Neoliberalism

Many had hoped that the 2008 global economic crisis would mark the end of neoliberal globalization and the revival of the left.

Greece's left-led administration has shown an uncanny ability to adapt to political developments, in part thanks to its constant PR stunts.

It is not only the fact that we live in oppressive political circumstances, that freedoms are immensely curbed, and that submission is becoming the only option. Worse, we are now supposed to live under the terror of ambivalence.

'The Making of Neoliberal Turkey' edited by Cenk Özbay, Maral Erol, Ayşecan Terzioğlu and Z. Umut Turem (Ashgate, 241 pages, £95)

I should be the last person to write on economic matters, since it is neither my profession nor my passion. Nevertheless, none of us need to be experts nowadays to see that the prospects for Turkey's economy are rather dim.

Greece may have been accused of pursuing neoliberal policies in 2014 by the now-ruling leftists, but in fact this country then ranked a rather poor 86th among 159 states, according to the new Economic Freedom of the World report from Canada's Fraser Institute, which is based on data from that year.

The start of talks between the Greek Labour Minister, George Katrougalos and the country’s creditors (Troika) on Wednesday, are highly anticipated, as the Greek Minister has made it explicitly clear that Greece would not budge on the issues of massive layoffs, lock-outs, defending the right to strike and wages.

On Aug. 26, the hills of the Bosphorus, two continents greeting one another, welcomed a third bridge over the waters running from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea; a third intruder for many civil society organizations, environmentalist groups and concerned citizens, on grounds that it will destroy the remaining green area and the water supply in Istanbul. 

Efforts to introduce a proper evaluation system for educators into Greece's education system and to reduce the excess number of tertiary institutions through mergers are two red flags for enemies of reform.

One of most-cited social scientists of our time, Professor David Harvey speaks about the role of the reader, writer and everyday people in a social resistanceIncreasing social inequality, wars and migration all call for a clear policy response and an urgent reply to the question how can civil society fight back.