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NEWS AND ANALYSIS
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Read the latest news and analysis from Alternatives International!
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19 November 2017, by
After One Hundred Years Of The Russian Revolution, Where Does The Left Stand?
The history of the 1917 Russian Revolution and its aftermath, can be divided into four phases – (i) the historical circumstances surrounding the 1917 revolution that led (...) -
9 November 2017
Concern for Life of a Disabled Political Prisoner
G.N. Saibaba, Professor of English at Delhi University and convener of an open organisation called Revolutionary Democratic Front, was arrested from the Indian capital, Delhi, on 9 May 2014 and (...) -
1 November 2017
Communiqué on the Situation in Catalonia Anticapitalistas
Following the Catalan Parliament’s declaration of independence on October 27, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias tweeted: “We are against repression and for a negotiated referendum [which the Madrid (...) -
31 October 2017, by
They Dared: The Legacy of the October Revolution
A hundred years later, the question of the historical legacy of the October Revolution is not an easy one for socialists, given that Stalinism took root within less than a decade after that (...) -
30 October 2017, by
Destruction City
The construction of Port City by the Western coast of Sri Lanka has been raising a number of issues since the release of its first plan. The fishing community is rallying in different protests to (...) -
26 October 2017, by
Pakistan: 285 Turkish Teachers And Families Risk Forcible Deportation And Persecution
Lahore, Paris, 26 October 2017: Pakistan must protect 285 Turkish nationals from forcible repatriation, arbitrary arrest, and other human rights abuses, FIDH and its member organization Human (...) -
24 October 2017, by
The Rohingya: Rejected by the Country they Call Home and Unwanted by its Neighbours
Rejected by the country they call home and unwanted by its neighbours, the Rohingya are impoverished, virtually stateless and have been fleeing Myanmar in droves and for decades. Current (...) -
16 October 2017, by
Catalonia — Not Yet Independent
Developments in Spain and Catalonia may be distant, but the manner in which this conflict plays out has a relevance far beyond Europe, specially for their Kashmiri and Kurd compatriots. In (...) -
10 October 2017, by
Death Penalty: HRCP For Urgent Safeguards To Comply With State Obligations
Lahore, October 10, 2017: On the World Day against the Death Penalty on October 10, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has urged the government to urgently institute safeguards to (...) -
5 October 2017, by
Rohingyas Near End: ’Terror There Is, But It’s Of The Burmese Regime’
The Burmese government is pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, who are being driven out of the country. Never has the persecution of this Muslim minority reached such a (...) -
29 September 2017, by
The Left and Catalonia
The Catalonia referendum this Sunday will become part of the history of Europe, possibly for the worst of reasons. I will not discuss here the substantive questions, which can be interpreted as (...) -
28 September 2017
Editor Gauri Lankesh’s Murder Hits Rights & Freedoms In India
Well-known Indian journalist and editor Gauri Lankesh was gunned down on Sept 5, 2017, by unidentified assailants. Her assassination comes on the heels of murders of M.M. Kalburgi, Govind (...) -
28 September 2017, by
The Driving Ban Was Not the Biggest Impediment to Saudi Women
It looks like 27 years of protesting, along with international pressure and government recognition that it needs more Saudi women in the workforce, has finally paid off. In a royal decree, (...) -
27 September 2017, by
Marx’s Das Kapital, 150 Years On....
