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I've given this its own thread because it was a bit off-topic where it was. When Chris explained, not wrongly, that liberation movements sometimes have to make deals with the devil for the purposes of survival, referring to the SDF's alliance with US imperialism in Syria, I noted that while this is true, it is even more important to build alliances with other people struggling. Therefore, I asked if there had been any statement from the PYD/YPG/SDF condemning the current Idlib-Hama massacre. Chris responded: “I am not aware of any such statements. I am also not aware of any statements by rebel groups in Idlib and Hama denouncing the Turkish invasion and occupation of Afrin. If such statements exist I would like to see them.” The context here is that the people of Idlib and Hama are being mass murdered for months on end now, in a truly frightening round of barbarism, while the world ignores it (if I go all conspiracist I might even suggest that the theatrics in the Gulf which, as I predicted, have not led to a shot being fired, are designed as a good cover for Putin and Assad “finishing the job”, while the US has now even joined in https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/us-targets-al-qaida-militants-northern-syria, following the US-Russia-Israel summit in Jerusalem https://www.albawaba.com/news/us-takes-calm-steps-contain-iran%E2%80%99s-presence-syria-1296303?fbclid=IwAR3HuUouso4Bvj9EnE83o00ZLQ9aISmH176vklF6RdqNgcNVQ7xMYvis-MQ, but anyway …). So, in this context, I am asking for statements from the SDF, PYD etc of solidarity with *the people* being massacred, as literally dozens of hospitals and schools are being hit, by a global imperialist power intervening in the affairs of an oppressed country. I’m not expecting them to express solidarity with the rebel groups defending the region, or their politics. But never mind, I realise that’s asking a bit much. Of course, the vast majority of those around the world who have supported the Syrian revolution over these years condemned the invasion of Afrin and the participation in it by some of the rebel groups there. You’re right, other rebel leaderships not taking direct part did not condemn it. The political quality of leadership of the revolution in Syria has never been a factor cited as a reason to support the people’s uprising. That’s a pity, and part of the reason for their defeat, but that’s reality emerging from decades of totalitarian rule. Hell, we supported the “Iranian revolution” in 1978-79, in a case where the equivalent of Jabhat al-Nusra (ie, the Khomeini forces) was the central, undisguised, unrivalled leadership; predictably the result was disastrous, but I’ve never heard anyone go all Spart on the actual overthrow of the Shah; and in contrast to that situation, leadership in Syria was always much more contested; and the Khomeini equivalent, Nusra,. Was never more than 10-15% of the armed rebellion (but a bigger proportion now in Idlib). Meanwhile, if the SDF can justify years of collaboration with US imperialism in 5 years of bombing Syria, even levelling entire cities and killing thousands of civilians, on the basis of the SDF being under siege by ISIS or by Turkey, then surely those who are *actually* under armed and bloody, near genocidal, siege for years might have the same rationale, no? And given that it is only Turkey which, for its own reasons (it doesn’t want 100s of 1000s more refugees pouring in), that is giving some active assistance to the cornered Idlib-Hama rebels, it seems all the more reason for them not to be criticising Turkey at this point. I’m not justifying, just noting the situation. By contrast, the SDF in (allegedly) the same circumstances (well, nothing like the same, but anyway …) would perhaps be justified going quiet on criticising its protector, US imperialism. So what excuse does it have for not criticising Assad? Seems to me the difference is that those who chose to narrowly support only Rojava rather than the rest of the uprising do so on the basis of the quality of the political leadership, seeing it as socialist, feminist, left-wing, revolutionary etc. That is quite different to the reasons we support the Syrian uprising more generally. And it is in that spirit that I ask the question. Saying “neither do the others say the right thing” is therefore irrelevant. If the PYD/SDF is unable to issue a sim-ple statement condemning this bloody massacre occurring under their noses, then all the chatter about “Rojava revolutionaries” being somewhat exceptional are just bunk. There’s this thing important to revolutionary politics called *solidarity*. But this word does not exist in the PYD lexicon. They have no idea what it means. Just another nationalist group, with a valid struggle of its own, but politically very much part of the problem. _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
