File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/97-03-04.021, message 92


Date: 03 Mar 97 17:56:23 EST
From: Chris Burford <100423.2040-AT-CompuServe.COM>
Subject: M-I: Revolution in Albania: oppose intervention


The dramatic events in Albania are complemented by the tone of 
intense alarm by the most authoritative western commentators.
This situation is possibly only a matter of a couple of days
away from a revolution.

The BBC has just carried an interview with 
Jim Seebert (sp?), the spokesperson for the US State Department's South Central 
European bureau. It is remarkable for its earnestness and caution.
He has just admitted that the May elections were widely agreed to be
fraudulent. He has said the US had pressed for steps to 
be taken to redress the situation.

He has expressed concern at the re-election of President
Berisha. He said that the resignation of the government should 
be an opening for fresh elections.

The implication was clear that the US state department wanted some
sort of political compromise to contain the situation.

He was followed by one, Geoffrey Stern, who spoke as 
an authoritative international commentator.

He spoke of the "the tremendous economic mess" (since the fall of 
socialism).

He said most revealingly, 

"It is of course always a mistake to intervene publically" and expressed
his strongest desire that the US, the European Union and the World 
Bank intervene secretly.

He emphasised that it is nonsense to say that the disturbance is local
in the southern part of the country -" Vlora is one of the best ports in 
the region."

"These people are desperate and very angry."


There was absolutely no attempt to present the demonstrators as 
criminals, rapists, racists, violators of civil rights. There was total 
acceptance that they are rebelling and extremely determined.

There was no attempt to present them as puppets of a manipulative
neo-Stalinist party. 

The impression was that these capitalist commentators
were looking into the whites of their eyes.

This is a fast developing situation. My guess is that if western capitalism
is to avert a revolution led by a new socialist government, it will have to 
pay through the nose to compensate the Albanians for the deprivations
that rampant capitalism has brought upon them, however true it may be
that the previous economy was not competitive in international commodity
production.

But there is a shortage of capital to buy off all the discontent in 
the Balkans. It is possible that through these upheavals marxists will
over the next five or ten years find new ways to combine with democrats 
in these regions to resist neo-liberal colonisation.

Anyone got more information?



Chris Burford







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