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NEWS AND ANALYSIS
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Read the latest news and analysis from Alternatives International!
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5 September 2019, by
Sudan’s Youth Showed Us How to Counter Sexual Violence
"We need to understand that sexual violence is not an unintended result of the actions of political regimes, but rather a key instrument of their power." In Sudan, sexual violence is a (…) -
3 September 2019, by
Kashmir - Need for International Mediation
“The principle of non-interference with domestic jurisdiction state cannot be regarded as a protective barrier behind which human rights could be massively or systematically violated with (…) -
1 September 2019, by
Gender Equality in Tunisia: Still A Long Way to Go
August 13, is a milestone in the history of women’s emancipation in Tunisia. In 1956 and just a few months after the independence of the country, the new government promulgated the code of (…) -
1 September 2019, by
“Jammu Kashmir: They Make a Desolation and Call it Peace”
The abrogation on August 6 of Article 370 and 35 A, that provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, received a mixed response. While politically the decision has been hailed by several parties, (…) -
1 September 2019, by
Imagine a Free Palestine
I wrote Siegebreakers because I can’t liberate Gaza or Palestine, but I can dream about it. I wanted it to be a proximate dream, a dream of the next step from now, not a distant dream that depends (…) -
1 September 2019, by
The Humanist Who Was Pakistan’s Malayali Comrade B.M. Kutty
He died wanting the same peace that his comrades, young and old, yearned and will keep working for. Early on Sunday morning in Karachi, a little over a month after his 89th birthday on July (…) -
1 September 2019, by
Hindutva on the March
Progressive Indians must oppose governmental violence against Kashmiris. The powers that would seek to deny the oppressed people of Kashmir the right to freely pursue their goal of collective (…) -
30 July 2019, by
Indian Mass Psychology
The variety of post-mortem reports coming out from the analysis of the Lok Sabha election (held in April/May this year) results is quite confusing. Each contradicts the other. Some psephologists (…) -
25 July 2019, by
“A Mockery of What Democracy Is Supposed to Be”
Arundhatti Roy interviewed by Samuel Earle in The New Republic “In India,” Arundhati Roy wrote in 2002, “if you are a butcher or a genocidist who happens to be a politician, you have every (…) -
25 July 2019, by
What Now, Brazil?
The words that come to mind the most are astonishment and perplexity. The Brazilian government has slipped into the abyss of absurdity, into an absolute trivialization of abuse and aggression, (…) -
25 July 2019, by
Trump Administration: Redefining Human Rights
Bible in hand Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Prize winner cleric, known for his anti-apartheid and human rights militancy in South Africa, said: When missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible (…) -
14 July 2019, by
The Significance of the Sudanese Revolution
The ongoing Sudanese revolution has emerged at a time when most of us had already given up any realistic hope for what has become known as the Arab Spring. Yet, if anything, the revolutionaries in (…) -
10 June 2019, by
Why a Hipster, Vegan, Green Tech Economy is Not Sustainable
Improving eco-efficiency within a capitalist growth-oriented system will not save the environment. On the western borderlands of Montreal’s well-to-do Outremont district and the (…) -
6 June 2019, by
Public Statement on the Suicide of Dr Payal Tadvi in Mumbai
Dr Payal Tadvi, an Adivasi Muslim from one of the most backward tribes of India committed suicide on 22 May in her hostel room in a Mumbai hospital. She was a post-graduate resident doctor in the (…) -
1 June 2019, by
Indian Elections 2019: Challenges Ahead
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a second mandate to run the government as the election results announced on May 23, 2019 clearly show. They got more seats than they had won in 2014 and their vote (…) -
30 May 2019, by
European Union-Tunisia Relationship: "Stop People but Let Goods Through"
In the aftermath of what ’s often been referred to as the "Arab Spring", the European Union (EU) gave much more attention to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region, especially to Tunisia, (…) -
29 May 2019, by
Democracy Demands More Than the Counting of Votes
Winning cannot be the only concern in fighting an election. It makes a big difference how the winners are viewed in the post-election world. The excitements of the recent general elections are (…) -
29 May 2019, by
“A Mockery of What Democracy is Supposed to Be”
