******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. *****************************************************************
"Moscow is a modern city much like any large U.S. city. The people were dressed well, and looked healthy and cared for. We learned that many of the social benefits that existed under the Soviet Union still exist. These include free universal healthcare. For most people, college was free, and students received a stipend for their living expenses. Putin is very popular with a high approval rating among the Russian people. The people see him as a kind of populist leader.” It really is shocking to read this description of Putin and modern-day Russia coming from leftists, some of whom probably consider themselves Marxists. No mention that Russia is capitalist, dominated by oligarchs (as is Ukraine), with sharp disparities between classes. So I have two naive questions: 1. Is there a website where one can read a theoretical justification for such statements? Is it just the old “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, class analysis be damned? 2. I could be way off base, but my recollection of UNAC is that it was formed and sustained to a large degree by Socialist Action and IAC. So is the view that the left should take the side of Russia in conflict with the U.S. a significant or marginal viewpoint within U.S. Trotskyism? Glenn _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
