INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

THE KING IS DEAD; LONG LIVE THE KING:

The news tonight is that the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il has gone to join his unlamented father in apotheosis. The Korean regime has in fact gone well beyond the bizarre mutation of a Marxist hereditary monarchy. It has become a modern day version of the Egyptian Pharaohs or the Roman Empire with the happily deceased (to those who were losers in the power plays) elevated to Godhood. Even Stalin at his worst would never have imagined the heights of glorification that the Land of Eternal Famine ,the North Korean state, has bestowed on its head executioner. There is little doubt that Marxist philosophy can lead its believers to strange acts of tyranny when in power and strange acts of justification when not in power. Still it would hard to imagine anything stranger than North Korea.

The NK regime will probably survive, but even that is uncertain. What is sure is that there is only one remaining "communist" dictatorship left in the world- Cuba. I wouldn't count China , Vietnam or Laos because they have retreated from totalitarianism and are now merely "authoritarian". The Cuba regime has much less chance of surviving a visit from the Reaper than North Korea does.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

2011: A YEAR OF REVOLUTION:

2011 was a remarkable year. As revolutions sparked throughout the Arab world the "lower" classes of many other countries also rose up as evidenced in Europe, North America and South America and now even in Russia. In sum there hasn't been so much opposition to power for decades. It's hard to say where this will all lead. As the following article says the year has been quite remarkable, and few (nobody ?) could have predicted its events.

The following article is from the online magazine 'The Indypendent'. The reader should note that "Molyneux" is NOT "Mollymew"

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2011: A Revolutionary Year
By John Molyneux
December 11, 2011 2011 will go down in history as a revolutionary year akin to 1848 and 1968: a year in which ordinary people round the world rose up against their governments and ruling elites – their respective 1%s.

Politically speaking, the year began on 17 December 2010 when a young vegetable seller called Mohamed Boazzizi set fire to himself in the southern Tunisian city after police confiscated his stall. What followed was unpredicted by any commentator, left, right or centre. The tone of the first Reuters report make this clear:

Police in a provincial city in Tunisia used tear gas late on Saturday to disperse hundreds of youths who smashed shop windows and damaged cars, witnesses told Reuters.There was no immediate comment from officials on the disturbances. Riots are extremely rare for Tunisia, a north African country of about 10 million people which is one of the most prosperous and stable in the region.

Twenty two days later on 14 January, after riots, demonstrations, violent clashes with security forces and finally mass strikes had spread across Tunisia, the country’s dictator, Zinedine Ben Ali, who had ruled for 23 years with full support from the West, fled to Saudi Arabia. The Arab Spring had started.

Eleven days later on Tuesday 25 January vast numbers of Egyptians poured onto the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. They were, of course, met with brutal repression but they fought back. It was the beginning of the Egyptian Revolution. All the commentators agreed that the Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak, would not be a push over like Ben Ali.

However, by Friday 28th, after three to four days and nights of intensive street fighting and many deaths, the hated police were defeated: in Cairo where the people claimed and held Tahrir Square; in Suez where the main police station was burned down, and across Egypt. The police fled the streets. Mubarak was on the rocks.

Then on Wednesday 2 February Mubarak and his regime counter attacked. They mobilised thousands of ‘supporters’ – in reality paid thugs and plain clothes police – to launch an all out assault, on horses and camels, with machetes, iron bars, whips and rocks, on the people of Tahrir. It became known as ‘the Battle of the Camel’, but once again the people, thanks to great courage and great numbers won the day.

Still Mubarak clung on, infuriating the people with speeches in which, despite rumours that he would resign, he insisted he would continue. Street demonstrations became ever larger – it has been estimated that, all told, 15 million people took part. Then on 9-10 February, the Egyptian workers began to go on mass strike. This was the coup de grace. On 11 February the military dumped their leader. It was only 18 days after the start of the revolution, four less than it took to remove Ben Ali.

On 16 February protests against Gaddafi began in Benghazi and quickly turned into an uprising. On the 25 February there were mass protests – ‘Days of Rage’ – in cities right across the Middle East., including in Sana’a in Yemen, in Bahrain, in Iraq (where six were killed), in Jordan and also back in Tunisia and Egypt. At this moment the march of the Arab Spring seemed unstoppable and it has to be said that if the rest of 2011 had continued the way it began we would all be living in a very different world today.

Unfortunately, as well as ordinary people, there are also rulers and ruling classes and they fight back. The Gaddafi regime, in particular, fought back with terrible ferocity. In Tripoli his armed forces remained loyal and he simply mowed the Libyan revolutionaries down in the Square. By 20 February over 230 were dead. The rebels gained control of Benghazi and other cities but Libya was divided and in the civil war that followed Gaddafi’s superior conventional forces gained the upper hand to the point where they were threatening Benghazi. Meanwhile the Bahrainis of Pearl Square, like the Egyptians of Tahrir before them, were in the process of overwhelming their local police force.

At this point the forces of Western Imperialism, fronted by Sarkozy, took the initiative. In mid-March, under the guise of a ‘humanitarian intervention’, they mounted a sustained air assault on Libya which eventually had the effect of destroying the Gaddafi regime and handing power to the Transitional National Council, while simultaneously taming and putting a pro- western stamp on the Libyan Revolution. Meanwhile the Saudis, in what was probably a coordinated move, marched into neighbouring Bahrain and crushed the revolution.

Nevertheless the Arab Spring was by no means exhausted. Mass struggles escalated in Yemen and then in Syria, struggles which continue, at the cost of thousands of martyrs, to this day. In both cases the dictators, Saleh in Yemen and Azzad in Syria, clung on with great brutality and determination, and in both cases the popular movement has shown immense courage and resilience with the result that in both there has been a kind of deadly stalemate. At the time of writing the regimes appear to be slowly disintegrating, but so far the revolutions have not yet seen the mass strikes that were decisive in Egypt. At the same time there are rumblings of revolt in Saudi Arabia itself.

On 15 May things took a different turn. The spirit of Tahrir Square leaped across the Mediterranean to Spain when thousands of protesters set up camp in Puerta del Sol in Madrid, proclaiming that ‘They (the politicians) don’t represent us!’ and demanding ‘Real democracy now’. When the police beat the protesters the movement took off like wildfire and squares right across the Spanish state were occupied, with hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, mobilised in their support. As they said ‘Nobody expected the Spanish Revolution’.

Next, less surprisingly, the revolt started to interact with the already high level of workers’ resistance in Greece. More mass demonstrations, riots, and general strikes followed as the crisis of Greek capitalism rapidly intensified.

Another unexpected development in the Summer was outbreak of mass protests over housing and other issues in Israel. Then in September the struggle made the leap across the Atlantic in the shape of Occupy Wall St. Again it was police repression, especially the arrest of 700 demonstrators on Brooklyn Bridge on 1 October, which fuelled the flames and led to ‘Occupies’ across America. Crucially organised labour identified with and actively supported the struggle, producing the highpoint of the Oakland General Strike of 2 November.

