[WSMDiscuss] Progressive International Launches 'To Form a Common Front' in Global Struggle for Justice and a Better World

Tue May 12 17:59:22 CEST 2020

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

            Thanks for your comments, Tord.  I can't deny that I remain a little worried about the quote attributed to Chomsky, but for those interested in knowing more about the ‘PI’ as Tord as termed it, and about its vision and programme, please go up to https://progressive.international/ <https://progressive.international/>.

            Jai


> On May 12, 2020, at 8:25 AM, Tord Björk via WSM-Discuss <wsm-discuss at lists.openspaceforum.net> wrote:
> 
> Thankyou!
> 
> Finally an open space answer to the corona crisis has emerged. The global simultaneous crisis makes more or less all of the WSF declaration relevant. But the social forum process have shown its weakness in responding to the situation with the exception to my knowledge of Europe and especially Central and Eastern Europe. The model of the so called European/Prague Spring 2020 was organized contrary to the open space formula explicitly as an assembly of social movements with no selforganized side activities. There will be an evaluation meeting later today so i can come back to the outcome of this event with two webinars organized by 8 organizations that did not cooperate before.
> 
> With the Progressive International (PI) for god and bad the tendencies in the open space concept as it has been carried forward by WSF has been used to address covid19. Officially WSF was not for parties, peoples movements and NGOs only as well as individuals was the formula- But the sneakdoor was opened for political parties by inviting politicians "in their personal character". 
> 
> This opening towards political parties, and then in general not the more radical, becomes with the PI dominant. Most of the council members comes from political parties, the rest from radical single issue campaigning and media. Very few from peoples movements. 
> 
> It will serve as a good complementary function to the several peoples movement initiatives. 
> 
> I will come back with some more analysis
> 
> 
> Tord Björk
> 
> email: tord.bjork at gmail.com <mailto:tord.bjork at gmail.com>, skype: tordbjork, tel: +46 (0)722 15 16 90
> address: Götgatan 7 A, 29133 Kristianstad, Sweden
> 
> 
> 
> On Tue, May 12, 2020 at 2:36 AM Jai Sen <jai.sen at cacim.net <mailto:jai.sen at cacim.net>> wrote:
> Monday, May 11, 2020
> 
> Viruses in movement…, The Left in movement…, Resistance in movement…
> 
> 
> [It certainly has some big names there, but how and where this new-old initiative fits into and relates to what else is already happening – and in particular with local, national, and issue-wise initiatives and struggles on the ground, and what it thinks it can do - is not clear from this article, however, and – with all due respect - some of its rhetoric positively worries me :
> 
> "It's not easy," Chomsky continued. "There are forces fighting back. The International is going to be facing similar attacks. To overcome them, it depends on the peasants with the pitchforks."
> 
> 
> 
> Published on Monday, May 11, 2020 by
> 
> Common Dreams <https://www.commondreams.org/>
> Progressive International Launches 'To Form a Common Front' in Global Struggle for Justice and a Better World
> 
> "Nothing less than the future of the planet is at stake."
> 
> Eoin Higgins, staff writer <https://www.commondreams.org/author/eoin-higgins-staff-writer>, Common Dreams
> 
> https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/11/progressive-international-launches-form-common-front-global-struggle-justice-and?cd-origin=rss&utm_term=AO&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_content=email&utm_source=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Email <https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/11/progressive-international-launches-form-common-front-global-struggle-justice-and?cd-origin=rss&utm_term=AO&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_content=email&utm_source=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Email>
> 
> 
> "There is a global struggle taking place of enormous consequence," said Progressive International on Monday. "Nothing less than the future of the planet is at stake." (Image: Progressive International)
> 
> 
> A coalition of left-leaning thinkers, activists, organizations, and political leaders from around the world on Monday officially launched the Progressive International, a new global effort aimed to provide the world with an alternative to the ravages of neoliberal capitalism in a world gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, gross economic inequality, and corporate domination.
> 
> "The time has come for progressives everywhere to form a common front," the group declared <https://twitter.com/ProgIntl/status/1259737897755971589> on Monday as it called on people around the world to sign on for the effort <https://progressive.international/join/>.
> 
> In 2018, Yanis Varoufakis of the Democracy in Europe Movement (DiEM25) and Jane O'Meara Sanders of the Sanders Institute issued <https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/11/30/it-time-progressives-world-unite-sanders-varoufakis-issue-open-call-new-global> an open call for a new global progressive grassroots efforts that would help unify international pro-democracy movement.
> 
> In an official statement announcing <https://diem25.org/the-progressive-international-an-open-call-to-all-progressive-forces/> its formation on Monday, the Progressive International said it was now taking up that call and would act as an "institution for the world's progressive forces, with a mission to make solidarity more than a slogan."
> 
> "There is a global struggle taking place of enormous consequence," the group said. "Nothing less than the future of the planet is at stake."
> 
> Linguist Noam Chomsky, in an interview with the Guardian on the launch of the group Monday, said <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/11/donald-trump-is-culpable-in-deaths-of-americans-says-noam-chomsky> that the urgency created by the outbreak was due in part to the two approaches to the crisis being promoted by policy makers around the globe.
> 
> "One is let's take the savage, Reagan, Thatcher approach and make it worse. That's one way," said Chomsky. "The other way is to try to dismantle the structures, the institutional structures that have been created; that have led to very ugly consequences for much of the population of much of the world, [and] are the source of this pandemic."
> 
> "It's not easy," Chomsky continued. "There are forces fighting back. The International is going to be facing similar attacks. To overcome them, it depends on the peasants with the pitchforks."
> 
> 
> The group's council <https://progressive.international/council> includes big names in the left-wing sphere from around the world, including Naomi Klein, Arundhati Roy, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, among others. 
> 
> Varoufakis told the Guardian Monday that a left coalition had "been urgent for quite a while now" and that he hoped the crises brought about by the coronavirus had not made the left "late to the party."
> 
> The bankers and the fascists have so far been the only ones to have organised internationally. It is now the turn of progressives. The Progressive International is now in full flight. Our new web site went on air a few minutes ago. Watch this space. https://t.co/TFClVsAIc4 <https://t.co/TFClVsAIc4>
> — Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) May 11, 2020 <https://twitter.com/yanisvaroufakis/status/1259713531861184517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
> The Greek economist added that he was skeptical the E.U.'s economic zone would survive the outbreak and warned the one percent would take as much of the subcontinent's wealth as possible in the decline. 
> 
> "I don't think the eurozone can survive it," said Varoufakis. "But it can survive long enough to deplete huge amounts of wealth and social capital. Europe is rich enough, it can pretend and extend."
> 
> Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, a member of the group's council, said to the Guardian that he had hope the coalition could do some good for the world.
> 
> "This initiative comes at just the right time," said McDonnell. "It's about the nature of society we want."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ____________________________
> 
> Jai Sen
> 
> Independent researcher, editor; Senior Fellow at the School of International Development and Globalisation Studies at the University of Ottawa
> 
> jai.sen at cacim.net <mailto:jai.sen at cacim.net>
> Now based in New Delhi, India (+91-98189 11325) and in Ottawa, Canada, on unceded and unsurrendered Anishinaabe territory (+1-613-282 2900) 
> 
> CURRENT / RECENT publications :
> 
> Jai Sen, ed, 2018a – The Movements of Movements, Part 2 : Rethinking Our Dance. Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press <http://www.pmpress.org/>
> Jai Sen, ed, 2018b – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ? (Indian edition). New Delhi : AuthorsUpfront, in collaboration with OpenWord and PM Press.  Hard copy available at MOM1AmazonIN <https://www.amazon.in/dp/9387280101/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1522884070&sr=8-2&keywords=movements+of+movements+jai+sen>, MOM1Flipkart <https://www.flipkart.com/the-movements-of-movements/p/itmf3zg7h79ecpgj?pid=9789387280106&lid=LSTBOK9789387280106NBA1CH&marketplace=FLIPKART&srno=s_1_1&otracker=search&fm=SEARCH&iid=ff35b702-e6a8-4423-b014-16c84f6f0092.9789387280106.SEARCH&ppt=Search%20Page>, and MOM1AUpFront <http://www.authorsupfront.com/movements.htm>
> Jai Sen, ed, 2017 – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ?.  New Delhi : OpenWord and Oakland, CA : PM Press.  Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press <http://www.pmpress.org/>
> 
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> ** Inspired by the World Social Forum, WSMDiscuss – the successor to a list named ‘WSFDiscuss’ started in 2005 - is an open, unmoderated, and self-organising forum for the exchange of information and views on the experience, practice, and theory of social and political movement at any level (local, national, regional, and global), including the World Social Forum.  Join in ! **
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____________________________

