Today's Topics:
1. liberta salonica - Against the Israeli occupation of
Palestine Microphone: Saturday 23/12, 12:00 Tsimiski with
Navarino. (gr) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. Greece, APO, SOLIDARITY ACTION CALLS AT MUNDO NUEVO (gr)
[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. France, Alternative Libertaire AL Décembre - international,
Syria-Kurdistan: a curiously selective anti-imperialism (fr, it,
pt) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Britain, Red and Black Leeds: Sex, work and sex work RABL --
An anarchist communist perspective on sex work.
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
The only way for universal human emancipation is the social revolution. The only war for
the oppressed is the class. ---- The recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by
the President of the United States Donald Trub, and the embassy's transfer from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem, was intended to further aggravate the already unstable and tense climate
prevailing in the wider Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. Of course, the US Congress
had decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 1995, but US presidents
since then they have not validated recognition. Now, this political intervention by Tramp
and the US changes the current data and, possibly, the geopolitical balances and the scale
of confrontation between the rival forces, central and peripheral, in the Middle East.
The Palestinians' response was the start of a new intifada (insurrection). Although their
struggle against the authoritarian colonial regime of Zionism is unceasing, the new
Intifada marks a significant sharpening. Protests and clashes against the Trab decision
broke out in Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, but also internationally from members
of Palestinian communities, organizations and solidarity. The Israeli army did what he
knew best: he launched a wave of violence, arrests, massive use of tear gas and used
plastic spheres but also a real fire against protesters in Gaza and the West Bank. As a
result, it is estimated that about 3,600 Palestinians have been injured and 450 people
have been arrested in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Four Palestinians were killed by
Israeli firefighters.
Trabble, however, had preceded two years ago Alexis Tsipras, when at a tripartite summit
meeting between Greece, Israel and Cyprus in November 2015 he described the occupied
Jerusalem as Israel's "historic capital", thus legitimizing the atrocities of the Israeli
occupying forces. The cooperation between Greece and Israel concerns transnational
agreements of an economic and military nature. In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu met with his Greek and Cypriot counterpart in Thessaloniki to discuss the
promotion of the East Med submarine pipeline, a pharaonic project linking the
Israeli-Cyprus EEZ gas fields and via Crete in the Peloponnese and from there to western
Greece leading to Italy. The consultations on energy investments also failed to address
the Euro-Asia Interconnector between Israel, Cyprus and Greece, which will transport
electricity by submarine cable linking the isolated energy markets of Cyprus and Israel
with The Greek state - like any state - does not give a damn if it is going to work with
totalitarian regimes, since everything is for it to promote the interests of the
indigenous bourgeoisie and the co-operation with the neo-philos loose checks and alliances
dictated by Euro-Atlantic imperialism. It is also part of the Greek-Israeli-Cyprus-Egypt
axis under the auspices of NATO and energy planning. He recently sold 300. Thousands of
armored missiles in the authoritarian regime of Saudi Arabia, which, in cooperation with
NATO, bled Yemen, while feudal and exploitative exploitation relations prevailed within
it. And the debate in the House was not about the atrocities that took place in the
country and how the strengthening of the Saudi slaughterers would intensify it, but
whether ... the missiles are sold with or without an intermediary (!). The slogan "They
are the Greek murderers of the peoples" has never been more relevant, especially if we
take into account the strategic upgrade of the NATO base in Souda, the transfer of nuclear
from Incirlik to Araxos and the upgrading of the F-16 aircraft that cost 1,
The Greek state and the local bourgeoisie seek through such alliances and agreements to
get as much as possible from the pie. They want Greece to become an energy hub for the
transportation of natural gas in the EU. and to put the Greek bourgeoisie in a somewhat
better position after the upheavals in the Middle-East inter-capitalist conflicts, but
also in the derelict, broader region of the eastern Mediterranean. And that is what they
seek to do by binding them to the Euro-Atlantic imperialist bloc. There is also Israel,
which has a role as a conservator of Euro-Atlantic imperialism in the Middle East and the
Eastern Mediterranean, and is a powerful counterweight to its rivals (Russia, Syria, Iran,
China and recently Turkey). However, relations between Greece and Israel are not limited
to economic agreements. The Greek army is involved in exercises with Israel, either in
bilateral agreements or through NATO, and clearly (directly or indirectly) has
responsibility for the bloodshed occurring in the Middle East, as well as the brutal
management of migrants who tend to leave the countries which the democratic West either
directly flattens with military operations or contributes decisively to their political
instability indirectly to serve their interests in the region (reinforcement of
fundamentalism, coup d'état, civil conflict in etc.). The Greek army is involved in
exercises with Israel, either in bilateral agreements or through NATO, and clearly
(directly or indirectly) has responsibility for the bloodshed occurring in the Middle
East, as well as the brutal management of migrants who tend to leave the countries which
the democratic West either directly flattens with military operations or contributes
decisively to their political instability indirectly to serve their interests in the
region (reinforcement of fundamentalism, coup d'état, civil conflict in etc.). The Greek
army is involved in exercises with Israel, either in bilateral agreements or through NATO,
and clearly (directly or indirectly) has responsibility for the bloodshed occurring in the
Middle East, as well as the brutal management of migrants who tend to leave the countries
which the democratic West either directly flattens with military operations or contributes
decisively to their political instability indirectly to serve their interests in the
region (reinforcement of fundamentalism, coup d'état, civil conflict in etc.).
