April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

part of the class struggle and that these two are inseparable.
The Arab masses have shown that the class divide is the only decisive
division. In the united struggle of the masses neither religion, gender or
race play any role, and prejudices are overcome in practice. Marx
explained, “it is not the consciousness of men that determines their
existence but their social existence that determines their consciousness”.
When the material conditions are no longer tolerable for the great
majority and the masses are forced to fight for better conditions, through
this struggle their consciousness and ideas are changed dramatically.
Freedom to what?
The Egyptian women who have come out massively onto the streets did not
do so in the name of some abstract women’s liberation. They took the
streets in order to create a better life for themselves and their families.
English teacher Ms. Muntaz explains how she struggles to make ends meet.
“I get paid 400 [Egyptian] pounds a month... I have no health insurance, if
I need an operation I have to pay for it myself. I have no contract, no job
security. We want a better life for us and for our children. We deserve a
better life."
The struggle of the Arab masses has just started. The Arab women have
shown enormous courage and have shown that the struggle for women’s
liberation only can be carried out as part of the struggle for a general
liberation of the whole of the working people. They will realize that
genuine women’s liberation does not flow from formal freedom and formal
democracy, but that it requires a real social revolution.
www.marxist.com
Poor Countries Have Already Given Enough in Doha Round
Ravi Kanth Deverakonda 9 March 2011
GENEVA, Feb 14 (IPS) -- South Africa has expressed sharp concern over
concerted attempts by leading industrialised countries, particularly the
U.S. and the European Union (EU), to extract onerous commitments from
developing countries as a condition to concluding the stalled Doha Round
trade negotiations.
"We are deeply concerned over attempts to raise the level of ambition by
leading industrialised countries in industrial goods and services that
would call for a substantial payment from developing countries," South
Africa's trade and industry minister Dr Rob Davies told IPS.
At a time when many African countries are struggling to recover from the
raging global economic crisis that has resulted in mass unemployment, it
would be "unfair" to expect either South Africa or poorer countries to
agree to onerous commitments to provide market access in industrial
goods and services, he said.
Over the last two weeks, members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)
stepped up efforts to accelerate the Doha Round trade negotiations,
which entered its 10th year. The Doha Round was supposed to have been
concluded by Jan 1, 2005.
But sharp differences between industrialised countries and some