In Britain the struggle has also been rising. The past year has seen mass student protests, a 750,000 strong trade union anti-cuts demo in March, a big public sector strike on 30 June, the August riots, and now an even bigger strike on November 30. With 2 million workers out this was the largest strike since 1926, won huge popular support [61% according to a BBC poll] and was accompanied by unprecedented demonstrations nationwide, eg 20,000 in Bristol, 10,000 in Brighton, 10,000 in Dundee. In Northern Ireland there was the important development of 10,000 or so Catholic and Protestant workers uniting in Belfast. The week before there was the small matter of a general strike in Portugal.

While all this has been happening the Egyptian revolution has deepened and developed. From a struggle against Mubarak it has become a struggle against the military, the independent unions have grown and – so far- all attempts to crush the movement by force have been heroically repelled.

The explanation for this global tidal wave of revolt is essentially very simple. The international capitalist system is in profound crisis and the 1%, the ruling class, everywhere is trying to make the rest of us pay for it and in place after place people are fighting back. From Tahrir to Oakland we are feeding on the inspiration of each other’s resistance. Confidence is rising and for the first time in a generation revolution is back on the agenda.

For us in Ireland this raises a question. We have been hit harder than most by the crisis and attacks of the 1%, so why has there not so far been mass revolt? In February we saw an expression of mass discontent at the ballot box with the election of 5 United Left Alliance TDs but there have not yet been masses on the streets. The answer seems to lie in the interaction of three factors- the legacy of the Celtic tiger, the years of trade union/government social partnership and the shameful refusal of the union leaders to initiate resistance – which together have led to a certain mood of bitter resignation.

But here we need to remember that in any wave of struggle, 1848, 1968 or 2011, there are always places or times when little seems to be happening – not just Ireland but Sweden and Russia for example (though there is unrest growing in China) – and this can easily change.[Since this was written, as if to prove the point, mass protests against Putin have erupted from Moscow to Vladivostok} ‘Nobody expected,’ Tunisia or Egypt or Spain or Occupy Wall St. And resignation is not agreement, it suddenly turn into its opposite when an unforeseen spark gives people the confidence that what they do will make a difference.

One thing is certain the year and years to come will see many such sparks. The economic crisis of capitalism, merging with the crisis of climate change is rapidly becoming a crisis of the whole of humanity. So the great slogan of Tahrir Square ‘Revolution until Victory!’ has the potential and need to become a slogan for us all.

PERSONAL:

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT PART FIVE:

One thing I am certain of about the Occupy Movement (much more certain than how it will all end up) is that it has finally leapfrogged over the leftist concerns of the last few decades and their petty territorial politics. Those who are not leftists will be puzzled by this formulation. Others who are comfortable in leftist ghettos will be offended. Many of us who identify with a "left tradition"will be more than happy that someone has broken the silence.

What do I mean by the puzzling formulation above ? I mean that the "left" in the past few decades has surrendered any hope of reaching the majority and has become quite comfortable with drawing academic income (or worse quango income). For its personal comfort it has abandoned any idea of large scale social change and has become satisfied with the- let's call them for what they are- "opportunities for corruption". All that is required is to continue to pump out the same old propaganda about the "unique oppression" of social group a to m.

Yeah it makes money for some, but that's all it does. Suddenly there comes a political movement out of nowhere that deliberately tries to address the vast majority of the population and their concerns. WOW; it's like being transported 70 years into the past.

Will it last ? Your guess is as good as mine. The Occupy Movement walks a tightrope between the hell of political co-option and the opposite hell of ineffective militancy. It's a golden mean. Wish them luck.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

DEMOCRACY VERSUS THE BANKERS:

The following item on the international finamcial crisis is from the Anarkismo website.

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Europe & the Bankers
The limits of democracy in Project Europe

When the Arab peoples began to agitate at the start of the year, European countries quickly began to distance themselves from the dictators they had been nursing for some time, in order to seize the flags of change that the people were demanding in the streets. By doing theis, they sought to calm the clamour for social and economic demands and substitute them with cosmetic democratic reforms, as if the struggles of these peoples had not been about the right to bread but the right for access to the polls. There were some who accused the Europeans and their big brothers in Washington of hypocrisy: while the were "horrified" at the repression in Syria, they supported it openly in Bahrain and Yemen; while they waved the bugbear of radical Islamism in Yemen, they openly supported a regime of jihadists that was seeking to impose sharia law in Libya; while they were demanding the resignation of Assad, they closed one eye to the medieval monarchies of the Emirates, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. It is absolutely no surprise, since the imperialists (and the USA and EU are imperialists in the classical sense of the term) never act unless it is for a goal that fits in with their own material and geopolitical interests. Hypocrites they may be, but their hypocrisy is fairly predictable.

Others also denounce hypocrisy on the part of the Europeans when they talk about "democracy", seizing this concept too and deforming it at will, when what they were doing was carefully channelling the process of change in the Arab countries in a typically Leopard-esque way ("change everything in order to change nothing"), so that there would be no more open dictatorships but monitored "democracies", with the army as the final custodian of the imperial interests. After all, the only freedom they know how to defend is the freedom of the market [1].

But there were also others again who corrected us saying that the European countries were not hypocrites, but merely contradictory: i.e., that it wasn't that they were not "democratic" in themselves, it was that they had one policy at home and another abroad. Foreign policy was naturally determined by their venal interests, whereas domestic policy was supposedly based on well-rooted democratic values.

It just needed the entrance onto the scene through the Puerta del Sol of the "indignados" in all their glory and majesty for this myth of a democratic Europe to explode. Western democracy, as some call it, works as long as no-one protests. As Chomsky has so dramatically demonstrated, in advanced capitalist societies the real mechanism of control is not so much the police baton as the creation of forced consensus by means of a stifling form of propaganda. Once the people decide to move outside the tight limits on democratic liberties by this small elite that governs, European democracy shows its teeth and imprisons, beats (no-one dares say torture, but it is also this) and even kills. It happened in Genoa ten years ago and it has happened several times in Greece, but the memories of European citizens are fragile things...
The Bankers Coup in Greece
Last week we witnessed a real coup d'état in Greece. When the "social democrat" George Papandreou took the crazy initiative of calling a referendum to decide whether Greece would continue to remain as part of the Euro zone, he was immediately pressurized into quitting. The pressure, naturally, did not come from the Greek people but from the mandarins of the European Union. Why is the EU against a referendum? What can be more democratic than a referendum, where the people get to have a direct say on policies that directly concern both them and the next three generations at least?

The EU's opinion on referendums is all too well known to anyone living in Ireland, where people twice voted against European Treaties (Nice in 2002 and Lisbon in 2008) and on each occasion were forced by Brussels to vote again after being threatened (and not in too roundabout terms) with all sorts of dire consequences ranging from expulsion from the EU to expulsion from the Eurovision Song Contest.