I recently spoke to Roy over email about the Indian election result, the meaning of Modi, and the role of a writer when—in her words—“the world is in a churning.” This interview has been lightly (…) -
28 May 2019, by
Indian Elections 2019: An Analysis
In the wake of the recently concluded 2019 elections India has been dubbed a “majoritarian democracy”. In the near future, it is very likely that more emphasis will be placed on “majoritarian” and (…) -
25 May 2019, by
Rise in Discrimination Against Iraqi Women Journalists
According to the indicators that Iraqi women journalists forum (IWJF) recorded in the period of May, 2018 – May, 2019, there were many violations, discrimination and violence against women (…) -
24 May 2019, by
Evaluation of the Speech of the UN Representative on Iraq
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Mrs. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, in her speech during the meeting of the Security Council on 21 May 2019 spoke (…) -
17 May 2019, by
Iran Notes
“Boys go to Baghdad, but real men go to Tehran” – Bush official, 2003 Gibbon in his The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire writes of the Romans, "They endeavored to convince mankind that (…) -
17 May 2019, by
The Yellow Vests of France: Six Months of Struggle
I am writing you from Montpellier, France, where I am a participant-observer in the Yellow Vest movement, which is still going strong after six months, despite a dearth of information in the (…) -
17 May 2019, by
German Parliament Criminalizes Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement
German parliament, the Bundestag, has just passed an unprecedented piece of legislation condemning the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement, known as the BDS. They deemed BDS as anti-Semitic (…) -
10 May 2019, by
A Green New Deal Needs to Fight US Militarism
We can’t heal the climate if the US war machine keeps raining destruction, absorbing resources, and gobbling up fossil fuels all around the world. Here’s how to stop it. The war on terror (…) -
1 May 2019, by
Hard Time for Arab Dictators
At a time when good memories of the 2011 Arab Spring are about to fade away, when the then raised hope is about to give place to despair and disillusion, Sudan and Algeria have caught the world’s (…) -
1 May 2019, by
No Compromise on the Civilian Transitional Power
The Sudanese Communist Party has declared its clear Stance: No compromise on the Civilian Transitional Power. In a separate development, the Alliance for Freedom and Change stressed in a (…) -
24 April 2019, by
A Vote For Apartheid: The End of the Two States Proposal
Katja Hermann, director of the West Asia Unit at the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung in Berlin, in conversation with Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National (…) -
22 April 2019, by
Update on Sudan
The Central Committee of the Sudanese Communist Party has issued a statement demanding: An end of the rule of the Military Transitional Council (MTC) and the immediate transfer of power to the (…) -
17 April 2019, by
Social Movements in the Arab and African World: Factures and Features
The landscape of the position of social movements in Sudan, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region indicates that a fundamental change in the structure of collective action is occurring in (…) -
16 April 2019, by
Yellow Vest Movement Struggles to Reinvent Democracy as Macron Cranks up Propaganda and Repression
After five months of constant presence at traffic circles, toll-booths and hazardous Saturday marches, the massive, self-organized social movement known as the Yellow Vests has just held its (…) -
16 April 2019, by
A First Victory for the Sudanese Revolution
Will the People be Able to Override the “Orderly Transition”? Omar al Bashir, the 30-year long dictator of Sudan, the perpetrator of the massacre of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the (…) -
12 April 2019, by
Israel’s New Wretched Republic
On Tuesday, the Second Republic of Israel was born. It will be different from its predecessor. The First Republic chalked up impressive achievements, accompanied by lies and deceptions. The Second (…) -
12 April 2019, by
The Age of Pardon or the Age of Aggression?
Throughout the 20th century there were frequent apologies and claims for reparations for the atrocities committed in the context of the relations between peoples and countries, as illustrated by (…) -
12 April 2019, by
President Ousted After Brutal Repression of Protests in Sudan
Protests in Sudan have spread to an unprecedented level, with women and young people being at the forefront of a movement for change that seems to have succeeded in ousting President Omar (…) -
4 April 2019
“Happy Birthday, Abdullah Öcalan!”
“Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but … life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in (…) -
1 April 2019, by
Majoritarianism: Malady of Our Time
The recent release of all the accused Hindutva terrorists by Indian courts in the Samjhauta Express bombing case that killed 68 persons including 44 Pakistani citizens, following the fizzling out (…) -
1 April 2019, by
Brazil: Celebration of the 1964 Military Coup
Brazil: 55 years after the army staged a coup on 31 March 1964 and overthrew President Joao Goulart, the new far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro has announced a celebration of this sad event. (…) -
1 April 2019, by
Let Chelsea Go
The US government is holding Chelsea Manning in solitary confinement again. It’s a vindictive, unconscionable attack on a brave truth teller. On June 1, 2013, I joined a thousand people on a (…) -
1 April 2019, by
The Tories’ Islamophobia Problem
The Tories are incredibly racist, and have been forever, and somehow they’re still getting away with it. Shortly after the Christchurch killings, a Conservative party activist, who had posted (…) -
26 February 2019, by
Joint Statement by the National Committees PIPFPD of India and Pakistan
Issued to media on 26th of February 2019 from Lahore and New Delhi (also Mumbai, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Jammu, Bhubaneshwar & Srinagar): We, the members of (…) -
15 February 2019, by
Race, Place, and Resistance in Nova Scotia: A Review of “There’s Something in the Water”
In the autumn of 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a dire climate report (1) outlining the necessity of limiting global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius within 12 (…) -
4 February 2019, by
UN’s Support Sought for Withdrawal of Charges Against Anand Teltumbde
In a letter with over 150 signatories, the charges against Teltumbde were called fabricated and the case a severe human rights violation. New Delhi: Over 90 organisations, 50 institutions and (…) -
4 February 2019, by
Zimbabwe: Capitalist Crisis + Ultra-Neoliberal Policy = “Mugabesque” Authoritarianism
Once again, a formidable burst of state brutality against Zimbabwe’s citizenry has left at least a dozen corpses, scores of serious injuries, mass arrests, Internet suspension and a furious (…) -
4 February 2019, by
The Crisis in Sri Lanka
“In the name of God, go!” Rarely have these words of Oliver Cromwell been recycled with such farce and frequency as during Sri Lanka’s recent political crisis, not least by parliamentarians (…) -
25 January 2019, by
Solidarity with the Venezuelan People
"Grassroots Global Justice Alliance strongly condemns the aggression of the US government towards President Nicolas Maduro and the legitimate government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela." (…) -
23 January 2019, by
Cities of Salt
Cities of Salt, was first published in Beirut in 1984. Translated from Arabic by Peter Theroux. Published by Vintage International, New York. ‘By god, Your Excellency, we were as happy as we (…) -
21 January 2019, by
“Landgrab is a Universal Phenomenon With Historical Roots”
In her new novel, Land for Fatimah, Veena Gokhale brings to life the experiences of an Indo-Canadian expatriate, Anjali, working for an NGO in a fictional African country named Kamorga. Anjali (…) -
18 January 2019, by
Yellow Fever in France
Almost everyone agrees on the analysis of what caused this movement: the growth of inequalities, the marginalization of certain regions and social categories, austerity and neoliberal politics. (…) -
16 January 2019, by
‘My Hopes Lie Shattered, I Need Your Support’
Coming from the poorest of poor families I wanted to contribute… You may have learnt from the media that my appeal for quashing the false FIR against me filed by the Pune Police was rejected (…) -
6 January 2019, by
Book Review: Go, Went, Gone
Go, Went, Gone By Jenny Erpenbeck Translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky There didn’t seem to be any apparent references or connections but for some reason Richard from the novel ‘ Go (…) -
5 January 2019, by
In Baghdad, the Social Forum Regains its Relevance
Last November 22nd to the 25th, I had the opportunity to participate in a little known event (at least in the North!) in Baghdad. A meeting bringing together activists of various faiths, from (…) -
14 December 2018, by
Popular Uprising in Paris and Left’s Fear of Populism
I For the fourth consecutive week ending with 9 December 2018, Paris reverberated with the march of the Yellow Vests, angry protesters denouncing the government, asking President Macron to (…) -
8 December 2018, by
Can the Yellow Vests Speak?
