>On Behalf Of Rakesh Bhandari
> This may leave me not only with no one to stand with, it may simply leave
> nowhere to stand at all. It is possible that my comments are
> contradictory, but the reality is quite complicated. And we have no more
> than scratched the surface.
I agree with you that the situation is extremely complicated, both theoretically and tactically, and appreciate your good faith search for the best approach. I sometimes wish you could extend the same appreciation for the good faith position of other folks, including admitting that even a lot of AFL-CIO players are pushing more than a "social protectionist" position. You might grant them a bit more right to maintain contradictory positions at time, even while trying to stumble towards a more progressive global system. They may be wrong in their tactical approach and some may be as chauvinist as you claim, but many, even most pushing the China WTO campaign are as dedicated to global economic justice as you are.
> I don't make much of the conflict between Congress and the
> President, business lobbies and anti China activists. They are just
> looking after different parts of US imperialism, and trying to forge the
> best way forward.
Two comments on this: one if you can grant good faith divisions among the imperialists over broad strategy, you should expect a similar good faith division on tactics among the opposition. There is a bit of rhetorical trick in dismissing every division among the elite as reflecting the complications of managing capitalism, while attacking every difference of opinion among progressive forces as inevitably based on a "sell-out" of principle.
While some of the Buchananite Right is opposing the WTO deal on residual anticommunist grounds, it is striking how unified the business lobbies and mainstream pro-business politicians are in support of the China WTO deal. Maybe the progressive Democrats are trying to save capitalism from its own mistakes, but that really seems to be streching the political analysis.
-- Nathan Newman