In part 2 of his interview with 91自拍论坛's Federico Fuentes, South African politial economist, author and activist Patrick Bond discusses some of the limitations in Vladimir Lenin鈥檚 views on imperialism and the need to incorporate the concept of "unequal ecological exchange" into any analysis of this defining feature of modern capitalism.
Patrick Bond
In the first of our two-part interview, South African political economist and author Patrick Bond discusses modern-day imperial power and the role BRICS countries play in maintaining United States dominance with 91自拍论坛's Federico Fuentes.
Patrick Bond and Mary Galvin report on the recent catastrophic floods in Durban,聽which have exposed the Cyril Ramaphosa聽government鈥檚 criminal negligence and failure to take action on climate change.
The World Social Forum鈥檚 鈥溾 convened from November 12-15 here in Johannesburg, just after .
The World Social Forum鈥檚 鈥溾 convened from November 12-15 here in Johannesburg, just after .
New South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made headlines when the ANC leader backed legal changes that could allow land reform to redistribute land from traditionally powerful white owners to the Black majority.
But this populist posture aside, the new administration is seeking to deepen pro-corporate neoliberalism and austerity.
A聽brand new World Bank聽, The Changing Wealth of Nations 2018,聽offers evidence of how much poorer Africa is becoming thanks to rampant minerals, oil and gas extraction.
Yet World Bank policies and practices remain oriented to enforcing foreign loan repayments and transnational corporate (TNC) profiteering 鈥 thus maintaining the looting.
In Harare, Bulawayo and smaller Zimbabwean cities, hundreds of thousands of citizens聽聽took to the streets on Saturday, November 18, approving a Zimbabwe Defence Force (ZDF) military semi-coup that resolves a long-simmering faction fight within the ruling party and ends the聽聽of Robert Mugabe at the age of 93.
Last week a conceptual barrier carefully constructed by South Africa鈥檚 elites since 2015 was suddenly cracked at the University of the Witwatersrand Great Hall, by two of the country鈥檚 leading economic personalities: Pravin Gordhan, who served as a pro-business finance minister for seven years until being sacked in March, and super-consultant Iraj Abedian, who in 1996 co-authored the country鈥檚 post-apartheid structural adjustment programme. Two more solid bourgeois representatives would be hard to find.
Bill Gates was set to deliver the July 17 annual Mandela Lecture in Johannesburg, justifying his philosophy of market-oriented, technology-centric philanthropy.
Last year, French economist Thomas Piketty鈥檚 speech on inequality attracted healthy debate 鈥 with even business notables endorsing his concerns 鈥 given South Africa鈥檚 intense social conflict.
To illustrate, South Africa鈥檚 Gini Coefficient measuring inequality is the world鈥檚 highest (at 0.77 on a scale of 0 to 1, in terms of income inequality from employment). Since 2000, social protests have numbered on average 11 per day.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa summit in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 11 to 13 reinforced extractive industry and high-tech myths.
The gathering unveiled the elite鈥檚 exuberant imagination and its lack of exposure to the continent鈥檚 harsh economic realities. As an antidote, grassroots protesters all over Africa are questioning the logic of export-led 鈥済rowth鈥 and renewed fiscal austerity. Instead they demand policies that meet their basic needs.
A wedge is being quickly driven through Pretoria's political elite. Among the victims of this power struggle are vast numbers of poor people.
The poor are starting to bear the brunt of the diverse shakeouts in the ongoing confrontation now underway between the country's two most powerful 21st century politicians: President Jacob Zuma and his predecessor Thabo Mbeki.
That battle began in 2005, when Mbeki sacked then-deputy president Zuma following a corruption conviction against a long-time Zuma associate.
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