Michael Albert is a prominent activist and economist and a co-founder of Z Magazine. Adam Gill spoke to him about the Venezuelan government's radical "Consejos Comunales" initiative, aimed at deepening participatory democracy.
As part of our ongoing series celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, Tomasz Pierscionek examines how the country's infrastructure dealt with the challenge posed by severe weather on a number of occasions in 2008.
Looking back over the US presidential election contest, Ramzy Baroud is sceptical about the likelihood of serious "change" under an Obama administration.
Major upheavals at the national level have overshadowed local developments in much of the US election coverage. Demetrius Notice rounds up a number of important state-level ballot measures pertaining to various aspects of social policy.
In the aftermath of the appalling US raid on Syria, Ramzy Baroud examines the familiar double-standard in the mainstream discourse on what constitutes unacceptable policy and aggression.
Campaign group Justice for Colombia on how Washington is gradually coming to terms with the failure of US policy in Colombia.
Socialist Appeal's Terry McPartlan on how the present economic crisis could enhance class consciousnous and provide the impetus for far-reaching social change.
George Monbiot asks: Could the First World War have been avoided?
Rob Ray considers the effect of budget cuts across the criminal justice system.
In the week that hundreds attended a symbolic "March Against Hatred" in St Petersburg, Sara Hall examines the worrying rise of racially-motivated violence in Russia.