In Greece, they knew that they would have lost the referendum and so it was aborted in the most anti-democratic of ways, showing how they can force an entire people into remaining part of a commercial zone that is bleeding them to death with illegitimate, extortionate debt. They got rid of the social democratic Papandreou and substituted him, without any election, with a certain Lucas Papademos, ex-governor of the Bank of Greece until 2002, then vice-president of the European Central Bank and finally economic adviser to Papandreou. This is the man who was responsible for the transition from the drachma to the euro, who had a leading role in the irresponsible loans to Greek banks and, lastly, who personally promoted the failed economic policies of a government that brought an entire country to ruins. In other words, we are talking about the persons who alone is more responsible than any other for the mess that the Greeks find themselves in today. But the bankers have spoken: they will not accept any hint of "populism" (the word that is used when "democracy" gets results that Capital does not want) and the hard times that are in it demand a strong hand both to control finances and to control the streets, a stong hand for the poor, but a generous hand for the poor speculators... the bankers in power!
Technocrats and liars in power
In the meantime, the Italians have a good many reasons to celebrate the downfall of the pathetic, decadent Berlusconi, who transformed his premiership into nothing short of a reality show, with a little extra spice from sexy showgirls, sex with underage girls and "bunga bunga" parties, all serving to cloak his links with the mafia and the rampant corruption throughout the country. But they have less reason to celebrate their new premier, Mario Monti. His history is similar to Papademos': he was a European Commissioner, an adviser both to Goldman Sachs, speculators extraordinaire, and to the infamous multinational Coca Cola, and he is close to the current president of the ECB, Mario Draghi. We can only guess whose interests he will be serving, albeit perhaps more efficiently than the corrupt clown who has just left office.

In Ireland too the government fell at the end of last year, and in the improvised elections that were held in February, an apparently schizophrenic coalition was elected: Labour (who in Ireland are to the right of Tony Blair) and Fine Gael, a firmly right-wing nationalist party who once even flirted with Nazism, even to the extent of sending men to fight for Franco. They reached office by promising all the usual lovely things that are promised during election campaigns. They promised that they would review the outgoing government's accords with the ECB and renegotiate the rescue plan; they also swore they would not shift the load of the debt onto the shoulders of the poorer parts of society. And in fact, they also lied, as is usual during election campaigns. Not only have they worsened the terms of the rescue package agreed by the previous corrupt government, they have announced further cuts in the next Budget which will hit the poor, social spending and the workers, while the bankers who created the mess continue to receive their millionaire bonuses because - according to Labour - those bonuses were agreed before the crisis started!

These governments will guarantee that this illegitimate debt will continue to be paid, that they will get every last cent out of us before these countries declare themselves bankrupt. There is no other logic to these Structural Adjustment Programmes and cuts in social spending that are strangling internal markets and de-stimulating spending. It's a case of getting everything you can now before the house burns down.
Governments are falling... but where's the alternative?
The tragedy in Europe is that governments are falling but there is no way out of the crisis being indicated by the mobilized people, partly because the popular movement itself is in crisis after decades of social pacts, immobilism and pacification and due to a quite thorough ideological penetration of the bankers' fallacies in every layer of society. There are the struggles in Greece, but so far they haven't proved enough. There are the "indignados" in Spain, but the working class there has only just started to wake up. In Italy and Ireland, protests are practically nonexistent. In Ireland, any mass mobilization is limited to the weekends (so as not to "damage" the economy), and as far away as possible from government buildings, where bankers are reminded of their social responsibility. As soon as the mass mobilizations that challenge the regime begin, what will happen in this (social) democratic Europe, so proud of its civil liberties? We've already had some idea with the experience of the Basques and Northern Ireland, which demonstrate that when democracy doesn't work, they resort to a state of emergency, something which is as much a part of capitalist democracy as the illusion of elections. Don't forget that in March 2009, at the time of what proved to be a flop of a general strike in Ireland, Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, asked the government to militarize the country's airports in order to prevent any union action.

There has not been even the slightest hint of a revolution in Greece and already they've carried out a coup d'état - not a military one, true enough, but a coup nonetheless with a force that is greater than that of arms: the force of the euro. This should be proof enough for all those who still believe in the mantra of liberal values rooted in European society that these things can happen here, too. In the final analysis, capitalism is based on brute force and its exercises in democracy are merely formal, cosmetic. The "indignados" in their camps around Europe are right to demand real democracy, when everyone can see that the decisions that concern all of us are taken in Brussels and by the ECB.

We should of course never forget that there can be no democracy in politics unless there is democracy in economics. As long as the economy (i.e., the organization of the means to guarantee the people's subsistence) is in the hands of a minority, it will be at the service of a minority. And this minority will have power over the others, without having to worry whether it governs by means of referendums or technocrats. This is the basic limit of democracy, sacrosanct private property and this should be the first element that any truly alternative project must challenge if it is to overcome the crisis.

José Antonio Gutiérrez D.

15 November 2011

Article written for Anarkismo.net. Translated by FdCA-International relations office.


[1] On monitored democracies that are being set up under the patronage of the EU and the USA in countries which have deposed their dictators, see the articles I wrote some months ago: http://www.anarkismo.net/article/19017 and http://www.anarkismo.net/article/19142

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS BAHRAIN:

TELL US WOMEN'S WORLD CUP PLAYERS TO SUPPORT THEIR FELLOW PLAYERS IN BAHRAIN:

As this is being written the US Team at The Women's World Football Cup has advanced to playing in the finals against Japan. With each advance the significance of the team showing solidarity with other footballers in Bahrain becomes more significant. Here's an appeal from the Human Rights First organization asking you to add your voice saying that the US Team should take a stand.

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Guard The Line: Stand Up for Bahraini Athletes Supporting Democracy!
By Quinn O’Keefe
Senior Associate, Human Rights Defenders

The Women’s World Cup semifinal will take place tomorrow in Germany where the U.S. women’s soccer team has already given fans reason to cheer the players’ skill, resolve and tenacity. Half a world away, the government of Bahrain has launched a brutal attack on its athletes. It has suspended over 150 athletes, coaches and referees for supporting the democracy movement and arrested several others. The Bahraini government is hoping that its crackdown will pass unnoticed. We must not allow them to succeed.

Ask the members of the U.S. women’s soccer team to use the opportunity of appearing in the World Cup semifinals to publicly take a stand in support of Bahraini pro-democracy athletes.

The good news is that many Bahraini athletes have been released. But several were tortured and humiliated while in custody including soccer player Mohammed Hubail and his brother, striker A’ala Hubail, as well as goalkeeper Ali Saeed. Mohammed was recently sentenced to two years in prison during a sham military trial. Now, he and others fear another round of detention and torture if they speak out to journalists.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team will compete on the world stage again as they play against France in the Women’s World Cup semifinals tomorrow. They’ll have every soccer fan’s attention.

Ask the members of the U.S. women’s soccer team to stand in solidarity with their fellow soccer players and denounce Bahrain’s abusive treatment of its athletes.
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THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to the USA Women's Team at the World Cup.
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Dear U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team,

We are deeply concerned about reports that Bahraini soccer team members were tortured during the country’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Mohammed Hubail, A’ala Hubail, and Ali Saeed were reportedly abused during their detainment, according to friends and relatives. Additionally, Mohammed Hubail has been sentenced to two years in prison simply because he was involved in a wave of peaceful protests.