France’s elites were quick to condemn the gilets jaunes protesters as stupid and backward. But as novelist Édouard Louis writes, they’re just standing up for their rights. For some days now, (…) -
8 December 2018, by
Self-organized Yellow Vest Protest Movement Exposes Inequality and Hollowness of French Regime
Ignored by Macron, distorted by the media, courted by the Right, snubbed by the Left, the self-organized mass movement known as the Yellow Vests is seriously challenging the political and economic (…) -
8 December 2018, by
The Ignored Legacy of George H.W. Bush: War Crimes, Racism, and Obstruction of Justice
The tributes to former President George H.W. Bush, who died on Friday aged 94, have been pouring in from all sides of the political spectrum. He was a man “of the highest character,” said his (…) -
8 December 2018, by
Farmers And Others
Will the kisan take care of interests of landless peasants as well? In the aftermath of the demonstrations by farmers in the name of agricultural prices and loan waiving, it is important to (…) -
29 November 2018, by
Dr. Amit Sengupta: People’s Health Movement (PHM) Tribute
It is with extreme sadness that we announce the passing away of our dear comrade Dr. Amit Sengupta, a beloved colleague, friend, mentor and activist. Amit passed away on 28 November 2018, in a (…) -
21 November 2018, by
Global Campaign For Education Welcomes New President
KATHMANDU - A newly elected President Refat Sabbah, the General Secretary of the Arab Coalition for Education for All (ACEA), takes the reins and leads the movement into a transformative, (…) -
5 November 2018, by
Sudan: Relentless Harassment, Intimidation and Censorship of Journalists Must End
2 November 2018 Sudanese authorities have this year been unrelenting in their quest to silence independent media by arresting and harassing journalists, and censoring both print and broadcast (…) -
5 November 2018, by
After the Aasia Bibi Verdict, A Longer Battle
Lahore, 1 November 2018. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has greatly welcomed the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement acquitting 47-year-old Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman convicted (…) -
30 October 2018, by
Quebec Solidaire: Understanding Its 2018 Electoral Breakthrough
Summing up the October 1st provincial election results, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire, said it best: “the era of the two-party system is finished in Quebec.” Indeed, (…) -
29 October 2018, by
Brazil: The Collapse of Democracy?
Brazil will elect its new President on 28 October 2018. Since the judicial-parliamentary coup that removed elected President Dilma Rousseff, of the Workers’ Party (PT), the new administration (led (…) -
15 October 2018, by
Brazil Poll Results: Anxieties and Hopes
A white backlash much like India’s upper caste consolidation makes it appear that the right-wing candidate might win in the second round as he was close to the 50 per cent threshold in the first (…) -
15 October 2018, by
Indian Supreme Court Blundered in Sending the Seven Rohingya Refugees Back to Myanmar
India deported seven Rohingya asylum seekers who had entered India “illegally” in 2012 on October 5, 2018. The Indian Supreme Court allowed the deportation as the government told the Court that (…) -
11 October 2018, by
Call for Asian Countries to End the Death Penalty and Respect the Right to Life
Bangkok, 10 October 2018. The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and 28 civil society organizations in Asia condemn the recent imposition of the death penalty by the (…) -
11 octobre 2018, par
The Economic Basis of Assam’s Linguistic Politics and Anti-Immigrant Movements
Many accounts ignore the fact that the Assamese territory saw massive geographical expansion under the British and that despite immigration, there was an increase in the Assamese speaking (…) -
9 octobre 2018, par
MST Open Letter on Brazil Election
Comrades and Friends of MST around the World, We would like to share some of our views on this delicate moment of Brazilian politics in the last week of the election campaign : 1. This (…) -
2 octobre 2018, par
Position Paper On Education Crisis In Yemen
Education needs immediate and collaborative support to prevent one whole generation missing out on education While the world celebrated the anniversary of International Literacy Day, more than (…) -
20 septembre 2018, par
Working Together ? First Nations Movements Respond to Liberal Government