150 years ago, Marx correctly identified the looming trend of the threat of mass unemployment due to the increasing robotisation in the modern world. In September 1867, Kapital Volume 1 by (...) -
19 September 2017
Allahabad University Withdraws Permission for Liberty Fest
Sep 18th 2017 The university of Allahabad withdrew at the last minute its permission for holding an event scheduled for Monday to celebrate the Indian Constitution. Among the invitees were (...) -
16 September 2017
Rohingya Crisis is Deteriorating Very Fast
AN OPEN LETTER TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO INTERVENE TO END THE HUMAN CRISIS IN RAKHINE, MYANMAR Dear President and Members of the Security Council, Thank you for holding the UNSC meeting on (...) -
13 September 2017, by
Myanmar: Persecution of Rohingya Muslims
Massive protests are being witnessed in many countries, Bangla Desh, Pakistan, India among others against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (September 2017). This time around (...) -
9 September 2017, by
A Wild Flower in the Indian Wasteland, Gauri Lankesh: 1962-2017
On that dreadful evening of 5th September, if Gauri Lankesh had seen her own corpse lying in a pool of blood outside her house she would have -I am very sure- simply smiled For even in her (...) -
9 September 2017, by
The Lady Has Turned
Aung San Suu Kyi should lose her Nobel Prize, as a result of her disgraceful complicity in genocide Those of us who have spent our adulthood demanding higher standards in government are used (...) -
7 June 2017, by
François Houtart Has Passed Away
François Houtart has passed away. He founded CETRI (Centre Tricontinental) in 1976 and was its director till 2004. We are sadly, painfully mourning. From ‘third-worldism’ to alter-globalism, from (...) -
7 June 2017, by
Three Years Down the Lane, Has the Modi Government Taken the Citizens For a Ride?
On May 26, 2017, the Modi Government completed three years in office. Various programmes such as the Modi fest were organised at various places and there are plans to celebrate them in different (...) -
5 June 2017
‘To Live or to Perish’ — Norman Finkelstein on the Six-Day-War and its Mythology
On May 2, James North and Phil Weiss talked with Norman Finkelstein in his Brooklyn home about the Six Day War, its history, its mythology and its impact on US Jewish life. Finkelstein then (...) -
4 May 2017, by
Death Wish
The Indian government’s push, through a pliant media, for the use of plastic bullets bodes disaster for Kashmir One has to muster every last ounce of one’s incredulity at the latest hare-brained (...) -
1 May 2017, by
The Zia Generation
WHEN I insist before my students that they are part of the ‘Zia generation’, some of them cringe. But it is true. Ours is a country in which the vast majority of the population — there are (...) -
5 April 2017, by
‘World Without Walls’
Bolivia’s government and social movements have announced they will host a global people’s summit on migrants and refugee rights. The "People’s Conference for a World without Walls and Universal (...) -
29 March 2017, by
It’s More Than Just a Congress Win in Punjab
The Congress, despite its decline in the rest of the country, won in Punjab because the personal appeal of Amarinder Singh transcended that of the party. The AAP and the SAD-BJP combine lost the (...) -
7 March 2017, by
Palestinian Legal Activism, Between Liberation And The ‘Desire’ For Statehood
Contemporary Palestinian politics is marked by paradoxical dynamics: while we observe an entrenchment of the colonial regime, division within the national movement, territorial and institutional (...) -
14 February 2017
Right to Dignity and Privacy
Humanity has historically fought against the abuses of governments that use their economic, military and technological power to adopt and impose policies and measures that threaten the dignity of (...) -
8 February 2017, by ,
Make Montreal a Sanctuary City!
In the aftermath of the Quebec City tragedy, we need more than solidarity messages Toronto, Vancouver and Hamilton have adopted "Sanctuary City" status. So have 37 cities in the United (...) -
6 February 2017, by
Will Washington’s New Pro-Moscow, Anti-Beijing Gang Drive a Wedge Through the BRICS in 2017?
The weeks following an underwhelming Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) mid-September summit in Goa and the United States presidential election in November have unveiled ever-widening (...) -
2 January 2017, by
"The World in the Era of Trump: What May We Expect?"
