by Joseph Green (Communist Voice #46, November 2011)
Below is a much-expanded version of a talk given at the Detroit Workers' Voice Discussion Group meeting of June 19, 2011. It was written prior to the collapse of the Qaddafi regime, so the term "Libyan regime" always refers to his regime.
- The supposedly anti-imperialist tyrants
- The end of an epoch in the Arab world
- The nature of democratic movements
- Dreams of immediate socialist revolution
- The uprising in Libya and the NATO intervention
- Trotskyist "military support" for Qaddafi
- Vacillating stands
- LRP's "military support" for both sides
- Notes
This is a historic moment in the life of the Middle East and North Africa. There is a wave of struggle sweeping the region. This is a region which has been dominated by police states and monarchies who have held the masses in check, and who have stolen from the people much of the fruits of the struggle against colonialism. These are countries which have often been under states of emergency for decades. Now the ground is trembling under these regimes.
One would think that left-wing groups would welcome this historic period. It is the task of the revolutionary left to support struggles for freedom, while showing the class differences that arise in these movements and providing a realistic perspective for where they are going. These struggles will not end capitalist exploitation, but they remove some of the chains holding the working masses down and open the path towards future class struggles.
But there are left groups which regret some of these struggles, which they look on quite skeptically or even denounce. This reflects the ongoing crisis of revolutionary thought. We have talked of this crisis since our formation a decade and a half ago, but it's common in certain circles to disregard these issues as mere sectarian squabbles or minor doctrinal disputes. No, these are differences that affect even whether one supports democratic struggles. And this is why it is important to have an anti-revisionist standpoint, and not simply accept that whatever is said to be Marxism really is Marxism.
So let's look at why the Arab Spring has been so unsettling for much of the left. We'll deal with three issues. One is that some of the dictatorial regimes are favorite regimes of parts of the left. Another is that many left groups can't deal with the social nature of movements which are democratic but not socialist or revolutionary. And finally, there are the complexities posed by the NATO bombing in Libya, and other imperialist interventions in the countries in turmoil.
Full text at https://www.communistvoice.org/46cLeftWingDoubts.html.