International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

Thanks to the "Dieudonné affair" we will no longer confuse anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism

Julien Salingue — 2014-01-30T22:54:44Z

"Behind anti-Zionism there hides anti-Semitism." Who has not heard or read this sentence, instilled with almost metronomic regularity in recent years by many devoted admirers of the State of Israel, with the aim of discrediting any criticism of Israeli policies? Indeed anyone who dared question the civil and military occupation of Palestine, the acts of violence committed by the Israeli army or, supreme abjection, the legitimacy of establishing and maintaining, in the heart of the Arab world, a "Jewish State" based on a racialist conception of history and social relations, was suspected of anti-Semitism.

- IV468 - January 2014 / France, Anti-racism and Islamophobia

The Bolivarian Process without Chávez: 2013 a year of uncertainty, 2014 a year of definitions

2014-01-30T15:25:59Z

When on the night of December 8, 2012 Commander Chávez warned something unexpected could happen, many who refused to believe were forced to recognise the gravity of the situation. The Bolivarian process began to live his biggest test in 14 years. A situation that no one wanted pushed us into a time of big challenges. One that would test the ability of the leadership chosen by Chávez to continue the project. The strength of the project itself would also be tested, and above whether it was ready to move forward at pace set by its driving force: the Bolivarian People.

- IV468 - January 2014 / Venezuela, Future of socialism (Latin American debate)

IV468 - January 2014 PDF

robm — 2014-01-30T13:48:00Z

IVP 468 PDF magazine available to download here

- IV468 - January 2014 / PDF

Miguel Romero (“Moro”): Revolutionary dignity

Manuel Garí — 2014-01-28T13:03:09Z

On January 26 in Madrid, cancer finally conquered the tenacious resistance of Miguel Romero Baeza (born Melilla, 1945). A journalist and revolutionary militant, who experienced and fought the Franco dictatorship and the capitalist system with the same passion, intelligence and dignity which with he faced his disease. He never lost the capacity of indignation faced with injustice, he was always on the side of those at the bottom, was immune to accommodation and at all times maintained analytical lucidity and decisiveness in action. As happened with so many others and other revolutionaries, his was first sensitivity towards other people's suffering, then an ethical option (“with the poor people of this earth I want to share my fate ") and later, only later, came tactics and strategy, party and program. He lived exactly as he thought. Neither a drop of ambition, nor an ounce of profit. Decently. Austerely. Incorruptible.

- IV468 - January 2014 / Spanish state, Obituary, Fourth International

Snowden demonized; Obama affirms spying

Jeff Mackler — 2014-01-28T07:13:19Z

Thirty years after George Orwell's futuristic and predictive novel, “1984,” Orwell's 1949 police state prediction is here in full bloom.
Wikipedia's description of “1984” is apt indeed. Readers will forgive my bracketed insertions aimed at bringing Orwell's Oceania to life: “Life in [the United States] the Oceanian province of Airstrip One is a world of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and incessant public [Truman Show] mind control, accomplished with a political system euphemistically named [democracy] English Socialism (Ingsoc), which is administrated by a privileged [Democratic and Republican] Inner Party elite. Yet they too are subordinated to the totalitarian cult of personality of Big Brother, the deified [one percent] Party leader who rules with a philosophy that decries individuality and reason as [advocacy of privacy and civil liberties] thoughtcrimes; thus the people of Oceania are subordinated to a supposed [“national security” state] collective greater good.”

- IV468 - January 2014 / United States (USA)

Twenty Years Since the Chiapas Rebellion: The Zapatistas, Their Politics, and Their Impact

Dan La Botz — 2014-01-27T16:42:23Z

The Chiapas Rebellion led by the Zapatistas took place twenty years ago this month. What was the importance of the rebellion and of the Zapatistas? What was the impact at the time? And what has been its political legacy? What is the role of the Zapatistas in Mexico today?

- IV468 - January 2014 / Mexico, Indigenous struggles

40 years of the Portuguese section of the Fourth International

João Carlos Louçã — 2014-01-26T11:27:03Z

On Friday 20 December comrades in Portugal celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of the Portuguese section, which took place therefore only a few months before the Portuguese revolution of 25 April 1974. The Partido Socialista Revolucionário (PSR) was an active force on the Portuguese left up to the creation of the Bloco de Esquerda in 1999, of which it was a founding member and today is part of the majority current within it. Among the contributions at the celebration was that of JoÃ£o-Carlos LouçÃ£ who retraced his experience as an activist of the Portuguese section.

- IV468 - January 2014 / Portugal, Fourth International

Egypt and Syria: The fire of revolution still burns

Eric Ruder, Gilbert Achcar — 2014-01-24T05:19:47Z

Gilbert Achcar, a veteran socialist who grew up in Lebanon, is the author of numerous books on the Middle East, including The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising and most recently Marxism, Orientalism, Cosmopolitanism. He spoke with Eric Ruder [of the US Socialist Worker] in December on the eve of the third anniversary of the Arab uprisings.

- IV468 - January 2014 / Syria, Egypt, Arab Revolutions

Welcome to RS21

Socialist Resistance — 2014-01-23T15:18:14Z

Socialist Resistance welcomes the news that the comrades who left the SWP in December as a consequence of the ongoing crisis over the abuse of women in that organisation have launched Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st century (RS21). We recognise that they have done this in order to continue the struggle for revolutionary politics and we look forward to establishing both practical and political collaboration with them.

- IV468 - January 2014 / Britain

Maidan 2013: A Multi-Dimensional Dialectic of Resistance (A View from the Left)

Aleksander Buzgalin — 2014-01-23T10:18:34Z

As this text is being written, the outcome of the resistance remains undecided, but the author is certain that one way or another, the present Ukrainian authorities will draw closer to the European Union. Meanwhile, one thing is clear: the profound problems of Ukraine, and of Russia's relations with it, will not be solved as a result.

- IV468 - January 2014 / Ukraine