Social Movements

FROM THE ARAB REVOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL AUSTERITY

by Third World Network

3 May 2013

To highlight some of the complex dynamics and challenges of the IMF’s role in the Arab region, in a context of continuing popular uprisings that are calling for social and economic justice and for transforming the national development paradigm, and to link it to the waves of austerity across Europe, the US and other regions, a panel discussion titled “From the Arab Revolutions to Global Austerity,” was held on the sidelines of the spring meetings (19-21 April) of the IMF and World Bank. More

GLOBAL FINANCIAL FLOWS, AID AND DEVELOPMENT

by Eurodad

30 March 2013

This paper - written by Eurodad for CONCORD’s Aidwatch coalition - sets out all the financial resources potentially available for development. It examines their key characteristics and discusses their poverty and sustainable development impacts, as well as the implications for aid. More

GREECE ALREADY DEFAULTED ON THE CREDITORS’ TERMS; WHAT THEY FEAR IS DEFAULT ON THE DEBTOR’S TERMS

by Christina Laskaridis

19 May 2012

What is being witnessed in Greece is a full blown example of being trapped in the debtor’s prison of current sovereign debt resolution mechanisms, where creditors are both judge and jury More

SEISMIC ELECTION RESULTS IN GREECE

by Eric Toussaint

9 May 2012

,Syriza, the radical left-wing coalition comes first in all major cities and among people aged18-35,,Its campaign advocated suspending debt payment and cancelling austerity measures More

EUROMEDITERRANEAN MEETING ON DEBT AND AUDITS

by Eurodad

17 March 2012

On Saturday, April 7th an Euromediterranean meeting on debt and audits will be held in Brussels in order to greater knowledge and empower coordinated actions among campaigners. More

WE CONDEMN THE DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN ON THE GREEK DEBT AND THE RESCUE PLAN BY PRIVATE CREDITORS

by Damien Millet, Yorgos and Sonia Mitralias, Eric Toussaint, Renaud Vivien (CADTM)

12 March 2012

For the CADTM, this new plan is a hoax: while claiming to rescue Greece it actually saves the day for private creditors though they are largely responsible for the Greek debt. More

GREECE- PROTESTS ESCALATE.

by News Agencies

12 February 2012

Mobilisations that began Friday, February 11th, throughout the country continue on Saturday, on the second day of a general strike with the participation of both the public and private sector. More

OUR STREETS VS. WALL STREET

by Steve Fraser

15 October 2011

Occupy Wall Street, the ongoing demonstration-cum-sleep-in that began a month ago not far from the New York Stock Exchange and has since spread like wildfire to cities around the country, may be a game-changer. If so, it couldn’t be more appropriate or more in the American grain that, when the game changed, Wall Street was directly in the sights of the protesters. More

LIVING IN DEBTOCRACY. DEBT IN THE NORTH: LEARNING FROM THE SOUTH - 7TH AND 8TH OCTOBER IN MADRID

by Network for the Abolition of External Debt and the Recognition of the Ecological Debt - Who owes whom?

24 September 2011

The meeting "Living in debtocracy: Debt in the North: learning from the South" will seek to provide keys to understand and tackle debt and the current economic crisis we are suffering. IES Lope de Vega - Calle San Bernardoo 70 (esquina calle Daoíz 4) More

IRELAND: THE SOCIALIST SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS

by Ireland: Socialist Workers Party - SWP-

14 November 2010

These cuts will only throw the country back into an even deeper recession - putting ever greater numbers of people onto the dole. All of which begs the question: What is the alternative? More

CADTM INVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE ITS 20TH BIRTHDAY!

by CADTM

9 November 2010

20 years on, CADTM is active on every continent alongside men and women who are fighting to free the world’s peoples from imperialism, neo-colonialism, capitalism and patriarchy, with abolition of the debt as the spearhead of its action. More

CADTM WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVISM IN THE AMERICA’S SOCIAL FORUM OF ASUNCION

by Laura Hernandez

6 August 2010

The establishment of The Americas Social Forum (ASF) derives from a bigger entity that is the World Social Forum (WSF) which sprung up to life in 2001 as a space of resistance to the neoliberal economic order represented by the World Economic Forum. WSF has prided itself in becoming an activist haven towards the development not only of critical thinking, but also of alternatives to the current economic global order. Furthermore, under the slogan “Another World is Possible”, the (...) More

THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS, THE GREAT DEPRESSION OF THE XXI CENTURY.

by Michel Chossudovsky and Andrew Gavin Marshall

24 May 2010

The following text is the Preface of The Global Economic Crisis. The Great Depression of the XXI Century, Michel Chossudovsky and Andrew Gavin Marshall (Editors), Montreal, Global Research, 2010, which is to be launched in late May. More