Short-term prediction is the most treacherous of activities. I normally try never to do it. Rather, I analyze what is going on in terms of the longue durée of its history and the probable (...) -
9 December 2016
The Guadalajara Manifesto For Internet Rights and Governance in Brazil
We, as representatives of civil society organizations from all over the world present at the 11th Internet Governance Forum in Guadalajara, Mexico, come together to declare our concern about the (...) -
6 December 2016, by
The American Socialist Left Reflects on the Next Four Years
With the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States for the next for years we can be sure that we are in for a roller coaster ride of authoritarian and reactionary politics. The (...) -
4 November 2016, by
"The World Social Forum Still Matters"
The World Social Forum (WSF) has met regularly since its first meeting in Porto Alegre in 2001. And just as regularly, there have been analysts who have announced its demise as a relevant (...) -
26 October 2016
Authorities Prolong Unlawful Detention Of Kashmiri Human Rights Defender Khurram Parvez
Joint Press Release The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (The Observatory) The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) The Asian Human Rights (...) -
5 October 2016
Petition for Peace
We the following signatories from West Bengal are deeply concerned about the escalating tension between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan, and the jingoism in support of armed (...) -
16 September 2016, by
Modi’s Newfound Interest in Balochistan: Why India Could Be on a Sticky Wicket
When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declared that his government would highlight the violation of Baloch people’s human rights by Pakistan, it was welcomed by Baloch nationalists. The (...) -
15 September 2016, by
Ecuadorians in Court in Toronto Seeking Justice from Chevron
Humberto Piaguaje and Pablo Fajardo never imagined that their decades-long search for justice would ever bring them to Canada. Both made their first trip here this week for the beginning of a (...) -
11 September 2016, by
Interview: Youssef Nasser
An interview with Youssef Nasser (Union of Agricultural Workers Committee in Palestine): http://wsftv.net/Members/focuspuller/videos/fsm2016-montreal-canada-youssef-nasser-palestine -
19 August 2016
World Parliamentary Forum: Final Declaration
We, World Parliamentary Forum participants gathered in Montreal on August 10, 2016 as part of the World Social Forum, elected representatives from all continents representing the political (...) -
16 August 2016, by
Independence: Partition Politics and Popular Rhetoric Today
Yesterday was Independence Day in India - a day of celebrating our national sovereignty and saluting the anti-colonial freedom struggle. The triumph of Indian independence, however, is (...) -
5 August 2016, by
Canadian Embassies’ Unjust Withholding of 170 Visas for Global South WSF Participants is Unacceptable
Organizers call for response: “We call on the World Social Forum (WSF) Montreal local organizing committee, the International Committee of the WSF, and all organizers, media-makers and activist (...) -
4 August 2016, by
The Purse is Mightier Than the Pen
What is salient is not important. What is important is not salient. The media turns us away from the issues that will determine the course of our lives, and towards topics of brain-melting (...) -
2 August 2016, by
The Future of the Peoples Social Forum
The next World Social Forum (WSF) will be held in Montreal from August 9 to 14. This WSF will be crucial as it will provide to the WSF International Council an opportunity to advance the (...) -
17 June 2016
Important Stage Victory For BDS Oldenburg And Freedom Of Speech
Local German SPD politician forced to abstain from charges of anti-Semitism by court order OLDENBURG, GERMANY - 16 June 2016 On 14 June 2016 the Regional Court Oldenburg ordered Sara Rihl, (...) -
16 May 2016, by
"Brazil: Coup or Fiasco?"
