In these times of crisis and calamity, where can we look for hope and encouragement? According to David McNally, people are coming together and creating exciting new democratic practices in locales around the globe. He points to grassroots experiments in radical democracy and truly participatory decision making in places like Tunisia, Egypt, Oaxaca, and Cochabamba.

African Americans and Latinos acting in tandem could exert tremendous political force. Mark Sawyer examines factors that inhibit Latino-Black collaboration, including anti-Black racism among many Latinos, African American parochialism, and narrow visions of racial/ethnic identity. He also identifies points of commonality and convergence. And Juan Flores talks about the broader project of the book in which Sawyer's essay appears.

What do a coup in Honduras and a redwood log cross section put on display for park visitors have in common? Dana Frank comments on the recent military coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya, the repression and resistance that followed, and the US response. She also explains how date markers on tree slices connect to themes of empire, conquest and domination.

If fair trade is the saner alternative to so-called free trade, then how should we go about conceptualizing the former? Michael Howard argues for an egalitarian system that prioritizes the needs of developing countries. Also, Jeffrey Rubin describes what Lula could have done, and could still do, to respond to the concerns and activities of Brazil's social movements.