[Marxism] UKRAINE: Excuse Me Mister: How Far Is It From Simferopol To Grozny?
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Posted in direct response to the Tahrir-ICN article in the subject line cited by Louis (with typos corrected): http://tahriricn.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/ukraine-excuse-me-mister-how-far-is-it-from-simferopol-to-grozny/ I can only agree with the moral thrust of articles such as this. It is important to combat the recrudescence of (for lack of a better word, since the phenomenon is broader than this) “neo-Stalinism”, this time though, rubbing shoulders directly with conscious reactionaries of the most retrograde sort. The photo of Zizek was particularly repulsive, especially considering his latest article on Ukraine, which was not bad for Zizek, except that he too ends it with a rejection of geo-political (and I would add, economic) analysis as (I paraphrase) “having nothing to do with liberatory projects”. Dovetailing therefore with the apparent thrust of this article, on the same question! Hence agreement here comes with a critical conditional: Is ALL geopolitical analysis “obtuse geopolitical analysis”? When is it not “obtuse”? IOW, what is the place of objective geo-political and economic analysis in a revolutionary movement? I have been raising this issue consistently for some time since it emerged with the Libyan and Syrian Arab Springs, and unfortunately the issue has become rather glaring with respect to Ukraine events. The issue is the general abandonment of ANY substantial perspective on US or EU imperialism. Attempts to raise a perspective on this in context are met with varying degrees of irritation or dismissal by those whose perspective is completely aligned with this article., At best it may be met with homilies about how we all agree that US/EU imperialism is of course “bad”, lets move on. Or that all imperialisms are “the same”, equally bad, which is false on its face. This silence has been particularly egregious with respect to Ukraine, “having observed a stubborn refusal to acknowledge”, or make substantial sense of, very clear evidence of direct intervention of US and EU imperialism, both over the long term and more immediately. US intervention in particular is intimately bound up with the role of the fascists, in creating an unintended stage for the fascists to act. In an aside, it must be pointed out that the fascists or far right alone did not “lead” Maidan; it is led by the *broad right*, from neoliberals/neocons all the way to the actual fascists forming a defacto, if unintended, bloc (because the fascist role IS an embarrassment to the US/EU imperialists, if not to Putin). I really, honestly don’t understand this attitude. My best explanation is that some do not want to “resemble” our troglodyte opponents, fear of mixing banners and so forth. These are legitimate practical political concerns – we DON’T want to mix our banners with them. But we won’t avoid doing so by abandoning geo-political analysis – to them! Instead, we need to appropriate such analysis FROM their control, and render it, precisely, non-obtuse, by converting it into a guide to show the way to a real concrete solidarity, beyond abstract moral stances, with the revolutions, uprisings and mass movements taking place outside our own countries. After all, how can we feel shame at our privileges, and at our own historic failures that have in fact left the Arab Spring and the people of Ukraine in the lurch, and at the same time, refuse to criticize, in concrete relation to events, the very imperialism that is the objective basis of those very same privileges and failures??? Do you see the problem here? Sincerely -Matt Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] UKRAINE: Excuse Me Mister: How Far Is It From Simferopol To Grozny? | Tahrir-ICN
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == There is an interesting split in perception, on the “Left,” when it comes to imperialism. It seems fair to say we all agree on the need to oppose US imperialism. However, as soon as the picture is complemented by a second state with imperial aspirations, many—especially Western—“leftists” equivocate, and seem willing to choose the perceived lesser of two evils. This dualistic approach has its roots in the Cold War; it is the useless remnant of a period when to be pro-Soviet might have implied being anti-capitalist. It was wrong then, it is wrong now, and it is time to get rid of it. The latest example of this difficulty in renouncing the false choice between evils has come with the crisis in Ukraine. Commentators around the world are drumming up evidence to support the hype that a new Cold War is at hand. Publicly, tensions between the US and Russia appear to be rising; however behind the curtain nothing is all that new. The US, the EU and NATO have always been trying to push their scope of influence eastwards; Russia has never been willing to cede political influence, control over pipelines, or access to resources in its former Soviet territories. More importantly, however, and refuting the vision of a new Cold War at our doorstep, is the fact that the US has been handing out “aid” to Russia since 1992, attached to conditions demanding deregulation imposed by the victory march of Bretton Woods (and later Troika) institutions. We are used to hypocritical US foreign policy; its stance towards Russia serves just as another example. We keep hearing calls out of the White House urging Russia to respect dissent and the opposition. Along with the US’s own draconian attitude toward dissent and opposition, this continuous backdoor support of Putinʼs regime reduces such calls to so much hot air.⁵ Nevertheless, Obama and his Western colleagues stay plenty busy reaffirming themselves with ridiculous sanctions which have no impact whatsoever on Putinʼs or his pet oligarchs’ greed.⁶ At any rate, the previously mentioned US vs. Russia narrative continues to fill the airwaves, and of course the US is not the only one making noise. From an anti-authoritarian standpoint, it is frustrating as well as saddening to see the Kremlin’s propaganda make its merry way around the world wide web. Indeed, Russian mainstream media has much in common with that of the US and EU—each points the finger at the “other side.” “Leftists” and anarchists should, however, be able to see through this game and reject both claims. The “West” does not have a monopoly on imperialism, and it is not by opposing only Western imperialism that we show our solidarity with ethnic minorities, marginalized groups, radical Left opposition or the working class—all of whom will be the main victims of continued aggression. In fact, to do so has dire human and political consequences; it enables the continued oppression and killing of ethnic minorities and weakens those few voices that do manage to get heard from within the opposition movements in Russia and Ukraine. Further, this reckless attitude results in a direct conflict among “leftists.” Many are unwilling to condemn Russian aggression for what it is, fearing this would imply support for their own imperialists, similar to those “leftists” that tried to defend first Qaddafi, later Assad, and now Putin.⁷ ⁸ Two wrongs don’t make a right. full: http://tahriricn.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/ukraine-excuse-me-mister-how-far-is-it-from-simferopol-to-grozny/ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
