Valid points, too. I thought of that myself - but this article is not written by me. I merely posted it. You did realize that, didn't you?
Z T Minhas wrote: > > > Certain people from the left should just shut the hell up.... > >> AS SOCIALISTS, we support the right of oppressed peoples to fight for >> self-determination unreservedly, just as we oppose imperialism, >> without caveat. > The soviet uniuon invaded afghanistan in 1979.... not a whimper from > international socialists,... and encouraged by Afghan communists.... >> >> This perspective is generally accepted by the left without question >> in contexts such as Latin America or Africa, where bitter fights >> against U.S. and European imperialism have been fought and, in some >> cases, won. > But not Russian imperialism >> >> Yet, when it comes to the Middle East and Afghanistan today there is >> suddenly much less clarity about what radicals and Marxists should be >> saying. Nowhere is that more evident than in the case of Afghanistan, >> which has suffered under the yoke of U.S. imperialism since 2001 >> (with active U.S. interference in the country since at least the 1970s). > Ah yes... the bastards show their true colors... Russia INVADED > Afghanistn killing millions.. and American involvement in getting them > out was called an interference... where are my brass knuckles... i > need to find me a commie... especially an Afghan or Paki commie!!! > > Z T > > > Linda G. Richard wrote: >> >> >> Should the left call for Taliban victory? >> >> >> Socialist Worker >> >> >> AS SOCIALISTS, we support the right of oppressed peoples to fight for >> self-determination unreservedly, just as we oppose imperialism, >> without caveat. >> >> This perspective is generally accepted by the left without question >> in contexts such as Latin America or Africa, where bitter fights >> against U.S. and European imperialism have been fought and, in some >> cases, won. >> >> Yet, when it comes to the Middle East and Afghanistan today there is >> suddenly much less clarity about what radicals and Marxists should be >> saying. Nowhere is that more evident than in the case of Afghanistan, >> which has suffered under the yoke of U.S. imperialism since 2001 >> (with active U.S. interference in the country since at least the 1970s). >> >> The idea that the Taliban, as a movement fighting against U.S. >> occupation, is a force we should be supporting is, unfortunately, a >> somewhat controversial position to hold, even on the far left. This >> is a serious mistake and speaks both to the extent to which >> Islamophobia has penetrated the left, as well as to the lack of >> understanding of the social dynamics of an oppressed and devastated >> country like Afghanistan. >> >> We are all familiar with the lies and excuses used to justify the >> invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in the wake of the September >> 11 attacks. Bush and his coterie of crooks and warmongers told us >> that only a military invasion could liberate the people, and >> especially the women, of Afghanistan from the brutal, misogynistic >> and "medieval" Taliban movement. >> >> There was no mention, of course, of the substantial support offered >> to the Taliban regime in the late 1990s when Clinton was president >> and in the early days of the Bush presidency, nor of the long and >> ugly history of U.S. intervention in Central and South Asia, which >> was an important precondition for the rise of Islamism. >> >> We should condemn unreservedly the oppression of women and the >> general social conservatism of the pre-2001 Taliban regime, as well, >> of course, as their efforts to cut deals with regional and global >> superpowers against the interests of the vast majority of Afghans. >> However, we must also unreservedly condemn the racism and >> Islamophobia used as an ideological fig leaf to justify invasion and >> imperialism, and it is the left's weakness on this issue, which has >> blinded many to the new realities on the ground in Afghanistan. >> >> Before addressing the important question of who the Taliban actually >> are, it is important to understand the material conditions Afghans >> face. Afghanistan is a devastated country. It is ranked at or near >> the bottom of a broad range of social indicators, such as levels of >> poverty, infant mortality, literacy, per capita income, prevalence of >> easily preventable diseases and so forth. Most major cities in >> Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, are in ruins (despite >> claims of "reconstruction" by NATO imperialists) and decent roads, >> electricity, clean water, sanitation and basic social services are >> unheard of for most of the population, especially in the rural areas. >> The majority of the population ekes out a living on a subsistence >> basis, and the struggle for survival is the overarching concern for >> most Afghans. >> >> In a nutshell, there is no Afghan working class or progressive petit >> bourgeoisie to speak of, and the major social classes (aside from the >> puppet regime