The state of Israel is today presented as a beacon of democracy within the darkness of
Middle Eastern fundamentalism. As a trusted and keen partner of the EU and North American
imperialism in the Middle East. Only the civic compliments for the Israeli state are far
from the brutish, militarized reality of the Zionist regime. The Zionist regime founded
the foundations of its territorial establishment after the Second World War in 1948, using
the most vulgar and adventurous manner the anti-Semitism and barbarism of the holocaust
experienced by the Jewish populations of Europe, finally forming a state formation that
consolidates in practice the three-legged "law-order-security" with the more militarized
terms. In essence, it is an authoritarian regime of lasting emergency that applies
apartheid to the detriment of the Palestinians, who, after having been displaced in
military terms from the places they lived, are now also second-class citizens, since even
internationally recognized civil rights are being circumvented daily. On the other hand,
Israel is attacking openly against its neighboring states, conducting military operations
that often end up in the possession of new territories. The war machine of extermination
and the militarized "democracy" of Israel are, beyond demonstration of power and an
experimental model for other bourgeois states, a potential, nightmarish image of the
future. who after having been displaced by military terms from the places where they
resided, are now also second-class citizens with the law, since even internationally
recognized civil rights are being abused daily. On the other hand, Israel is attacking
openly against its neighboring states, conducting military operations that often end up in
the possession of new territories. The war machine of extermination and the militarized
"democracy" of Israel are, beyond demonstration of power and an experimental model for
other bourgeois states, a potential, nightmarish image of the future. who after having
been displaced by military terms from the places where they resided, are now also
second-class citizens with the law, since even internationally recognized civil rights are
being abused daily. On the other hand, Israel is attacking openly against its neighboring
states, conducting military operations that often end up in the possession of new
territories. The war machine of extermination and the militarized "democracy" of Israel
are, beyond demonstration of power and an experimental model for other bourgeois states, a
potential, nightmarish image of the future. Israel is attacking openly against neighboring
states by conducting military operations that often end up in the possession of new
territories. The war machine of extermination and the militarized "democracy" of Israel
are, beyond demonstration of power and an experimental model for other bourgeois states, a
potential, nightmarish image of the future. Israel is attacking openly against neighboring
states by conducting military operations that often end up in the possession of new
territories. The war machine of extermination and the militarized "democracy" of Israel
are, beyond demonstration of power and an experimental model for other bourgeois states, a
potential, nightmarish image of the future.
The initial persecution of the Palestinians followed ghettoisation and affiliation to an
established exception regime. The Gaza Strip is now the largest concentration camp in the
world, while the West Bank is under military law. The blood of the Palestinians, who
resist unrepentantly, is poured daily, and the repression expressed by Israeli police and
the army against them is relentless. Israeli prisons are full of 6,500 Palestinian
prisoners who are not only imprisoned arbitrarily and vengefully, often without adequate
legal representation or without even knowing the accusations they are accused of (or even
without charges), but they also have the worst management.
In the territory of the State of Israel, the struggle against the Zionist regime, whether
performed by Israelis (see. Anarchists Against the Wall) or Palestinians, punitive
treated, often with victims. Equally important is the contribution of the Israeli total
deniers military service and conscientious objectors who refuse to enlist in the Israeli
army (a term of three years for men and two years for women), recognizing the oppressive
and murderous role, while challenging the legal sanctions their choice. Resistance
fighters and fighters of these is a spark of hope in the general upsurge of nationalism in
Israel, which once again shows how black the human mind can be done by parents to take
their children to paint cheerfully over the bombs,
The current living conditions for Palestinians are indicative of Zionist barbarity. The
Palestinians face the continuous expansion of the Zionist settlement, which never stops.
