******************** 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. *****************************************************************
I would shy away from your final statement about "strong man dictators" and instead argue that you can easily understand what drives Trump's behavior by logging onto the Antiwar.com Blog <https://www.antiwar.com/blog/> It's a cross-section of the group-think of his base, including the motivations for their support of his policies. Yes, their analysis is shit in some instances. But it also is a major artery of ideology to the Trumpkins -- Best regards, Andrew Stewart Message: 1 Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2019 07:50:15 -0700 From: John Reimann <1999wild...@gmail.com> To: Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition <marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> Subject: Re: [Marxism] Syria: US Imperialism Deserts the Kurds ? Once Again Message-ID: <CAFGnm-DOfRUNeO7CDyL=hcgyrpkr0tv3i4+z2zn-omtduto...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" I agree with what seems to be the implication of what Michael Karadjis wrote in reply to the above-entitled article: That we should not equate the policies of Trump with those of US imperialism. This is clear in the fact that even his most wild supporters, such as US Senators Lindsay Graham and Mitch McConnell, have strongly opposed Trump's call for a troop withdrawal from the border region between NE Syria and Turkey. As with so much else about Trump, especially in his foreign policy, his action in this case is based on a couple of things that have little to do with the interests or the strategy of US imperialism. They are based on how he sees his own personal interests, which in this case means appeasing and shoring up his base. If he were to drop a nuclear bomb on the region - or anywhere else - his base would be fine with that. At least if it did not immediately cause a large increase in gas prices. But the involvement of US troops is another question. Trump made the call shortly after having had a telephone conversation with Erdogan. None of us knows whether Erdogan directly communicated the wishes of Trump's semi-sponsor and Erdogan ally, Putin, but both must have known that Putin would approve. That would have figured heavily in Trump's calculations. Finally, Trump has an instinctive affinity for strong-man dictators like Erdogan. That would have also figured into his announcement. Sound ridiculous that the US president's actions would be based on personal, unthought-out feelings? Yes, it is. That is exactly a major part of the reason why so much of US capitalism opposes him and why even the editors of the Wall St. Journal criticize him. The president with self-described "great and unmatched wisdom" has all the consciousness of a six year-old. John Reimann -- *?In politics, abstract terms conceal treachery.? *from "The Black Jacobins" by C. L. R. James Check out:https:http://oaklandsocialist.com also on Facebook _________________________________________________________ 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
