[lbo-talk] Ali Abunimah on Palestinian NVR

[ravi]

Marvin Gandall wrote [quoting someone else]:
>  
> While one can admire Mohandas Gandhi's nonviolent principles, one can 
> hardly point to the Indian experience as a demonstration of their 
> usefulness in overthrowing a colonial regime. Indeed, Gandhi's concepts 
> of satyagraha, or soul power, and ahimsa, or nonviolent struggle, played 
> an important role during the Indian independence struggle,...

 >

if "nonviolent struggle played an important role during indian 
independence struggle" then was it not "useful in overthrowing a 
colonial regime"? of course the phrase "indian experience" gives an out 
to refer to communal violence and such (many of which were not part of 
the independence struggle but occured as a regrettable side-effect). and 
hence the final sentence of the paragraph:


>  One simply cannot
> argue that Indian independence was achieved in a nonviolent context.

but who is arguing that? nonviolent struggle may well be employed in a 
violent context. the question that the author correctly starts with is 
if it (non-violent struggle) is a useful tool. the reasoning in the rest 
of the piece seems to confuse the issues.

	--ravi