iV535 - August 2019

HONG KONG, SUDAN, ALGERIA, Puerto Rico — and more. These are part of a wave of democratic mobilizations challenging repressive, authoritarian systems. In a world that seems dominated by vicious reaction, these are signs of hope for a better future, even though in most cases the struggles’ outcomes remain unclear, the political leadership vague at best, the internal contradictions often complex.

Africa is reeling through multiple crises – economic, ecological and social. The continent is carrying the most substantial impacts of the growing climate crisis. Women in peasant and working-class communities carry the double burden of oppression. Firstly, they are located in the periphery of the world, which is subject to ongoing neo-colonial capitalist exploitation. And secondly, they are burdened by patriarchy, which serves the interests of capital and all men.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is absolutely right to say that Tory Prime Minister Johnson’s suspension of Parliament is a “very British coup”. A government of hard right ideologues is shutting down the very thing they argued should be sovereign.

Our nonviolent movement opposes all forms of racism and racial discrimination.

It’s been a tough couple of years both personally and politically. On a personal level, I had serious health issues which, of necessity, required me to pull back from political organising and participation (my doctors actually told me to stop going to demonstrations). That this has happened in a period of massive political upheavals has really made the situation even more frustrating and alienating. This political crisis alongside of a continuing economic crisis of international capitalism (and part of the crisis as well) has exacerbated the situation due to its impact on the majority world-wide.

“I don’t want flowers at my funeral, because I know they will be taken from the forest.”
Chico Mendes

The events of the past month in Moscow have led to a political crisis on a national scale. Its distinguishing feature is the inability of the authorities to govern as usual, combining political methods and repression for maintaining stability. The mechanism of maintaining legitimate power through controlled elections with low turnout and the predictable victory of United Russia no longer works.

We, the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists oppose the military attacks on the Idlib region and northern Hama and threats and assaults against the northeastern regions of Syria. We support all the innocent civilians in Syria.

It has been an interesting week.. Two members of Congress, Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib had been invited to visit the Israeli-occupied territories under the auspices of an organisation called Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue & Democracy (aka Miftah). The tour was not organised by Israel or by a group sympathetic to the actions of the Israeli government and military; instead it is a Palestinian group and these Congresswomen were not going to see the usual tour that most American Congresspeople take. Tours for Congress members are organised regularly by AIPAC through the aegis of the AIEF (American Israel Education Foundation); given the politics of AIPAC these tours have specific aims, the primary one being building support for Israel. J Street also has organised alternative tours to Israel by Congresspeople in the past.

The discredit attained by the dominant parties, by the legislature, by the “politicians” and even “politics” itself, defined inaccurately, but viscerally despised by many people, recalls the concept of “organic crisis” advanced by the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. Authors such as Stathis Kouvelakis have used it to analyse the movement of the gilets jaunes in France. An organic crisis involves a breakdown of the ability of the ruling class to “maintain its leading role”. One of its “most visible symptoms” is the “collapse of support for traditional parties”.