Kevin Smith of Carbon Trade Watch/TNI argues, in a Guardian comment piece, that the the government should use its shareholder position in the newly recapitalised banks to end funding for fossil-fuel projects and to invest in a transition to a low-carbon economy.

Kevin Smith: "A green economy could be ours"
November 21st, 2008

Global Labor Strategies has a good analysis of the G20 summit, in which they argue that the vacuous statement not only indicated a kowtowing to Bush but also a fundamental inability to tackle a crisis that threatens their systems and the livelihoods of millions. The meeting was eerily reminiscent of a 1933 economic summit that disintegrated into trade wars and competitive devaluations. But the failure of the powers to address the crisis opens up the space for an initiative from below, from the alternative globalisation movement.

Global Labor Strategies: The G-20 vs. the G-6 Billion
November 21st, 2008

Read the full articles of Kevin Smith, Global Labor Strategies and more critical thinking on the financial and economic crisis on casinocrash.org, an interactive blog of the Transnational Institute & Institute for Policy Studies

About casinocrash.org

Casino Crash is an initiative of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam, Netherlands and the Institute of Policy Studies in Washington DC, USA. The aim of the blog is to provide a space for critical analysis of the financial crisis. TNI and IPS, made up of academic scholars from around the world, have long been warning of the dangers of the financial bubble. The blog hopes to bring some of these debates to the fore and answer some of these core questions:

* What are the real causes of the Wall Street Meltdown?
* What are the implications of the responses led by Bush, Paulson and governments worldwide?
* Will bank bailouts resolve the crisis?
* What will be the social and environmental impact of both the credit crunch and the different political responses to the crisis?
* What are the implications of the crisis for the Washington Consensus or even capitalism?
* What alternative solutions are needed to resolve both the immediate crisis and its systemic causes?

The debate will be enriched by your participation, so please leave a comment, link to articles you like and help turn this blog into a key forum for debate and analysis of this critical issue.

Transnational Institute

Founded in 1974, the Transnational Institute (TNI) is an international network of activist-scholars committed to critical analyses of the global problems of today and tomorrow, with a view to providing intellectual support to those movements concerned to steer the world in a democratic, equitable and environmentally sustainable direction.

In the spirit of public scholarship, and aligned to no political party, TNI seeks to create and promote international co-operation in analysing and finding possible solutions to such global problems as militarism and conflict, poverty and marginalisation, social injustice and environmental degradation.

For more information, visit www.tni.org

Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)

IPS was founded in 1963 with the aim of strengthening social movements with independent research, visionary thinking, and links to the grassroots, scholars and elected officials. I.F. Stone once called IPS “the think tank for the rest of us.” IPS played a critical role in founding the Transnational Institute in 1974.

For more information, visit www.ips-dc.org