You will have the world’s attention as you take the field for the semifinal game with France tomorrow. The Bahraini government is hoping its abusive treatment of its athletes will pass unnoticed. We ask you to stand in solidarity with your fellow footballers and publicly denounce Bahrain’s treatment of its soccer players. Athlete should not be unjustly targeted by oppressive regimes because of their public prominence.

Please join us in speaking out against the arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture of athletes and all others who have been detained for peacefully expressing their views.

Thank you,

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS; THE ARAB REVOLUTIONS:

THE POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF REVOLUTION:


I guess that one might consider me fortunate to have lived through three different eras of international revolutionary ferment. The first was the late 60s, early 70s. The next was the late 80s, early 90s with the fall of the Soviet bloc. Now there is the revolutionary wave sweeping the Arab world. In the first I was a full fledged participant. In the second I did my little bit of solidarity work. This time around, aside from signing petitions and going to the occasional demonstration I am very much only a spectator and commentator.


To be honest the first period left me with something of a sour taste in my mouth, but I responded quite differently than the majority of the so-called "new left" did. Behind all the bombastic rhetoric and grandiose fantasies there was far less of the reality of a revolution than the participants imagined. In the country where I live, Canada, most of the "flaming revolutionaries" became simple bureaucrats via either the NDP or even the Liberals. Others took a brief detour through the mindless maze of trying to recreate Leninist fantasy parties. Which, I suppose, just goes to show that they were not too bright in the first place. Myself I became an anarchist.


My own anarchism, however, became increasingly heterodox as I became familiar with not only the anarchist critique of class societies, both western and 'Marxist' but also with a wide range of other "left wing alternatives" and other economic literature that was basically unknown to the simplistic Marxists of that era. From Bernstein and Berle and Means to Max Nomad to Jan Machaijski , to Berle and Means to the transitional ideas of Burnham as he went from Trotskyism to conservatism, I read them all. As the "new left" circled the drain into the cesspool of Maoism and terrorism I became increasingly convinced that "revolution" was impossible in an advanced industrial society while also simultaneously believing that only in such a society could the sort of libertarian socialism I now favoured be built.



As to the "impossibility" of revolution in advanced countries I was wrong, and I guess I should have noticed this much earlier than I did. It's an old truism that, "if something can't go on forever it won't". This applies to countries and economic systems as well as to most other things. It took the revolutions against Communism to make me doubt my earlier doctrine about the "impossibility" of revolution. Especially as at least one of these revolutions occurred in a nuclear armed country with one of the largest if not most effective armies on Earth. No doubt revolution was "impossible" in the Soviet Union from a purely military perspective. Any revolt could very easily be crushed as previous attempts in eastern Europe had amply demonstrated. But what I ignored in my thoughts were some very important things about actual revolutions rather than the cartoonish Marxist ideas I was familiar with. My thinking changed. I also grew to understand that the earlier period of "revolution" ie the 60s/70s that I dismissed as simply grandstanding and third world nationalism was actually a real revolution, ie the completion of the "managerial revolution". Nothing to do with achieving a classless society of course, but definitely a re-division of the spoils amongst different segments of the ruling class.


As I came to understand that the "revolution of our times" was not a libertarian or even a socialist one I came to understand it as an expansion of the power of the managerial class into hitherto "unknown frontiers" of exercising power and "incidentally" making money. Yes, I am of a generation that understands and remembers how sick and how weird such things as the "grief industry" are ! The Third World revolutions of the late 60s/early 70s reproduced the usual Stalinoid bureaucracies, and when the Soviet bloc collapsed their "proletarian heroes" engaged in the same sort of looting that established a new class order in the ex-communist countries. This was one of the things that "sharpened" my own ideas about "revolution". Even in Poland where a large sector of the working class was attached, at least slightly, to the idea of "self-management" the resulting economic order contained no trace of such ideals. What went wrong ?


When all the dust had settled down I came to understand that it was not only that pretty well all modern revolutions served the interests of a managerial class. It was also that NO class system could exist in its pure form. Soviet society depended on the underground economy (capitalist ? but at least "free market") to continue its existence. The great mass of the economy of the modern world is similarly "mixed" having characteristics of both managerial/government control and a free market that is allowed to exist because of necessity. Is such a thing stable ? Personally I don't know having abandoned the religious precepts of Marxist dialectics many decades ago. There is no foreordained march of history, only possibilities and probabilities.


All that being said how do I view the 'Arab Revolutions' ? Unlike some I don't expect any great "libertarian upsurge" from them though I am sure that anarchist groups will be formed in the countries where the revolution has been "successful". The independent actions of the working class will be suppressed as they are today in Egypt.


The Arab revolutions have, however, shaken the forces of international imperialism. As such I personally support them even if I am sure that the resulting polity will be not even close to what I might want. THAT is the message that I would like to leave with people. Support what you can, but don't expect miracles. Revolutions are only possible in the modern world when certain conditions are met. These conditions simultaneously both make the revolution possible and also limit the amount of change that one can expect from such events. In the end I am just as firmly convinced that a libertarian society can only come about gradually, but I also feel that anarchists/libertarian socialists cannot divorce themselves from revolutionary events if they occur as some outcomes are infinitely better than others for a "slow march" to a free society to take place.



In previous posts on this blog I have mentioned how revolutions, being as they are essentially unpredictable movements of large segments of the population, cannot be "planned" or called into being by "revolutionary conspiracy". The efforts of Leninist groupuscles or so-called "insurrectionists" are nothing but magical thinking. The forces behind revolutionary moments are as far outside of the farcical plotting of such groups as is the movement of the planets. Even the "Model-T of Revolutions", the Russian Revolution was not produced by the Bolsheviks. What that party actually did was take advantage of a revolution already in process to achieve a coup-d'etat, and later they created their own managerial rule as the original revolution was defeated.


While revolutions cannot be conjured out of the ground there are, however, certain conditions that are necessary before any such event can occur. First of all there has to be mass disbelief in a given sociopolitical economic system. This doesn't necessarily mean that the majority of people suddenly join the revolutionaries, merely that the majority are more than content to at least "stand aside" in the conflict between the old order and the revolution, having no overwhelming loyalty to the regime. As a matter of fact it is quite rare (though not non-existent) that an actual majority join the revolution from day 1, except perhaps in restricted locales. The fact that revolutions rarely have the participation of a majority, only their passive acquiescence, is already a "snake in Eden" for the Revolution as the active minority must of necessity act boldly in order to avoid defeat, and they thereby act in a relationship of power vis-a-vis the inactive majority. Great dictatorships from many such little acts grow.


As unfavourable as such necessities may be for actually resulting in a truly more equal and free society the problem is not insurmountable. What is insurmountable is the fact that revolutions are inevitably pluralistic. All sorts of people come to oppose the dying regime because of all sorts of different reasons. This has sometimes included those such as Leninist groupuscles or Islamist ideologues in the Arab world who think this pluralism is a Very Bad Thing. Those to whom the whole idea of pluralism is anathema. Whether these people will be "compromisers" as the Egyptian Islamists appear to be or those who hope to advance their own cause by pushing the revolution as far ahead of the majority as possible depends upon circumstance. A lot depends upon the exact level of another condition for revolution...the ruling class must be divided. At least a large segment of this class must be willing to see the old order crumble and either stand passively by or actively help to tear it down. Lacking this the inevitable military realities that led me to first discount the possibility of revolution still hold true.


