Today, great sectors of the Israeli economy almost exclusively rely on guest-workers. Their proportion is higher than in the countries of Europe, with the exception of Switzerland. These people lack social rights and their conditions have negative impact on the Israeli citizens working in the same industries.

The well-known punk musician – leader of the group Bad Religion – outlines his view on society and also what he means by punk.

This is the first issue of the second decade of Eszmélet. Our main topic is still capitalism, changes of its forms, its present trends and theoretical and practical alternatives to it. Continuing and completing the studies published in earlier issues, now globalisation and anomalies of bourgeois policy are addressed again.

As Michal Kalecki the Polish economist born hundred years ago also pointed out: one of the main characteristic – and also a failure – of the capitalist system is instability. In addition to economic developments this instability also concerns the social and political situation and can explain expressions of social violence. Articles of the present issue explain the two tragic crises the Balkan wars and the terror in East Timor from this angle and also setting the events into the scene of global power politics.

Table of contents

1. Eszmélet : Conference at the 10th anniversary of Eszmélet
2. Szalai Erzsébet, Wiener György, Vadász János : What is behind the elite fights?
3. Makó István : A new theory of politics (possibilities)
4. Fred Block : The deconstruction of capitalism as a system
5. Rumy Husan, Michael Haynes : The failed attempts of catching up in Central and Eastern Europe
6. Farkas Péter : The contemporary crisis of the world capitalist economy
7. Artner Annamária : Trends of industrial development and Hungary
8. Susan George : The roots of evil
9. Jan Toporowski : Kalecki’s arguments for socialism
10. Magyar Jenő : on Ágnes Heller and János Kőbányai: Monkey on the bicycle
11. Böröcz József : War and histography
12. Feiler József : Colletarel damage – from an environmental point of view
13. Hegyi Gyula : Report to the European Council
14. Noam Chomsky : Western governments and the genocide in East Timor
15. Jeremy Corbyn : Arms for the death squads
16. Pados István : In those times the daily pay was about 31 forints …

Critique on Eric J. Hobsbawm: The age of extremes. The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1989.

Critique on the book Iván T. Berend: Terelőúton (On a diversion).