REPORT BY THE CADTM AYNA NETWORK ON THE WORLD CONFERENCE OF PEOPLES ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE RIGHTS OF MOTHER EARTH

by Daniel Munevar , William Gaviria , Maria Elena Saludas

27 April 2010

At the onset of an unexpected eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the first World Conference of Peoples on Climate Change and the Rights of the Mother Earth. While the eruption reduced the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere associated with the European airline industry by about 207 000 tons of CO2 per day, as it grounded most of the air traffic in the old continent, it also prevented more than a thousand conference attendees (...) More

HAITI: GRANTS TO REPAY AN ODIOUS DEBT ?

by Eric Toussaint - Sophie Perchellet

18 January 2010

There is a great risk that one of the largest relief operations in history will be similar in nature to the tsunami relief efforts in 2004, unless a radically different approach to a reconstruction model is adopted. More

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION: A BROKEN SYSTEM

by Marianne Hill

7 October 2009

Shifts in employment patterns and a tightening of eligibility requirements are behind the nationwide reduction in effective unemployment insurance coverage. More

DOING BUSINESS 2010: WORLD BANK DISCOURAGES EXTENSION OF SOCIAL PROTECTION

by International Trade Union Confederation

10 September 2009

The International Trade Union Confederation denounces that latest edition of the Bank’s highest circulation publication discourages countries from adopting social protection schemes by designating governments that do so as anti-business. More

INTERVIEW OF JOHN BELLAMY FOSTER ON THE GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS

by Mike Whitney

29 August 2009

he robbing of public funds to bail out private capital is now on a scale probably never before seen. A politicized, organized working class capable of understanding and reacting to that theft, and choosing thereby to restructure society, to meet real social, egalitarian needs is what is now to be hoped for. More

THE END OF RETIREMENT?

by Sam Gindin

17 August 2009

The attack on private sector pensions is not new; while the process has been uneven across time and sectors, private pensions in the U.S. and Canada have been eroding for over a quarter of a century. More

WORLD BANK VOICE AND REPRESENTATION: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

by Eurodad

6 August 2009

Another time around the issue of World Bank voice and representation is back on the agenda. Since the beginning of the decade, the voice and vote issue keeps re-emerging - swinging from the centre of attention to its margin - but no resolute decision has been taken throughout these years. More

NOT HOME YET

by James Surowiecki

3 August 2009

Even as the economy seems to be stabilizing, mortgage delinquencies continue to rise, with nearly two million foreclosure filings already this year More

USA: CHANGES IN THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM AND WORKERS’ SITUATION

by Víctor Isidro Luna

29 July 2009

Talking in a broad sense, the conditions of life for workers in the USA improved from Second World War (SWW) until seventies and after that pick worsened. More

LATIN AMERICAN LEADERS ARE CALLED TO PARTICIPATE IN UPCOMING UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE WORLD CRISIS (G-192)

by Social Movements

29 May 2009

Social movements of Latin American send and Open Letter to Heads of State encouraging their participation in the upcoming celebration in New York, June 24 to 26, of the United Nations’ Conference on the Developmental Impacts of the Financial and Economic Crisis. More

CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES: LEARNING FROM ALBA AND THE BANK OF THE SOUTH

by Martin Hart-Landsberg

22 May 2009

Three trends are highlighted : the failure of neoliberalism, the growing crisis of the East Asian model, and South American efforts to shape as well as advance an alternative development vision. It concludes with a brief discussion of responses to the challenges generated and possibilities afforded by these trends, highlighting six lessons for those working to build a more egalitarian, democratic, and sustainable world More

EUROPEAN SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS CALL FOR NEXT JUNE 1-3 UNITED NATIONS SUMMIT (G- 192)

by European Cross-Sectoral Network on the Combined Crises

14 May 2009

A call to UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development (1- 3 June 2009), and especially the European leaders attending the event to focus on reforms that directly benefit people and the planet. More

AUSTRALIA: WHEN CASHED-UP IMF OFFERS TO HELP, STEER WELL CLEAR

by Ross Buckley

5 May 2009

Make no mistake, the worst of the global crisis is still before us.This collapse in trade and capital flows will seriously damage the fragile economies of poorer countries. More

PAKISTAN IS NOT OUT OF THE WOODS

by Abdul Khaliq (CADTM Pakistan)

4 May 2009

In view of country’s never-ending economic woes and more importantly the roaring threat of Taliban’s possible access to nuclear assets of Pakistan, the Friends of Pakistan-Group of 31 countries and international agencies gathered in Tokyo on 17 April 09 to pledge $5.28 billion for uplift of social sector in Pakistan. More

CONCERNS: UN CONFERENCE ON WORLD CRISIS (G192)

by François Houtart

4 May 2009

Letter to Social Movements, Non-Governmental Networks and Intellectuals. Facing the systemic and global crisis, the G20 has presented a series of measures, without consulting the majority of the countries of the world. More