Jai Sen

Independent researcher, editor; Senior Fellow at the School of International Development and Globalisation Studies at the University of Ottawa

jai.sen at cacim.net <mailto:jai.sen at cacim.net>
Now based in New Delhi, India (+91-98189 11325) and in Ottawa, Canada, on unceded and unsurrendered Anishinaabe territory (+1-613-282 2900) 

CURRENT / RECENT publications :

Jai Sen, ed, 2018a – The Movements of Movements, Part 2 : Rethinking Our Dance. Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press <http://www.pmpress.org/>
Jai Sen, ed, 2018b – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ? (Indian edition). New Delhi : AuthorsUpfront, in collaboration with OpenWord and PM Press.  Hard copy available at MOM1AmazonIN <https://www.amazon.in/dp/9387280101/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1522884070&sr=8-2&keywords=movements+of+movements+jai+sen>, MOM1Flipkart <https://www.flipkart.com/the-movements-of-movements/p/itmf3zg7h79ecpgj?pid=9789387280106&lid=LSTBOK9789387280106NBA1CH&marketplace=FLIPKART&srno=s_1_1&otracker=search&fm=SEARCH&iid=ff35b702-e6a8-4423-b014-16c84f6f0092.9789387280106.SEARCH&ppt=Search%20Page>, and MOM1AUpFront <http://www.authorsupfront.com/movements.htm>
Jai Sen, ed, 2017 – The Movements of Movements, Part 1 : What Makes Us Move ?.  New Delhi : OpenWord and Oakland, CA : PM Press.  Ebook and hard copy available at PM Press <http://www.pmpress.org/>
SUBSCRIBE TO World Social Movement Discuss, an open, unmoderated, and self-organising forum on social and political movement at any level (local, national, regional, and global).  To subscribe, simply send an empty email to wsm-discuss-subscribe at lists.openspaceforum.net <mailto:wsm-discuss-subscribe at lists.openspaceforum.net>
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