Alternatives – Radical Ecological Democracy

“Hola, Gustavo!”- A personal tribute to Gustavo Esteva

April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 Alternatives, Community, Indigenous Communities, Innovation, New Politics, Revolutionary Struggle, Social Change, Social Movements, Society

The struggle for progressive “alternatives” suffered a great loss last month when one of its prominent standard bearers, Gustavo Esteva, passed away at the age of 86 in Mexico. In his remarkable and revolutionary journey spanning over six decades, Esteva redefined the very idea of “societal transformation”, and charted a unique course of praxis and theory for the realization of his vision. In this personal tribute, Ashish Kothari recounts Esteva’s enormous contributions, and their collaboration in the quest for meaningful “alternatives”.

Action Analysis Ideas News Stories

Is Italy’s new vision for environmental protection a real commitment to carbon neutrality?

April 3, 2022April 7, 2022 Alternatives, Climate Change, Economy, Energy, Environment, New Politics, Power Dynamic

As the need to address climate change and other environmental crises becomes increasingly critical, many countries have found it necessary to amend their national constitutions to strengthen existing provisions for environmental protection, and even introduce new ones. This past February, the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament passed legislation to amend two crucial Articles in the Constitution to align the country with the rest of Western Europe’s progressive vision on climate intervention. Fausto Corvino and Mitja Stefancic discuss the promise and challenges inherent in this significant move, particularly as the energy fallout from the on-going Russia-Ukraine conflict causes complex and worrying problems for Italy.

Agenda Analysis Ideas Stories

Against the Universal Agent of Separation: A Review of Anitra Nelson’s “Beyond Money: A Post Capitalist Strategy”

March 6, 2022March 7, 2022 Alternatives, Capitalism, Community, Ecological democracy, Education, Environment, New Economy

In this second part of our series on Anitra Nelson’s, “Beyond Money: A Post-Capitalist Strategy”, John Clark reviews the path breaking book for RED. He concludes that Anitra Nelson’s inquiry takes “seriously the real possibilities for escape from the power of money and the urgent need to begin realizing those possibilities in the immediate future.”

Action Agenda Analysis Ideas Stories

Dismantling “Power” by building “Democratic Autonomy”

April 12, 2021April 13, 2022 Alternatives, Democracy, Ecological democracy, New Politics, Power Dynamic, Revolutionary Struggle

All across the world, the quest for socio-economic and political equality continues with varying degrees of success. Often, political transformation has occurred without any compelling changes in the structures of state and power. But, a decidedly meaningful effort at instituting a new framework of grassroots democracy is underway in the Kurdish region of Rojava (West Kurdistan). In this first part of our new series on “Power”, Şervîn Nûdem discusses how the concept of “Democratic Autonomy” is helping shape a novel societal framework consisting of local and regional people’s councils, cooperatives, academies and self-defense forces with the participation, and substantial leadership of the women of Rojava.

Action Agenda Analysis Ideas Stories

More powerful together – Integrating Resistance with Alternatives

November 8, 2020April 13, 2022 Alternatives, Democracy, Development, Ecological democracy, Environment, Indigenous Communities, New Politics, Power Dynamic, Resistance

Societal discontent manifests itself in the shape of resistance to the existing structures and is channeled through people’s movements. Hope, on the other hand, propels the society to look for alternatives to the existing paradigm. In this first article in a two part series, Jen Gobby provides an insight into how “resistance” and the search for “alternatives” are coming together to shape the movement towards an ecologically sensible and economically egalitarian future in Canada.

Action Agenda Stories

REDWeb Conversations Series – Defending the Rojava Model

June 24, 2020April 13, 2022 Alternatives, Ecofeminism, New Politics, Power Dynamic, Resistance

The Kurdish Rojava autonomy initiative, one of the most exciting democracy movements in the world, attempts to build grassroots governance on feminist and ecological principles. Women have been at the forefront of this effort. Besime Conca of the movement speaks with Ashish Kothari on the sidelines of a conference at the “Peace Research and Education Center” in Tamera, Portugal.

Action Analysis News Stories

A historical victory in Ecuador

October 19, 2019April 13, 2022 Activism, Alternatives, Economy, Environment

A popular uprising in Ecuador recently forced the government to withdraw a decree being imposed on the country by the International Monetary Fund. Miriam Lang explains the environmental, political and economic context in which the popular movement emerged and gained ground to pose a challenge to neoliberal orthodoxy in Ecuador.

Agenda Conversations

RED Conversations Series

September 27, 2017April 13, 2022 Alternatives, Community, Consumerism, Degrowth, Democracy, Development, Innovation, New Economy, New Politics, Policy, Power Dynamic, Society

A group of leading thinkers, activists and researchers discusses the roots of contemporary environmental issues and related socio-political challenges facing the world and the possible way out of it.