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| Revolution in Egypt. source: Socialist Worker (USA) |
26th February
not only has the imperialist media worked to portray the global revolutionary upsurge. which BEGUN in north africa and the middle east, as relatively ''inconsequential''; they have also blacked out news about the upsurge finding expression outside north africa and the middle east in wisconsin, ohio, honduras and greece. anti-capitalist and anti-imperialists should be pointing out this link. EVENTS IN TUNIS AND CAIRO ARE CONNECTED TO EVENTS IN MADISON AND ATHENS. Western imperialist media is also trying to justify political moves to hijack the north african revolutions by legitimating the pro-Western military juntas that replaced Mubarak and Ben Ali. anti-capitalists and anti-imperialists should back efforts by the people of tunisia and egypt to REVERSE THE HIJACK; the fact that protests against the pro-Western military juntas have emerged is an encouraging sign. but ultimately none of these protests will result in the establishment of worker led governments with an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist agenda unless the working class takes THE LEAD in radicalising the protest movements (implying a break with conservative forms of political islam, western neo-liberal technocracy and anachronistic ''arab nationalism''). one thing is to have working class ''involvement'' and quite another to have working class LEADERSHIP. political success is measured by TANGIBLE OUTCOMES, not by adherence to the aesthetics of theoretical / procedural "purity". /Miguel.
refs.
New Wave of Protests Rock Tunisia
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/mide-f22.shtml
Egypt stands with Wisconsin
http://socialistworker.org/2011/02/22/egypt-stands-with-wisconsin
New mass protests against US-backed regimes in Egypt and Yemen
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/egye-f26.shtml
On 25 February 2011 22:44, grok wrote:
The bourgeois mass-media has worked furiously over the past period to convince couch potatoes everywhere that these revolutions sweeping the World don't amount to much more than a political hiccup in the larger scheme of things... but we all should know better. In spite of the almost complete lack of competent revolutionary leadership and cadre, workers everywhere in the arab World (today) are systematically, if somewhat empirically, wending their way thru the political minefield of revolution towards their steadfast goal: the complete transformation of the political-economic order in favor of a regime run in its entirety by the working-class and its allies.
And we'll be right behind them.
Long Live the World Socialist Revolution.
All Power to the Workers' and Farmers' Councils and Communes.
-- grok.
not only has the imperialist media worked to portray the global revolutionary upsurge. which BEGUN in north africa and the middle east, as relatively ''inconsequential''; they have also blacked out news about the upsurge finding expression outside north africa and the middle east in wisconsin, ohio, honduras and greece. anti-capitalist and anti-imperialists should be pointing out this link. EVENTS IN TUNIS AND CAIRO ARE CONNECTED TO EVENTS IN MADISON AND ATHENS. Western imperialist media is also trying to justify political moves to hijack the north african revolutions by legitimating the pro-Western military juntas that replaced Mubarak and Ben Ali. anti-capitalists and anti-imperialists should back efforts by the people of tunisia and egypt to REVERSE THE HIJACK; the fact that protests against the pro-Western military juntas have emerged is an encouraging sign. but ultimately none of these protests will result in the establishment of worker led governments with an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist agenda unless the working class takes THE LEAD in radicalising the protest movements (implying a break with conservative forms of political islam, western neo-liberal technocracy and anachronistic ''arab nationalism''). one thing is to have working class ''involvement'' and quite another to have working class LEADERSHIP. political success is measured by TANGIBLE OUTCOMES, not by adherence to the aesthetics of theoretical / procedural "purity". /Miguel.
refs.
New Wave of Protests Rock Tunisia
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/mide-f22.shtml
Egypt stands with Wisconsin
http://socialistworker.org/2011/02/22/egypt-stands-with-wisconsin
New mass protests against US-backed regimes in Egypt and Yemen
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/egye-f26.shtml
On 25 February 2011 22:44, grok wrote:
The bourgeois mass-media has worked furiously over the past period to convince couch potatoes everywhere that these revolutions sweeping the World don't amount to much more than a political hiccup in the larger scheme of things... but we all should know better. In spite of the almost complete lack of competent revolutionary leadership and cadre, workers everywhere in the arab World (today) are systematically, if somewhat empirically, wending their way thru the political minefield of revolution towards their steadfast goal: the complete transformation of the political-economic order in favor of a regime run in its entirety by the working-class and its allies.
And we'll be right behind them.
Long Live the World Socialist Revolution.
All Power to the Workers' and Farmers' Councils and Communes.
-- grok.
