw the participation of over 90% of the workforce of the private and public sectors, including many government ministries.  The strike was called for by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) in order to pressurize the military junta to make way for civilian rule. The SPA was one of the driving forces in the protests which ousted former president Omar al-Bashir on April 11.

50,000 teachers take part in New Zealand’s largest education strike

Peoples Dispatch | May 29, 2019

As many as 50,000 teachers across New Zealand went on strike on May 29 to demand a pay hike and better working conditions. Members of education unions NZEI Te Riu Roa, which represents primary school teachers, and the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA), which represents secondary school teachers, voted to jointly call the strike when negotiations with the Ministry of Education reached a deadlock earlier this month. This will be the largest teachers’ strike the country has ever seen.

The teachers are demanding a pay increase of up to 15-16%. Apart from increased wages, they are also seeking reduced workload, and more classroom resources. The teachers are also calling on the government to devise long-term solutions to address increasing underemployment in the teaching sector. The average wage for primary school teachers is about USD 47,980 a year, which equates to about USD 23 an hour (USD 5.30 above the minimum wage).

Brazil’s Economy Shrank, First Time Since 2016

teleSUR | May 28, 2019

Brazil economy likely shrank in first quarter for first time since 2016. | Photo: Reuters

Brazil’s economy shrank in 2019’s first quarter for the first time since 2016, and so did Bolsonaro’s approval.

Brazil’s economy shrank in the first quarter of this year for the first time since 2016 due to delayed fiscal reforms, weak investment and rising unemployment, according to a poll by Reuters published Tuesday.