--- Yoshie Furuhashi <critical.montages at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 30 April 1975, the Vietnamese Communists finally
> triumphed.
> Whatever the rest of the world think of subsequent
> history of Viet Nam
> (or whether they think about it at all), Iraqis,
> Afghans, Iranians,
> Venezuelans, Americans, all of us should thank the
> Vietnamese for
> rendering Americans unwilling to fight any big wars
> that cause
> millions of casualties.
Yes, there is certainly that element there. But that is only a part of the story, at least when you think beyond nationalism in general, and petty (and quite obnoxious) nationalisms of Third and Second World countries in particular. You can take, as I do, Rosa Luxemburg's (and to some extent Marx's - expressed in his comments on the British rule in India) position that what really matters is not national sovereignty and might of this or that nation, but the overall prospects of establishinng socialism. Nationaalists claims should take a back seat vis a vis prospects of creating socialism.
Implications of that position are quite obvious. If winninng national independece means a throwback to middle age theocracy or a tribal kleptocracy or a quasi-fascist autocracy - to hell with such national independence and liberation. This is a road away from socialism rather than toward socialism. That also means that in some cases, imperialism or foreign intervetion might be preferred to national liberation, as they are more likely to create conditions favorbale for advancing socialism.
PS. Tee Soviet vaiety of socialism was, for the most part, in the business of promoting Russia's national interests, rather than advancing th ecfause of socialism world-wide. That might have had some positive aspects, such as keeping US capitalists in line and willing to make concessions to their own people, but generally it was a reactionary position - or at least certainly not the onle that can be used to advance socialism in a long run. At certain poitn, it even became an integument, a hindrance to that cause, which it once professed to advance. The integument bursts asunder ... - you get my drift, no?
Wojtek
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com