21st Century Internationalism
(photo from Socialist Worker USA)
20th February
the problem is that the egyptian, tunisian and other protest movements have not collectively made the qualitative leap into understanding that the real solution is to REFOUND THE STATE and on that premise reconstruct the political economy. the root of this problem is confinement of political counciousness within the paramenters of liberal minimalism. it requires a post-liberal dialectic understanding to drop the twin fallacies of liberal methodology: 1) the failure to differentiate between ''government'' and ''the state'' (a derivative of mechanistic 19th centrury classical liberal conceptions of ''constitutional law''.) 2) the failure to understand that politics is an outgrowth of economics and that war is an outcome of politics. YOU CANNOT SEPARATE ECONOMICS FROM POLITICS AND POLITICS FROM WAR. these revolts in north africa are not primarily about wikileaks, but about hunger. the wikileaks issue vis-a-vis tunisia is peripheral. this is where ''the left'' has a lot of homework to do raising the level of discussion and counciousness. but this requires putative ''leftists'' break with liberalism. /Miguel.
the problem is that the egyptian, tunisian and other protest movements have not collectively made the qualitative leap into understanding that the real solution is to REFOUND THE STATE and on that premise reconstruct the political economy. the root of this problem is confinement of political counciousness within the paramenters of liberal minimalism. it requires a post-liberal dialectic understanding to drop the twin fallacies of liberal methodology: 1) the failure to differentiate between ''government'' and ''the state'' (a derivative of mechanistic 19th centrury classical liberal conceptions of ''constitutional law''.) 2) the failure to understand that politics is an outgrowth of economics and that war is an outcome of politics. YOU CANNOT SEPARATE ECONOMICS FROM POLITICS AND POLITICS FROM WAR. these revolts in north africa are not primarily about wikileaks, but about hunger. the wikileaks issue vis-a-vis tunisia is peripheral. this is where ''the left'' has a lot of homework to do raising the level of discussion and counciousness. but this requires putative ''leftists'' break with liberalism. /Miguel.
On 19 February 2011 21:10, grok wrote:
As long as "peaceful" -- i.e. purely symbolic, reformist -- protest remains the focus of these revolutions, and not the seizure of the strategic means of production and distribution in the wider society in mass general strikes, the imperialists and their local stooges and goons WILL be able to continue their repression -- and be able to regroup for their counter-offensives against the workers.
So BUILD THE GENERAL STRIKE THRUOUT THE ARAB WORLD. AND BEYOND.
Long Live the World Socialist Revolution.
All Power to the Workers' and Farmers' Councils and Communes.
-- grok.
***
A call from Egyptian socialists
SOURCE: http://socialistworker.org/2011/02/07/call-from-egyptian-socialists
Revolutionary socialists in Egypt issued this statement about the Egyptian uprising and the tasks that the movement faces as the struggle continues in the coming weeks.
February 7, 2011
Glory to the martyrs! Victory to the revolution!
What is happening today is the largest popular revolution in the history of our country and of the entire Arab world. The sacrifice of our martyrs has built our revolution and we have broken through all the barriers of fear. We will not back down until the criminal "leaders" and their criminal system is destroyed.
Mubarak's departure is the first step, not the last step of the revolution
The handover of power to a dictatorship under Omar Suleiman, Ahmed Shafiq and other cronies of Mubarak is the continuation of the same system. Omar Suleiman is a friend of Israel and America, spends most of his time between Washington and Tel Aviv, and is a servant who is faithful to their interests. Ahmed Shafik is a close friend of Mubarak and his colleague in the tyranny, oppression and plunder imposed on the Egyptian people.
The country's wealth belongs to the people and must return to it
Over the past three decades, this tyrannical regime corrupted the country's largest estates to a small handful of business leaders and foreign companies. One hundred families own more than 90 percent of the country's wealth. They monopolize the wealth of the Egyptian people through policies of privatization, looting of power and the alliance with capital. They have turned the majority of the Egyptian people to the poor, landless and unemployed.
Factories wrecked and sold dirt cheap must go back to the people
We want the nationalization of companies, land and property looted by this bunch. As long as our resources remain in their hands we will not be able to completely get rid of this system. Economic slavery is the other face of political tyranny. We will not be able to cope with unemployment and achieve a fair minimum wage for a decent living without restoring the wealth of the people from this gang.
We will not be guard dogs of America and Israel
This system does not stand alone. As a dictator, Mubarak was a servant and client directly acting for the sake of the interests of America and Israel. Egypt acted as a colony of America, participated directly in the siege of the Palestinian people, made the Suez Canal and Egyptian airspace free zones for warships and fighter jets that destroyed and killed the Iraqi people, and sold gas to Israel dirt cheap while stifling the Egyptian people by soaring prices. Revolution must restore Egypt's independence, dignity and leadership in the region.
