******************** 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. *****************************************************************
First of all, I do think that Baraka still holds to his Assadist position. Take this article from August of 2017, for example: https://www.ajamubaraka.com/blog/?offset=1502994128250 Also, he is a leading member of the Black Alliance for Peace, which is most definitely an Assadist group. It also seems to me that he still holds to the conspiracist approach. Secondly, I am not as confident as is Louis regarding the position of the left on Syria and, beyond that, in a red brown alliance. I think it's all of one piece. And I do see a general tendency to completely dismiss any claims as to the real role of Putin. It may be that some of the soft left journals like "The Nation" have shifted their view, but as far as the so-called peace groups, they're almost all still strongly Assadist. In April, these groups held nationwide peace marches. They were in general very poorly attended. However, what will happen if Trump attacks Iran, or something like that? Then a whole new layer of young people will become active. Where will they go? Will the Assadist UNAC, for example, be able to draw them into their orbit? I think that is very possible. So, I hope Louis is right that the Assadist "left" is a spent force, but I'm not so optimistic. John Reimann _________________________________________________________ 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