Whole states are built within a few months and are spreading rapidly. In August, with the
end of the bombing of Gaza, the Israelis announced the rapture of 1,000 more acres in the
West Bank. In C areas, which account for 60% of the West Bank, Palestinians must obtain
permits for the construction or expansion of their homes by the Israeli authorities. If
they do not secure the permit, their home may be demolished. In the period 2000-2007, 94%
of the permits submitted were not approved. 37 schools in C areas are going to be
demolished due to non-licensing by the Israeli authorities and many students are forced to
do their lessons in tents or other inappropriate outdoors. In addition, Palestinian
traffic is limited by checkpoints set up by the Israeli authorities by prohibiting the use
of certain roads. There are 500 such control points on the West Bank covering 65 km of
road available for exclusive use to Israeli settlers. And, of course, the crown of the
regional blockade is the erection of the dividing wall built by the Israeli authorities as
early as 2002 and is expected to reach 708 km in length and of course the Gaza Strip
itself. The water supply of the West Bank and Gaza is controlled by Israel. Many villages
are not connected to the national grid and are forced to collect rainwater or buy it with
a 400% charge on the invoice. In the West Bank, arable land has irrigation systems of only
8% due to water scarcity. It is estimated that by 2020 the water in the West Bank will
have been exhausted.
The solutions to the Palestinian Gordian ties that have so far can not cover us as
anarchists. The Palestinian organizations are conducting a national liberation struggle to
create a Palestinian state, embracing it with fundamentalist and nationalist elements (see
Fatah and Hamas) or following the path of Orthodox Leninism (see People's Front for the
Liberation of Palestine). The Islamic Co-operation Organization recognizes East Jerusalem
as the capital of Palestine and western Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. For us the
solution of any kind of statist is a departure from the social and class emancipation of
the oppressed. We can not, however, completely ignore the real facts of reality, the fact
that the anarchist militants in the region are a minority pole with limited social
abilities. Consequently, anti-authoritarian and anti-sectarian positions, unfortunately,
do not have the prospect of being socialized in the wider parts of the opposing, forming
another pole. But this does not make us stand in solidarity with Palestinians and
Palestinians struggling for their own survival against the tyrannical regime imposed by
Israel.
As anarchists we support the unprecedented organization and counter-attack of oppressed
and exploited for the destruction of the state and capitalism. We support the global
social revolution that will rebuild the state to rectify instead a federal system of
self-governing communities. We propose the elimination of capitalist relations of
production and private ownership and their replacement by self-management, the
socialization of the means of production and the organization of production and
distribution under the following conditions: from each according to its capabilities, to
each according to needs. This struggle does not know frontiers and national distinctions.
In the wars that are being carried out for the sake of power and capital, the proletarians
are the ones who become northern in the canons of the sovereigns. War is a way for capital
to emerge from the structural crisis of over-accumulation that capitalism itself gave
birth to, destroying stable and variable capital - through production and workers -
creating new markets and conditions for profitability for capitalists . We have to realize
that the oppressed and the hard of this world do not have to divide anything between us.
Our common enemy is state and capital, not people who are in the same social and class as
ours. That is why our class and international solidarity,
SOLIDARITY IN THE PLAYSTATION LAO OF THE PALAISTINE
AGAINST THE ZIONISTIC APPROACH IN THE WEIGHT OF PALESTINES AND IN THE LAND OF STATE AND
CAPITALIZING BARRIER
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY IN THE PALESTINE / IDENTITY AND ISRAELINI RESPONSIBLE
GAME FOR LIFE AND FREEDOM
MICROPHONE CONCENTRATION:
SATURDAY 23/12
12:00 CEMENT WITH NARRY
Eleftherial Initiative of Thessaloniki - member of the Anarchist Federation
lib_thess@hotmail.com
libertasalonica.wordpress.com
------------------------------
Message: 2
SOLIDARITY IN MUNDO NUEVO which is an open field of fermentation and development of
anarchist ideas and a potential, combatant and integral part of social and class
resistances ---- Since 21 November, a new anti-Mundo Nuevo squabble has begun in
Thessaloniki, with the Security Department of the Security of Thessaloniki to call 16
people - criminal investigation, for the perpetual disruption of the domestic peace and
occupation of a public building related to the occupation occupied by the occupation. The
only criterion on which 16 people were summoned was that they had all been identified at
some point in the past. ---- This time, the prosecuting and police authorities acting
within the framework of state policy try to set up a repressive squat around the
occupation, paving the way for its evacuation, aiming at its isolation and
marginalization. So they try to challenge the open social character of the occupation and
limit their political action by targeting the terrorists of the new militants who come
through the structure in contact with the anarchist struggle - by sending them "warning
messages". They try to prevent the entry of workers, the unemployed, the youth into the
space - even denouncing the simple presence - and starting new cycles of persecution of
anarchist comrades and companions.
