STWR - Share The World's Resources

Rather than the commonly blamed US housing bubble, the real cause of the financial crisis was a systemic imbalance between supply and demand. Until businesses raise their workers' wages at the same rate as productivity, economic recovery remains unlikely, says Pranav Bihari.

Poor countries have fought hard for a UN summit on the financial crisis but rich countries prefer to control the world economy as the exclusive G8. It is no surprise that the UN fails to play an effective role in global governance when the richest countries prevent it from doing so, argues Nick Dearden.

Commons-based societies flourished for centuries until they were destroyed by the privatisation of formerly shared resources. Modern technology is creating new commons based societies like the free software community - indicating a renaissance of 'commonism', writes Christian Siefkes.

In Iran social networks and new electronic technologies have given people the courage to collectively express their dissent. The new media's ability to limit state control over communication may become an important tool in democratising global politics, argues Henry Giroux.

Economic recession combined with persistently high food prices is dramatically increasing the number of hungry people globally. Hunger is now a reality for a sixth of the world's population, with both rural and urban communities in developing countries most severely affected, says the FAO. 

The global trend of 'land grabbing' is likely to worsen the impact of the food and climate crises in poor countries, and compromise the land rights of local communities. Governments must regulate investment to prioritise food security and the realisation of human rights, argues Alexandra Spieldoch.

On June 5, World Environment Day, Amazon Indians were massacred by the government of Alan Garcia in the latest chapter of a long war to take over common lands - a war unleashed by the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Peru and the United States. By Raúl Zibechi.

The number of people forcibly uprooted by conflict and persecution worldwide stood at 42 million at the end of 2008 amid a sharp slowdown in repatriation and more prolonged conflicts resulting in protracted displacement.

As international attention turns towards a major conference to discuss the global financial crisis, a coalition of NGOs calls upon governments to invest in green technology, protect the poor, and deliver a resource transfer from North to South to promote truly sustainable development. By Put People First.

To get ourselves out of the financial crisis and create the world we want, we must reboot the economy with a new values-based operating system designed to support social and environmental balance - one that is locally rooted in strong communities and distributes wealth equitably, says David Korten.