[Marxism] What's new at Links: `Seattle' in Copenhagen, S. Africa, Paraguay, Venezuela, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Victor Serge, Indonesia

[glparramatta]

What's new at Links: `Seattle' in Copenhagen, S. Africa, Paraguay, 
Venezuela, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Victor Serge, Indonesia

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    Call for a 'Seattle' approach to Copenhagen climate talks, Africans
    demand reparations <http://links.org.au/node/1233>

By *Patrick Bond*

September 5, 2009 -- Durban -- Here's a fairly simple choice: the global 
North would pay the hard-hit global South to deal with the climate 
crisis, either through the complicated, corrupt, controversial ``Clean 
Development Mechanism' (CDM), whose projects have plenty of damaging 
sideeffects to communities, or instead pay through other mechanisms that 
must provide financing quickly, transparently and decisively to achieve 
genuine income compensation plus renewable energy to the masses.
The Copenhagen climate summit in December is all about the former 
choice, because the power bloc in Europe and the US have put carbon 
trading at the core of their emissions reduction strategy, while the two 
largest emitters of carbon in the Third World, China and India, are the 
main beneficiaries of CDM financing.

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1233>


    `Amanzi Ngawethu' (water is ours); Health and environmental
    victories for South African activist <http://links.org.au/node/1227>

/On September 2 and 3, 2009, the Constitutional Court of South Africa 
will hear the final appeal in a case brought by five Soweto residents 
challenging Johannesburg's discriminatory prepaid water meter system. 
Their six-year legal battle would reaffirm the constitutional right to 
water for all South Africans. /

/Low-income communities in Johannesburg's townships do not have 
sufficient water resources and do not receive the same water services as 
residents in wealthier, often white, suburbs. Yet, the Bill of Rights of 
South Africa guarantees everyone's right to have access to sufficient 
water./

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1227>


    Paraguay: Change is still to come; The first year of Fernando Lugo's
    government <http://links.org.au/node/1226>

/ /

By *Adolfo Giméne*, translated by *Federico Fuentes *for /Links 
International Journal of Socialist Renewal/
August 14, 2009 -- Asunción -- The anniversary of the first year of 
Fernando Lugo's government coincided with a five-day national protest 
(August 10-15) organised by the United Popular Space (Espacio Unitario 
Popular, EUP), a coming together of many social organisations and left 
parties [1], with the support of figures from diverse political sectors, 
including the governor of the department of San Pedro, Jose Pakova 
Ledesma, from the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (Partido Liberal 
Radical Auténtico, PLRA). [Lugo was elected president on April 20, 2008, 
but did not formally take office until August 15.]

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1226>


    Young Venezuelan revolutionary and environmentalist: `Tomorrow is
    too late' <http://links.org.au/node/1232>

August 23, 2009 -- Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network 
<http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org> national co-convenor *Frederico 
Fuentes* spoke to *Heryck Rangel* (pictured), an environmental activist 
and leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela Youth (JPSUV), 
about the challenges that the global environment crisis poses for 
Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution, and the planet. He also discussed the 
role of young people in Venezuela's revolution.

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1232>


    Suffering and struggle in rural China <http://links.org.au/node/1231>

*/Will the Boat Sink the Water? The Life of Chinese Peasants./*
By Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao.
New York: Public Affairs 2006
Review by *John Riddell*
Is China killing the goose whose golden eggs have financed its economic 
upsurge? Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao pose this question in their gripping 
portrayal of the suffering and struggles of Chinese peasants today.

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1231>


    For people to people solidarity with Vietnam
    <http://links.org.au/node/1230>

By *Peter Boyle*
September 1, 2009 -- There has been a lot of media coverage in Australia 
around the August 31 return of the remains of the last two Australian 
armed forces personnel -- Canberra bomber pilots -- who were missing in 
action in the Vietnam War. But none of the articles put this in the 
context of the death and damage inflicted on the Vietnamese people by 
the United States and its ally Australia.Operating as part of the US Air 
Force's 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 
Canberra bombers flew 6% of the wing's sorties but inflicted 16% of the 
damage. Overall, 11,963 sorties were flown by the Canberra bombers in 
Vietnam and 76,389 bombs were dropped. Two Canberra bombers were lost in 
the process.

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1230>


    Thailand: Time for democracy movement to be clear about how to fight
    (Da Torpedo ????? Redshirt strategy ??????????????)
    <http://links.org.au/node/1229>

By *Giles Ji Ungpakorn*
September 3, 2009 -- On August 28, Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul (known by 
her nickname as "Da Torpedo") was sentenced to 18 years in prison for 
/lese majeste/ (insulting the royal family) after a secret trial in 
Bangkok. This is another example of how Thailand is rapidly coming to 
resemble authoritarian countries like North Korea. Other examples are 
the use of the /Internal Security Law/ to prevent peaceful 
demonstrations by the pro-democracy ``Redshirts'' and the way that the 
unelected prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, urged the military to kill 
demonstrators in April. What is also shocking is the way that there has 
been complete silence from so-called "human rights activists" and NGOs 
and academics in Thailand about what has been going on. This can only be 
described as shameful. Amnesty International's long-term policy of 
turning its back on Thai prisoners of conscience, jailed over lese 
majeste, is also appalling. It throws into question the role of that 
organisation.

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1229>


    Victor Serge: `dishonest authoritarian', `anti-worker anarchist' or
    revolutionary Bolshevik? <http://links.org.au/node/1228>

[The following exchanges were first published in the US socialist 
magazine /Against the Current/. Susan Weissman is the author of /Victor 
Serge: The Course is set on Hope/ and editor of /The Ideas of Victor 
Serge/ and /Victor Serge: Russia Twenty Years After/. She is a member of 
the editorial boards of /Against the Current/ and /Critique/. The first 
essay is adapted from a section of a paper she delivered at a July 2008 
conference on Trotsky's legacy and first appeared in /Against the 
Current/, issue 136, September-October 2008. Following that is a 
response from Ernie Haberkern and reply by Susan Weissman.

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1228>


    Indonesia: Parliament of the Streets demands free education and
    health care, housing for the poor <http://links.org.au/node/1225>

Photos and text by *Ulfa Ilyas*
On August 25, 2009, a demonstration was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, 
organised by the Parliament of the Streets Alliance at the inauguration 
of newly elected members of parliament. The protesters demanded free 
education for all citizens, free health programs, employment and housing 
programs for poor people.
Henri Anggoro, a leader of the Poor People's Union (Serikat Rakyat 
Miskin Indonesia, SRMI), which organises in the sprawling shanty towns, 
said that experience has shown that parliament ignores the interests of 
the people. "They only represent the interests of a handful of people, 
rather than representing the people who elected them", he said.

    * Read more <http://links.org.au/node/1225>

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Links seeks to promote the international exchange of information, 
experience of struggle, theoretical analysis and views of political 
strategy and tactics within the international left. It is a forum for 
open and constructive dialogue between active socialists coming from 
different political traditions. It seeks to bring together those in the 
international left who are opposed to neoliberal economic and social 
policies. It aims to promote the renewal of the socialist movement in 
the wake of the collapse of the bureaucratic model of "actually existing 
socialism" in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

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