dawg, the arab world had some of the leading minds in the world following WWII@Ritzy Sharon once made a great point that if the cold war hadn't stopped all the arab socialists imagine how different these countries would be right now...
@Ritzy Sharon once made a great point that if the cold war hadn't stopped all the arab socialists imagine how different these countries would be right now...
when the Arabs flooded the streets and demanded dignity and freedom, it was not only directed at their corrupt dictators, but decades of neoliberal economic policies that has devastated the region and created unprecedented poverty and inequality.
only the only the working class, regardless of sectarian or ethnic differences, can unify the masses and carry out a successful revolution. this is especially true for such a diverse, mutli-ethnic, multi-religious country like Syria. I don't doubt for a second that a real, authentic resistance to the Assad regime existed in Syria, but when Assad decided to violently put down the protests, the absence of any popular leftist movement created a void, which the Islamists gladly filled. and what should be a class-struggle has been obscured and we have a sectarian bloodbath with no end in sight.![]()
Basra looked beautiful. I know that's where most of the Afro-Iraqi diaspora mostly lives at. But Iraq was the advanced society in that part of the world for centuries, the destructive force of neoliberal policies as @Ritzy Sharon mentioned has made its mark on all the parts of the world that were once contested in the Cold War, the Middle East and Africa got fukked over the worse just for having valuable resources.
when the Arabs flooded the streets and demanded dignity and freedom, it was not only directed at their corrupt dictators, but decades of neoliberal economic policies that has devastated the region and created unprecedented poverty and inequality.
only the only the working class, regardless of sectarian or ethnic differences, can unify the masses and carry out a successful revolution. this is especially true for such a diverse, mutli-ethnic, multi-religious country like Syria. I don't doubt for a second that a real, authentic resistance to the Assad regime existed in Syria, but when Assad decided to violently put down the protests, the absence of any popular leftist movement created a void, which the Islamists gladly filled. and what should be a class-struggle has been obscured and we have a sectarian bloodbath with no end in sight.![]()
I joined the Lebanese communist party when I was 14.Great point. I'll go as far as to say that the absence of popular leftists movements in the Arab/Muslim world (and in Africa too) is no coincidence at all. "Aid" has always been linked to neoliberal policies being implemented by the receiving country.
Edit: The point you make is very important, because when one thinks about it the left has all but been replaced by extreme movements everywhere, to different degrees. So instead of having political conflicts, we now have conflicts/debates along the lines of religion (in Africa, or in the Middle-East) or of "morals" (US, Europe) instead of discussing political ideologies. The last western leader who had somewhat an ideological point of view imo was Obama in 08, and that was obvious given the circumstances (after 8 years of Bush neo-conservatism, two wars, and being the first non-White president). In Europe no one speaks about ideas anymore, it's only about managing deficits. Hence the polarization of people on "moral" issues (gay-mariage for example). Leftist movements were very important in Arab countries, mostly linked to Arab nationalism, and they were actually the ones keeping religion in check.
What you're saying, the void created by the absence of the left being filled by Islamists is the same logic, I think, explaining in part the rise of extreme-right and extreme-left in Europe.
Great point. I'll go as far as to say that the absence of popular leftists movements in the Arab/Muslim world (and in Africa too) is no coincidence at all. "Aid" has always been linked to neoliberal policies being implemented by the receiving country.
Edit: The point you make is very important, because when one thinks about it the left has all but been replaced by extreme movements everywhere, to different degrees. So instead of having political conflicts, we now have conflicts/debates along the lines of religion (in Africa, or in the Middle-East) or of "morals" (US, Europe) instead of discussing political ideologies. The last western leader who had somewhat an ideological point of view imo was Obama in 08, and that was obvious given the circumstances (after 8 years of Bush neo-conservatism, two wars, and being the first non-White president). In Europe no one speaks about ideas anymore, it's only about managing deficits. Hence the polarization of people on "moral" issues (gay-mariage for example). Leftist movements were very important in Arab countries, mostly linked to Arab nationalism, and they were actually the ones keeping religion in check.
What you're saying, the void created by the absence of the left being filled by Islamists is the same logic, I think, explaining in part the rise of extreme-right and extreme-left in Europe.