Texts

Oppressor and Oppressed Nations: Sketching a Taxonomy of Imperialism (by Gabriel Kuhn)

Introduction

In recent years, the left has shown a renewed interest in anti-imperialism. This is an encouraging development, since global economic injustice remains one of the most glaring contradictions of the capitalist order. After having been a central part of anti-capitalist struggles in the 1970s, anti-imperialism largely vanished from left radars. Among the reasons were the demise of socialist national liberation movements as well as the often disappointing record of them seizing power; the defeat of anti-imperialist armed groups in the metropolis; the fall of the Soviet Union and its consequences; the adaptation of anti-imperialist rhetoric by reactionary actors; the ...........READ MORE

Garbage Floats in with the Tide: For Autonomous Antifascism

In his “Notes on Trump,” Bromma posits that the election of Trump and the accompanying rise of the far right are not simple accidents of history, nor the result of some single failure on our side or success on theirs, but are conjoined expressions of a deep phase-shift within the global capitalist economy. Whereas the fact that a wacky reality tv star was the one who ushered this in, and that it happened in 2016 and not 2015 or 2017, might be a matter of contingency or chance, a lurch to the populist xenophobic right was predictable, perhaps unavoidable. This ...........READ MORE

Militant Tactics in Anti-Fascist Organizing–Interview Transcript (repost)

“I think some folks, many folks… try to divide the concept of a mass response with a militant response. That it’s only possible to do one or the other. I think we really want to challenge that. We think that what’s needed is both. And that’s not easy…but that’s our goal.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Militant Tactics in Anti-Fascist Organizing–Interview Transcript ...........READ MORE

Quick analysis of the anti-fascist counter demo Montreal April 23

Following the explicitly anti-Muslim demonstration held on March 4, on April 23 some of the same far right forces tried a different approach, calling for a demonstration against the governing provincial Liberal Party, taking care to not include anything about race or Islam in any of their materials, and telling people not to bring any racist signs or wear anything identifying them as members of their orgs (Soldiers of Odin, La Meute, etc.). On the 23rd between 200 and 300 people attended this demonstration that had been called for and organized by the far right. There was a smaller counter-demonstration, ...........READ MORE

No platform and ‘community defense’ (Don Hamerquist)

There is a clear need for some critical thinking about the current approaches to these issues. Perhaps I am suffering from the excessive caution of old age – I wouldn’t mind being shown that was the case – but I’m afraid that our side is heading for some rough times – politically and otherwise.

We have always been on the ‘left’ side of these issues, taking positions and actions that even led some critics to call us the ‘macho assholeists’. We attempted to maintain and develop a strategic and tactical justification for militance and confrontation that could take advantage of ...........READ MORE

Entscheidend ist die Besatzungsmentalität: What’s crucial is the mentality of conquest and occupation

The following interview with J. Sakai was conducted by Gabriel Kuhn for the German radical monthly, “analyse & kritik” ( commonly known there as “AK” ). Both the German-language translation in that journal and this version, have been edited down considerably for reasons of space. analyse & kritik (ak), no. 624, February 21, 2017

Q. In an interview from the year 2000, titled “When Race Burns Class”, you said the following with respect to the status of the white working class within the U.S. Left: “So the white workers as a whole are either the revolutionary answer – which ...........READ MORE

Notes on Trump (Bromma Dec. 2016 – Revised Jan. 2017)

1. The normality of white supremacy

Since Trump’s election, I keep hearing that we shouldn’t “normalize” him or his agenda. I believe that’s looking through the wrong end of the telescope. There’s nothing as “normal” in the U.S. as white supremacy. Sometimes it’s disguised by tokenism and obscured by “multiculturalism.” But in this country, white supremacy has always shown its true naked face at times of stress and transition.

Because white supremacy isn’t just a bunch of bad ideas inherited from ignorant elders. It’s a deeply-rooted institution through which the U.S. rules over many oppressed peoples. It’s the glue that ...........READ MORE

The Daily News Job Fair at The New Yorker Hotel on January 10, 2007.Thousands lined up for a chance to apply or hand out their resume to a variety of employers. ( Frances Roberts) (Newscom TagID: lrphotos034999) [Photo via Newscom]

Surplus Absorption, Realization Crisis, and Imperialism (David Gilbert, November 2015)

David Gilbert, a political prisoner held in New York State since 1981, wrote the following text in 2015, examining the the ways in which capitalism is confronted by, and contends with, crises in surplus absorption and realization, in the imperialist age.

David was not entirely satisfied with this text in the end, however here at Kersplebedeb i thought it actually was pretty thought-provoking and useful, so he agreed that i could put it online, which is what i am doing. For more information about David, including his contact information, please click here.

Synopsis

Left authors often describe various ...........READ MORE

Fascism & Anti-Fascism (Don Hamerquist)

an excerpt from Confronting Fascism: Discussion Documents for a Militant Movement

This paper is directed towards a narrow audience of revolutionary activists who, hopefully, will not demand a finished product. It is not finished and probably will never be. Much of what I say will be controversial and is certainly open to challenge. On some points I would not be so unhappy to be proven wrong. I realize that I make a number of generalizations without what would normally be regarded as sufficient evidence, and I haven’t adequately checked some of the evidence that I do offer. Feel free to ...........READ MORE

Stein Lillevolden Reviews Det Globale Perspektiv

A book review of
Torkil Lauesen
380 pages
Nemo Publishing, Copenhagen 2016

by Stein Lillevolden (social worker)

First posted at: https://radikalportal.no/2016/05/27/det-ulike-bytte/

Also published in the Danish newsletter Demos

In the late 1970s, I studied political science at Oslo University, by all evidence pretty half-heartedly. With half a heart — mostly because it was a deeply reactionary subject with a unilateral Western perspective on the world, though fortunately the activist students at that time were still able to squeeze into the syllabus theories about unequal exchange between the center and periphery of the imperialist system.

Theorists like Arghiri Emmanuel, Samir Amin, ...........READ MORE