>In general, a Marxist understanding doesn't deny that "big men" have ideas
(intelligence, stupidity, incompetence, etc.) in world events, but that
underlying these BIG IDEAS are political economic ultimate factors. Clinton
, Albright and Blair are BIG PEOPLE, like the kings and emperors of old,
but it is class struggles that are the ultimate explanation of historical
events and developments.
<
Quite. Capitalism has outgrown the nation state. It requires large supra-national markets. It requires multi-ethnic tolerance.
"From their daily experience the masses know perfectly well the value of geographical and economic ties and the advantage of a big market and a big state." Lenin "The Right of Nations to Self-Determination, 1914
In England in the last couple of weeks a vicious series of nail bomb attacks, first on the Afro-Caribbean centre of Brixton, then on the Bengali centre in Brick Lane, then on a gay bar in Soho, has been brought to an end. The bourgeois armed forces of the state, the Metropolitan police, by public insistence from the inquiry into the death of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence gave this inquiry maximum priority. A photo-enhanced picture from a Brixton CCTV camera was spread across the front pages of all the capitalist newspapers. The headlines were "nail him!".
A man has been arrested, and only the unanimous discpline of the press and public opinion is muffling the rejoicing because publicity can be used in trial by the defence to claim the defendant can be acquitted, in England.
At the weekend Blair spoke at a Sikh festival in favour of the war in Kosovo. Tonight he has spoken at a muslim rally.
Charles has visited the gay pub.
When Blair and Clinton say the muslims of Kosovo are our own fellow men and women they are speaking for the ethics of advanced monopoly capitalism.
They have received warm support from the population.
That is the economics of this war.
Chris Burford
London