ECUADOR AT THE CROSSROADS

by Eric Toussaint

30 April 2009

The coming months will show whether Ecuador’s government can take the necessary measures to face the consequences of the international crisis which is deeply affecting the Ecuadorian population More

IMF/WORLD BANK SPRING MEETINGS: FINANCE MINISTERS IN WASHINGTON FAIL TO DELIVER ON G20 PROMISES

by Eurodad

29 April 2009

Impoverished countries don’t know yet on how much they will count and the extent to which the IMF will grant this finance at reasonable terms and avoid making past mistakes. More

AUSTRALIA: WHO PAYS FOR THE RECESSION?

by Graham Matthews

27 April 2009

On April 23, the Australian Financial Review reported that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had “dramatically downgraded its outlook” for the Australian economy, predicting a recession similar to the 1990s downturn and an unemployment rate of up to 8% next year. The IMF said the economy was set to contract by 1.4%. More

G20 COMMUNIQUÉ: SOME PROGRESS ON GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE, BUT A LONG WAY TO GO

by Eurodad

17 April 2009

The fight against tax havens has progressed in the last few weeks much further than anybody could have imagined a couple of years ago. But the progress seems to be essentially rhetoric. More

THEIR CRISIS, OUR CHALLENGE

by David Harvey

14 April 2009

The term ‘national bail-out’ is therefore inaccurate, because they’re not bailing out the whole of the existing financial system - they’re bailing out the banks, the capitalist class, forgiving them their debts, their transgressions, and only theirs More

THAILAND CANCELLED ASEAN SUMMIT FORCED BY PROTESTS

by News Agencies

11 April 2009

The Thai Government has canceled a summit of leaders from the Association of South East Asian Nations - ASEAN - after anti-government protesters blocked the meeting venue at the seaside resort of Pattaya. The government has declared a stage of emergency over the province. More

ITALY: MASS PROTEST IN ROME OVER FINANCIAL CRISIS

by News Agencies

6 April 2009

Several hundred thousand workers, pensioners, immigrants and students filled a Rome park on Saturday in protest at the Italian government’s handling of the financial crisis. More

TRANSFORMING THE WORLD IN CRISIS

by Conference of Prague 2009

3 April 2009

NGO`s discussed for three days in Prague the root causes, impacts and responses to the financial crises, economic meltdown, climate change, mismanagement of natural resource use, increasing inequity and volatile food and oil prices from the systemic perspective of the world’s poor and vulnerable. More

EUROPEAN NGOS MEET THE EU WORLD BANK EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS IN BRUSSELS

by Eurodad

24 March 2009

This week European NGOs met the EU World Bank Executive Directors on the occasion of their annual visit to Brussels. On the table for discussion there were the issues of the Bank’s response to the financial crisis, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) supported oil projects in Ghana. More

FINANCIAL CRISIS: SECRECY JURISDICTIONS UNDER PRE-G20 SUMMIT PRESSURE

by Eurodad

20 March 2009

The financial crisis has definitely put tax havens on the spotlight. In the run up to the G20 London summit on 2 April, secrecy jurisdictions are on the front pages of most newspapers More

HAS THE ECONOMY GONE OVER THE EDGE?

by Lee Sustar

19 March 2009

The epicenter of the crisis remains the U.S. financial system, where "zombie" banks—that is, insolvent ones like Citigroup—continue to swallow hundreds of billions in government funds, even as they are unable or unwilling to make new loans themselves. More

EUROIFINET LAUNCHES A POSITION PAPER ON THE FINANCIAL CRISIS AND CAPITAL FLIGHT, DEBT AND IFIS

by Eurodad

12 March 2009

The paper highlights that there is a broad, global systemic crisis with environmental, social, economic and democratic dimensions; and that there is a need for new structures and a new paradigm More

AFL-CIO SUPPORTS NATIONALIZING THE BANKS: BUT WHO WILL CONTROL AND RUN THEM?

by Dan La Botz

5 March 2009

The AFL-CIO has announced that it now supports nationalizing the nation’s banks rather than continuing to spend billions of dollars in repeated efforts to restore them to solvency. More

ALTERNATIVE VIEWS OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

by BBC- News

10 February 2009

BBC News asked four participants in the World Social Forum in Belem, Brazil, (David Evan Harris, Walden Bello, Myriam Vander Stichele and Marcos Arruda) to state their opinions on the global crisis and alternatives to address it More

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: RESOLUTION AND A PLAN OF ACTION

by Alejandro Kirk (IPS)

2 February 2009

The World Social Forum ended its ninth edition Sunday in Belém with its "Assembly of assemblies" adopting dozens of resolutions and proposals to be the subjects of a programme of mobilisations around the world in 2009. More