Revolutions are carried out, at least initially, by minorities. Military necessity requires this minority to carry out actions without any sanction from the majority. Revolutions are inevitably pluralistic and inevitably are open to the influence both of parts of the old ruling class and to would be ruling classes whose rule is often far worse than the old order. Where does this leave those who style themselves anarchists or libertarian socialists ? Many (almost all ?) of those who want to retain what I call the "romance of revolution" respond by imagining a non-pluralistic revolution, one more purely "anarchist". This is maintained by having, against all historical evidence, what may be unbounded faith in the "libertarian instincts of the masses". No doubt revolutions, by their very nature, develop instances of self-management. This is necessary if the revolution is to survive and grow. Or at least if the population is to fed. Yet even in the most fertile historical ground, Spain of the 1930s, the anarchists attracted the participation or approval of only 1/3rd of the population. The Spanish Revolution was inevitably pluralistic, and all appeals to greater militancy simply ignore this inevitable fact of both then and even more now.


This almost inevitable fact of pluralism sets natural limits as to what can be accomplished by a revolution. What this means in actuality is being demonstrated these days in both Tunisia and Egypt. Also in both cases what is usually a military necessity of a successful revolution ie the desertion of at least sizable chunks of the military and police hamstrings that revolution in terms of how far it can go. In other words all these factors together could be summed up as, "the conditions necessary for a revolution to succeed inevitably lead to restricting what it can achieve". Thermidor is the Siamese twin of revolutions, sharing the same vital organs.


How does all this affect what I think now ? I no longer think revolution in an advanced society is impossible, but I am even more convinced that it can never lead to any great gains that last. Such gains can only come about in a slow, patient and "non-heated" atmosphere where social experiments can be tried out for their viability without any "war necessity" looming over them. This doesn't mean that revolutions are a matter of indifference. Such events can hopefully be influenced to result in situations where such experimentation is more possible and easier. Doing this, however, requires a much "finer touch" than the usual libertarian response of "always push harder and harder". In some cases this might be just what is needed. In other cases, such as choosing the wrong allies and dealing with those that we have made, it can be disastrous.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS LIBYA MALTA:

POLITICAL ASYLUM FOR PILOTS WHO REFUSE GADDAFI'S ORDERS:

As the revolution in Libya seems set to extend into a brutal civil war Gaddafi seems intent on an unparalleled series of brutal attacks on his own people. The use of foreign mercenaries is part of this as is his use of the Libyan airforce to attack rebel held areas. One of the more hopeful developments is that many Libyan soldiers are refusing to participate in these massacres. This includes two Libyan airmen who flew their planes to Malta rather than participate in the massacres. To date they have not been granted asylum by the Maltese government. There is a petition on the Change.org site urging that the Maltese authorities grant their request. Here is the story.

LMLMLMLMLM
How to stop the bombing of civilians in Libya‏
Ask Malta to grant asylum to Libyan pilots who refused to murder protesters.


While the situation in Libya may seem out of control, there is a very real opportunity for us to make a difference and protect civilian lives.

Here’s how: last week, two Libyan pilots were ordered to bomb civilian protesters by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. They faced an unimaginable choice: bomb their countrymen or face likely execution if they returned without carrying out the attacks. Instead, they found a third option - flying their planes out of Libya and defecting to the nearby island nation of Malta. In doing so, they saved the lives of untold numbers of their fellow Libyans.

But now Malta's Refugee Commissioner Mario Guido Friggieri and President George Abela have refused to say whether they will give these pilots asylum. If the pilots are sent back to Libya, they will likely be executed. That outcome would also prevent military pilots and ship captains who receive similar orders from trying to save their own lives and the lives of their fellow Libyans.

A grassroots Libyan group called ENOUGH! has started a petition on Change.org to pressure the Maltese government to grant asylum to these two pilots, which will mean saving their lives and possibly preventing future attacks on civilians.

Tell Malta's government to grant asylum to the Libyan pilots who risked their own lives to save the lives of strangers:

http://www.change.org/petitions/malta-save-libyan-civilians-and-grant-asylum-to-libyan-pilots?alert_id=lGtdcCxxyD_JrvHRjFBFC&me=aa

We believe we can win this campaign and save the lives of these two pilots –– and perhaps many other Libyans if this helps to encourage more pilots and ship captains to refuse to attack civilians. If we succeed, we’ll work to spread the word in Libya that no one needs to die when soldiers are ordered to kill civilians.

Malta’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, so public international opinion will mean more to its government than it does to most countries. But winning will take a massive outcry -- and with Gaddafi's violent attacks increasing in a desperate attempt to maintain power, every hour matters. Please sign the petition now:

http://www.change.org/petitions/malta-save-libyan-civilians-and-grant-asylum-to-libyan-pilots?alert_id=lGtdcCxxyD_JrvHRjFBFC&me=aa

Thank you for taking action,

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS EGYPT - USA:

EGYPTIAN POLICE TEAR GAS "MADE IN THE USA":

The following story and appeal is from the US based organization Human Rights First. They are calling for the United States government to cease its support of the Egyptian dictatorship and not just in words. Here's the story...

TGTGTGTGTGTG
“Made in the USA” Tear Gas Thrown at Protesters in Egypt
The United States has given billions of dollars in military aid to Egypt over the decades. The State Department approved the sale of tear gas to its police, despite its known history of brutality.

As everyday life begins to resume in Egypt, there are lingering questions about what happened, how it happened, and what's next.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is tackling some of these questions. We have our own questions we would like answers to.

Help us get our questions asked—and add your own!—by sending a letter to the chairs and members of the committee.

Given the U.S. relationship with Egypt, President Obama and U.S. policymakers can make a difference in what happens in Egypt—let's make sure they keep the interest of Egyptian citizens in mind.

TGTGTGTGTGTG

THE PETITION

Please go to this link to sign the following petition to the American Administration.

TGTGTGTGTGTG

I’d like to hear members of the Obama Administration answer the following questions:

1. Why did the State Department approve the sale of tear gas to Egyptian police despite its well-documented history of brutality?
2. Can you describe what steps the administration is taking to ensure that the transition process now underway in Egypt leads to more respect for human rights and a more representative and responsive system of government?
3. How can we ensure that the State of Emergency is lifted, that political prisoners are released and that necessary constitutional amendments and other safeguards are implemented to permit free elections to take place in the coming months?
4. Given that discrimination against Egypt’s minority Christian community has been a constant feature of Mubarak's policy -- and the marked increase in violence against Copts -- can you discuss what the U.S. Government is prepared to do to help support religious freedom in Egypt?
5. Considering the U.S. commitment to Internet freedom as a basic aspect of freedom of expression, what is the U.S. Government doing to protect the role—and the private services—of tech companies in places such as Egypt, where the rule of law is not respected?
6. The Egyptian military has been a longtime partner of the U.S., receiving billions of dollars of aid and training. What is the administration doing to persuade the military to become a force for stability and respect in Egyptian society?

