RE: [OPE] Venezuela is the most democratic country in Latin America

>[...] no socialist should tolerate seeking the protection of allegedly strategic considerations. [...]

Alejandro A:

*Without 'strategic considerations' there can be no socialism*.

Underlying your objections are different perspectives on the state, classes,

and political power. Evidently you think (despite all historical evidence to the

contrary) that the ruling class of Venezuela will agree to have its power and

wealth taken away from them without a 'no holds barred' fight. One doesn't

even have to be a Marxist to appreciate this: Lord George Brown (hardly an example

of a Marxist or a revolutionary) wrote: "No ruling class in history has given up its

power without a struggle, and that usually meant a struggle with no holds

barred."

Of course, there _must be_ 'strategic considerations'! It would be utter

folly to attempt to bring about socialism without a recognition of what one's

class enemies have shown that they are willing to do to protect their wealth,

privileges, and power. It would be folly to think that a genuine socialist movement

can be successful without, in the process, confronting imperialism. The US

and the Opposition in Venezuela have already shown - many times over -

that they are willing to do ANYTHING to preserve their power and destroy the

Bolivarian movement. That is simply a FACT, a fact that socialists must deal

with.

Does it mean that socialists must deny democratic rights to the "Opposition"?

No, but it means that they must ALWAYS be aware of the above.

The bourgeoisie will always squeal and cry about the "lack of democracy"

whenever their "rights" (such as the "right" to privately own and control

the means of production and wealth of the nation and their "right" to

"free enterprise") are allegedly or actually been taken away from them.

O how they howled in Chile after the nationalizations by the Allende

government! Every _real_ step towards socialist democracy will be hailed by

them as a step towards dictatorship because a socialist society would mean

an end to BOURGEOIS democracy - the only form of democracy that they

accept as legitimate.

If you want to know some of their tactics, look at what happened in

Chile under the UP government _before_ the coup (especially the disruptions

to civil society planned and paid for by the CIA). If you want to know

some of the tactics of the "Opposition" in Venezuela, look at some of

their actions (developed in coordination with the US) _before_ the

2002 coup _and_ afterwards. They have shown *by their actions* that

they are capable of any atrocity and lie.

To say that the opponents of 21st Century socialism have engaged in a

disinformation campaign against the Bolivarian movement is simply a

statement of _fact_. The reality that they control the international press as

well as most of the mass media in Venezuela is also clear. Unfortunately,

some of this disinformation has been accepted as fact by a segment of

the international Left. For some reason their ability to recall the many

historical examples of disinformation campaigns by US imperialism

and the bourgeois press in Venezuela and internationally is absent.

But, thankfully, the Bolivarian revolutionary movement in Venezuela

has a historical memory and that informs its actions.

To defend the revolution against its bitter enemies is seen always by

those enemies as "undemocratic", but SELF-DEFENSE

is a necessary component of any genuine revolutionary movement.

Without SELF-DEFENSE by the majority of the people (which _is_ the

majority of working population and the poor) there will be no socialism

OR genuine democracy.

Let us be clear: working people defending themselves from their class

enemies is no more 'violent' than women defending themselves from

rape. To say that workers should prepare to defend themselves through

practical means is no more a call for violence than would be a call

for women to attend classes in self-defense.

If you don't share the above perspectives, it is because you are not a

Marxist and don't have the same historical and class perspectives that

Marxists do. Marxists are MORE committed to socialist democracy

than other socialists, I will claim, because they accept the principle that

working people must be prepared to do what becomes historically

necessary to make a socialist democracy a reality.

After the coup in Chile in 1973, the Left in Latin America said "Never Again!".

They must take practical measures - what you call 'strategic considerations'

- to ensure that it NEVER does happen again!

In solidarity, Jerry

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Received on Sat Feb 28 11:58:28 2009