The fate of Tibet and its unelected superstar figurehead has captured the attention of western liberals, not to mention the US government. But the real fascination of Tibet is not its exoticism but its similarity to the rest of an undemocratic global system, argues Paula Cerni

THE ASSAULT ON CULTURE: A Mute Magazine talk on privatisation and critical artistic practice

Does private-public funding and management of culture mark the death of institutional and critical autonomy? And is direct censorship an anomaly, the most visible form of a wider constriction of cultural freedom, or the shape of cultural policy to come?

Mute has invited a range of practitioners along to discuss the perils and opportunities for critical cultural activity in neoliberalising institutions:

Variant magazine have produced a press release addressing the response of James Doherty, Media Manager of Culture and Sport Glasgow and President of the National Union of Journalists, to a text published in Variant by Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt. 'The main thrust of the article is to expose the connections between the various board members of CSG and its trading arm and their multifarious business interests and strategies for culture, which point to the privatisation of a valuable public service and the erosion of the common good.'

In this series of interviews with young migrants living in different European cities, Emilio Quadrelli tracks the elusive subject of 'political Islam' as well as the intensive police actions which together shape the boundaries of a 'refugee subjectivity'. Translation from the Italian by Stefano di Cicco

Last week Mute hosted an open discussion entitled 'Feeding Frenzy: Food, Fuel and Finance' in which we tried to connect the recent food crisis to a chain of 'crises' – first the credit crunch and, following hard on its heals, the unprecedented hike in fuel prices. We would like to continue this debate here with your help!

Since the 2006 Oaxaca revolt state repression in Mexico has contributed to popular feeling that peaceful protest has failed. Today, the country is on the threshold of a cycle of armed anti-capitalist struggle, argues Mihalis Mentinis