Protest against the Bombing

Chris Burford cburford at gn.apc.org
Fri Mar 26 15:52:06 PST 1999


At 11:19 26/03/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Margaret wrote:
>
>>Yes, they are selective, and disgustingly so. But what
>>are we to do then? It's despicable, as you imply, that
>>the US establishment doesn't really give a rat's
>>backside for anything but the wealthy. But isn't it
>>even worse to let positively _every_one suffer?
>>Surely ameliorating the lives of a few for the wrong
>>reasons is better -- at least for those few! -- than
>>letting everyone go hang. Isn't it?
>>
>>Rather than protest the intervention in Kosovo,
>>wouldn't it be better to protest US _failure_ to
>>intervene on behalf of the Kurds et al.?
>
>I never trust the U.S., especially when it's acting on "humanitarian"
>grounds. Maybe I'm a bit rigid in applying this principle, but I really
>doubt that killing for peace will save many lives. If the long-run effect
>of this bombing is to make the Russians and Chinese more bellicose then it
>starts to get very scary.
>
>Doug

I salute Doug's instincts. It is especially important that progressive people in the USA should expose the actions of its government and ruling class. But there is a wider global agenda here. This cannot progress solely through the United Nations, where there is a veto. There is a contest here about which body of states can step forward as a nucleus of world government.

In defending the Kosovan muslims, the West is gaining a little credibility it lost with the bombing of the Khartoum pharmaceutical factory.

In terms of practice, ultimately the highest goal, Margaret is correct and is not naive at all.

It is leftist cynicism to restrict oneself to propaganda expose's of every action of imperialism. In terms of practice choices have to be made. If instead of opposing the defence of Kosovan rights by the imperialist powers, we raised the demand that they are consistent about defending the right of the Kurds, this would actually have far more impact in denting their present credibility, and preparing the ground for a shift in the agenda in more progressive political direction.

Self-determination for Kurdistan! That should shift the agenda too on Iraq.

Chris Burford

London



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