The President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, has been suspended from her office while she goes on trial by the Senate. If convicted, she would be removed from office, which is what is meant in Brazil (...) -
19 April 2016, by
A Dream That Could End The Nightmare
INDIA may be waking up from its unwarranted nightmare. A call has gone out from the head of an impoverished and populous province to cobble an anti-Hindutva alliance to foil a fascist takeover. (...) -
12 April 2016, by
The Spectre of Donald Trump – An Assessment
The candidate in the 2016 American presidential race who has garnered the most amounts of coverage, controversy and concern is Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate tycoon whose hate-fuelled (...) -
9 April 2016, by
The Prairie Fire Has Two Fronts: the Sanders Superdelegate Strategy
After having won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin, Bernie Sanders has unprecedented momentum in a winning streak involving massive margins in seven out of the last eight states that voted (...) -
5 April 2016, by
Syria: The Sexed-Up Libya Plan That Derailed NATO
Jooneed J. Khan is a journalist, writer and human rights activist. Born in Mauritius, he was for 35 years a reporter and analyst on international affairs for the Montréal dailyLa Presse. He (...) -
5 April 2016, by
Panama: No Questions Asked
The ways of India’s rich and famous are increasingly becoming public knowledge. The disclosure that as many as five hundred prominent Indian’s, including Incredible India’s latest brand ambassador (...) -
24 March 2016, by
Role of Karachi in the 1946 Naval Rebellion
The following is a paper presented by the author at an international conference on Karachi at Karachi in November 2015. February 2016 marked the seventieth anniversary of the Royal India Navy’s (...) -
11 March 2016, by
Safe, Effective and Vital Human Rights Reporting in Sudan and South Sudan
Since 2010, the Equal Rights Trust has supported the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) Network, the only platform of its kind that provides an essential means for journalists to report safely (...) -
24 February 2016, by
Crisis of Education and Teachers
The Palestinian Educational Coalition expresses its deep concern regarding the escalation of the educational process and the teacher crisis, and announce its rejection of all measures taken (...) -
23 January 2016, by
Alternatives International Condemns the Arrest of Mr. Saeed Baloch
January 20, 2016 We the members of Alternatives International condemn the arrest of Mr. Saeed Baloch by Pakistani paramilitary forces and demand his immediate and unconditional release. Mr. (...) -
21 January 2016, by
End the Systemic Violence Against Dalit Scholars in India
SANSAD mourns the suicide of Dalit PhD student, Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad on January 17 and joins the students, academics, civil society organizations, and politicians across (...) -
18 January 2016, by
Awami Workers Party Condemns the Arrest of Saeed Baloch
Awami Workers Party (AWP) condemns the arrest of Saeed Baloch, General Secretary of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum by paramilitary forces in Karachi and calls for his immediate release. Saeed (...) -
12 January 2016, by
An Open Letter To The Leaders Of The World’s Governments
We urge you to protect the security of your citizens, your economy, and your government by supporting the development and use of secure communications tools and technologies, rejecting policies (...) -
7 January 2016, by
Palestinians Refuse to Be Deported from Where They Fell in Love
Israel is citing vague security fears to justify removing Palestinians from Jersulem, but those who have been targeted are putting up a fight. For Palestinian activist and filmmaker Samer Abu (...) -
22 November 2015, by
AAA Passes BDS Resolution With 88% Majority!
The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is the largest US scholarly institution to endorse academic boycott of Israel. With over 10,000 members, the American Anthropological Association (...) -
18 November 2015, by
Paris Clash, But Not of Civilisations
The Israeli government has the nerve to laugh at "French impotence" vis-a-vis terrorism. Wars are never unilateral, and aggression provokes reaction, whether in the field or in the metropolis. (...) -
15 November 2015, by
The Demon of Death
The real goal of the attacks in France, as well as those in the Shia southern suburb of Beirut a few hours before this, is through fear, to spread division. It was like spring in autumn. The (...) -
9 November 2015, by
Kurds and Allies Demonstrate for the Rojava Revolution
On Sunday 1st November, on the day of Turkish elections and World Kobane Day, some sixty of us demonstrated in Phillips Square in solidarity with the Kurdish Freedom Movement and Syrian refugees. (...) -
16 October 2015, by
Palestinian Youth Intifada
Young Palestinians resist, challenging both Israel and internal political divisions. Friday was a bloody day in Palestine, as clashes with Israeli military forces reverberated throughout the (...) -
7 October 2015, by
The Expansive Prejudice: Israel vs. Muslim citizens - A Matter of Democratic Social Virtue
In light of the upcoming elections in Canada, I googled “Stephen Harper’s pro-Israeli stance.” The result in Google Images was a whole plethora of his Israeli/Jewish connections with most pictures (...) -
6 October 2015
Freeze Fossil Fuel Extraction To Stop Climate Crimes
We are at a crossroads. We do not want to be compelled to survive in a world that has been made barely livable for us. From South Pacific Islands to the shores of Louisiana, from the Maldives to (...) -
5 October 2015
Stop Interfering in Nepal
After seven tumultuous years following the overthrow of the more than two century old monarchy which led to elections to form a Constituent Assembly, and many governments failing to fulfill the (...) -
