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The author evaluates documentary on Castro and opera 'Satyagraha' based on M. K. Gandhi's fight for freedom and social justice and believes that though Gandhi was successful with his strategy of non-violence against British, his strategy would not have worked against Stalin or Nazis. Both Gandhi and Martin Luther Jr. both went to prisons for their ideal of social justice but though Castro too went to prison, he sent his political foes to prison in the name of economic and social justice.

The article examines anti-Semitism, a form of race or national prejudice that mainly targeted the Jews and compares it with anti-Zionism.

France's crisis of unemployment under the neo-Gaullists is also the worldwide crisis of the contemporary Democratic Left. The French Socialists tried to go beyond the welfare state after coming to power in 1981, but the international economic environment forced them to reverse course, and the question is whether or not 'internal reality' in France and elsewhere will constrain the conflicted liberalizing efforts of the center-Right.

A thought experiment for the Left, considering a democratic contender becomes the fortieth president of the US in Historical Original Position (HOP) with no idea of the post-1981 history, is presented. In the face of consequences of aggressive ambitions of either of the likes of Saddam Hussein in Iraq or fanatical Khomeini in Iran, some practical equilibrium between the left-wing values and the intransigent realities of the world is required.

eDissentE, a political quarterly journal and its journey through the 50 years of publishing is traced. The political leaning of the journal towards left and its foray into the Internet circulation is also included.

The George Bush government's 'War on Terror' has united and divided Americans, the widest split being that between the United States and the rest of the world. The views and arguments of two authors in relation to the tragedy of 9/11 are presented.

This article is a symposium in which nine political activists on the Left expound on their stand regarding the planned United States' war against Iraq. Most of the members of the symposium argue against the war in light of current political conditions in the United States.

This article discusses postmodern political theory, drawing from Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's 'Empire'. The author, maintaining Hardt and Negri search for a way not to be governed in which the multitude are a constituent power, argues postmodernism has not been influential in politics.

Artist David Stern seeks to draw out the human form after an extremely anti-human age. His canvas is almost transformed into an energized relief, moving towards the viewer. Individuals appear from surfaces that do not seem to be flat. One of the key themes of his paintings is the relations of bodies to each other and to space. On the canvas, Stern's cosmos and his complex visual imagination are interwoven.

A response to the article 'Towards a Politics of Democratic Ambivalence' by Jeffrey C. Isaac is presented. Democratic ambivalence was argued as still inappropriate to describe the 'left' political identity suggested in the article 'Why I'm Still 'Left'.' Such terminology entails advocating for profit orientedness of the neoliberal economics. Being 'left' should, instead, be geared more towards the redemption of this kind of philosophy.

Israeli Labor's loss in the last election was due to both circumstance and its inability to define its own agenda. The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin accounts for the loss of Labor's 30 point lead, and the way it dealt with the terrorist attack that happened afterwards made the loss irrevocable. The new electoral law, which was designed to curb the religious parties' hold on the Knesset, also worked against the Labor Party. What could be a tragic outcome of Labor's loss is when Arafat would also loss his hold in Palestine. That would leave the Hamas and Netanyahu at the opposing ends of the table.

Dynamic minority issues are a persisting phenomena of contemporary times. The tolerant prejudice of premodern corporate societies is displaced by a nationalism intolerant of group identities. The rise of nation-states saw the emergence of minority treaties, which failed to ameliorate the plight of the prosecuted. While the cold war witnessed the manipulation of the others in bigger power strategies, the post-cold war period is institutionally incapable of coping with ethnic issues. Western multiculturalism poses a challenge to the acceptance of otherness with universality.

Michael Walzer's criticism of African-Americans' Million Man March in Washington D.C. draws praise while Mitchell Cohen's admiration of the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin draws criticism. Walzer's views rightly suggest that failure to curb the current trend toward the revival of nationalist claims for an African-American state will result in bitter conflicts. Cohen's view of Rabin as a great statesman fails to take into account the atrocities committed against Palestinians, an ethnic minority, by the Israeli government in the name of peace-making.

Irving Howe's cardinal conclusion that the separation of democracy from socialism disrupts the animating spirit of socialism itself. His criticism of the characterization of politics as only for the 'liberal socialist' is more guided by his negation and self-critical temper than by any definite distributive political ideology. In more humanistic terms, Howe considers perfectionism as never complete, but it can be strived for by being more human and helpful.

Richard Wagner's masterpieces in opera and his villains embody the prejudices he had against the Jews, his preoccupation with myths and German unification. Wagner was a victim of varying moods and his themes often proved unacceptable to the public. The demoniac characters he portrayed in his works represented the devil in him.

The Democratic Left have selectively opposed US interventionist activities in the global community. US intervention came in theform of food relief to Somalia, advocating a change in International Monetary Fund and United Nations policies. In addition, advances in communication and technology have made it easier for nations to interact with other countries instead of adopting isolationist policies. The US can limit its role in the preservation of world peace by backing efforts to strengthen the UN Military Staff Committee.

Cosmopolitanism can help reconcile multiculturalism and re-emergent nationalism in the post-Cold War era. The left, which has traditionally regarded nations as a product of history and relatively unimportant, needs to realize that national language and culture also play an important role in differentiating societies. On the other hand, the fanatic aspects of nationalism also need to be moderated. Cosmopolitanism can help by integrating people having multiple loyalties.

Critics of Stalinism have always associated the ideology with oppression and totalitarianism. Similarly, it has always been considered as an inevitable consequence of Leninism and Russian history. This limited viewpoints tend to obscure Stalinism's socioeconomic and historical dimensions. Thus, Stalinism should be viewed in its historical entirety and not in an ideological monocausal way.

Moshe Lewin, one of the leading scholars of Soviet history in the US, comments on the current state of Russia's economy and political system. He feels that a new union is in the offing between Russia and other former Soviet republics despite widespread nationalist sentiments. Economic and political interests would ultimately take precedence in the republics' attempts at economic reform. However, a strong social democratic government with the political will to reform is needed to effect the desired changes.

The anti-establishment activities of the public in the United States, France and Czechoslovakia are discussed. It is suggested that the leftists involved in the 2008 presidential elections should learn to be active but compromised social democrats, and be politically astute rather than righteous, unlike in the disastrous 1968 Democratic campaign.

The dismal failure in Iraq demonstrates that there are preconditions for the establishment of democracy in a country and these cannot be bypassed in the quest for a better political system.

The US government's role in international politics in the post Cold War era is uncertain since it is undecided between adopting an isolationist policy and continuing with its earlier policy of intervention. Stanley Hoffmann's proposal for the restructuring of the UN to increase its role in world politics, is welcome despite its limitations as it will help the US focus on its problems. Increasing market fundamentalism also demands a neutral organization that will ensure equal development opportunities for all countries.

A writer considers the word 'recuse' lofty and official and suggests the use of its meaning in weighing matters of congressional actions against the chief executive of the nation. He opines that anyone who would destroy a presidency should be themselves unimpeachable. Thus, any legislator should be asked the same questions being asked in an investigation where excess in the pursuit of truth is considered a virtue. These questions include: have they committed adultery or engaged in illicit sexual relations and have they done so on government property.