State and Democracy (was Re: Who Killed Vincent Chin?)

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Fri Dec 31 12:13:42 PST 1999


Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:


> Shouldn't you consider arguments made by people like Ellen Wood, etc. with
> regard to the state? I think that people in many countries would
> materially benefit from having an effective state controlled democratically
> -- something which they don't have at present.

I think we need to give a lot more consideration to what both "strong state" and "democracy" mean within the context of a nation (or country or area) subordinated to international (or u.s.) capital. Nestor over on the marxism list has written frequently on the history of Argentina, particularly on the (as it were) original Peronism, which he strongly defends. Peron had popular support (and apparently earned that support), so in some ways his regime was in important ways democratic -- more so than the present nominally democratic regime there. (Of course Cuba is the most complete democracy any Latin American Country has ever had -- but I am focusing here on countries that have not had nor, immediately, promise to have, a communist revolution.)

I'm merely speculating. I think that Yoshie is probably right that third world countries to become independent nations need democracy in some sense. I doubt very much that anything that will look like democracy to Brad or Max or Chuck0 will ever fulfill that need.

Carrol



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