Is this paroxysm of nationalist passion on the list going to carry on indefinitely? Look, it's pretty simple isn't it?
1. Countries with imperial ambitions (all capitalist nation states with any sort of muscle) are pretty nasty and they also get into conflict with one another from time to time. 2. However, liking the underdog and disliking the bully, we sometimes hope that the biggest and baddest of these gets a bloody nose from time to time to stop it from becoming too arrogant. 3. However this international conflict is a bad thing, always a bad thing (inestimable suffering etc). 4. And we recognise that ultimately another capitalist country (its ruling class actually) will eventually beat the super bad and in its turn become the baddest of the bad; we don't know which one yet. 5. Alternatively, they may wipe all of us out with nuclear weapons or some other as yet unknown horror.
If only because of no. 5, we should surely be talking (at least occasionally) about the possibility of a different world system and how we might get from here to there. Surely one can agree with these propositions, even if one is not a communist, but any sort of leftist at all? But apparently not? Apparently we would rather 'root' (one of my least favourite Americanisms!) for our favourite side. Home run! Touchdown! Blam! Blam! Aaargh!!!
Tahir
-------------- next part -------------- All Email originating from UWC is covered by disclaimer http://www.uwc.ac.za/portal/public/portal_services/disclaimer.htm