I would like to make a few scattered comments in regard to the events
and discussion relating to the Yugoslav elections.
First, I too encourage Andrej to keep us informed with his opinions of
the developments occurring inside Yugoslavia at this time. Also,
the commentary by Jonathan Steele that Mark posted, was very educational
in a sense, in that it gave a picture of some of the detail of the
internal imagery that Milosevic has maintained inside of Yugoslavia, and
how that is now crumbling.
Now, let me jump over to a brief commentary about antiwar.com, working
with the Right, as opposed to the Left, etc...
This is what Jared wrote....
<If people are going to be involved in real struggle, whether
intellectual struggle or various kinds of practical organizing (or
intellectual work geared to serving the needs of practical organizers,
which is how I view my work at emperors clothes) then one has to work
with people with all sorts of ideas with which one might disagree. Maybe
they'll change their ideas. Maybe you'll learn something new. It's a lot
healthier than pretending that "the left" is going to organize an
antiwar movement all by its lonesome.>
It's this last sentence I want to respond most to. Jared, it is not
pretense to believe that "the left" is going to organize an antiwar
movement all by its lonesome. It is pure reality. The Right will
not substitute itself to the Left, in this regard.
It was not the Right that organized a movement in opposition to the
Vietnam War. It was the liberal-Left element now sitting on its butt
at Nader rallies, or engaging in Znet parecon debates with Albert and
Chomsky. These are the peple that have to be activated, not the
minions tuned into antiwar.com.
Organizing the antiwar movement in the imperialist countries is the most
key political task for the Left in the world. The way it was done in
the past, was to give acceptable forms of organization to these
liberal-Left types that are now currently, totally disengaged.
It is commendable that 'The Emperors Clothes' and International Action
Center are making the effort, while others are seeking to 'turn out the
vote'. But it is important to ask whether either of these two
POSITIVE examples of effort, are taking the best approach to providing a
vehicle to activate opposition to US world terrorism?
I would politely suggest, that neither IAC nor your own organization
have been very successful in chipping away against the inactivism of the
Znet, Social Democratic, and liberal crowd. There still is no
counter form of antiwar alliance and organization, that can provide an
avenue for mobilization. A mobilization that will be against the
will of the professional 'anarchist' commentators, and those imbedded in
the arses of the labor leadership.
There is nothing wrong with Emperors Clothes working with antiwar.com
and the Right Wing crowd in areas of common interests. But what
happened is that Emerors Clothes stopped being an all round vehicle to
mobilize against US sponsored war, but became a sort of semi-official
support organization for the Yugoslav government.
I feel that it may be way too late to reverse course at your site,
Jared. You carry too much baggage now. Still, you should make
the effort. If you were to succeed, it would be a big victory for
Left antiwar organizing.
Comradely, Tony
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