Re: [OPE] Latin America

Paul,
OK you asked for it:
I certainly give full support to the ANC before and at the time of the
overthrow of the apartheid state. The active, practical, concern however was
how this could be done. The main movement here in Britain, taking up the
boycott campaign demanded by the ANC, was the Anti Apartheid Movement, which
was constantly compromised with the Labour party in all of its
'campaigns'... effectively either riding on the back of its more active
members (constraining them to avoid Labour Party disapproval ie nothing even
slightly out of step with the most conservative 'reasonableness') or
actively preventing them taking noticeable steps to expose the British
Governments reactionary role through expulsions, and blunting efforts here
to isolate the racist state. eg the actively opposed continuous pickets
outside of South Africa House in central London.

It seems to me that the task of communists/ socialists/ democrats in the
imperialist states is to expose and fight against the activities of their
own state, and businesses in continuing to exploit the nominally independent
state, not give airy opinion about, or unwanted advice to the movements that
are struggling against imperialism.

If the leaderships of these nominally independent but still actually semi
colonial states actively compromise themselves with imperialism, then
clearly this issue will stand out in the facts of the case. The dramatic
difference in the efforts of the Venezuelan Government to retain national
control over national assets, then remove extra profit from the agenda of
Foreign capital, then use of these funds to promote a socialist agenda is
strikingly different from what has since happened in South Africa. I thus
actively express support the government in Venezuela while exposing the role
of Brirish capital there. In the case of South Africa my responsibility
is simply to expose the continuous role of British imperialism and thus, in
fact, demonstrate its destructive influence on the lives of the South
African people.

Each case is different. Unconditional support for the right of nations to
self determination means simply that. As I said before the expression is not
a blind formulae. The Cuban communist party has not compromised with
Imperialism. The matter is simple.

Paul B.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Zarembka" <zarembka@buffalo.edu>
To: "Outline on Political Economy mailing list" <ope@lists.csuchico.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 6:09 PM
Subject: Re: [OPE] Latin America

> Paul B.,
>
> You are dodging the question, but I won't ask again.
>
> Paul Z.
>
> --On 12/8/2008 10:41 PM +0000 paul bullock wrote:
>
>> Paul Z.
>>
>> I was talking of Cuba, now. I am able to think critically however. I
>> don't see this as a contradiction. Reality requires political judgement.
>> We don't use blind formulae.
>>
>>
>> Paul B.
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Zarembka" <zarembka@buffalo.edu>
>> To: "Outline on Political Economy mailing list" <ope@lists.csuchico.edu>
>> Sent: Monday, December 08, 2008 4:43 AM
>> Subject: Re: [OPE] Latin America
>>
>>
>>> Paul B., we could make the question less speculative by becoming
>>> historical:
>>>
>>> 1) Did you unconditionally support the ANC as it took power?
>>>
>>> 2) Do you still unconditionally support it?
>>>
>>> 3) If not, then you can use that example to provide how to work with
>>> this phrase, 'unconditional support'?
>>>
>>> If the ANC doesn't work for you, perhaps you can offer another
>>> historical example which works for you (e.g., Cambodia on April 17,
>>> 1975, and then a year later; Soviet Union 1918, then 1933; China 1950,
>>> then some date later which works for you).
>>>
>>> Paul Z.
>>>
>>> --On 12/5/2008 11:54 AM +0000 paul bullock wrote:
>>>
>>>> This is a speculative question to which no sensible concrete answer is
>>>> possible. My statement is framed in the context of the present global
>>>> struggle against imperialism.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers
>>>>
>>>> paul
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Zachariah" <davez@kth.se>
>>>> To: "Outline on Political Economy mailing list"
>>>> <ope@lists.csuchico.edu>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2008 9:00 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [OPE] Latin America
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 2008/12/1 Paul Zarembka <zarembka@buffalo.edu>:
>>>>>> Paul B.,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What would have to happen for you to withdraw your unconditional
>>>>>> support of
>>>>>> a government such as the Cuban?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Paul Z.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> This is a very good question, and should not be forgotten. The
>>>>> question is whether one is loyal to basic principles or regimes that
>>>>> claim to follow them.
>>>>>
>>>>> //Dave Z
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> (Vol.23) THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF 9-11 Seven Stories Press soft, 2nd ed.
> 2008
> (Vol.24) TRANSITIONS IN LATIN AMERICA ~~~Research in Political
> Economy~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PZarembka
>
>
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Received on Wed Dec 10 19:24:49 2008