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Letters, New York City, 'Ground Zero' for protest As the presidential elections loom, countless thousands poured into the streets of New York City for a week of protests coinciding with the Republican National Convention. While the scope of social alienation in Bush's USA was exposed and given voice, a growing sentiment is emerging, that choices under capitalism are inadequate and a real alternative is needed. Reports on the week's activities, the associated conference, and the feminist dimension convey some of the excitement, and frustrations. Lead article: Editorial Terrorism and statism engulf Putin's Russia The world became witness to another double tragedy last month, when Chechen terrorists took hundreds of children hostage, resulting in the deaths of 500 people, over half of them the children. This horrific episode was followed by declarations by Russian President Vladimir Putin that effectively ended what's left of democracy in Russia. It's important to hear those within Russia challenging both Putin and the terrorists. The Left fiddles while Darfur burns It should come as no surprise that the U.S. has responded so meekly to the genocide in Darfur. More shocking (though perhaps also not surprising) has been the response of many left-wing critics of U.S. foreign policy. Karek Kosik remembered Marxist humanist Karel Kosik emphasized that philosophy is "an indispensable human activity," a view which he actively promoted before and during the movement to create "socialism with a human face" in Czechslovakia in 1968. His death in 2003 was ignored in the English-speaking world, which speaks volumes about today's disregard for critical Marxist theory. A 1978 essay by Raya Dunayevskaya discussed Kosik's work, and Kosik's ideas are viewed from the vantage of the end of East European Communism in 1989 and what followed.
Essay Sham neutrality of science born of capitalism Humanity is now on the threshold of ultimate self-instrumentation in the creation of bio-technological life forms that may very well have the potential to threaten the survival of the human species. Given the fact that under capitalism, life itself is but a mere means of living, and in light of the experience of the atomic bomb, should we not pause a moment to ponder the ramifications of this new venture? What would Marx say? Our Life and Times George W. Bush's quagmire in Iraq The real tragedy of Iraq is that while the U.S. managed to depose the Ba'athist regime, its invasion and occupation have done more than anything since September 11, 2001 to swell the ranks of the jihadists. The specter of Lebanon in the 1980s now haunts Iraq and the region. MORE ARTICLES...
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