Mois : avril 2015

Mandarin for the Warlords: The Harvard School of Empire Building

Published on Dissident Voice, by James Petras, April 15, 2015.

Harvard professor Joseph Nye, a former senior Pentagon functionary, is one of the longest serving and most influential advisers to US empire building officials. Nye has recently re-affirmed the primacy of the US as a world power in his latest book, Is the American Century Over? And his article, ‘The American Century will survive the Rise of China.’1 These publications are in line with his earlier book, Bound to Lead, and his longstanding view that the US is not a declining world power, that it retains ‘supremacy’ even in the face of China’s rise to global power.   Continuer la lecture de « Mandarin for the Warlords: The Harvard School of Empire Building »

Günter Grass Obituary: Farewell to Germany's Towering Literary Figure

Published on Spiegel Onine International, by Sebastian Hammelehle, April 13, 2015 (Photo Gallery: Remembering Günter Grass).

As a writer, he helped define postwar German literature. As a political activist, he helped shape the nation’s conscience. For some 60 years, Günter Grass was one of the most influential figures in Germany (on de.wikipdia, and on en.wikipedia).   Continuer la lecture de « Günter Grass Obituary: Farewell to Germany's Towering Literary Figure »

Reading Trotsky in Pakistan

Published on ZNet, by Farooq Sulehria, April 13, 2015.

It is hard to say when exactly Leon Trotsky’s ideas begin to draw attention in Pakistan. However, by the 1930s his theories as well as his struggle against Stalinism won some support in pre-partition India. In Clash of Fundamentalisms, Tariq Ali narrates the proceedings of a meeting held in Lahore in April 1969 where his Trotskyist ideas were received as a novelty.   Continuer la lecture de « Reading Trotsky in Pakistan »

Urban Farming

watch this video with Roman Gaus, 8.3 min, registred on Nov 2, 2011 and published by TEDx Talks on YouTube.

Urban agriculture has been real for decades, starting with the industrialization of Western Europe in the 20th century. Urban agriculture has been also well practiced in poor economies such as Cuba, where it serves as an important way of self-reliance. Today, with conventional agriculture « Big Ag » being at a cross-road in terms of its ecological impact on the environment and the increased food demand of a population growing to 9bn people by 2050, urban agriculture may very well be one key of a solution for the 21st century. As Roman explains, urban agriculture offers the solution to grow potentially enough food in the city to feed its entire population. What’s more, it also creates healthier, wealthier and happier cities, offering consumers with fresh & quality food choices and access to better quality of life … (full text). Continuer la lecture de « Urban Farming »