World Socialist Web Site

2 December 2008

US stock market plunges 680 points on signs of severe recession

By Joe Kishore, 2 December 2008

The National Bureau of Economic Research, an independent economic body in the US, said Monday that the country has been in a recession for one year, since December 2007.

UAW pledges to impose further job losses and concessions on auto workers

By Joe Kishore, 2 December 2008

United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger gave his most open pledge yet Sunday that the union would work to impose further sharp concessions on US auto workers.

After the Mumbai siege, India-Pakistan tensions rise

By Peter Symonds, 2 December 2008

The political fallout from last week’s terrorist siege of Mumbai is beginning to emerge in India and neighbouring Pakistan with tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals on the rise.

Pentagon to deploy 20,000 troops on domestic “anti-terror” mission

By Patrick Martin, 2 December 2008

The Pentagon has begun to implement plans for the mobilization of 20,000 regular Army troops in anti-terror operations alongside state and local forces, a dramatic change in US military operations within the borders of the United States.

Canada’s minority Conservative government on brink of collapse

By Richard Dufour and Keith Jones, 2 December 2008

Only weeks after winning a plurality of seats in the October 14 federal election, Canada’s minority Conservative government is fighting for its life. The three parliamentary opposition parties have publicly announced that they are joining forces to topple Stephen Harper’s government and replace it with a Liberal-NDP coalition because of the Conservatives’ refusal to introduce an economic stimulus package.

Britain: The political issues raised by the arrest of Damian Green MP

By Julie Hyland, 2 December 2008

A number of political issues are raised by the arrest of Conservative Member of Parliament Damian Green by anti-terrorist officers.

Berlin education senator and police criminalise student demonstration

By Bernd Reinhardt, 2 December 2008

In the aftermath of the November 12 student demonstrations, a deliberate smear campaign has been launched by politicians and the media to discredit students who had taken part in protests in Berlin.

New in French

L’Islande : un aperçu de l’avenir

Par Chris Marsden, 2 décembre 2008

L’Islande est confrontée à une catastrophe économique et sociale. Sa population de 300 000 personnes subit, plus qu’aucun autre pays avancé et de façon plus immédiate, l’impact de la crise financière mondiale.

New in German

Die blutigen Anschläge von Mumbai: Sackgasse des Kommunalismus

Von Keith Jones, 2. Dezember 2008

Die Tragödie von Mumbai hat ihre Ursache in nationalen und kommunalen Spannungen, die den indischen Subkontinent seit seiner Spaltung 1947 am Ende der britischen Kolonialherrschaft beherrschen. Gleichzeitig verschärfen die Terroranschläge diese Spannungen.

Konflikte über europäisches Konjunkturprogramm

Von Peter Schwarz, 2. Dezember 2008

Die Auswirkungen der Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrise haben der bisherigen Europa-Strategie Berlins den Boden entzogen. Es erweist sich zunehmend als unmöglich, die EU allein durch das ökonomische Gewicht Deutschlands zu dominieren. Als Folge verschärfen sich die politischen Konflikte zwischen den europäischen Mächten.