Defend Libya as it Confronts the Plots of the Imperialists
23 March 2011
Below is a statement by the Anti-Imperialist Camp regarding the situation in Libya. We in the International Republican Socialist Network are glad to see this organisation with whom we have often been in solidarity express caution and reservations about those currently demonstrating against the government in Libya embracing the imperialists and seeking NATO military intervention, but we are far more cynical than they about what is being called a 'popular' movement in Libya.
We have a deep appreciation of the support Libya provided to the republican and republican socialist struggle in ireland and to liberation movements around the world. Especially those of us who had the opportunity to visit Libya or to otherwise enjoy the bonds of solidarity and friendship the Libyans provided us in the past find it difficult to view those now seeking military aid from the imperialists as being representative of popular sentiment in Libya. Our comrades who visited Libya were very impressed with both the level of efforts to build greater social justice and the efforts to ensure the personal liberties of the Libyan people. Moreover, we have long been disgusted by the failure of the socialist and anti-imperialist movements in North America and Europe to take adequate steps to defend the Libyan revolution when the imperialist successfully isolated Libyan, slandered and vilified the tremendous advances made in that nation, and brought tremendous economic and military pressure on Libya. If the revolutionary advances in Libya under the leadership of Qaddhafi have subsided and the anti-imperialist stance adopted by Qaddhafi can be criticised as having become 'increasingly devoid of content' we believe the anti-imperialist movements of North America and Europe must share the blame, because of their failure to provide an effective defense of the Libyan revolution when it struggled against a relentless seige from the imperialists.
The IRSN continues to support the advance brought about by the Libyan revolution and do not support those forces now seeking to ally themselves with western imperialism to topple the present Libyan government. We demand that the imperialist keep their hands off Libya and call upon anti-imperialists around the world to stand in support of Libya's working people and the state that has sought to economically improve and polltically emancipate the Libyan working class.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network
*****************************************************************************
Libya: Popular democratic uprising in favour of a pro-western regime?
Arundhati Roy is an intellectual icon of the resistance against
globalisation. Recently we asked her what she thinks about the
democratic movements in the Arab world. Her answer was that the support
those rebellions enjoy in the western media makes her rather anxious.
How this fact can be interpreted?
The Egyptian movement was quite a challenge for the regimes of the west,
as Mubarak was one of the most important pro-western dictators. His
regime protected Israel and in return received billions of military aid
each year. In the true spirit of neoliberalism, Washington also
outsourced torture to Cairo. At the same time, the lords of the world
have continued to as the keepers of the Holy Grail they call democracy.
The Tunisian movement was so powerful that it forced the US regime to
back down from its support, while the former colonial power—France—still
supported their torture interrogator Ben Ali.
In Libya on the other hand, the world seems to be alright again. The
hacks are dancing again to the tune pattern employed against
Saddam–Milošević–Ahmadinejad. It doesn’t help Qaddhafi that the west has
been doing good business with him for many years, while he in turn keeps
the African have-nots out of sight for the EU fortress and supports
French colonial policy in Chad. For his people and for the Arab world,
the ageing leader of the revolution has been continuing to mime the
anti-imperialist, increasingly clownish and devoid of contents. On the
other side of the Mediterranean, they are now propping up this faded
anti-imperialist as an enemy for quasi-posthumous revenge against the
old Qaddhafi.
The present bear hug is the worst burden to weigh down the democratic
movement. If it wants to be democratic, it has to reject western
support, otherwise Qaddhafi could regain legitimacy. Those who really
want to support the popular movement have to resolutely oppose sanctions
(let’s not forget the slow genocides in Iraq in the name of “democracy”
and in Gaza right now); of course we also have to fight any military
intervention.
continue reading:
www.antiimperialista.org/en/node/6844
************************************
Anti-imperialist Camp
www.antiimperialista.org
camp@antiimperialista.org
************************************
Below is a statement by the Anti-Imperialist Camp regarding the situation in Libya. We in the International Republican Socialist Network are glad to see this organisation with whom we have often been in solidarity express caution and reservations about those currently demonstrating against the government in Libya embracing the imperialists and seeking NATO military intervention, but we are far more cynical than they about what is being called a 'popular' movement in Libya.
We have a deep appreciation of the support Libya provided to the republican and republican socialist struggle in ireland and to liberation movements around the world. Especially those of us who had the opportunity to visit Libya or to otherwise enjoy the bonds of solidarity and friendship the Libyans provided us in the past find it difficult to view those now seeking military aid from the imperialists as being representative of popular sentiment in Libya. Our comrades who visited Libya were very impressed with both the level of efforts to build greater social justice and the efforts to ensure the personal liberties of the Libyan people. Moreover, we have long been disgusted by the failure of the socialist and anti-imperialist movements in North America and Europe to take adequate steps to defend the Libyan revolution when the imperialist successfully isolated Libyan, slandered and vilified the tremendous advances made in that nation, and brought tremendous economic and military pressure on Libya. If the revolutionary advances in Libya under the leadership of Qaddhafi have subsided and the anti-imperialist stance adopted by Qaddhafi can be criticised as having become 'increasingly devoid of content' we believe the anti-imperialist movements of North America and Europe must share the blame, because of their failure to provide an effective defense of the Libyan revolution when it struggled against a relentless seige from the imperialists.
The IRSN continues to support the advance brought about by the Libyan revolution and do not support those forces now seeking to ally themselves with western imperialism to topple the present Libyan government. We demand that the imperialist keep their hands off Libya and call upon anti-imperialists around the world to stand in support of Libya's working people and the state that has sought to economically improve and polltically emancipate the Libyan working class.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network
*****************************************************************************
Libya: Popular democratic uprising in favour of a pro-western regime?
Arundhati Roy is an intellectual icon of the resistance against
globalisation. Recently we asked her what she thinks about the
democratic movements in the Arab world. Her answer was that the support
those rebellions enjoy in the western media makes her rather anxious.
How this fact can be interpreted?
The Egyptian movement was quite a challenge for the regimes of the west,
as Mubarak was one of the most important pro-western dictators. His
regime protected Israel and in return received billions of military aid
each year. In the true spirit of neoliberalism, Washington also
outsourced torture to Cairo. At the same time, the lords of the world
have continued to as the keepers of the Holy Grail they call democracy.
The Tunisian movement was so powerful that it forced the US regime to
back down from its support, while the former colonial power—France—still
supported their torture interrogator Ben Ali.
In Libya on the other hand, the world seems to be alright again. The
hacks are dancing again to the tune pattern employed against
Saddam–Milošević–Ahmadinejad. It doesn’t help Qaddhafi that the west has
been doing good business with him for many years, while he in turn keeps
the African have-nots out of sight for the EU fortress and supports
French colonial policy in Chad. For his people and for the Arab world,
the ageing leader of the revolution has been continuing to mime the
anti-imperialist, increasingly clownish and devoid of contents. On the
other side of the Mediterranean, they are now propping up this faded
anti-imperialist as an enemy for quasi-posthumous revenge against the
old Qaddhafi.
The present bear hug is the worst burden to weigh down the democratic
movement. If it wants to be democratic, it has to reject western
support, otherwise Qaddhafi could regain legitimacy. Those who really
want to support the popular movement have to resolutely oppose sanctions
(let’s not forget the slow genocides in Iraq in the name of “democracy”
and in Gaza right now); of course we also have to fight any military
intervention.
continue reading:
www.antiimperialista.org/en/node/6844
************************************
Anti-imperialist Camp
www.antiimperialista.org
camp@antiimperialista.org
************************************
