Regarding 3rd ways generally I would like to add this snippet:
There are at least three different "third ways" and goals respectively:
- the third way within capitalism: whether it is called a defeat or set-back of neoliberal politics - the current state of a large number of national capitals provides the terrain for a new round [Blair, Schroeder, Prodi, Gore (?) - Jospin hesitantly changing his political course (?)] of mixed *monetarist* and *innovative* attempts to (not successfully) solve the structural crisis of capitalism (over-accumulation). It remains to be seen whether this approach is a *new* version of a third way between the free market option and the more etaistic (the social democratic variant of a Keynesian welfare state) option which dominated the political agenda of the 60ies and 70ies.
- the third way between capitalism and socialism - the supporters of convergence theories have almost disappeared.
- the third way to socialism between the social democratic and Marxist-Leninist way: the option of left socialism: Sure, the supporters of this option are still in a desperate defensive - even in that countries where left socialists did develop an alternative programm of economic and social politics.
Hinrich Kuhls