We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, May 7, 2010

Bolivarian Venezuela at the Crossroads: Part I. Nationalization and Workers’ Control. Achievements and Limitations

by Dr. Eric Toussaint from Global Research. The author examines the push from workers to wrest control away from bureaucratic holdovers from the private sector in newly nationalized companies. It appears that Chavez has pursued a very conservative course to avoid antagonizing the international capitalist ruling classes.