This move is another manifestation of the coordinated, all-out attack that has brought the
state-capitalist system to the slaves of society by imposing ever more burdensome
conditions of exploitation and oppression. An attack that escalates to the establishment
of modern totalitarianism by upgrading the legal and suppressive arsenal of sovereignty,
in order to drown out every voice of questioning and disobedience. The target of this
repression is the unpretentious and self-organized social and class struggles, for they
are the ones who continue to block the anti-social plans of the state and the bosses. In
this context, interventions are prohibited in workplaces, strikers are arrested, the
activity of base clubs is criminalized, the action of struggling workers is criminalized,
And this is because squats are structures of the social and class struggle against
poverty, poverty, social cannibalism imposed on us by the above and at the same time
reflecting the vision of the liberated society by working horizontally and anti-ideally on
the basis of the principles of equality, solidarity, freedom and justice.
WE OFFER COLLECTIVE AND MECHANICALLY THE SELF-ORGANIZED STRUCTURES
OF THE ANARCHY MOVEMENT POLICY AND SOCIAL LIFE
ATHENA
CONCENTRATION: PROPLAYS, THURSDAY 19/12, 18:00
Local coordinating of Athens
THESSALONIKI
PORIA: KAMARA, THURSDAY 21/12, 18.00
Collectivism for Social Anarchism - Black & Red
PATRAS
CONCENTRATION: ESPEROS PL.GEORGIOU, THURSDAY 21/12, 18.00
anarchist group "dwarf horse"
CORFU
CONGRESS: PL.GEORGAKI THURSDAY 21/12, 19.00
cumulonimbus anarchist group
ANARCHICAL POLITICAL ORGANIZATION | FEDERATION OF COLLECTIVES
http://apo.squathost.com
------------------------------
Message: 3
Popular revolts overthrow pro-Western dictators ? They rejoice. The same revolts threaten
pro-Russian or pro-Iranian dictators ? They are indignant and cry to the plot fomented by
the CIA ... Welcome to the world of geopoliticians of selective anti-imperialism. The
cause of peoples ? May it matter to them. It is only worth as a pawn on the geostrategic
chessboard, and according to the imperialist camp that they support. It is a radically
different perspective that Libertarian Alternative has chosen with the support - critical
- of anticolonialist and anti-imperialist struggles. ---- The Tropiques bookstore, in
Paris 14 th , is located at the confluence of the national-republican (Asselineau, UPR)
and archaeo-Stalinist (PRCF) movements, followers of this selective and
counter-revolutionary anti-imperialism. In October, this bookshop published on its blog an
article in this vein, accusing the " revolutionary left " (including AL), to have
applauded Arab Spring and supported the Kurdish left, and therefore ... to play the game
of Islamism and the CIA. The article then aired on various far-right and conspiracy sites.
An AL comrade wrote a reasoned answer ; Tropics has censored it. We publish it here.
It is no longer enough for US imperialism to have the mass media at its heels to serve its
purposes; it now needs the " useful idiots of the radical gogoche ." This is in short
the thesis developed in the text " Left revolutionary: the great manipulation " [1]put
online at the beginning of October by the website of the Parisian bookstore Tropiques,
close to the national-republican movement of François Asselineau. A thesis that is
essentially based on criticism of the positions of Alternative Libertaire and the NPA.
The author draws the alarm signal: " For ten years, the libertarian, Trotskyist," antifas
"currents that form the revolutionary left have been returned to serve war aims. "
His proofs ? In 2003, the French far-left opposed George Bush's invasion of Iraq, a
position he deems to be correct, while in 2011 she became enthusiastic about the revolt
wind that rocked. number of Arab countries, " a disaster for the Arab-Muslim world, " he
professes. Even worse, she commits the sacrilege of campaigning for the fall of Bashar
al-Assad, whom he presents as a courageous anti-imperialist head of state and to support
the fight of the Kurdish left which he accuses of being a puppet of the states. -United.
How was the revolutionary left returned ? Reading does not bring the answers that one is
entitled to expect when the accusations are so serious. Rather than providing solid
argumentation, he gives an explanation that leaves one speechless: " Do not believe
conspiracy theories. It's about conditioning and controlling thought.[...]It goes without
saying that the people who govern us and the military leaders are very interested in the
manipulation of consciences and opinions, and that they fund scientific research in this
direction. The ongoing World War in the Middle East is an opportunity for them to make
life-size tests. Some things worked, especially the self-censorship they managed to
install within the revolutionary left. "
This is not the first time this website accuses the revolutionary movement of playing the
game of US imperialism in the Middle East. In March 2016 for example, in the text " The
useful idiots of the imperial reconquest. Anarchists, libertarians, alternative,
autonomous, antifas and the Middle East " [2]the monthly of social critic Marseille CQFD
was attacked for having published a record on Syria [3], condemned as " a perfect example
of pro-war drifting pro -occidentale where have engaged, without apparently realizing it,
number of militants "anarcho-autonomous" ".
