Self-determination and Democracy in the Iraqi Conflict, Barry Finger
> ..."Where the imperialist oppressor is a democratic capitalist country,
the continued presence of foreign domination cannot but have the
effect of tainting and distorting the social content of democracy in
the eyes of the oppressed. This is especially true where democracy
is first introduced by means of an imperial invasion. A nation that
is politically oppressed so that it may be economically exploited,
necessarily alights on the not unreasonable suspicion
that 'democracy' is nothing but a cultural and administrative tool
in the arsenal of domination. For that is precisely the social
program which it bears in that context and equally why 'democratic'
imperialism is so particularly pernicious. As socialists, we,
especially, should harbor no illusions that the cause of democracy
can be advanced by such means. Democrats, trade unionists,
feminists, etc. who seek cover under a 'democratic' imperialist
umbrella, who moreover take responsibility for the politics of
imperial intervention, dishonor their ideals insofar as they come to
be perceived, justifiably or not, as agents of foreign
collaboration."
Unraveling Iraq: The Sociopolitical and Ethical Dimensions of Resistance, Wadood Hamad
A Horizon Lit With Blood: The U.S. Occupation and Resistance in Iraq, Glenn Perusek
-- Michael Pugliese