[lbo-talk] The U.S. Occupation of Iraq: Three Perspectives

Michael Pugliese michael098762001 at earthlink.net
Mon Jan 31 09:17:39 PST 2005


http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue38/cont38.htm We are pleased to present three distinct viewpoints on the ongoing U.S. occupation of Iraq. Each contribution addresses such critical issues as the forthcoming elections, the declared and undeclared aims of the Bush administration, and the nature of the resistance. As always, New Politics invites further discussion and comment from our readers.

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



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