It seemed useful to us to take the opportunity to focus on Libertarian Alternative's
analysis of revolution, counter-revolution and imperialism in the Arab world since 2011.
And to highlight what separates our political positions from those of our detractors.
From right to left: Tunisian Ben Ali, Egyptian Mubarak, Libyan Kadhafi, Yemeni Saleh,
Syrian Bachar el Assad ... At the time of the Arab Spring (2011-2012), it is the domino of
dictators.
No, the Arab Spring has not been telegraphed by occult powers
The Arab Spring is a spontaneous revolt for social justice, freedom and dignity. It was
triggered in December 2010 by the immolation of young Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi, not a "
trader " as the author writes, but a salesman on the run of fruit and vegetables pushed
to the limit by police harassment.
The popular revolt kills the regime of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, a loyal servant of Western
imperialism and a good student of the IMF [4]. The Egypt of Hosni Mubarak is affected in
turn ; it is an essential country in the Middle East's control apparatus, the only Arab
country to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. As in Tunisia, the street overthrows
the tyrant.
In a few months, the fire is spreading in the Arab world. Everywhere the same causes:
dictatorships to the young population experiencing a high unemployment rate, a youth
without perspective while the ruling classes display their luxury, protected by the
repressive forces.
If tens of millions of people take to the streets at the risk of their lives, it is not to
" reshape the Greater Middle East ", but to claim less inequality and more freedom.
Popular anger has nothing to do with the geopolitical positioning of the elites who
oppress them. Among the dictators of the region, it is panic, whether they are in the camp
of the Wahhabi Petroleum States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) or that of the
Shiite mullahs of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Tunisia and Egypt: the Islamist counter-revolution
From an imperialist point of view, it is the United States and the European Union (EU)
that have the most to lose, most of the affected countries being vassals of the West:
Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen. The military in power in Algeria keep good
relations with Westerners, as with the Russians. Even Colonel Gaddafi's Libya, a long-time
beast of Western imperialism, moved closer to Washington and Brussels in the 2000s.
Russia is also caught in turmoil, its last points of support in the Maghreb and Machreck
are in danger: Algeria, Libya and especially Syria. During the spring of 2011, a great
fear hits the dominants of all edges. They will quickly do everything to extinguish the
fire. The counter-revolution starts.
It will take different forms depending on the country, there is no question of making an
inventory here. We will content ourselves with examining the countries that the author has
chosen to attack Libertarian Alternative. In Tunisia and Egypt, Western imperialists have
managed to channel the demands of the street into the sidelines of elections. They
supported political forces that did not question neoliberal economic policy, who agreed to
stay in their sphere of influence and play the game of parliamentary democracy.
In both countries, the " moderate Islamists " responded to these characteristics.
Ennahdha in Tunisia and the Muslim Brotherhood (FM) in Egypt [5]were taken by the popular
revolt ; indifferent at first, even hostile, they took the train in motion.
As the most established opposition forces, they were well placed to come to power, with
the blessing of the United States and the EU, concerned above all to prevent the
radicalization of the revolution. It is therefore normal that Libertarian Alternative is
interested in the phenomenon in a March 2011 article [6]. The author uses it to accuse us
of trivializing the FM and to relativize the sectarian threat. While it is a question of
analyzing the possible evolutions of religious movements torn between " democrats and
partisans of a stricter movement ".
With a historical decline of six years, we can see that certain hypotheses have not been
realized. Thus, the Turkish AKP, taken as a model of the possible democratic evolution of
the FM, has itself taken an authoritarian turn and is radicalized from a religious point
of view. But this does not justify the indictment of our prosecutor: " Alternative
libertarian accepts and accepts the idea that the Brothers can be part of a democratic,
social and libertarian revolution. "
You have to be of a rare incompetence, or of a certain bad time to build your indictment
file on a single piece, whereas it is enough to make a short search on our web site to
find others even more significant. Thus Libertarian Alternative of March 2012 publishes a
special file " Arab Spring: a year after ", whose titles are unambiguous: " Tunisia: no
state of grace for Ennahdha " [7], " Egypt: The population is angry to see the
revolution betrayed " [8]. In May 2013 again: " Tunisia: the counter-revolution in power
" [9].
