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Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)

3 March 2010

New strikes called as more social cuts are prepared in Greece

By Alex Lantier, 3 March 2010

The Greek trade unions announced further strikes yesterday, in the face of demands from banks and European institutions for deeper social cuts to stave off a Greek government default.

As death toll from quake, tsunamis mounts
Massive military mobilization in Chile

By Patrick Martin, 3 March 2010

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet doubled the number of troops mobilized in the central coastal region devastated by Saturday’s earthquake, as first reports from the hardest-hit areas suggested that the death toll could go much higher than the official total of nearly 800.

Saturday mail delivery threatened
US Postal Service moves to cut 50,000 jobs

By Tom Eley, 3 March 2010

The US Postal Service is demanding greater “flexibility” from Congress to control labor costs and has proposed ending delivery of most mail on Saturdays. The equivalent of 50,000 jobs is to be cut this year.

India and Pakistan talk, but “composite dialogue” not resumed

By Shree Haran, 3 March 2010

The talks held between India and Pakistan last week ended with no more than a promise that the rival South Asian powers will “keep in touch.”

Sri Lankan election: Tamil party splits in four

By W.A. Sunil, 3 March 2010

The April 8 parliamentary election in Sri Lanka has accelerated the break-up of the TNA, which functioned as the political mouthpiece of the LTTE prior to its military defeat last May.

Violent storms cause 52 deaths in France

By Antoine Lerougetel, 3 March 2010

The violent storms that caused havoc during the weekend throughout Western Europe did most damage in France, with the death toll standing at 52 on Tuesday.

Study shows steep rise of poverty in Germany

By Elizabeth Zimmermann, 3 March 2010

According to the latest report by the German Institute for Economic Research, poverty levels have risen considerably in Germany in the past few years.

Australian Labor government releases terrorism “White Paper”

By Mike Head, 3 March 2010

The Labor government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last week released its long delayed Counter-Terrorism White Paper, outlining new antidemocratic measures to advance the “war on terror”.

New in German

Der griechische Generalstreik und die Rechtswende der Gewerkschaften

Von Ulrich Rippert, 3. März 2010

Die Gewerkschaften reagieren auf den Widerstand gegen Sparmaßnahmen und Sozialkürzungen, indem sie noch enger an die Regierungen heranrücken und sich dem europäischen Geldadel als Erfüllungsgehilfe anbieten.

Linkspartei und Grüne sagen Veranstaltungen mit Historiker Finkelstein ab

Von Stefan Steinberg, 3. März 2010

Die Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS) der Linkspartei und die Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung der Grünen haben Veranstaltungen mit dem Israel kritischen Historiker Norman Finkelstein abgesagt.

60. Berlinale - Teil 2
Ernsthaftere Töne

Von Bernd Reinhardt, 3. März 2010

Die Bewältigung der Gegenwart steht im Zentrum der meisten Spiel- und Dokumentarfilme. Auffällig ist nach wie vor die Tendenz des detaillierten Nahblicks. Auf der anderen Seite scheint die Erforschung breiterer gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhänge wenig attraktiv zu sein.

New in French

Le gouvernement français avance la crise de l’endettement européen pour faire des coupes sombres dans les dépenses publiques

Par Kumaran Ira et Alex Lantier, 3 mars 2010

Sur fond de panique des marchés financiers internationaux due à la crise de l’endettement dont la Grèce constitue pour le moment le centre, le gouvernement français prépare des coupes massives dans les dépenses publiques.

Perspective

The Ukrainian election and the demise of the “Orange Revolution”

3 March 2010

The crushing defeat of Viktor Yushchenko in Ukraine’s presidential poll in January and the election of Viktor Yanukovich in the second round vote held February 7 mark the ignominious end of the 2004 “Orange Revolution.”

Earlier Perspectives »

SEP (Australia) Founding Congress

Documents of the SEP Founding Congress
The Historical and International Foundations of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia)—Part 4

3 March 2010

The World Socialist Web Site continues publication of The Historical and International Foundations of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia). The document was adopted unanimously at the party’s founding congress in Sydney on January 21–25.

Opening report to the SEP (Australia) Founding Congress

By Nick Beams, 27 February 2010

Sri Lankan SEP Election Campaign

SEP stands in Sri Lankan parliamentary election

By the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), 2 March 2010

The SEP is contesting the parliamentary election on April 8 to mobilise the working class on the basis of a socialist program against the deepening assault on living standards and democratic rights.

