Formal democracies retain their constitutions and their laws, their elections and their public hearings – all part of the panoply of modern democracies. They fail, however, to actually listen to the suffering of the people, writes Vijay Prashad.
Judge rules: “An aware and assertive citizenry, in contradistinction with an indifferent or docile citizenry, is indisputably a sign of a healthy and vibrant democracy,” writes Betwa Sharma.
Betwa Sharma reports on the evolving authoritarianism of the Modi government in response to the protesting farmers camped out on national highways during a very cold winter.
New laws deregulating Indian agriculture, and the undemocratic way they were passed, have triggered one of the largest farmers’ movements in the world, reports Betwa Sharma for CN from Delhi.
If those who struck on Nov. 26 formed a country, it would be the fifth largest in the world after China, India, the United States and Indonesia, writes Vijay Prashad.
A new law in Uttar Pradesh adds to the attack on the country’s core values of secularism and pluralism, Betwa Sharma reports.
Bama Athreya says this showdown was about who defines employment, and it has worldwide implications for the future of work.
Given the continued disruptions caused by the pandemic and uncertainty about a vaccine, it would behoove the countries of the world to dial down tensions and expand collaborations, writes Vijay Prashad.
The capitalist system, by its nature, produces diabolical levels of poverty; the future does not seem possible within the system, writes Vijay Prashad.
Vijay Prashad espouses confidence in rejecting the neoliberal capitalist framework, which arose against plenty of warnings over several decades and now exposes workers to the wolves of the “free market” during the pandemic.