Reading these articles and others published on the subject clearly shows that Libertarian
Alternative was and remains on the side of social struggles: rebellious youth, working
class, feminist movement, etc. against the institutional logic, wanted by Washington and
Brussels, and followed by moderate Islamists.
In Syria: the people between bloody repression and Islamist counter-revolution
In Syria too, the thirst for freedom and social justice is behind the revolution. It is
not an imperialist plot, but a spontaneous popular movement, encouraged by the success of
the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. In this country, the counter-revolution took the
form of a civil war that killed the hope for democratic change.
On the one hand the regime reacted with brutal and deadly repression and played on
community fears to divide the movement.
On the other hand, NATO and the GCC supported exiled politicians who did not represent the
protest in the field ; they quickly provided military assistance to groups who wanted to
move from political struggle to armed struggle. The Wahhabi Sunni Petomonarchies have also
fueled communal dislikes by supporting factions sharing their sectarian view of Islam. For
all these actors, civil war was preferable to a victorious revolution.
For a time, Libertarian Alternative, like almost everyone, believed in the rapid overthrow
of Assad [10]. We were wrong. Unlike Ben Ali and Mubarak, he was not sacrificed by the
ruling classes and the state apparatus. For example, the support of the Sunni big
bourgeoisie has been instrumental in keeping it in power. In general, its social base was
wider than we thought and we underestimated the number of Syrians who refused to take
sides. We had incorrectly assessed the balance of power, but that does not invalidate the
positions taken by Alternative libertarian during the Syrian revolt, and then the civil
war that followed.
Bachar seen by his friends geostrategists of high flight: Joan of Arc against the world
conspiracy !
What are these positions ? Since the beginning, Alternative has denounced imperialist
interference in Syria [11], and has consistently opposed Western military interventions
against the Ba'athist regime, as in this statement of 12 February 2012: " The Syrian
people have nothing to to expect from the great powers, and a military intervention,
hypothetical in the present state of things, would be worse than evil anyway, falling, as
always, on the people rather than the tyrants. " [12]
We regretted the militarization of the revolution that made the armed groups dependent on
the financial and military support of the imperialist powers. We have always been very
critical of the Free Syrian Army (ASL) [13], which we have never supported.
Throughout these years, we have tried to decipher the maneuvers of various imperialisms -
Turkey, Iran, Russia, United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates ...
- who have made Syria the battlefield of their hegemonic ambitions. We also gave the words
to the Syrian and Syrian revolutionaries, without sharing all their analyzes and political
positions. For example by publishing excerpts from an open letter of the Courant of the
Syrian Revolutionary Left in November 2012 [14], and by participating in the collective
With the Syrian Revolution , object of the imprecations of the author. In the case of "
Third Camp "Fighting in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), our commitment went further. And as we
will see, this is not surprising for a libertarian organization.
AL's critical support for the " third camp ": the Kurdish left
In northern Syria, a mass movement "has been experimenting since January 2014 with a
system of secular, social and even feminist self-government, and even feminist context "
[15]. This experience is far from perfect, but in a region where political space is
dominated by religious, conservative or totalitarian forces, it is normal that it arouses
the interest and even the enthusiasm of revolutionaries of all kinds.
The critical support of Libertarian Alternative to the Kurdish left is not the result of
the manipulations of the CIA and Mossad, it is the application of our basic principles: we
are on the side of the oppressed who are fighting for a a freer and more egalitarian
society, in Rojava and Chiapas.
Our detractors see only plan B of the United States to maintain their dominance over the
Middle East. Admittedly, they militarily help the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), linked
to the Kurdish left. Does this make it a puppet of the imperialists ? All the protagonists
of the Syrian civil war - Hezbollah, troops of Bashar al-Assad, " ASL ", jihadists, FDS
- are interacting with foreign powers who seek to exploit them, which does not prevent
them from having their own agenda .
For its part, Alternative Libertaire has clearly condemned the imperialist ulterior
motives among some supporters of the Kurdish cause, in an " open letter " which has
circulated widely [16].
It is on its own agenda that the Kurdish left has won support from Russia, the United
States and France. Pragmatism of each party. How did we get here ?
When the civil war spread, the Syrian army was overwhelmed. Due to lack of staff, she had
become unable to maintain control of the entire country. It decided to abandon areas
deemed secondary to the rebels, keeping only a military presence in provincial capitals.
The Kurds of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) seized the opportunity to take control of
part of Rojava, Cizîrê and Kobanê to the northeast, Afrîn to the northwest. Since then, a
situation of " armed peace " between the Kurdish left and the Assad regime has prevented
Rojava from knowing the destruction of the rest of the country. There are some clashes
from time to time, but no prolonged fighting and especially no aerial bombardment.
