1 December 2008

Obama’s cabinet selections win praise from the right

By Tom Eley, 1 December 2008

Prominent voices from the political right have endorsed President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet picks, both for his economic and national security “teams.”

Thai airportAirport occupations bring Thailand to political breaking point

By John Roberts, 1 December 2008

Political tensions in Thailand are reaching breaking point as anti-government protesters from the Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD) continue to occupy Bangkok’s two main airports—Suvarnabhumi international and Don Muang domestic.

Kosovo’s dirty secret: the background to Germany’s Secret Service affair

By Peter Schwarz, 1 December 2008

The arrest of three German secret service agents in Kosovo exposes the sort of society that has been developed with German and American support in this former part of Yugoslavia—one mired in corruption, organised crime and secret service plots.

Britain: Woolworths and MFI go bust

By Robert Stevens, 1 December 2008

In the past week, two of Britain’s most well established retail chains, Woolworths and MFI, have gone bust.

Economic downturn produces budget crisis in Illinois

By Clement Daly, 1 December 2008

Four months into the fiscal year, Illinois’ budget deficit is now projected at $2.5 billion. This is in addition to a $4 billion backlog of unpaid bills. State revenues have been hard hit by growing unemployment—now officially 7.3 percent—plummeting home values and tighter credit markets.

New York City: Financial meltdown brings Bloomberg term-limit maneuvers into focus

By Peter Daniels, 1 December 2008

On October 23, the New York City Council passed a bill extending to three the number of consecutive terms the mayor and other officials can serve, thus enabling Mayor Michael Bloomberg to seek another term in the 2009 elections.

Science

PlanetFirst images taken of extrasolar planets

By Hector Cordon, 1 December 2008

In a breakthrough expected to foster further discoveries, two teams of astronomers have for the first time directly imaged planets orbiting stars outside the solar system.

New in French

Obama promet de réduire radicalement les dépenses fédérales

Par Bill Van Auken, 1er décembre 2008

Au cours de sa seconde conférence de presse sur l’économie en l’espace de deux jours, le président élu, Barack Obama, a promis mardi qu’il réduirait radicalement les dépenses gouvernementales afin de couvrir les coûts d’un paquet de mesures de relance économique qu’il avait dévoilé la veille.

Perspective

Mumbai atrocity: the dead end of communal politics

1 December 2008

The Mumbai tragedy both stems from and will exacerbate the national and communal tensions that have plagued the Indian subcontinent since its partition in 1947, at the end of British colonial rule.

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History

Leon Trotsky, Soviet Historiography, and the Fate of Classical Marxism

By David North, 1 December 2008

This paper was presented by David North at a panel on “The Intellectual and Political Legacy of Leon Trotsky” at the recent 2008 National Convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies in Philadelphia.

Arts Review

Clever, all too clever: Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York

By Joanne Laurier, 1 December 2008

Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York goes for the surreal while The Boy in the Striped Pajamas concerns itself with the very real.

SEP Meetings

SL mtgSri Lankan SEP marks 70th anniversary of Fourth International

By our correspondents,
1 December 2008

The Socialist Equality Party and International Students for Social Equality public meeting in Sri Lanka addressed the necessity of an international socialist perspective derived from the struggles of the Fourth International to overcome the current global breakdown of capitalism.

Workers Struggles

Michigan GM worker answers attack by New York Times columnist

By Jerry White, 1 December 2008

The WSWS spoke to GM worker Kandy O’Neill, inviting her to respond to a New York Times column criticizing her for insisting that auto workers should not be forced to pay for the crisis in the industry.

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