THE RESCUE OF KARL MARX

In Europe summer is usually the time when publishers release forgotten books, biographies, and travel writing, and major magazines put out special editions on a past subject of current interest.

OVERUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN MEAT PRODUCTION THREATENS PUBLIC HEALTH

We Americans like our meat. In the course of a year, on average we eat more than 220 pounds of chicken, beef, and pork. But some are starting to pause at the meat counter as they hear about incidents of contamination and compromised food safety, the breeding of drug-resistant super-bugs and the inhumane conditions endured by animals raised in extreme confinement.

PRIVATISATION IS THE ENEMY OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

The privatisation of the earth's resources is a recipe for famine and desertification, violence against women, hunger, and, as happens in India, the suicide of farmers.

THE SUDDEN DEMISE OF NEO-LIBERAL ECONOMICS

The Washington Consensus, the neo-liberal economic prescription presumed to be universally and permanently valid, was broadsided by the current world recession together with other "one size fits all" formulas.

HONDURAS

The world's conservative groups and their usual propagandists [i] received the news of the June 28 coup in Honduras with immense pleasure[ii]. Although they made critical noises about the coup itself, they swallowed and justified the arguments of those who carried it out, repeating that "President Manuel Zelaya had committed numerous violations of the constitution by wanting to hold a referendum to remain in power." [iii]

CUBA: A NEW SOCIALISM

Cubans are used to living with crises, limits, shortages, emergency plans, "special" -and less "special"- periods. That may be why for a number of months many Cubans have been watching with detachment the economic and financial crisis that has been battering the world for two years now. Even politicians and the media contributed to this sense that in Cuba there would be no job cuts, no foreclosed homes (because no one can legally buy one, for a start), and no gutting of social programmes.

CHINA: SIGNS OF SLIGHT MOVEMENT AWAY FROM THE DEATH PENALTY

Movement towards the global abolition of the death penalty and the reduction in the number of executions over the last decade were confirmed in the last report of Hands Off Cain. Moreover, in China, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the world's executions, this reduction was accompanied by another promising development: the vice president of the Chinese Supreme Court, Zhang Jun, announced in a statement on June 29 that the country would gradually slow the implementation of capital punishment to the point that there is "a very limited number of executions".

HONDURAS: ANOTHER CHALLENGE FOR OBAMA

A few months were enough for Obama to peacefully revolutionise the United States and the world. He radically changed the policies of Washington, domestic and international, with visible consequences at the global level despite a financial and economic crisis that, notwithstanding certain signs of improvement, is still far from turning around.

ART, APOCALYPSE, AND THE FUTURE

When in 1982 Ridley Scott filmed his prophetic and futuristic Blade Runner and showed the city of Los Angeles devastated by acid rain, sealed off, and darkened by a ceiling of clouds of a dense gas, that future (November 2019, in the film) seemed so remote and so poetic that few would have ever imagined it could come true. Now, ten years from that date, the world has deteriorated to the point that the images from Blade Runner amaze us less and frighten us more because we know how close we are to living on a planet similar to the one shown in the film.

HEALTH INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC CRISIS

The fulfillment of every person's inalienable right to health and well-being is a pivotal factor in the quest for human prosperity and more inclusive, equitable, and healthy societies across the world. This requires a strong commitment, even in the best of times, and all the more so in a period of economic and fiscal stress and a health emergency.

CALIFORNIA DREAMS TURN TO NIGHTMARES

Forty years ago I drove across the United States traversing mid-winter blizzards before entering the blissful warmth and light of California, a state blessed not only with stunning topography but also a diverse and hugely talented population, a top-tier educational system, and a culture of freewheeling, sky's-the-limit innovation. We cruised the sinuous curves of Highway 1 on the spectacular Big Sur coastline crooning, 'California Dreamin''.

A MIXED PICTURE OF THE GLOBAL CRISIS

The world economy remains fragile and the economic outlook is still uncertain. There have been a few encouraging signs recently of better-than-expected performance here and there. Some are interpreting this as an indication that we may be turning the corner with regard to a possible return to previous patterns of economic growth, but excessive optimism is unwarranted.

THE RISK OF ANOTHER DEBT CRISIS

The attention of policymakers is being drawn to addressing fiscal policy and financial issues in an effort to close the credit crunch and release financial flows, especially investment.

G8, THE GAME IS OVER

A powerful new global player has emerged on the world stage: the Group of 192. The G7, the G8 and the G20 must now move over.

WHAT WE NEED IS A CLIMATE BAILOUT

A recent study by the Global Humanitarian Forum, headed by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, postulates that the economic and human costs of climate change could now amount to some 125 billion dollars per year and the loss of 300,000 lives. Many more are being increasingly affected, mainly the poor.

POOR COUNTRIES RAILROADED INTO WEAK COMPROMISE AT UN FINANCIAL SUMMIT

After weeks of negotiations, the conclusion of the United Nations High Level Conference on the Financial and Economic Crisis (24-26 June) was a huge disappointment. The summit was our opportunity to continue lobbying our demands after the Doha Conference on International Financing.

KEY ISSUES IN THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT ECONOMIC CRISIS

Many around the world look to the United Nations conference on the global financial and economic crisis this week with great expectations, as it should be the start of a process that could bring the UN into the forefront of tackling the greatest economic crisis in half a century.

BRAZIL: POWER AND REALISM

It is said that a French politician, asked whether Brazil had a good future, answered with scorn and knowing irony, "Brazil has always had, still has, and will always have a magnificent future." It would seem that the country has suffered for decades under this sort of stigma.

NOSTALGIA FOR THE FUTURE

Chiasso is a small city in the Swiss Ticino blessed with a wonderful climate and splendid nature, lakes and mountains, and blessed as well with the historic fortune of being a part of the Helvetic Confederation and thus having Swiss political and social features, plus, given its proximity to Italy, its people not only speak the language of Dante but also enjoy his country's splendid cuisine. As they say, it can't get better than that.

GRAINS AND GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

The World Grain Forum that took place in Saint Petersburg June 6-7 is one in a series of high-level meetings devoted to food and agriculture this year. Such meetings -including the G8 agriculture ministers gathering in Treviso last April and FAO's conference on How to Feed the World in 2050 next October in Rome- show that powerful momentum is building for resolving outstanding food insecurity issues and establishing a new global agricultural order that can finally ensure that everyone on earth has enough to eat.

GLOBAL CRISIS SOWS PROBLEMS FOR AGRICULTURE

In the 250-year history of industrial capitalism, there have been numerous cyclical crises, at least three of them global and systemic, including this one. In the preceding crises, capitalists always introduced measures to repair the system and restart the cycle of expansion and capital formation.