Politics & Society
Tikkun’s vision is that we can create a caring society. What if our goal as political and social activists were both an equal society, in terms of wealth, rights, and power, and also an empathic society, where we cared about each other’s well-being? That would change the way we do politics. See our Core Vision. Please note that the articles we publish reflect a wider range of opinion and sometimes include ones arguing against our editorial positions.
Activism
The Middle East Uprisings and Lessons from Che
by Phil Wolfson
This manifesto to Middle East revolutionaries is a congratulation, an aspiration, and a blessing that draws upon lessons from Che Guevara.
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Justice & Prisons
A Populist Assault on Judicial Independence: Newt Gingrich, Recep Tayyip Edrogan, and Benjamin Netanyahu
by Chisda Magid
It is not unusual to see politicians in the U.S. chastising courts for rulings that contravene their party’s interests or ideology, but the recent proposals from Republican candidates would undermine the critical and constitutional independence of the courts. Similar assaults on the courts being carried out by conservative governments in Turkey and Israel are important as cases of these Republican policies being executed.
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Eco-Spirituality
Earth Democracy and the Rights of Mother Earth
by Vandana Shiva
The ecological and economic problems we face are rooted in a series of reductionist steps, which have shrunk our imagination and our identity, our purpose on the earth, and the instruments we use to meet our needs. We are first and foremost earth citizens.
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Environment
The Loss and Recovery of Relatives
by Winona LaDuke
The headwaters of both the Mississippi and Red River watersheds emerge from our territory, here at Anishinaabe Akiing, and from these same waters come our sturgeon. The most majestic of fish lived well with our people, and sustained us through many of the coldest winter months. It was, however, not to last.
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Environment
Transforming the Economy: Linking Hands Across the Social and Environmental Divide
by Helena Norberg-Hodge
Climate change and extinction are both too narrow. We need to move beyond ecological concerns to reach out to the ever-larger proportion of society focused on eradicating injustice and poverty. We need to reach out to those who now live in fear of losing their livelihoods and homes.
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Activism
Israel’s Good Life Revolution
by Avner Inbar
To live the good life, according to the dominant Israeli ideology, is to be sufficiently secure from physical threats, which is why each and every aspect of life in Israel is carried out under the tutelage of the notion of security. What this security is for, what higher end it serves, is a question seldom asked and never answered.
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War & Peace
Syria’s Minorities Fear Opposition Movement
by Reese Erlich
TARTUS, Syria -- J. Toumajian was shocked when he heard about demonstrators chanting in his small town: “Christians to Beirut; Alawites to tabout [the coffin].” The murderous slogan was being chanted last July by some fifty Muslim extremists demonstrating against the Syrian government, according to Toumajian, an Armenian Catholic.
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Economy/Poverty/Wealth
The Camp Is the World: Connecting the Occupy Movements and the Spanish May 15th Movement
by Luis Moreno-Caballud and Marina Sitrin
Should our energy be focused on finding new spaces to occupy and create encampments? Should we be focused more in our local neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces? Is there a way to both occupy public space with horizontal assemblies yet also focus locally and concretely?
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Economy/Poverty/Wealth
Oakland’s General Strike and the Mobilizing Power of the Occupy Movement
by Sam Ross-Brown
In calling for a general strike on November 2, Occupy Oakland took quite a risk. Generations have passed since the last wave of general strikes in the United States, and in many ways political consciousness could not be more different. Historically, mass labor actions have depended on large-scale organization among workers, a clear list of demands, and broad community support. Moreover, changes in labor laws and union membership rates make the kind of well-structured actions seen during the height of the labor movement all but impossible. Bottom line: if you’re looking for reasons why November 2 was not a truly traditional general strike, they’re not hard to find.
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Economy/Poverty/Wealth
Discipline and Democracy, from Guatemala to Wall Street
by Josh Healey
Especially this year, here in Guatemala, Yom Kippur is not so much the Day of Atonement as it is the Day of Discipline. For if there’s one lesson I have taken so far from my short time here in Guatemala, it is that of discipline.
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