From: Joseph Catron (jncatr@mail.wm.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 01 2002 - 09:31:05 EST
The second issue of this great anarchist anti-war periodical has been
released just in time for A20 organizing. Below, I've pasted one of my
favorite articles. You can read all the articles online or print out the
entire publication in an attractive format at
http://www.struggle.ws/stopthewar.html .
Later,
Joseph
---------------------------
Enduring war and popular mobilisation
Many activists seem to think nationalism always defeats movements from
below. At the first waving of the flag, apparently, the left scuttles for
cover; as soon as bombs fell in Afghanistan, the movement against capitalist
globalisation was hopeless.
Historically, though, the reality is different. Most of the revolutionary
waves of the 20th century have been associated with major wars: the period
1916 - 1923 which saw revolutions in Russia and Ireland, as well as failed
attempts in Italy, Hungary, Germany and elsewhere; the European Resistance
movements of the mid-1940s which defeated fascism in Yugoslavia and had to
be put down by Allied troops in Greece; and the movements of 1968, fuelled
by opposition to imperial war in Vietnam.
Patriotism is certainly 'the last refuge of the scoundrel'. It is not
surprising that the Bush administration should have clutched at the events
of September 11th: in the face of recession, a growing anti-capitalist
alliance at home and the legacy of the Florida count, dead Afghanis mean
strong poll ratings. Anarchists will not be surprised that the
'middle-of-the-road left' has rolled over and lined up behind the flag in
the name of the nation.
But long wars are dangerous for states. The problem with mobilising people -
interrupting their everyday routines and giving them a part to play on a
world stage - is that they soon start to set their own goals. The First
World War was brought to an end in a European wave of mutinies and
desertions which led to revolution in Russia and Germany and the end of four
empires. The Resistance movements supported by the Allies had a distressing
tendency to set their own agendas, to which European welfare states are an
indirect response. The long war in Vietnam (1945 - 1975) inspired resistance
movements around the world, produced draft-dodging and 'fragging' in the US
Army and an international network of movements.
What are the implications of this analysis for the peace movement and the
'movement of movements' against global capitalism? Firstly, we should hold
our nerve. 'Enduring war' has not sent us home - it produced an anti-war
movement which has been faster to develop and more international than any
peace movement since the 1980s. Governments want us to believe that we can
do nothing; we shouldn't agree.
Secondly, we should organise seriously. We are promised a series of wars, to
carry on past this generation, against one enemy after another, mobilising
the American population (though it isn't clear what this will mean). In this
situation, popular resistance will grow over time, and we should think in
terms of fostering this process.
We need to keep on the streets and keep up criticism of the war, but without
burning out. This war gives us a chance to build good links internationally,
across ethnic barriers, and with other movements (anti-racist, solidarity,
human rights). Above all, we need sustainable campaigning geared to helping
ordinary people to start taking action - and to encourage them to go
further!
Laurence Cox (Dublin) has been involved in social movements for nearly 20
years, including opposing the Falklands War, the nuclear arms race and the
second Gulf War. He's an academic specialist in social movements research,
currently studying working-class community politics in Ireland.
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