This status quo allowed the regime to concentrate its forces on larger fronts and the
Kurdish left to develop the revolutionary experience of Rojava, which earned it to be
accused by the other rebels of collaborating with the regime and of to betray the
revolution. The YPG-YPJ had to defend their weapons by hand many times, both against the
jihadists and the ASL supported by NATO and the GCC.
Kurdish left and inter-imperialist rivalries
In 2014, the outbreak of Daesh in Iraq and Syria changed the situation. The United States
seized this pretext to form an international coalition allowing it to intervene militarily
in these two countries. In September the city of Kobanê was encircled by Daesh, only
defended by the YPG-YPJ and some revolutionary volunteers from Turkey. In numerical
inferiority, equipped only with small arms they and they risked the annihilation. Their
fierce resistance, for weeks, eventually forced the Arab-Western coalition to rescue them
by bombing the jihadists.
The punctual military intervention during the Battle of Kobanê became a durable tactical
alliance against Daesh. This is the result of the failure of previous US policy, with the
various armed jihadist groups and the ASL demonstrating their ineffectiveness in
overthrowing the Assad regime and their unwillingness to fight Daesh.
Despite the anger of Ankara, who supported and favored Daesh, Washington has turned
pragmatically towards the YPG-YPJ, which in Kobanê and other battlefields have shown their
military value. The United States has increased its support after the training, by the
YPG-YPJ and some secular brigades of the ASL, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). It is
also an episode of the bureaucratic struggles that permanently tear apart the various
actors of American imperialism. Support for the Sunni rebellion was a CIA policy, while
the alliance with the SDS is implemented by the Pentagon.
On the side of the Kurdish left, it is a tactical necessity, it needs weapons, ammunition
and air support of the American coalition. But this is in no way a submission to the
objectives of the United States. Indeed, there is still no question of ending the
non-aggression policy with Damascus. Similarly, the Kurds have forged political ties with
Moscow, their relationship sometimes translates into limited military collaboration.
In a highly dangerous environment in which it plays its survival, the Kurdish left pursues
a pragmatic policy, which leads it to take advantage of inter-imperialist rivalries and
contradictions within each imperialist camp to preserve its margin of maneuver. An
attitude that one is of course entitled to criticize, but which has shown its
effectiveness, especially to deter until now Turkey to occupy the Rojava militarily [17].
Now that the reign of Daesh's terror has ended, it is the race between the SDFs supported
by the Westerners and the allied regime's army in Russia, with the aim of seizing the
remaining territories still in its possession. The United States' new goal is to establish
a lasting presence in Syria, east of the Euphrates, a much larger area than Rojava alone,
where they build military bases. It is no longer a question of overthrowing Assad, since
the Russian intervention gave him the military advantage ; it is only a matter of weighing
on the political solution of the conflict, which is far from over.
This is not Plan B, a long-term strategic vision, it is a tactical maneuver to minimize
the losses in Syria. Far from being the sign of the strength of American imperialism, it
is the demonstration of its weakness.
The positioning of the revolutionaries
The pseudo-anti-imperialist criticism of the revolutionary left by the Tropiques library
is based on an unambiguous and dogmatic reading of reality. Their first mistake is to
consider imperialism as a monolithic block, a disciplined army blindly following its
generals: " the complicity and total alliance between NATO, the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) countries and Israel (the Saud and Israel are no longer even pretending not to get
along), under the command of the United States " [18].
In reality, the ruling classes of each country of the alliance follow their own interests,
which may cause them to leave one alliance for another, depending on the circumstances. A
quick glance at the current context shows how much this " total alliance " is a fairy tale.
The irruption of the Arab Spring upset the geopolitical situation and undermined
traditional alliances. Turkey, NATO's advanced post in the Middle East, is in total
opposition to the support given by the Pentagon to the Kurdish left. This is not the only
reason for friction in the Atlantic Alliance, but it helps Erdogan away from Westerners
and closer to Iran and Russia. Last May, Ankara, Moscow and Tehran signed the agreements
of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, with the aim of finding a political solution to the
Syrian civil war by bypassing Westerners. If it is still a divorce, it is an assumed
infidelity.
In the case of GCC, the break is consumed. In June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) cease all diplomatic relations with Qatar, then blockade it and
threaten it with military invasion. One of the reasons for this tumultuous separation is
the support given by the Qatari monarchy to the FM, a religious movement that has long
hindered the Saudi monarchy. The little Qatar, instead of submitting to the ultimatum of "
its allies ", resists with the vital support of Iran, Russia and Turkey. The country,
which is home to a major US air base, signed a defense agreement with the Kremlin in October.
