These essays are among the political pieces written since the catastrophic events of 9/11. Massive violence against humanity is a recurrent theme in modern, industrialized societies. But the same societies also gave rise to impressive forms of popular resistance. 9/11 signaled a change in the agenda. Under the leadership of the United States, advanced industrial states had developed colossal instruments of propaganda and violence to throttle popular resistance. Vast sections of working masses were basically disenfranchised.

In the absence of mass movements, forms of terror have taken over the role of resistance. The presence of this terror is now used as a new pretext for controlling domestic populations, targeting specific communities and launching wars of aggression abroad. As the twin terrors confront each other in a spiraling cycle of violence, the democratic space for the unarmed humanity – in fact, the chance of survival of the human race – diminishes. What options for resistance are now available to arrest what otherwise looks like an inevitable course to doom?

These essays are a fragile and essentially personal effort to come to grips with this overwhelming question. This is not meant to be theoretical exercise; there are no blue-prints. These are expressions of anguish and anger directed at mounting insanity, celebration of little glimmers of hope, attempts to analyse, understand, expose, locate the ground and act.