The critical analysis of the Lula epoch is a complex task. The former workers' movement leader, who became a charismatic president, announced intense reforms and part of them were actually realised. Nevertheless, he could not break away from the past, or the history of Brazil, in many respects. The fact that Brazil now is probably the most influential country of the periphery does not mean at all that its internal conflicts were eased.

The deforestation of Amazonian rainforests and the hunt for mineral resources result in a global ecological catastrophe. One form of the resistance against it the self-organising movements of indigenous people, the movements of landless people/land occupiers, but which is lacking the help of devoted helpers – the hard work of NGOs, international movements and churches.

Ecuador as it holds for several other countries in Central and South America is not hit by the crisis but the source of the crisis. The failure of neoliberal economic policies and the global shift in the world economy requires complex answers in action, which is a difficult task and often leads to dead-ends. Nevertheless, there is always a need for re-starts and opportunities should be utilized.

The crisis of the education system in fact is not what it seems to be based on the established clichés, warns the author. The true critical approach is presented by the article in the frame of international relations, especially drawing attention on the adverse role of the educational "gospel" of OECD and the consequences of the advance of private capital in education.