by Jerry HarrisSolidarityEconomy.net
Globalization opens the door on many possible futures. The fundamental changes taking place creates a host of contradictions played out at every level of society, all interlinked and simultaneously affecting one another. The integrative force of global production, finance and technology has qualitatively changed social relations along with culture, politics and the way we see the world and ourselves. Globalization, as a mode of accumulation and wealth has achieved a hegemonic position but its social structure and nationally defined characteristics continue to be formed. This is particularly true of its political expressions and the role of civil society.
Therefore far from a determined and certain future multiple alternatives exist, all dependent on human agency and struggle. On one extreme is the possible collapse of globalization into a world defined by reactionary nationalism, fundamentalist theologies and environmental collapse. Another future may be a long period of relative stability and capitalist transnational hegemony, punctuated by periodic crisis’ that are resolved by the institutional structures that come to characterize the globalist era. The habits, ideas and relations formed during the rise of nation states and (more...)
By Slavoj Zizek, London
Since the release of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s dramatic confessions, moral outrage at the extent of his crimes has been mixed with doubts. Can his claims be trusted? What if he confessed to more than he really did, either because of a vain desire to be remembered as the big terrorist mastermind, or because he was ready to confess anything in order to stop the water boarding and other “enhanced interrogation techniques�
If there was one surprising aspect to this situation it has less to do with the confessions themselves than with the fact that for the first time in a great many years, torture was normalized — presented as something acceptable. The ethical consequences of it should worry us all.
While the scope of Mr. Mohammed’s crimes is clear and horrifying, it is worth noting that the United States seems 
by Jerry Harris, SolidarityEconomy.net
. Financial independence in Latin America
A new South American development bank may be set-up to rival the US dominated Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The new bank has the backing of Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Nicaragua and will have a capital base of $7B. Early priorities such as loans for education and health in Bolivia have been identified with further plans to dispense with many of the conditions normally attached to World Bank and IDB lending. An insider from the IDB was reported saying, “With the money of Venezuela and political will of Argentina and Brazil, this is a bank that could have lots of money and a different political approach. No one will say this publicly but we don’t like it.†(FT, 7/23/07, p. 6)
A big factor making the bank possible is the rise in commodity prices and a flood of liquidity allowing countries in South America to build up account surpluses and strengthen reserves. Higher commodity prices have been made possible by the rise of manufacturing in China and its huge demand for industrial inputs. Thus the global growth of third world economies allows countries to cast off 
[Note from SolidarityEconomy.net editors: We encourage readers to post this story far and wide, especially to those who think we live in a 'colorblind' society.]
In Texas, a white teenager burns down her family's home and receives probation. A black one shoves a hall monitor and gets 7 years in prison. The state NAACP calls it `a signal to black folks.'
By Howard Witt, Tribune senior correspondent
PARIS, Texas -- The public fairgrounds in this small east Texas town look ordinary enough, like so many other well-worn county fair sites across the nation. Unless you know the history of the place.
There are no plaques or markers to denote it, but several of the most notorious public lynchings of black Americans in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries were staged at the Paris Fairgrounds, where thousands of white spectators would 
by Carol Araullo, Philippines
The vital flaw which undermines the utility of much of the (Philippine) judicial system is the problem of virtual impunity that prevails. This, in turn, is built upon the rampant problem of witness vulnerability. Thepresent message is that if you want to preserve your life expectancy, don't act as a witness in a criminal prosecution for killing… In a relatively poor society, in which there is heavy dependence on community and very limited real geographical mobility, witnesses are uniquely vulnerable when the forces accused of killings are all too often those, or are linked to those, who are charged with ensuring their security.
-- UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Philip Alston
Siche Bustamante-Gandinao, a 56 year-old farmer, married with six children, daughter-in-law of slain Bayan Muna–Misamis 
Cuba's 50-year defiance of US attempts to isolate it is an inspiration to Latin America's people
by Philip Agee, The Guardian
There is a wave of progressive change sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean after the many lonely years in which Cuba held high the torch, with free universal healthcare and education, and world-class cultural, sports and scientific achievements. Although you won't find a Cuban today who says things are perfect - far from it - probably all would agree that compared with pre 
by Carol Araullo, Philippines
How are we to believe de facto president Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she proclaims that the new anti-terrorism bill, euphemistically named the Human Security Act, will be used against supposed bombers and not protesters? On the contrary, such fascist legislation will certainly give further license to the Arroyo regime-sanctioned death squads responsible for the political killings that have triggered concern among international quarters including the European Union and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings.
The new law will certainly embolden the military and police forces -- from the overbearing generals to the trigger-happy soldiers and truncheon-brandishing cops -- to ride roughshod on ordinary folks’ civil, political and basic human rights. It will whet the appetites of the right-wingers concentrated in 
by Jerry Harris, SolidarityEconomy.net
. Vets get lousy health care
The growing scandal over health care for veterans of the Iraq war needs some historical perspective. Members of the press, Congress and Pentagon all have expressed shock and awe over the horrible conditions that some vets had to live in at Walter Reed hospital and the bureaucratic mess and hassle of receiving treatment. How can America treat its heroes in such a manner, they ask? Unfortunately it's nothing new. Viet-Nam vets got shafted with lousy health care, go back and read Ron Kovack’s well known novel “Born on the Fourth of July,†or just rent the movie. Or how about all the vets suffering from exposure to Agent Orange? For years the Veterans Administration Hospitals refused to treat them for cancer and other effects insisting there were no physical conditions caused by the deadly defoliant. It took years in court to finally force the military to pay attention and give 
[Note from SolidarityEconomy.net Editors: This article is significant because of its source. Timothy Garton Ash is no Leftist. He’s a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford (where Milton Friedman held forth until his recent death). He’s always been fiercely anti-communist.]
Our planet cannot long sustain the momentous worldwide embrace of the manufacture of desires
by Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian
What is the elephant in all our rooms? It is the global triumph of capitalism. Democracy is fiercely disputed. Freedom is under threat even in old-established democracies such as Britain. Western supremacy is on the skids. But everyone does 
Does Communism Work After All?
By Andreas Lorenz and Wieland Wagner, Der Spiegel
China is securing an ever-bigger share of the world market with the methods of a planned economy. Competitors and economists alike are astounded by the country's seemingly unstoppable march to becoming a global economic superpower. The development has left many wondering: Does communism work after all?
Nine men dressed in dark tailored suits meet behind high, Red walls. Their secret meeting place in downtown Beijing is called Zhongnanhai, or "Middle and Southern Lake." Once part of the Forbidden City, Zhongnanhai was a place where emperors, concubines and eunuchs would spend their 
by Jerry Harris, SolidarityEconomy.net
. Euro Social-Democrats Warnings on High Road
European social-democrats have supported globalization as the road to better economic development, but are now warning corporations to share the profits. Joaquin Almunia, the European monetary affairs commissioner said workers were not getting the rewards from increased productivity and the situation was unsustainable. Mr. Steinbruck, the German finance minister, said soaring profits are igniting a “crisis in legitimacy…there have been falls in real wages, real incomes, that have been bad for domestic demand and we have suffered from that for quite a long time.â€
Adding to the debate was Franz Munterfering, chairman of Germany’s Social Democratic Party. Referring to hedge funds and private equity groups Munterfering labeled them “locusts.†When criticized he replied, “I have no regret 
[Editors' note: on February 10, 2007 the Open University of the Left hosted a debate between David Schweickart and Mitchel Szczepanczyk at In These Times in Chicago. Following is Schweickart's critique of Parecon. An article by Szczepanczyk can be accessed 