2 October 2015, by
The Globalisation of War
Contemporary tensions are clearly being signposted in the commemoration of past military events Movie franchises could be planned in advance with a number assigned to each production in order (...) -
30 September 2015, by
Nepal in Vicious Circle
Nepal’s Constitution-making process has moved forward despite all ups and downs. In the meantime, those forces have also become active who do not want to see Nepal’s political stability. Therefore, (...) -
4 September 2015, by
The Nuclear Age Turns 70, But We Are Not Talking About It
I can never forget, the heavy impact that August 6, 1945 had on me. And again, another heavy blow against my mind and body, a few days later on August 9, 1945. On the first day, I learnt many (...) -
3 September 2015, by
Gaza Needs Action by the UN, Not Another Report
A study was released Wednesday by the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) arguing that Gaza may be uninhabitable in five years if current economic conditions persist. The report described Israel’s (...) -
16 August 2015
Palestinian Administrative Detainee on Hunger Strike in Critical Condition
The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council, the Arab Association for Human Rights, Adalah and Physicians for Human Rights - Israel call for urgent action to save the life of Palestinian (...) -
9 August 2015
Counterterrorism Law Used to Curb Free Speech
(Tunis, August 6, 2015) – Tunisian authorities have brought charges against a journalist and a blogger under the country’s 2003 counterterrorism law, Human Rights Watch said today. Judicial (...) -
14 July 2015, by
Syriza Surrenders: Time For Renewed Popular Resistance
Now that Syriza has caved in to the creditors, the need for grassroots mobilization is more urgent than ever. A new cycle of struggles is ahead of us. For two weeks now, political time has (...) -
7 July 2015, by
OXO, Greece and Palestine
The strong OXO vote by the Greek people against European austerity and economic policies is not simply a stab at the EU economic system, but illustrates the contradictions between the needs of (...) -
28 May 2015
FREE MOUSSA TCHANGARI!
LET US CONTINUE THE MOBILIZATION FOR MOUSSA TCHANGARI Moussa Tchangari, secretary general for Alternative Espaces Citoyens in Niamey (member of the International Council of World Social (...) -
23 May 2015, by
’This is Not Our City’: Latest Attacks Bring the Battle Into Kabul’s Stately Courtyards
So much has changed since I first came to Kabul in the spring of 2006, living in a small guesthouse close to the target of last week’s The name of Kolola Pushta, an upmarket residential area in (...) -
15 May 2015, by
Nakba Day in South Africa
On Nakba Day more than 10 000 South African School Learners March Against Woolworths over Israel Trade MEDIA STATEMENT More than 10 000 South African school learners protested earlier today (...) -
11 May 2015, by
Towards Greater Protection for Human Rights Defenders in Pakistan
A consultation organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) here on Thursday concluded with an 11-point charter of demands calling upon the government to ensure safety and (...) -
7 May 2015
Naomi Klein on 30 March 2015 in Paris
“I wanted to start by talking a little bit about the title that I chose for this book, which was actually quite difficult, we went through many titles and changes. It wasn’t like my first book No (...) -
1 May 2015, by
The Armenian Genocide: An Open Wound
On April 24, 1915, hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, politicians and community leaders were rounded in Istanbul (or Constantinople as it was then called in the West) by the Ottoman state, to be (...) -
18 March 2015, by
Huge Victory for Netanyahu and the Right
Yesterday’s elections yielded a huge victory for Benjamin Netanyahu and the right in Israel. What we see from the results of the elections for Israel’s 20th Knesset: 1. Israeli people (...) -
21 February 2015
CJPME Warns Against Growing Islamophobia In Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Montreal, February 19, 2015 — While all Canadians are concerned about the threat of violent extremism in the world, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (...) -
19 February 2015, by
Spectacular Wave of Censorship in Khartoum
Sudan is undergoing a disturbing wave of censorship, with the confiscation of a total of 19 newspaper issues in the past three days. The seizures not only constitute a grave violation of media (...) -
16 February 2015, by
Noam Chomsky, Irfan Habib, Romila Thapar: Solidarity For Teesta And Javed
Politics of Vendetta Shall not Defeat the Cause of Justice Statement in Solidarity with Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand, who have fought a long and heroic (...) -
11 February 2015, by
APC Stands in Solidarity with Sudanese Journalists, Calls on Government to Drop Charges Against Madeeha Abdalla
On 13 January, Madeeha Abdalla, the editor-in-chief of Al-Midan, was charged by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) with crimes against the state. These charges appear to be (...) -
11 February 2015, by
The Iraqi Coalition for Freedom of Expression in Solidarity with the Sudanese Journalist Madiha Abdullah
Baghdad – Feb 10th, 2015 The Iraqi Coalition for Freedom of Expression is demanding that Sudanese authorities halt the prosecution of Madhiha Abdullah, the leftist journalist and editor-in-chief (...) -
8 October 2014, by
Israel’s ‘Post-Zionist moment’ and the Triumph of ‘Neo-Zionism’
Ilan Pappé, The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge (London and New York; Verso, 2014) The name of Ilan Pappé will be familiar to many readers of Mondoweiss as the Israeli “new (...) -
7 October 2014, by
Is Israel Guilty of Genocide in Its Assault on Gaza?
