------- Forwarded message ------- From: mark_gubrud <mgubrud at squid.umd.edu> To: ufpj-disc at yahoogroups.com Subject: [ufpj-disc] Words and Messages Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 07:58:46 -0000
> I think it is very unfortunate that UfPJ has adopted opposition to
> "the Bush agenda of empire building" as its primary slogan. I know a
> lot of thought and debate must have gone into this (although I was not
> involved in or aware of it at the time), but it is a bad approach.
>
> The main reason is that it comes from outside the mainstream discourse
> and I think a focus group would have revealed that 95% of the American
> public has no clue what it means. Why could we not just say we're
> against Bush's program of war and aggression? I imagine some people
> would have trouble just wrapping their minds around the concept of
> "aggression" - they call it preemptive action now - but it's a lot
> less obscure than the alleged "agenda of empire building."
>
> The second reason is that I really question whether such an agenda so
> clearly exists. I think most of our radical comrades would argue that
> US imperialism is nothing new. Honestly, there is a global capitalist
> empire that exists today, with the US as its primary guardian, but it
> is not quite a US empire in the old fashioned sense. The takeover of
> Iraq is partly to plug one of the remaining holes in that global
> empire, initially favoring American corporations, but in the end
> putting Iraqi crude back on the world market and opening the Iraqi
> market to all the world's capitalists. That's not such a huge change
> as far as the real Empire is concerned.
>
> Yes, I know all about the PNAC and its circle of friends. But a
> coalition like UfPJ should not rest its public image on a conspiracy
> theory, even if it is well-documented and true.
>
> Yes, I know that terms like empire and imperialism have recently
> popped up in the mainstream discourse, particularly in relation to
> Iraq, but that is a novelty and it is usually meant as a provocation
> to discussion: US Imperialism? Egads!
>
> Yes, I know the US is trying to impose a government of its choice on
> the people of Iraq, and is seeking permanent military bases there,
> from which to dominate the entire region. Yes, I know there is
> substance to the charge of "empire building" and that it is a
> defensible interpretation of what is going on. But it is only one
> such interpretation. Other interpretations would emphasize different
> aspects of the whole picture. No particular interpretative theory of
> Bush's agenda should define what UfPJ is about - particularly not on
> the front page.
>
> "Permanent war" is a little bit better, but really, why can't we just
> to say we're opposed to war and injustice, and in particular to Bush's
> unjust war in Iraq and his threats to attack other nations? At least
> it wouldn't sound weird to people.
>
> Mark Avrum Gubrud
> University of Maryland Peace Forum
>
>
>
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-- Michael Pugliese