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Fears of an escalation of the war in Gaza intensified this week after the assassination of Hamas number two Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, an action that Israel is suspected of orchestrating. The Hezbollah militia, often described as Hamas’ big brother, has vowed revenge, raising international concern over the prospect of Lebanon being dragged into the conflict. The U.S. sent a chief advisor, Amos Hochstein, to Tel Aviv in an attempt to cool tensions, but Israel has warned that there is a “tight timeline” to achieve a diplomatic solution. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would prefer an agreement, but is running out of patience after three months of exchanging artillery and missile fire with Lebanese guerrillas in the border area between the two countries, where 200,000 Israeli troops have been deployed. “We’re at a crossroads,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Hochstein.
In Mexico, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) celebrated the 30th anniversary of its uprising in the south of the country. A series of ceremonies were held to commemorate the insurgency, which changed the face of Mexican history and survives to this day in the mountains of the Chiapas region, along with its own way of understanding politics, life, dignity, and freedom. As a prelude to the anniversary, the ELZN announced a structural change to a more direct form of democracy, where the communities will be the basis of decision-making, signaling a generational change in which women will have a greater presence. As if to underline the movement’s regeneration, the former Subcomandate Marcos, now insurgent captain and one of history’s most famous revolutionaries, made a low-key appearance at the event.
EL PAÍS spoke to philosopher Kohei Saito, a phenomenon in Japan who has sold 500,000 copies of Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto, in which he ties together Marxism and environmentalism. “We are in a chronic state of emergency. The pandemic was not the last crisis, but rather the beginning of more problems. We should not forget that moment [during lockdown] when, consciously, we halted capitalism. It seemed impossible. But it happened. For a short time,” the 36-year-old, who advocates a “degrowth communism,” said.
We hope you enjoy this selection of articles from EL PAÍS USA Edition. |
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