and it's assortment of bandits and thugs) are the poor >> peasantry and the Islamic clergy. >> >> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >> >> THE SIGNIFICANCE of this to a discussion of anti-imperialist >> resistance in Afghanistan should be obvious to any serious historical >> materialist. This question cannot be thought about in the abstract, >> it must be considered in light of the material realities on the >> ground. Such realities necessarily shape the kinds of social forces >> and the character of class struggle in that country and make it >> highly likely that any grassroots resistance will have a strongly >> religious character, given that the rural clergy are the only force >> capable of uniting the peasantry against the comprador ruling class. >> >> The following point cannot be stressed enough; whilst the U.S. >> remains in Afghanistan, economic and social development will not >> occur much beyond current levels. This in turn means that the >> Taliban, as a broad-based movement of poor farmers and lower clergy, >> is the face of anti-imperialist resistance in Afghanistan for the >> foreseeable future. >> >> To put it another way, if we, as avowed anti-imperialists, intend to >> wait around for a resistance movement that agrees with us on every >> issue, including the need to fight the oppression of women, gays, >> racial and religious minorities, etc., we'll be waiting a long time. >> The Taliban is the resistance in Afghanistan and we must support it, >> critically, but unreservedly. >> >> The Taliban that ruled Afghanistan prior to the U.S. invasion no >> longer exists. The U.S. and NATO routinely refer to any act of >> resistance as the work of the "Taliban" (meaning the followers of >> Mullah Omar), much as every act of resistance in Iraq was the work of >> "Baath loyalists." >> >> To be sure, there are attacks being carried out by people who support >> the former regime, but many, perhaps most, resistance fighters have >> no particular loyalty to the former leadership and some are actively >> hostile to it. >> >> Anand Gopal, one of the few independent journalists actively trying >> to find out what is actually happening in Afghanistan has written >> some very useful and insightful work on this, and as he points out, >> the ranks of the Taliban have been swelled in recent years by rural >> peasants who have been radicalized as a result of US/NATO brutality, >> including the indiscriminate air attacks which have killed thousands >> of Afghans. >> >> The Taliban are increasingly espousing a strong nationalist message >> and, in some cases, have substantially moderated their social >> conservatism in order to build a more broad-based and effective >> resistance movement. >> >> It is also the case that the "Taliban" is effectively a blanket term >> for a coalition of groups, some drawn from the tiny strata of >> educated middle class Afghans, which aim to eject foreign troops from >> their country. In short, when the U.S. and its allies use the term >> "Taliban" they want us to think of public stonings, music bans and >> ultra-conservative clerics--and if we follow their lead we do a grave >> disservice to the Afghan resistance and only help to perpetuate >> Islamophobic caricatures of "crazed, bearded extremists." >> >> There is no fundamental difference between the liberation theology >> movements in South America and the popular Islamist resistance >> movements in the Middle East and Asia, movements such as Hezbollah, >> Hamas and the Taliban. To be sure, the former were less socially >> conservative, but as religiously colored grassroots resistance >> movements they are essentially the same kind of manifestation of >> class resistance. >> >> The left needs to ask itself why it is much more critical of Muslims >> expressing class anger in a religious form than of South American >> Christians; to my mind, unexamined Islamophobia explains much of this >> discrepancy. >> >> Every U.S. and NATO tank that the Taliban destroy, every >> Karzai-appointed stooge they assassinate and every town or village >> they liberate is a victory for our side and a grievous blow to U.S. >> imperialism--we would do well to remember that and to offer our >> solidarity and support for a Taliban victory in Afghanistan. >> >> Nick K., from the Internet >> >> Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=57087&s2=19 >> <http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=57087&s2=19>. >> -- >> Linda >> *http://freedetainees.org <http://freedetainees.org/> >> "If we shadows have offended, Think but this, >> and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd >> here While these visions did appear..." >> - William Shakespeare >> * >> >> >> > > > > -- Linda *http://freedetainees.org <http://freedetainees.org/> "If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd here While these visions did appear..." - William Shakespeare * --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "bangla-vision" group. 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