Thank you for considering these questions.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS EGYPT/ WINNIPEG:

WINNIPEG DEMONSTRATES IN SOLIDARITY WITH EGYPT:

Last Saturday local Egyptians resident in Winnipeg and their supporters came out to demonstrate in solidarity with the people of the Egyptian revolution. It was an interesting, spirited and actually quite enjoyable demonstration. Mass media outlets estimated the crowd as anywhere from 130 to 200 people. Molly's own admittedly flawed count was about 150 to 160. It consisted of a wide variety of people, both in terms of ethnicity and in terms of age with people from school children to grandparents represented. Even the speeches were less annoying than they usually are at demonstrations...brief and to the point with representation from both Egyptians and the labour community giving their piece. It was actually amazing to me to see that there is indeed an Egyptian community here on the frigid prairies. One wonders how they ended up here, and there's surely a lot of wonderful life stories behind this fact.

You can access video of the demonstration here , and there is a collection of photos here. For those interested in further information about the demo, and to see what might be upcoming in the future go to Winnipeg Protest For Egypt and Winnipeg Human Rights And Activist Events.

In the interim here is how the demo was seen by the Winnipeg Free Press.

EIWEIWEIWEIW
Canada not doing enough, rally told
By: Bill Redekop
Canada needs to be a stronger voice for democracy in Egypt to stop government-sponsored bloodshed in that country, said people at a Winnipeg rally Saturday.

"Canada has said what the United States said, (that) we need a peaceful transition," said Basil Elmayergi in an interview after he addressed the rally supporting democracy in Egypt.

But that implies allowing President Hosni Mubarak to stay in power until elections are held in September. That will result in a "slaughter-fest" by Mubarak's police and military against those advocating democracy, he said.

"I don't think Canada is doing enough," said Elmayergi.

About 200 people attended the rally on the legislative building steps. People waved Egyptian flags and placards and spoke passionately about the changes sweeping Arab countries in the Middle East and Africa. One placard said, "Game Over," beside a photo of Mubarak and another said, "We Are Finally Free."

Elmayergi heralded those in Egypt who have stood up for democracy as "our courageous brothers and sisters."

"Send a message that there has been enough beatings, enough torture, enough oppression," he said. "(Egypt) is going to be such a great country — a leader in the Arab world, a leader to the African continent."

Winnipeg's Egyptian population is estimated at only about 200 people, but the city has about 6,000 people of Arabic descent. Saturday's crowd was a mix of both.

Arabic people in the crowd said they see what is happening in Egypt, after the ouster of the dictatorship in Tunisia late last year, as the beginning of change throughout the Arab world.

"I think Tunisia was an inspiration for all of us," said Shirin Farag, Elmayergi's wife, who came to Canada 17 years ago.

"When Egypt saw that a nation of 10 million people (Tunisia) was able to oust its president, Egypt, with 80 million people, thought it could do it, too," she said.

Kadim Al-Roubaie, who emigrated from Iraq 36 years ago, said he attended the rally "to support democracy."

"I've lived here 36 years. I love it. It's a privilege to live in a democracy," he said.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 6, 2011 A15

EIWEIWEIWEIW

Here is the much more brief notice published in the Winnipeg Sun. It should be noted that their estimate of about 130 is low. Personally I am not given to inflating crowd numbers as I believe it is bad policy in the long term. My own count of 150 to 160 may be slightly on the low side and is definitely not an overestimate.

EIWEIWEIWEIW

Show of support for Egypt
By ROSS ROMANIUK, Winnipeg Sun

A crowd of Winnipeg protesters on Saturday joined the spirit of fierce demonstrations a half a world away, demanding that the Canadian government pressure Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign.

About 130 people converged at the Manitoba legislature's front steps to shout their anger at what they say is the Harper government's unwillingness to push Mubarak to step down immediately, in the face of outrage in Egypt over government policies that protesters there say are hurting their country.

Unlike the violence that has marked the massive rioting and street battles in Cairo for the past week, though, the Winnipeg demonstration was emotional yet peaceful.

Despite talk in recent days of a possible "transition" of power from Mubarak to a successor, Egypt's longtime president has remained in office.

ross.romaniuk@sunmedia.ca

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS EGYPT:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPS DETAINED BY EGYPTIAN REGIME:

As part of its generalized crackdown on all independent sources of information about the present situation in that country the government of Egypt has been arresting international human rights observers as well as journalists. One of those arrested was a representative of Amnesty International. Here's the story and appeal for his release from Amnesty International USA.

EGEGEGEGEGEG
Amnesty International Staff Detained in Cairo
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150, strimel@aiusa.org

(London) -- An Amnesty International representative has been detained by police in Cairo after the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre was taken over by military police this morning.

Amnesty International USA called on President Obama to immediately demand the release of the Amnesty International staff members.

The Amnesty International member of staff was taken, along with Ahmed Seif Al Islam Khaled Ali, a delegate from Human Rights Watch, and others, to an unknown location in Cairo. Amnesty International does not know their current whereabouts.

“We call for the immediate and safe release of our colleagues and others with them who should be able to monitor the human rights situation in Egypt at this crucial time without fear of harassment or detention,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

A number of other activists are still being held in the Centre, including a second Amnesty International member of staff.

Whether in a high-profile conflict or a forgotten corner of the globe, Amnesty International, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, campaigns for justice, freedom and dignity for all and seeks to mobilize public support to build a better world.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/

EGEGEGEGEGEG

THE LETTER:

Please go to the website of Amnesty International USA to send the following letter to the Egyptian regime demanding the release of the Amnesty representative.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Thursday morning, Egyptian military police raided the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, an important source of legal aid for Egyptians, and detained a number of people, including two Amnesty International representatives, a delegate from Human Rights Watch and others at the center. We are not currently aware of their location.

We demand the immediate, unconditional and safe release of all international observers, Egyptian human rights defenders and an end to the crackdown on civil society ongoing in wake of the national protests in Egypt. We also insist that measures are taken to protect them from ill-treatment while they remain in detention. Furthermore we are concerned about several individuals who remained in detention at the Mubark center.

It is essential that the human rights observers be allowed the freedom to do their crucial work at this time of Egyptian crisis. Egypt must fulfill its obligations under international covenants to release these individuals.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS EGYPT:
WINNIPEG SOLIDARITY RALLY FOR EGYPT:

As I write these words the issue of the protests in Egypt is very much in doubt. Protesters in Cairo's central square have been attacked by what is probably a ragtag collection of police, secret and otherwise, out of uniform, along with what are undoubtedly numerous toadies of the regime whose livelihood depends on the continuation of the dictatorship. Many have been killed or injured as the regime's thugs out of uniform are now free to commit whatever atrocities they want free from international censure. Just to reinforce this the counter-revolutionary mobs have made it a special mission to attack any identifiable foreign journalists. In tandem with this peaceful rallies of Mubarak supporters have been organized in other neighbourhoods to further develop the illusion that there is a sizable pro-Mubarak faction in the country (aside from the usual hangers-on and the ruling class).


