Suchergebnisse

Draws upon Hannah Arendt's analysis of national socialism in, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1945), to maintain that "German National Socialism represented the worst possible combination of the worst elements of the crisis of liberal capitalist societies" while Swedish social democracy represented one of the most humane attempts to reorganize a capitalist society. Five crises of neoliberalism are explored: overaccumulation, ecological reproduction, social integration, the political system, & increasing violence. It is contended that it is possible to find alternatives to the five crises by recombining formerly existing elements. Four possible postneoliberal scenarios that can be arrived at in this manner are: 1) totalitarian domination of a deregulated capitalism; 2) neoconservative organization of finance-led capitalism; 3) social democratic organization of finance market capitalism; & 4) a solidarity-based mode of development. The last scenario is not only the most desirable from an emancipatory perspective but the transition from a capital-dominated to a mixed solidarity-based economy provides room for participatory democracy as well as a new life balance. J. Lindroth

The reflections of a participant in Mediation Days, held 17-18 September 2008 at Sweden's Uppsala Castle, describe the lengthy debate about whether there is a Nordic style of mediation. An examination of mediation techniques generated questions about values. Dignity, justice, & voice surfaced as the values upon which successful mediations are based because they encourage a peacebuilding process rather than simply the cessation of violence. The hallmark of Nordic mediators is said to be the weaving together of values & peacebuilding. Former Finland president Martti Ahtissari's description of the peace process he oversaw in Aceh highlighted implicit & explicit dignity as key elements of a Nordic style mediation. The surprising request of the Armenian team for the Azerbaijani side to apologize for the genocide of Armenians in Turkey 80 years ago changed the meetings dynamics. Other matters discussed include the tendency to freeze a conflict with a ceasefire agreement without expanding into a peacebuilding process; the link between first & second track mediation processes; & difficulties involved in balancing peace & justice. Adapted from the source document.

Examines the deepening of the environmental crisis that, along with the financial crisis & the social crisis of integration, represents a third phase of neoliberalism that highlights the contradictions of neoliberal politics. An overview of the development of the environmental crisis since the 1970s is followed by a look at the relationship between capitalism & the societal appropriation of nature. It is argued that the destructive consequences of capitalist-neoliberal & imperial forms of the appropriation of nature demand that those relationships be radically transformed. Strategies for dealing with the crisis of societal relationships with nature include a business-as-usual version; an openly coercive variant of postneoliberal strategies; a roll-back version of postliberalism; & emancipatory postliberal approaches. Only the emancipatory approaches offer ways of thinking/acting that go beyond the capitalist mode of societalization. Strengthening an emancipatory postneoliberal perspective will require acknowledging the experiences of non-capitalist relationships with nature; challenging the forms/contents of economic growth; creating linkages between different political & social issues; considering issues of environmental justice; & developing radical proposals. J. Lindroth

The article describes the activity of the Andean Project for Peasant Technologies (PRATEC), particularly as it relates to the advocacy of traditional agricultural practices in the central Andes Mountains of South America. Members of the organization are devoted to reviving Incan ways of agronomy, which place less emphasis on planning than Western methods. The revival and reaffirmation of these traditional practices is centrally tied to the cultural affirmation of the Andean peoples. PRATEC trained and sent specialists to assist Andean peasants in the recovery of their cultural patrimony. In particular, the revival of "campesino" agricultural practices promotes a level of biodiversity absent from Western practices. Furthermore, native epistemologies such as those of the Andeans are better in that they are more sensitive to the local context. Adapted from the source document.