SEP public meeting in Colombo to launch election campaign

2 March 2010

The Sri Lankan SEP will launch its campaign for the April 8 parliamentary election at a public meeting at the Public Library Auditorium in Colombo on March 5 at 4 p.m.

Dexter Avenue Fire Inquiry

Video: Sister of fire victims speaks on utility shutoffs

2 March 2010

The Citizens Inquiry into the Dexter Avenue fire of January 5 has begun interviews with relatives, neighbors and Detroit residents. We begin with an interview with Charlotte Nash, the sister of two of the victims.

Investigative Report

The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care study: Shoddy science in support of health care cuts

By Joanne Laurier, 2 March 2010

The Obama White House and its media backers defend the administration’s cost-cutting health care overhaul, with all its dire implications for broad layers of the population, with the claim that the scheme is based on objective scientific research.

An interview with Dr. Richard Cooper, critic of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care research

By Joanne Laurier, 2 March 2010

Interview with Dr. Michael Ong: A response to the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care

By Joanne Laurier, 2 March 2010

Socialist Equality Party

For a socialist policy to defeat the attacks on mass transit!

Statement of the Socialist Equality Party, 2 March 2010

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is preparing to adopt a savage round of service cutbacks and new attacks on the jobs and wages of transit workers, adding to the suffering in the midst of the biggest economic slump since the depression of the 1930s.

International Students for Social Equality

For a socialist movement to defend education!

Statement of the International Students for Social Equality,
23 February 2010

On March 4, students and workers throughout California and the US will demonstrate against the attack on public education and increases in tuition that are making a college education unaffordable for the majority of working class youth. The following statement is being distributed by the International Students for Social Equality.

Mehring Books

February 2010 edition of WSWS Perspectives now available

2 March 2010

The February 2010 edition of WSWS Perspectives is now available from Mehring Books.

Subscribers will receive a free copy of The Historical and International Foundations of the Socialist Equality Party.

Arts Review

60th Berlin International Film Festival—Part 3
Kanikosen: A Japanese “proletarian novel,” updated

By Stefan Steinberg,
3 March 2010

This is the third in a series of articles on the recent Berlin International Film Festival, February 11-21.

The Criterion Collection’s The Golden Age of Television
Not quite golden, but still valuable

By Charles Bogle, 2 March 2010

The Criterion Collection has released a boxed set of eight teleplays from the “golden age of American television” in the 1950s. The dramas (and comedies) have distinct limitations, but there are some remarkable pieces and performances.

Commentary

The Dubai assassination and the “war on terror”

2 March 2010

The reaction of world governments to the brutal murder of Hamas member Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month underscores the extent to which basic precepts of international law have been torn up under the “war on terror”.

Wall Street Journal cites Chilean earthquake to praise Pinochet

By David Walsh, 2 March 2010

According to the Wall Street Journal, the impact of the Chilean earthquake is a vindication of the fascist dictatorship of General Pinochet.

Workers Struggles

Video: NUMMI auto workers denounce UAW intimidation

2 March 2010

The WSWS attended a United Auto Workers union meeting in Fremont, California, on February 28. Workers opposed the closure of the NUMMI auto plant and denounced the role of the UAW in working with the company and seeking to intimidate workers.

25 years
50 years
75 years
100 years

25 years ago: British miners’ strike ends

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on March 5, 1985 called an official end to the year-long strike against the Thatcher governments’ attempts to reorganize the coal industry at the expense of its workers. The defeat of the miners’ strike, which the Tory government had provoked, paved the way for a ruling class offensive against the wages and conditions of the entire working class.

More »

50 years ago: Munitions ship explodes in Havana’s harbor

On March 4, 1960, a French ship, Le Coubre, carrying 76 tons of Belgian weapons to Cuba’s militia, blew up in Havana’s harbor, killing dozens of workers. A half an hour later, a second explosion occurred, killing many more who had come to provide assistance to the wounded.

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75 years ago: Attempted coup in Greece

On March 1, 1935, supporters within the Greek military of former Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos launched a coup attempt against the government of Panagis Tsaldaris’s right-wing People’s Party. The Venizelist coup was led by General Nikolaos Plastiras, who had played a leading role in the coup against King Constantine I in 1922 and opposed the royalist sympathies of the People’s Party.

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100 years ago: Philadelphia general strike

On March 5, 1910, a general strike broke out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company’s refusal to meet demands of striking streetcar workers organized in the Amalgamated Association of Street Car and Electric Railway Men of America. The general strike was “so titanic that it attracted the attention of all vested interests in this country and abroad,” according to the Public Ledger.