East Timor and Kosovo

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>That is why the only principled answer is that if substantial economic
>pressure is applied to Indonesia it should be in the context of substantial
>reforms of the nature of IMF involvement with Indonesia. The whole area
>should be compensated for the recent massive destruction of capital (which
>has left the heartlands of the global capitalist system perfectly
>comfortable). There should be a democratic economic development plan for
>all the islands of the archipelago which would respond to what is
>progressive in the demands of the national bourgeoisie and be in the
>interests of the mass of the working people. In this wider framework the
>sectional conflict around the right of the east Timorese to self-government
>could in principal be resolved less antagonistically.
>
>And if this is met by a chorus of cynicism about why the west should do
>anything like this - well it does not have to, but it has gone public in
>support of the referendum and it is embarrassing for its status as guardian
>of progress and justice in the world! It is vulnerable to authoritative
>criticism. But only if more progressive policies are put forward.
>
>Chris Burford


>in the meantime,
>the same approach i took on yugoslavia applies here: allow open passage
>of the east timorese at risk of being killed and the displaced to
>australia.  here's where the aust military can play a role.
>
>Angela

The fundamental problem here (which W. Kiernan already pointed out to
Chris) is why some leftists have begun to think _as if_ they were
formulating foreign policies that they had the power to execute (when, as a
matter of fact, they are not in power at all).  Such a habit of thinking
only belongs to the governing elite and their think-tank servants.  Since
e-lists are media of sovereign individualism, I suppose anyone is free to
put forward as many proposals, with as much wishful-thinking, as s/he
wants, but still it is an odd exercise.

Yoshie