Perhaps the most important impact of globalisation is that it increases insecurity within society. The history of post-war welfare states come to an end. Ideologies of capitalism with a human face have turned out to be naive.

The paper is based upon a survey in 1998, and it shows a significant difference in the migration potential of women in different countries. The main motivation for migration is the presence of friends in other countries. Unemployment particularly encourages women to migrate. The article was first published in Ost-West Gegeninformationen.

Approaching the accession of the East Central European countries to the EU more and more experts attempt to estimate the likely migration potential of the transition countries. The results of available reasearch demonstrates that we cannot expect substantial immigration from Hungary to the EU.

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 …