Internationalism and International Solidarity
The present situation is quite contradictory. More than ever, the major issues our future depends on come up at once worldwide (climate change and environmental crisis, worldwide impact of capitalist globalisation, overall rise of discriminations and so on). However, the collective « spaces » that could allow the progressive movements to co-ordinate their efforts have narrowed. The European Social Forum, for instance, is dead and the dynamics of the World Social Forum are substantially weakened. The organisations formed at the beginning of the 2000s have lost their relevance, though they haven’t been replaced by any form of cooperation that is both durable and more responsive to the present situation.
This observation applies extensively to the solidarity movements. The sense of community in regard to collective fate and struggle can be very powerful, as we saw in 2003 (before the war in Irak), with the occupations of places (especially after 2011) or with the feminist protest at the moment of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the US; however these tangible collaborative initiatives generally fall far short of what is needed and what is feasible (see in particular the Syrian crisis).
The working group on «Internationalism and international solidarity» will focus on these issues from the point of view of their development; it will also inform about ongoing social mobilizations and will present some alternatives.