On Fri, 18 Oct 2002 Nathan Newman wrote:
> There is no positive vision by the Left of what the middle east should
> look like in a just world and little analysis on how to get there, again
> other than the negative of US getting out.
-This is dead backwards, Nathan. The left has a plan; the right has less
-than no plan; and the Kurds are just fine.
-Let's start with the right. There are two things we can do after invading
-Iraq: occupy for 10 years; or not occupy. And each option is worse than
-the next. That's not a plan. Secondly the left has clear and distinctive
>and positive plan for what to
>do in the middle east: the US should put all its energy into creating a
>palestinian state on the occupied territories.
I agreed that Bush doesn't have a plan that will work-- he has a propaganda vision that is positive but a lie. And even if the left has some goal in Palestine, that's just one part of the equation-- the Left still is miserably silent on how to engage the far larger issues of authoritarian oppression, economic poverty and the Islamist insanity that has been the response in the broader region. If you can give me the "Left position" on Egypt, Syria, Iran, OPEC et al, I'd be shocked-- it's all over the map.
And the problem on Palestine is that most of those promoting Palestinian statehood have trouble fully articulating a two-state solution-- those mobilizing, such as during last spring's WWP-rally made all sorts of noises about rolling back Israel's borders beyond 1967 and even leaving its existence in doubt. That's as tenable as Israel holding onto the Occupied Territories as far as peace in the region. Yes, my ideal would be for the US with the world to promote a two-state solution and the UN to provide whatever resources, economic or policing, needed to enforce it.
This isn't an accidental vagueness on the Left-- it stems from the fact that these sectarian groups still dominate concrete organizing on the issues of foreign policy. Yes, you can find some nice articles in the Nation somewhere with positive visions, but when the mettle hits the road in actual organizing, rallies, petitions, the rhetoric becomes vague and negative with little positive plans for action.
-- Nathan Newman
Thirdly, what is this about the Kurds? You act as if they are being horribly mistreated, and as if the situation is at the edge of crisis and has to be dealt with immediately. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of all the groups in Iraq, the Kurds are the only ones who have benefitted from the current set-up. Their life in their northern enclave is better than life has been for them ever before in their history. If nothing is done in Iraq, and the status quo went forward, they would be the one group who would be happy. They're afraid that almost any change in status will make things worse for them. It's all the other groups in Iraq who are doing badly and that we need to aid.
Michael