The revolution is a popular revolution
This is not a revolution of the elite, political parties or religious groups. Egypt's youth, students, workers and the poor are the owners of this revolution. In recent days, a lot of elites, parties and so-called symbols have begun trying to ride the wave of revolution and hijack it from their rightful owners. The only symbols are the martyrs of our revolution and our young people who have been steadfast in the field. We will not allow them to take control of our revolution and claim that they represent us. We will choose to represent ourselves and represent the martyrs who were killed, their blood paying the price for the salvation of the system.
A people's army is the army that protects the revolution
Everyone asks: "Is the army with the people or against them?" The army is not a single block. The interests of soldiers and junior officers are the same as the interests of the masses. But the senior officers are Mubarak's men, chosen carefully to protect his regime of corruption, wealth and tyranny. It is an integral part of the system.
This army is no longer the people's army. This army is not the one which defeated the Zionist enemy in October 1973. This army is closely associated with America and Israel. Its role is to protect Israel, not the people. Yes, we want to win the soldiers for the revolution. But we must not be fooled by slogans that "the army is on our side." The army will either suppress the demonstrations directly, or restructure the police to play this role.
Form revolutionary councils urgently
This revolution has surpassed our greatest expectations. Nobody expected to see these numbers. Nobody expected that Egyptians would be this brave in the face of the police. Nobody can say that we did not force the dictator to retreat. Nobody can say that a transformation did not happen in Tahrir Square.
What we need right now is to push for the socio-economic demands as part of our demands, so that the person sitting in his home knows that we are fighting for their rights. We need to organize ourselves into popular committees, which elect higher councils democratically, and from below. These councils must form a higher council, which includes delegates of all the tendencies. We must elect a higher council of people who represent us, and in whom we trust. We call for the formation of popular councils in Tahrir Square, and in all the cities of Egypt.
A call to Egyptian workers to join the ranks of the revolution
The demonstrations and protests have played a key role in igniting and continuing our revolution. Now we need the workers. They can seal the fate of the regime. Not only by participating in the demonstrations, but by organizing a general strike in all the vital industries and large corporations.
The regime can afford to wait out the sit-ins and demonstrations for days and weeks, but it cannot last beyond a few hours if workers use strikes as a weapon. Strike on the railways, on public transport, the airports and large industrial companies! Egyptian workers, on behalf of the rebellious youth and on behalf of the blood of our martyrs, join the ranks of the revolution, use your power and victory will be ours!
Glory to the martyrs!
Down with the system!
All power to the people!
Victory to the revolution!
***
Announcement of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Israel
[on the Pro-Democracy Movements in North Africa and the middle East]
http://www.maki.org.il/he/english-mainmenu-106
The mass protest by vast numbers of the unemployed, the impoverished, and seekers of democracy and freedom against the pro-American despotic leaders of Arab countries, which started in Tunis and has expanded to Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Algeria as well as other states - is a crucial turning point in the development of the region as well as in the international arena. Despite the harsh measures taken to suppress the revolt, including the use of live ammunition, the protesters against misery and tyranny continue their demonstration and are demanding their right to live with dignity.
Demonstration in Nazareth in solidarity with the Egyptian people (photo: Al Ittihad
daily newspaper)
After decades in which the rights of workers and of the unemployed were trampled upon, and critics and opponents were silenced, the Arab nations are learning to recognize their power to impact and change reality in the direction of progress. The spontaneous demonstrations, attended mostly by youths, are not centrally organized. We are witnessing a popular movement representing a cross-section of parties and political streams, who are formulating their messages in the midst of action.
CPI's political bureau believes that the claim advanced for many years by the world's reigning capitalist establishments, which holds that the Arab world is only suited for either tyranny and oppression or Islamic fundamentalism, has been discredited. The mass popular movement in the Arab countries, which draws its power from the rage of the masses against the rise in food prices and the deepening scarcity of job opportunities, as well as the lack of basic civil rights – is emerging as a concrete political alternative.
It is difficult to estimate at the present moment, where the popular protest movement in the Arab states will end. Will it lead in every instance to the ousting of the tyrants, as occurred in Tunis? Or will it also lead to substantive changes in the nature of the regime and its policies? What political forces will be able to draw new energies from the uprising? But even now it is possible to estimate that we are witnessing a new phase in the social and political development of the Middle East, leading to the weakening of pro-American dictatorial regimes, which lead a policy of privatization in the service of the multinational corporations and provided backing to U.S. aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Communist Party of Israel, as do all seekers of democracy and human rights in the world, stands in solidarity with the struggle of the Arab nations for a decent livelihood and freedom. The uprising of these peoples is a source of encouragement in our struggle to defend workers and democracy in Israel, and to combat racism, while demanding equal political and social rights for all.
January 31, 2011
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