Another mistake to avoid is to consider that there is only US imperialism, as if China,
France, the United Kingdom or Russia were not imperialist. Yes, the Chinese and Russian
imperialisms are dangerous, even if their military budgets are very far from equaling that
of the United States, even if their foreign policies are less aggressive and less destructive.
That does not change anything in the bottom, a small or big imperialism is to fight,
because it oppresses the people, plunders the planet for the benefit of a small oligarchy.
Today all the leaders of the Middle East go to Moscow to discuss with the master of the
Kremlin. Putin's decision to intervene in Syria in the autumn paid off. It placed Russia
at the center of the Middle East political game, and put American domination in jeopardy.
Since the grandiose projects of the Great Middle East of the American neoconservatives of
the beginning of the millennium, it is the geopolitical situation that has changed, not
the anti-imperialist positions of Alternative Libertaire. The dreams of the
neoconservatives turned into a nightmare. Bush's military intervention in Afghanistan and
Iraq has been catastrophic for US imperialism, and Russian imperialism is taking advantage
of it to try and steal its place. The work of the revolutionaries is to analyze the real,
not to build smoky theories ; their role is to be on the side of the oppressed, not to be
accomplices of the powers that be.
Hervé (AL Marseille)
[1] " Revolutionary left: the great manipulation " , on Librairie-tropiques.fr, October
4, 2017.
[2] " The useful idiots of the imperial reconquest and the Middle East " on
Librairie-tropiques.fr, March 9, 2016.
[3] " Syrian Tragedies Stolen Revolution and Exile " , CQFD No. 136 October 2015.
[4] " Tunisia: The Ben Ali System " , Libertarian Alternative, February 2011.
[5] " Tunisia, Egypt: Keeping up the pressure for social justice " , March 2011.
[6] " What is the role of religious movements ? " , Libertarian Alternative, March 2011.
[7] « Dossier Arab Spring: Tunisia: No state of grace for Ennahdha » , Libertarian
Alternative, March 2012.
[8] " Egypt: Yasser Abdelkawi (Libertarian Socialist Movement)," The population is angry
to see the revolution betrayed. " , Libertarian Alternative, March 2012.
[9] " Tunisia: The counter-revolution in power " , Libertarian Alternative, May 2013.
[10] " Syria: For the revolution, against the break-up " , Libertarian Alternative,
January 2012
[11] " Syria: For the revolution, against the break-up " , Libertarian Alternative,
January 2012
[12] " Solidarity with the Syrian people against the crimes of the dictatorship " , AL
release of 11 February 2012.
[13] " Syria: The imperialist stakes bombing " , press AL 1 st September 2013.
[14] " Syria: Elected People's Councils " , Alternative Libertaire, November 2012.
[15] " Kurdistan: A new Chiapas ? " , Libertarian Alternative, November 2014.
[16] " Kurdistan, imperialism and far right: open letter to Patrice Franceschi " , AL
press release of 22 September 2016.
[17] " Middle East: The future remains of the caliphate stirs up the lusts " ,
Alternative libertarian, June 2017.
[18] " Revolutionary left: the great manipulation " , on Librairie-tropiques.fr, October
4, 2017.
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Syrie-Kurdistan-un-anti-imperialisme-curieusement-selectif
------------------------------
Message: 4
We're pleased to announce that the new edition of "Sex, Work, and Sex Work" is out, a
collection of articles on sex work from a libertarian communist perspective, including
discussion of unions, visions for the future, and responses to various bad arguments on
sex work that we encounter on the left. ---- Hard copies can be ordered online from
Freedom. ---- https://freedompress.org.uk/store-2/products/sex-work-and-sex-work-rabl/
---- A compilation of interviews with and articles by members of Red and Black Leeds,
giving an anarchist communist perspectiveon sex work, from the perspective of anarchist
communist sex workers. ---- We have found perspectives on sex work and prostitution tend
to fall either into condemning the industry and condemning the workers in it, or
supporting the workers and supporting the industry. The former dismisses sex workers and
refuses them assistance in their struggles, and the latter subordinates the interests of
sex workers to the needs of the industry and their employers. We reject both of these
positions. We support sex workers organising to defend themselves and advance their own
interests as workers, in opposition to their clients, their bosses, their industry and the
state - the same way we support all workers. Those of us who are sex workers are actively
organising in this way.
------------------------------
Home »
Anarchic update news all over the world - 27.12.2017
» Anarchic update news all over the world - 27.12.2017