The Russell Tribunal on Palestine, inspired by the 1967 inquiry into American war crimes in Vietnam, examined the case. On September 24, a special session of the Russell Tribunal critically (...) -
18 September 2014, by
The Misery of Palestinian Unity
Contrary to some optimistic expectations about positive internal political changes stemming from the recent Israeli war on Gaza, intra-Palestinian division continues to define and fragment the (...) -
15 September 2014, by
Palestinian Reconciliation At Crossroads
President Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah movement, which he commands, have unleashed a media campaign against Hamas and the resistance. If pressure from the Palestinian public fails to stop the (...) -
10 September 2014
What’s Going On in Pakistan
A trip through the dark corridors and political galleries suggests that what we are witnessing in Pakistan today – street demos in Lahore and Islamabad, attempts to seize the prime minister’s (...) -
8 September 2014
Invitation to Sign on Statement to Denounce Corporate Takeover of Climate Summit
We call upon all fellow social movements, peoples organizations and environmental and climate justice movements to sign on this statement and join us in this call to action. On the 23rd of (...) -
3 September 2014, by
Modi’s Kashmir Policy
Narendra Modi calling off the Foreign Secretary level talks should not have come as a surprise, particularly after his August 12 speeches in Kargil and Leh. During his visit to Jammu, Ladakh and (...) -
26 August 2014
Declaration from Palestine Assembly
Declaration of participants in the Convergence Day on Palestine on August 23 2014 at the Peoples’ Social Forum Assembled in the Peoples’ Social Forum, August 21-24, 2014, in Ottawa: We, people (...) -
13 August 2014, by
Winner in Gaza? Unified Palestinian Resistance!
Why did Israel decide it could destroy Palestinian resistance while framing it as a war on Hamas? This fatally flawed decision has clarified what was downplayed in Oslo: there is an occupation, (...) -
11 August 2014, by
A European Green Light To Kill, Destroy And Pulverize Gaza
If the security of Jews in the Mideast were of real interest to European countries like Germany and Austria, they wouldn’t continue subsidizing the Israeli occupation. In its ongoing silence, (...) -
6 August 2014, by
What Next For Gaza After Current Ceasefire?
Israel and Hamas agreed to a 72 hour ceasefire as of Tuesday morning, and negotiations continue for a longer-term solution. What comes now for Gaza and are the results of Israel’s military (...) -
5 August 2014, by
Saudi Arabia and Israel Against Gaza
Israel’s assault on Gaza has confirmed warm ties between Israel and several Arab regimes. Now, however, these ‘moderate regimes’ have made a strategic alliance with Israel to finish off Palestinian (...) -
5 August 2014, by
The Dilemma of the Israeli Government in Gaza
For the last three weeks, we heard over again from the Israeli government that the killing of the civilians in Gaza was inevitable because they are being used as human shields. This analysis aims (...)
