Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 10:21:07 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Albania in the news


This is a good letter, which still more information.  
	This list is doing an invaluable service in describing these
incidents of autonomy.
	Can we perhaps set up an archive or page for this purpose, and
making the autonomist tendencies within Albania better known?

On Wed, 19 Mar 1997, Steve Wright wrote:

> Here's an interesting post from a-infos-d, which Robert was happy to have
> crossposted here . . .
> 
> Steve
> 
> _________
> 
> Subject: Re: Albania in the news
> From: I-AFD/IFA - A-Infos Germany <i-afd_1-AT-anarch.free.de>
> Reply-To: <a-infos-d-AT-tao.ca>
> Date: 17 Mar 1997 22:25:00 +0200
> 
> Hi Stefan!
> 
> Just some quick comments. First, to avoid any misunderstandings: I am
> myself unsure about the real character of the uprising and am indeed
> convinced that it is impossible to judge from the news reports that have
> been coming in. What seems clear is that there are obviously many
> diverging interests and diverging groups in this conflict (the Berisha-
> government trying hard to keep its reign, the parliamentary opposition
> trying to take the reign but without any real influence on the rebels
> (both calling for military intervention), different fractions of rebels
> with unclear aims, some of which have been building structures of social
> self-organisation and last not least people who will undoubtedly try to
> make the best of the situation and grab what they can). It was also clear
> last week that in several "rebel"-towns in the south institutions of real
> self-organisations have emerged, though there have been contradictory
> reports about a possible emerging leadership and/or a military command.
> While by the end of last week, reports on these self-organising, basic-
> democratic structures had grown quite numerous it has become very quiet
> about these things since then.
> 
> I think we should continue to watch the situation closely and critically
> (especially since the "free" western media is controlled by (diverging)
> interest too) and - above all - try to make contacts with people in
> Albania who might be able to pass on more concrete information. I would be
> happy about any hints regarding this.
> 
> > I'm answering from germany where we may have a slightly different news
> > coverage of this event. My informations are only from the established
> > media sources where this issue is the major head line at the moment. I
> > think they are not too wrong.
> 
> I have been following the established german media (tv, local newspaper,
> Welt and Frankfurter Rundschau) as well as two more or less leftist
> publications (taz and jw) quite closely during the last two weeks on this
> subject and can only say that all that is *really* obvious from their
> reports is the fact that they are confused, that there have been many
> contradictions if you look at the news closely enough and that some hints
> as to possible leadership, nature, aims etc. of the rebellion have often
> been reported once once shortly and then never again. Considering this, I
> can not agree to any statement on wether the media is "right" or "wrong"
> since the reports are contradictory and unclear in themselves - I can only
> say: Either they don t know, or they won t tell ...
> 
> > In germany they often use the notion `anarchy and chaos' - what IMHO
> > is a contradiction in terms... However, since chaos seems to be
> > reality IMHO it can't be an anarchist rebellion. And from what I know
> > about albania I didn't believe that anyway.
> 
> While as anarchists I think all of us on this list agree that "anarchy and
> chaos" are two contradicting terms, from what was said in the news both
> Gregs opinion (anarchy might the right phrase but not in the way the press
> means it) and your opinion (chaos is the right phrase) could be right.
> However, I think you are wrong to already come to final conclusions.
> You seem to be ignoring the forms of social self-organisation constructed
> in some of the rebel town during the last week, where even german TV-news-
> reports spoke of "basis-democracy", a system of "council democracy",
> showed mass assemblies discussing on matters of organisation spoke of
> meetings of delegates etc. How do you explain this, if its just plain
> chaos and (as you say below) the rebels are led by criminals?
> 
> > Moreover I heard that the town where the rebellion started has lots of
> > criminals which started the whole thing at first. Actually I think
> > that the word `criminal' is used correctly here.
> 
> Actually that sounds a lot like western press commentators trying to build
> ressentiments. Do you really think that thousands of people would have
> participated if it was just a question of criminals plundering? Could it
> be you are forgetting that the uprising developed slowly from social
> protest and demonstrations? It radicalised when the police confronted the
> demonstors with brute force. There were violent clashes of demonstrators
> and polcie in several towns before the uprising broke out. Vlora was one
> of these towns where the demonstrators were especially strong and started
> off the rebellion by sending the police and army forces to hell and
> arsoning two government buildings. It was a mass action and not one
> organised by criminals. Please substantiate this point.
> 
> > > Clearly, if the people of Albania succeed, they will set an example for
> > > all countries liberated from Communism only to be held down with
> > > neoliberal policies.
> >
> > That's true. The news say that the people in albania have been made
> > enormous promises of wealth and they are now very angry that these
> > promises are obviously lies - what IMHO they are indeed.
> 
> Could it be you are contradicting yourself here? You said before that the
> uprising had caused chaos and was started off by criminals: chaos +
> criminals = an example for all countries? Please substantiate this point
> also.
> 
> > > Anyway, I think it very important that we quickly discover what is
> > > happening, and get to work on this.
> >
> > I added my Pfennig ;-) .
> 
> me too ;-))
> but I think to find out what is happening we need to do more than just
> follow the establish media and discuss amongst each oter but rather get
> going ourselves to find new news-channels, build contacts and try to learn
> what has happened. Even if it turns out that the situation is stabilising,
> the govenrment will be put back in power, the rebels will find a new
> leadership or whatever, the question remains: How did those self-organised
> structures come about (did they just spontaneously develop or could there
> be other reasons that they emerged in several towns almost at the same
> time?) ... We might learn some interetsing things from this.
> 
> anarchist greetings,
> Robert
> ## CrossPoint v3.11 ##
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> 
> 
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Bryan Alexander					Department of English
email: bnalexan-AT-umich.edu			University of Michigan
phone: (313) 764-0418				Ann Arbor, MI  USA 48105
fax: (313) 763-3128				http://www.umich.edu/~bnalexan



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