Statement on Recognition and Implementation of the Inherent and Treaty Rights of Indigenous Peoples Framework Legislation Engagement Document This Fall, the Trudeau government is planning on (…) -
17 September 2018, by
Theatre of Absurd: Modi and the Dawoodi Bohra Pontiff
The invite by the High priest of Dawoodi Bohras, a Shia Muslim sub-sect, to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address their religious congregation on 14th September 2018 on the occasion of (…) -
13 septembre 2018, par
Why Kanupriya’s Election Win in Punjab University Is So Significant
A woman student, Kanupriya, being elected to the top post in the student union elections at Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, for the first time in the history of this university is significant (…) -
10 septembre 2018, par
Rat Poison
There is a nation-wide scare about a plot to kill our beloved prime minister Narendra Modi-ji by Maoists. Thanks to the ever alert police force of Maharashtra – and (…) -
4 septembre 2018, par
Arrest of Montreal Student in Tamil Nadu
Montreal 3 September, 2018 We write with great concern at the arrest of Ms Lois Sofia, an MSc (graduate research) student in Mathematical Physics at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, by (…) -
30 août 2018, par
No Room To Say ‘No’
The arrest of human rights activists is the arrest of democracy The coordinated action in many cities of India on August 28 to arrest rights activists marks a qualitative scaling up of attack (…) -
29 July 2018, by
Israel’s New Law is a Form of Apartheid
International support for racism in historical Palestine is only going to add fuel to the fire The Israeli nationality law is now a fact. Its full name is “Israel, the nation state of the (…) -
28 July 2018, by
Pakistan’s Most Rigged General Elections
ON 26th July 2018, in his election victory speech, Imran Khan gave a sober talk contrary to his very violent language used throughout the election campaign. He has “won” 116 seat of the 342 seats (…) -
27 July 2018, by
Welcome to “New” Pakistan!
Before the elections, every political party (except PTI), every foreign newspaper and every independent journalist had concluded that The Aliens, Khalai Makhluk, Agriculture Department, (…) -
25 July 2018, by
Will Modi Stop India’s Cow Terrorists From Killing Muslims?
There is a repugnant euphemism that has entered the lexicon of Indian prime-time television lately. “Cow vigilantes” has become contemporary shorthand for murderous right-wing mobs who kill (…) -
17 July 2018, by
Prostitution is Slavery
The free-market arguments won’t wash: prostitution trades on the lives of the poor and marginalised – just like slavery Prostitution is a system of commercial sexual exploitation, which is (…) -
13 July 2018, by
The World’s Worst Industrial Disaster Is Still Unfolding
In Bhopal, residents who survived the massive gas leak and those who arrived later continue to deal with the consequences. In old Bhopal, not far from the small Indian city’s glitzy new shops (…) -
11 July 2018, by
LIC Stake in IDBI — Another Misadventure
Amongst all public sector banks, the IDBI has the highest share of gross NPAs of nearly 28 per cent. Instead of making the defaulters accountable, it is LIC finance, ie the public’s insurance (…) -
8 July 2018, by
Change is coming to Mexico: This Time, No Blood Will Be Shed
This Sunday, Andrés Manuel López Obrador became the president-elect of Mexico. He won because he convinced a majority that through him, a change of regime in Mexico can be achieved through (…) -
7 July 2018, by
Turkish Elections, Looming Fascism and Left Politics
The elections on 24 June in Turkey for a new president and parliament, which took place under a state of emergency, constitute an historic moment in Turkish republican history with important (…) -
3 July 2018, by
American Carnage
I’m in Europe this summer, though not in exile. I have not been driven to find sanctuary, much less thrown into a cage awaiting deportation, or forcibly separated from my child. When I fly home to (…) -
21 June 2018, by
Grieve the Beloved Children: Israel and the War on Children
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported on June 1st that a beautiful young woman medic, Razan Ashraf Najjar, 21, was the second medic to be killed by Israeli army fire since March 30th. To date, (…) -
21 June 2018, by
The OHCHR Report on Kashmir: Will India Succeed in Blocking Discussions on the Report in Geneva?
