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Originally published: Auckland Park, South Africa: Jacana Media, 2010.
During the years of apartheid rule in South Africa, Ronnie Kasrils was actively involved with the banned ANC, its military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe and the South African Communist Party. Hunted by the security police, he was described by them as 'Armed and Dangerous'. This is his riveting first-hand account of the tense and dramatic years of the liberation struggle followed by his role in the first ten years of a democratic South Africa in which he first served as Deputy Defence Minister (1994 to1999) and then as Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry (1999 to 2004). Originally published in 1993, the book was republished in 1998 with eight additional chapters.
In July 2011, Israel passed legislation outlawing the public support of boycott activities against the state, corporations, and settlements, adding a crackdown on free speech to its continuing blockade of Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements. Nonetheless, the campaign for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) continues to grow in strength within Israel and Palestine, as well as in Europe and the US. This essential intervention considers all sides of the movement—including detailed comparisons with the South African experience—and contains contributions from both sides of the separation wall, along with a stellar list of international commentators. Contributors: Merav Amir and Dalit Baum, Ra’anaan Alexandrowicz, Hind Awwad, Mustafa Barghouthi, Omar Barghouti, Joel Beinin, John Berger, Angela Davis, Nada Elia, Marc Ellis, Noura Erakat, Ran Greenstein, Neve Gordon, Ronald Kasrils, Jamal Khader, Naomi Klein, Mark LeVine, Ken Loach, David Lloyd and Laura Pulido, Haneen Maikey, Ilan Pappe, Jonathan Pollak, Lisa Taraki, Rebecca Vilkomerson, Michael Warschawski, Slavoj Žižek.
Originally published in 1973, this volume documents Bertrand Russell’s travels in America covering the period 1896-1945. It is presented in two halves with the first a biographical account of Russell’s involvement with the United States, with special reference to the seven visits he made there during this time period. Throughout this section the most representative of Russell’s journalistic writings are highlighted and these are presented as full texts in the second half of the book. This collection is assembled to provide an understanding of Russell’s deep and many-sided involvement with the United States during his life. A documented account, it is supplemented with important letters, photographs and newspaper articles.
Now in its fourth edition, Armed and Dangerous is the first-hand account of Kasrils's years in both the liberation struggle and in government. Kasrils gives an insider's account of the workings of Umkhonto weSizwe, the armed wing of the ANC. Nicknamed 'The Red Pimpernel' by the South African press and public for slipping in and out of South Africa in disguise to run secret missions, Kasrils narrowly escaped arrest in several close shaves with security forces. Following the arrests of Mandela and other ANC leaders, he fled into hiding overseas, became one of the key commanders of Umkhonto weSizwe and set up training camps in Tanzania, Cuba and elsewhere. Armed and Dangerous is dedicated to the Born Frees, the generation born after the attainment of a democratic South Africa in 1994, to help them understand the struggle and carry on where we left off to make South Africa a better place for all who live in it.
Originally published in 1984, this volume documents Bertrand Russell's travels in America covering the period 1945-1970. It is presented in two halves with the first a biographical account of Russell's involvement with the United States and the second including the most representative of Russell's journalistic writings as full texts.
Ronnie Kasrils's memoir reflects on compelling questions as to what turned a white youngster from a modest background into a lifelong revolutionary of note. A tiny minority who abandoned a life of privilege was the antithesis of conventionality and toeing the line. What made those such as Kasrils break all the rules and confront white power with such courage, unbridled spirit, and yearning for the truth? This is a challenging and fascinating conundrum but Kasrils will claim he is no aberration of history. The answers to that question, which unravel through twenty years, will beguile readers as he peers back with endearing frankness into the origins and experiences of his formative years. A Y...
A first-hand account of the workings of the Bisho Massacre (1992).
We hear for the first time from the international issue secretly worked for the INC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe(MK), in the struggle to liberate South Africa from apartheid rule. They acted as couriers, provided safe houses in neighbouring states and within South Africa, helped infiltrate combatants across borders, and smuggles tonnes of weapons into the country in the most creative ways. Driven by a spirit of international solidarity, they were prepared to take huge risks and face great danger. The internationalists reveal what motivated them as volunteers, not mercenaries: they gained nothing for their endeavours save for the self-esteem in serving a just cause. Against such clandestin...
Within the already heavily polarised debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, parallels between Israel and apartheid South Africa remain highly contentious. A number of prominent academic and political commentators, including former US president Jimmy Carter and UN Special Rapporteur John Dugard, have argued that Israel's treatment of its Arab-Israeli citizens and the people of the occupied territories amounts to a system of oppression no less brutal or inhumane than that of South Africa's white supremacists. Similarly, boycott and disinvestment campaigns comparable to those employed by anti-apartheid activists have attracted growing support. Yet while the 'apartheid question' has become ...