Nearly 200 years after Marx called for “workers of the world to unite,” internationalism is still a secondary priority for most of the left, rarely moving beyond handshakes between trade union leaders or statements by progressive parties. It’s ironic then that peasants, a class often denigrated as provincial and backward, have built the most successful international movement of the 21st century. La Via Campesina or “The Peasant Way'' started as a declaration by 31 peasant organizations and has now grown to 182 national affiliates and 200 million members. In her book, “La Via Campesina: Globalization and the Power of Peasants,” Annette Aurelie Desmarais reveals peasant activists used international solidarity to fortify—rather than detract from—local and national struggles. 

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