Two Transitions in Brazil: Dilemmas of a Neoliberal Democracy

Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin No. 927, by Alfredo Saad Filho, January 13, 2014.

This article reviews the background and the implications of two transitions in Brazil: the political transition from a military regime (1964-85) to democracy (1985-present), and the economic transition from import-substituting industrialization (ISI, 1930-80) to neoliberalism (1990-present). It subsequently examines how neoliberal economic policies were implemented in a democracy, under the centre-right administrations led by Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-98, 1998-2002), and the centre-left administrations led by Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula, 2003-06, 2007-10) and Dilma Rousseff (2011-present). Continuer la lecture de « Two Transitions in Brazil: Dilemmas of a Neoliberal Democracy »

South Africa: Will return land to dispossessed – Zuma

Published on BRICS POST (Source: Agencies), Jan 10, 2014;

The South African government has vowed to restore land to its rightful owners, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.
“Land Reform is an important part of national reconciliation and nation building,” asserted Zuma while handing over 13,184 hectares of previously white-owned land to the black N’wandlamhlarhi Community in Mpumalanga Province.   Continuer la lecture de « South Africa: Will return land to dispossessed – Zuma »

America’s Black-Ops Blackout

… unraveling the secrets of the military’s secret military – Published on ZNet (first on TomDispatch), by Nick Turse, January 08, 2014.

“Dude, I don’t need to play these stupid games. I know what you’re trying to do.” With that, Major Matthew Robert Bockholt hung up on me. More than a month before, I had called U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with a series of basic questions: In how many countries were U.S. Special Operations Forces deployed in 2013? Are manpower levels set to expand to 72,000 in 2014? Is SOCOM still aiming for growth rates of 3%-5% per year? How many training exercises did the command carry out in 2013? Basic stuff.  Continuer la lecture de « America’s Black-Ops Blackout »