I have to admit whatever I may think of the regime that this is a brilliant tactic. It's hard to say if the protesters can prevail in the street battles or how effective the planned general strike will be if it becomes the fallback position. The fact that the army, supposedly neutral, allowed the pro-Mubarak thugs free access to the square bodes ill for the protesters. One hopes that the protesters can muster once again an overwhelming show of numbers despite the fear that such attacks generates.


It's far too easy to be an armchair general from far away, but the most recent events make a few things plain to me. One is that it demonstrates fully and completely that the Mubarak regime which is much more than the singular person of its figurehead has absolutely no intention of surrendering peacefully. There is little room left for compromise despite the cowardly behavior of some so-called "opposition" parties in calling for same. Basically they have taken the political temperature and are positioning themselves to continue their usual role in a post-uprising Egypt, as junior partners of the regime. As for the opposition, if they fail beatings and prison terms are the best they expect as the regime reconsolidates itself. With these latest attacks there is no longer any halfway point.


The other thing that is plain is that the Mubarak regime has taken the climate of opinion in the army under consideration. Perhaps with a little "aid" from ongoing US/Egyptian army to army consultations. The fact that the soldiers were ordered to stand aside and obeyed as the thugs gathered for their attacks says that the illusion that the Egyptian army would never attack the people is just that- an illusion. This was combined with a prior army appeal for the demonstrators (not the pro-Mubarak thugs) to disperse and go home. If the anti-Mubarak forces expect to prevail they will have to take the irrevocable decision to appeal to the rank and file soldiers and the lower officer caste to basically mutiny. Nothing else is going to save them or their cause. How possible this is I don't know, but it has become a necessity unless a miracle occurs. This is an obviously hard decision as it is basically an appeal for civil war Not all of the army would join the mutiny. Without this the only options are ignoble surrender or noble defeat. To my mind both are equally unpalatable.


The time remaining is short, and the issue will be decided in the next few days. Until then there is a rising tide of international opinion in support of not just the rebels in Egypt but of those across the Arab world. This even reaches out here to the land of ten feet high snow dumps, as a rally is being planned for this Saturday in solidarity with the Egyptian people. Here's the story from the ad-hoc organizing group, the 'Winnipeg Protest For Egypt'.
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Protest for Egypt At Legislative- EGYPT WANTS CHANGE!


Time Saturday, February 5 · 2:00pm - 4:00pm
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Location Manitoba Legislative Building
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Created By Winnipeg Protest for Egypt, Talibet-Knowledge Muslima
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More Info

The When and Where finally solved, we have spoken to the organizers and officially it will be taken care off. All we need now is as much people's support as we can. We will all meet Saturday:
Where: Legislative Building
When: Saturday Feb, 5th 2011.
Time: 2-4pm
Why: To Make Awareness to the Regime and to Push for an END to President Husni’s Regime. To Show our support to Egypt. To stop Injustice and to stress Change.

If you own any Egyptian flags, please make sure you bring those along. Also, if you are willing to bring any small statement posters to hold up that would be great.
EPEPEPEPEPEP

The protests in Winnipeg are, of course, merely an echo a worldwide surge of solidarity for the Egyptian people. Here is a call for international protests this Saturday. This is, per usual, ad hoc, and, like the Egyptian revolution itself shows all the strengths and weaknesses of such "leaderless" opposition. The word "leaderless", of course, a misnomer. The Egyptians have very much of a leadership, but it is spontaneous and temporary. All this is very much to the good, but what it lacks is not "leaders" but an organizations, tried in the struggle, with a clear perspective that can offer an unambiguous way forward. This is a "leadership of ideas", and it is something fatally missing in the Egyptian upsurge, something that, even if the rebels succeed would make them prey to organizations with a clearer idea of their goals, ideas that the rebels probably don't share.


Put it this way..,as the Egyptian ruling class either flees the country or throws its full weight behind Mubarak the opposition must bring forward a more detailed idea of a "new Egypt", beyond getting rid of one person. If they don't do that then even if they win they will lose as the so-called "opposition" struggles for place in the post-Mubarak era. It is also necessary in the present tense to inspire Egypt's working class to see a change of regime as in their economic interests as well as their political sentiments.

Here's the call for international protests.
EPEPEPEPEPEP
International Day of Solidarity with Egyptian and Tunisian Peoples
Time Saturday, February 5 · 12:00am - 11:30pm
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Location WORLDWIDE
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More Info

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MOBILIZATION IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE EGYPTIAN AND TUNISIAN REVOLUTIONS
5 February, 2011

Throughout the last few days, we received many urgent calls from Egyptian activist groups seeking international solidarity since the events of the day of anger (January 28, 2011) until now. Their calls ended with this message to every person who believes in freedom in the world: "We need your solidarity to support the demand...s and aspirations of Egyptians." They also demanded us to express our anger against the Western governments which chose to back the tyrant Mubarak. We are a group of anti-colonialist and anti-war activists in the U.S. and we urge every human in the world to respond to their call.

Starting immediately, join us in protesting in front of the Egyptian embassy or consulate near you, and other centers of government.

Mainly, we call for an international day of mobilization in support of the Egyptian and Arab uprisings on February 5th, 2011. We will be holding protests, world-wide in front of parliament buildings, centers of power and collusion with the dictatorship regimes, and representative offices.

Year after year we marched, protested and fought daily for a decent life, for dignity, for independence and for freedom. We saw our lands occupied, our people invaded and murdered, our thinkers and journalists imprisoned, our activists tortured and disappeared and our very ability to live and feed our families challenged. If it wasn’t for the despotism and iron fist rule, imposed on us by colonial dictators, tyranny and genocide would not have been possible.

There is nothing random about the revolution that overthrew Zine Al Abedeen Ben Ali from his throne in less than a month. Similarly, what we see in Egypt is a culmination of people’s action triggered by utter disgust and unwavering will to live as fully dignified human beings. Egypt’s tyrant receives $1.3 billion per year in aid from the United States, which is mostly allocated towards internal security. People in Tunis and Cairo rose up for the same reasons that people in Iraq and Palestine continue to rise up. Despite arresting people, injuring thousands and killing hundreds, the Egyptian people continue to storm the streets in wave after wave. They do so for freedom, for dignity, for a developed future, for the education of their children, for having a seat at the table from which colonialism has excluded them.

These dictatorships proved precarious and brittle and exposed their brutality to the world to watch. Egypt’s tyrant, Hosni Mubarak claims that these protests are led by Islamic Brotherhood activists. In Egypt people of all walks of life, gathered more than 1,000,000 strong and pushed the police back, dispersing them with the very weapons they had used against the protesters. It is noteworthy that the riot weapons and the tear gas are made in the USA, which puts the moral onus on US citizens and government to stand in solidarity. In Tunis, the protests continue until a fairly elected government is in place. The Arab revolt has now spread from Tunis, through Algeria and Egypt, to Yemen and Jordan, and is not far from the Palestinian Authority.

