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

Monday, May 20, 2013

Money & Resistance: How “Moderate” Arab States Sold Out the Palestinian Cause

Click here to access article by Yazan al-Saadi from Muftah.
Today, Israel is experiencing a level of peace it has not witnessed in all its existence. Despite fearing the Arab uprisings, and the potential change in political dynamics they would bring, Israel’s hold over Palestine is at its zenith. With little to no active military resistance against the Israeli government, ‘moderate’ Arab states have played an important role in ensuring this state of affairs. [my emphasis]