The United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on June 14 published “Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir: Developments in the Indian State of Jammu (…) -
19 June 2018, by
Questioning Amnesty International’s “New Evidence” on ARSA’s Brutal killing of Hindu Rohingyas in Kha Maung Seik
On May 22, 2018, Tirana Hassan, Crisis Response Director at Amnesty International released a briefing note titled, “Myanmar: New evidence reveals Rohingya armed group massacred scores in Rakhine (…) -
7 June 2018, by
India: Widespread Arrests and Harassment of Civil Liberties Activists and Lawyers
In the early hours this morning, three Dalit rights activists, a professor and a social activist from across three cities – Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi were arrested — Surendra Gadling, who is the (…) -
3 June 2018, by
PMRS Volunteer Medic Killed by Israeli Sniper in Gaza Yesterday
Ramallah, Saturday 02 June 2018 Today the Palestinian Medical Relief Society mourns the loss of one of our own. 21-year old volunteer medic Razan Al Najjar was shot and killed by an Israeli (…) -
1 June 2018
Success of Trans-Sectarian ‘Sairoun’ Alliance in Recent Iraqi Elections
The following is a recent interview with Comrade Salam Ali, member of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, published by ‘Nameh Mardom’, the central organ of the Tudeh Party of Iran, (…) -
30 May 2018, by
Say Hello To Justin Trudeau, The World’s Newest Oil Executive
The Canadian prime minister presents himself as a climate hero. By promising to nationalise the Kinder Morgan pipeline, he reveals his true self In case anyone wondered, this is how the world (…) -
30 May 2018, by
Need More Proof of Genocide in Myanmar? It’s Being Born Right Now
Nine months since the violent attacks of Aug. 25, 2017, the first of thousands of pregnancies as a result of rape are coming to term Nine months since the violent attacks of Aug. 25, 2017, and (…) -
19 May 2018, by
Years of Civil Society Protest Bring Change to Iraq
Forming a government, following the recent parliamentary elections in Iraq, will take time, but there is now hope for significant change and reform. The strong showing of the Saeroun Lil-Islah (…) -
17 May 2018, by
Obituary: Ashok Mitra (1928–2018)
For me, the greatness of Ashok Mitra, who passed away recently, lies in the fact that his contributions to the understanding of centre–state relations in India were most illuminating. What (…) -
30 April 2018, by
Mosque as Public Space in City and Community
In established scholarship Islam has long figured as, distinctively, an urban phenomenon.(1) In appreciation of this, and under the impress of important recent/contemporary developments such as (…) -
4 April 2018, by
Insidious Colonialism
In memoriam: Marielle Franco The German word Zeitgeist has come to be used in different languages to designate the cultural, intellectual and moral climate of a given moment – literally, the (…) -
2 April 2018, by
Student Strikers Attacked; ‘Fascist’ Dean Jailed
Not an April Fool’ joke. Here are the facts: Four days ago, (March 29) the ultra-conservative Dean of the Montpellier University Law School was summoned to police headquarters, interrogated, (…) -
29 March 2018, by
Rohingyas: Pawns in the Geopolitical Chessboard
The protracted Rohingya refugee crisis and in particular the latest cycle of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people fleeing the massive military crackdown on an un-armed minority community (…) -
29 March 2018, by
Anatomy of a Righteous Slap
Fifty years ago, just months after Israel began its occupation of Ahed Tamimi’s West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, Beate Klarsfeld walked up to the podium where German Chancellor Kurt Georg (…)