We must stand in support of the Arab revolutions of 2011 against the colonial powers that try to displace, divide, and conquer us. Like Ben Ali, Mubarak’s role is to self-perpetuate while over 40 million Egyptians live and feed their families with $2/day. Mubarak corrupted all civic and state institutions while participated in the siege of Gaza.

History speaks once. Now is our time. Now is our moment. We must take to the streets and stand in solidarity with the 82 million Egyptians whose cries have long been censored and silenced. Let’s make history and join the Egyptian and Tunisian people in the streets, across the Arab world and in the centers of power. If it was not for aid from some Western governments, these dictatorships would have fallen long ago.

To join the growing movement, we call for an International Day of Mobilization in solidarity with the Arab Peoples of Egypt and Tunisia on Saturday February 5th.

Although we are separated geographically, our future is one. Our message is unified that we stand together; our pain is one and our freedom is one.
EPEPEPEPEPEP
As may be expected there will be protests in other cities in Canada as well. Here's an item that is both as call and information about protests in other cities in this country.
EPEPEPEPEPEP
Canada-wide protest for Egypt
Time Tomorrow at 2:00pm - Sunday at 4:00pm
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Location At your campus or a campus near you or somewhere else
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More Info
30 years under military law, under the same leadership. Citizens afraid to vote, polls rigged, and government opposition tortured and murdered. The average Egyptian can't afford to eat, and lives in fear of a government which abuses its power. This revolution is not a working class revolution like usual, it involves all sects of society. Religion, education, and social status is meaningless now. 1.3 billion American tax payer do...llars (of aid money) are being used by the government to increase its military strength and oppose protesters who ask for basic human rights. Starting the 25th of January 2011 Egyptians at home and abroad head out in protest asking for what is theirs.

We will also be taking part in the ONE BILLION MARCH IN SOLIDARITY TO CITIZENS OF THE WORLD

Come out and stand with us at your campus. Ask for Democracy and basic human rights. Ask for peace and a stop to the abuse of power.



More details will be added once the university confirmation list is complete. The peaceful protest will take place on Friday at your campus from 2pm until 4pm.

----------------------------
-Carleton University and Ottawa U will have their protest at Ottawa U campus, because it will be the Egyptian day in the international week.

-University of Prince Edward Island will join but details are not finalized.

- Windsor will protest at city hall.

-Queens and KingstOn will protest together.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198106230203209&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167687069944967

-Toronto protests http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=190600287624455&ref=mf

-UBC and Winnipeg are still not confirmed(hopefully something planned by Friday)
(Done already see above- Molly )
-Winnipeg will protest on Saturday. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122945564444516

Also note:(Thank you Marwan Marz El Nashar)
5 Feb, Toronto, Queens park 1pm
5 Feb, London ON, Victoria park 2 pm
5 Feb, Ottawa, Parliament hill, 1 pm

-Many other Universities were invites to join but have not replied.

IF YOUR AREA OR SCHOOL ARE NOT MENTIONED HERE THEN PLEASE MAKE THE INITIATIVE AND JOIN US, AND PROMOTE THIS EVENT TO OTHERS IN SOLIDARITY WITH EGYPTIAN PROTESTERS

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS HAITI:

MORE AID FEWER GUNS:

The following petition to the US Ambassador to the UN is sponsored by the SOA Watch group.

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Haiti: One Year Later
Click here to send a fax to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to demand a withdrawal of military troops and a redirection of funds to humanitarian aid.

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti that left 230,000 Haitians dead, hundreds of thousands injured, and over 1.5 million homeless. In spite of an initial massive outpouring of international solidarity, over a million Haitians remain in temporary shelters and over 90% of promised aid has not arrived.

However, one organization in Haiti is receiving over $1 million dollars a day for its operations. That organization is MINUSTAH, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, created in 2004 shortly after the coup that toppled President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Currently, there are over 9,000 military and 3,000 police in Haiti, from over a dozen countries, including the US, Canada, France, Japan, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Korea, Ecuador, Argentina and Uruguay.

The original mandate of MINUSTAH, according to the UN, was to “establish a secure and stable environment, which would encourage the development of a healthy political process, strengthen government institutions and assist in restoring and maintaining the rule of law and promote and protect human rights". MINUSTAH itself felt first hand the tragedy of the quake, losing its chief officer, his deputy and the acting police commissioner. However, six years after the arrival of the "blue helmets", Haitians are calling for an end to what they consider to be a military occupation of their country by MINUSTAH. Among the concerns expressed by Haitians and international human rights organizations are numerous citations of human rights abuses, including responsibility for the killings of slum dwellers, political activists and even a mourner at the funeral of human rights activist-priest Father Jean Juste. Currently, the Brazilian contingent of MINUSTAH is being tried at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the death of another Haitian activist.

Adding to the wounds of the nation is the recent outbreak of cholera that led to over 2,000 deaths. The outbreak of the disease has been linked to contamination from the Nepal contingent of MINSUTAH.

In addition to concerns for the human rights abuses, the presence of thousands of UN troops in Haiti violates the right to self-determination and sovereignty of a nation under the guise of humanitarian aid after the earthquake. MINUSTAH is the only significant UN military mission in a country with no peace agreement between parties of conflict. Exiled President Jean Bertrand Aristide calls MINUSTAH the “neo-colonial occupation of Haiti.” In a country where 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, MINUSTAH costs the UN more than 1 million dollars a day, and is requesting to more than double the funds, to $850,000,000 when its renewal is up for approval next October.

On the eve of this tragic earthquake, the SOA Watch movement expresses its solidarity with the people of Haiti, and calls upon member nations of the U.N to immediately halt the MINSUTAH foreign military occupation and redirect funds from guns and ammunition to houses, schools and food. We also join people throughout the Americas who are honoring the victims of Haiti's quake by calling for a complete withdrawal of MINUSTAH from Haiti. Click here to ad your voice by sending a fax to Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

SOMOS UNA AMERICA. We are One America in our struggle to resist militarization and promote a culture of peace.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to the US Ambassador to the United Nations.

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As Haitians continue to suffer from the devastating earthquake one year ago, with over 1 million people living in temporary shelters and schools and other basic infrastructure still destroyed, the United Nations continues to spend over 1 million dollars a day to maintain 9,000 military troops and 3,000 police from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

While we honor the sacrifices of many of the leaders and members of the MINUSTAH who, like 230,000 Haitians, lost their lives in the tragic earthquake, we join our voices with those of the majority of Haitians in calling for a withdrawal of these troops. Rather than keep the peace, as was the original mandate of MINUSTAH, its members have been cited by numerous human rights organizations as being responsible for abuses directed against citizens of poor communities and political activists.

In a country shattered by one of the most devastating earthquakes of modern times, where 90% of promised international aid has yet to be delivered and where a majority of citizens earn less than $1 a day, it is abominable that the world’s most significant international body has spent over $380 million on military and police force rather than using these funds to express true international solidarity.

Haiti does not need more tanks nor arms nor ammunition, it needs schools, hospitals, housing and functioning institutions, industries and farms. Call for a withdrawal of MINUSTAH and a redirection of these funds to true humanitarian aid.