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I totally agree with all your points, Michael. I was trying to be diplomatic and guarded, knowing my tendency to go ballistic... On Wed, Apr 12, 2017 at 7:47 PM, Michael Karadjis <mkarad...@gmail.com> wrote: > Yes Andy, well that's the test isn't it. If the radical people's > revolution as it claims to be - and is no doubt partly true - can't seem to > inspire anyone outside the regions they control, then that needs analysis. > For one thing, we are aware of the real life restrictions on the Rojova > revolution (as on the rest of the revolution). The PYD runs a one-party > state, it arrests and jails oppositionists, it bans newspapers (eg Rudaw) > etc. It does not engage in ethnic cleansing in the systematic sense but the > allegations about less-systematic uprooting villagers and destroying > property are widespread enough. > > But much as we could debate all that (how much are restrictions imposed by > the situation etc, again, as with the rest of the revolution), the alliance > with US and Russian imperialism is more fundamental. Of course I agree that > we shouldn't attack them, or invalidate their own revolution, simply > because they get massive military aid from the US (and I have never done > that; and never mind that many Rojava-Firsters do precisely that to the > FSA/rebels due to the comparatively insignificant US aid they sometimes > get). But there is aid and aid. There is defence and there is offence. US > aid for the defence of Kobani was existential. The ongoing war however is > another thing. Sure, despite the US alliance, of course we still prefer > victories of SDF over ISIS tyranny, that is a given. But at what point does > systematic alliance become a political problem? Clearly, anyone can see > there are dangers. > > Here's the thing: their supporters talk about "extending the revolution." > Yet every extension of the borders of Rojava has been a military extension > with the direct aid of US imperialism, air strikes, special forces etc. Can > a radical democratic revolution really be extended that way? Even of we > leave aside the widespread allegations of abuses, what of the fact that > these US bombings kill lots of civilians? The US bombs killed 200 civilians > on the way into Manbij. I'm sure the people are happy to see the back of > Daesh. But how do these bombings and killings affect the reception of the > YPG/SDF? I don't know for sure, but it seems to me a problem. Certainly the > underground anti-ISIS group 'Raqqa is being Slaughtered Silently' > continually reports both on the terror unleashed by US bombing, and on > widespread distrust of the YPG. They are anything but ISIS tools. And all > that is before we even come to last year's alliance with Russian > imperialism in the conquest not of ISIS territory, but of rebel territory, > north of Aleppo city, which cut the city off from Azaz, Mare and the > Turkish border: ie, prepared the way for Assad's victory in Aleppo. I don't > think we can underestimate the effects of such actions on the mutual > solidarity Andy is talking about. > > And Salih Muslim's statements like this one - US should bomb the rebels > too, based on some spurious assertion about an alleged use of chlorine > (Assad has used chlorine dozens if not hundreds of times) - is an example > of the political impact of long-term alliance. > > -----Original Message----- From: Andrew Pollack via Marxism > Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2017 12:17 AM > To: Michael Karadjis > Subject: Re: [Marxism] PYD: US bombing of airbase good, but it should bomb > rebels too > > ******************** 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. > ***************************************************************** > > Meanwhile ROAR has another puff piece about the Ocalanists: > https://roarmag.org/magazine/dilar-dirik-kurdish-anti-fascism/ > > Much of what they say about the essential linkages of revolution, war, > class, gender etc. is true. And don't miss their mostly valid denunciation > of purist Western leftists who attack them for getting aid from > imperialism. (Sound familiar?) > > But... > > If they're so ideologically advanced, democratic, self-less blah blah blah, > how come they have made virtually no impact on the anti-Assad movement? > Yes, Syrian Arab elites are still mostly racist toward Kurds. But where's > the mutual solidarity between LCCs and Kurdish equivalents? > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/opt > ions/marxism/mkaradjis%40gmail.com > _________________________________________________________ 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
