Re: [OPE] winning the battle of democracy

Jerry wrote:

"As for Libya, who exactly do you think are the 'pro-democracy' forces
there? ...
Large segments of the 'rebels' identify with the pre-1969 monarchy and
openly fly the flag of that monarchy...
Note that the rebels haven't even put forward a political platform which
calls for democracy or elections - instead they call for 'regime change'."

You are ill-informed. The Transitional National Council in Libya has
presented a platform, which does not call for the restoration of the
monarchy, but for free elections and for the drafting of a new constitution
to be put to popular referendum. As for who the rebels are - in Libya today,
as in any democratic revolution (think France 1789, or Russia 1905) the
pro-democracy side will be a mixture of forces and interests, including,
naturally, some capitalist interests.

See Wikipedia on the National Transitional Council:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Transitional_Council

"Also trivial is the base of support that Gasaffi has - which has allowed
him to stay in power for so long."

Not trivial. Remember, I defined fascism in the context of two tendencies
characteristic of the imperialist epoch - political reaction PLUS a measure
of popular support. No dictator can stay in power for decades without a
substantial power base - true of General Franco, of Castro, of Mubarak, and
of Gadhafi. And the larger the super-profits, the bigger and better-armed
the power base (this explains, at least in part, why Gadhafi is proving more
difficult to oust than Mubarak).

Jerry and others want a strict definition of fascism - OK, but where is it?
I'd say such a definition would be undialectical; but let those who want it
make it.

"I guess the rights of women (which have been
championed by the current regime - and ridiculed in the West, where the
press thinks that him having women guards is another indication of how
'crazy' he is) is also a trivial issue."

Oh, the rights of women! That's bourgeois democracy, therefore = 100%
capitalism and exploitation. Popular in the seventies - not only in Libya
under Gadhafi, also in Iran under the Shah. Amazing what capitalist
development can do.

"Political reaction? Was Gadaffi a 'reactionary' when he helped lead the
coup
which overthrew the monarchy?"

Easy to answer. One despot replacing another = 100% progress; free elections
= 100% exploitation.

Paula

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Received on Thu Mar 17 19:29:16 2011