Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 16:01:29 -0500 From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki) Subject: M-TH: Thoughts and Projections! !Not "Proyections" by the way! For those who find my spelling confusing at best some times or most of the time.... Just a few thoughts and projections that come to mind... I bet that events Internationally (the past few years) will force and emergency conference of those claiming to be Fourth Internationalists. It will probably take the eve of another World war to do it. And probably it should have been called with the demise of the ex Soviet Union.. Or is this a transitional phase where we are all wandering around in the desert waiting for something to happen? And out groupie existence in the trenches will continue as we head towards a new imperialist confrontation.. Trotsky in trying to create the Fourth International in the face of historic Stalinist betrayals did everything in his power to win those groups and individuals to his perspective but drew the line at outright class treason. Lenin too did this with the "Zimmerwaldists".. Now just why our Trotskyists can not do this in the face of the destruction of the Soviet Union and coming imperialist war I find fucking completely insane! The conference will have to take a position on the situation facing the International Proletariat connected to the death of Stalinism and the October Revolution. And if China crosses the Rubicon imperialist war will be a fact before I am dead! Naturally the tasks facing us before the outbreak of a new war..And the concrete conditions that exist..And what it means for the Proletariat.. No Pabloist left center flim flam nor popular front build the nine and a half International but realistic authodox Trotskyist politics based on the first four congresses of the Third International and the founding documents of the fourth including the TP which will have to be revised in the face of the great historical events of the last years..Anything less would probably be the ultimate betrayal of the traditions and politics of the COMINTERN under Lenin and Trotsky and the FI and its founding conference. And ultimate disaster for the International Proletariat... If this does not happen then we are back to pre 1914 politics and Zimmerwald at best! Zimmerwald by the way was and attempt by Lenin to break out of isolation and the demise of the 2nd International. So literally speaking we are not even their yet... The post war politics that led to the destruction of the Fourth International came under the pressure of the victory of the allies and foremost Stalin which consolidated Stalinism and Social Democracy for a number of decades.Only meaning that Trotsky's predictions took a bit longer to vindicate. Albeit not exactly as he thought he was correct on all of the basics.. Above this we also had the isolation of the Trotskyists from the workers movement. and not in the least the fact that most of the European sections went down the Pabloite drain. Dragging Latin America in its wake.. Cannon who fought Pabloism on a principled basis from the US and its isolation led towards the once Trotskyist SWP crossing the Rubicon which gave rise to the Revolutionary Tendency which today has become the ICL. A left split which upheld and developed the Cannoite tradition and opposition to Pablo. Mean while as of late after the Pabloite upturn based on left centrism and tailing everything that moved coming out of Vietnam and May 68 we are seeing the downside of things beginning with the defeats in Chile Niguaraqua and Iran where they used the same methodology (including Poland) and over the destruction of the former deformed workers states in the East and the degenerated Soviet union and the leap by the Social democracy to the right and liberalism we see the Stalinists who haven't become capitalist counter revolutionaries taking the beginnings of pre 1914 Social democratic politics. Mean while the so called anti Pabloite and Pabloite familys are splitting and fractruring all over the place some as left splits from the Healites and Pabloites and right splits towards state capitalism and out right treason like the former IMGer Tariq Ali! Not to mention the whole myriad of regroupers and clones coming out of Morenoite, Healyite and Pabloite tradition and others like the LCMCRI, Workers power and all the rest of the rabble... This fracturing including the Spartacists has nothing really to do with the human material involved other then its outright petty bougeois intellectual component which has been for decades the fucking norm!-- but far more with the tremendous events and defeat that the destruction of the Soviet Union has meant to not only all those claiming to be Trotskyist but the new turn towards imperialist rivalry and war that is coming.. Like the rest of the left the so called Trotskyist left has done all kinds of handstand acts and nobody has come out of this yet smelling like a rose. Some far worse then others. the USec in general tailing the traditional Social democracy and the ex Stalinists who now want to become traditional social democracy. the Lambertists on the verge of theitr own 1914 in Algeria are the incredibly bad examples. The Morenoites (mainly through Hugh) looking for a new uppswing in world revolution) the Lcmcri looking for a new anti imperialist and "Yankee" revolution to support (including redbaiting Cannon).. The Healyites are dead with Healy clones and the numerous fragments left all over the place. The ICL fracturing at the seams also under this pressure.. And in the face of all this we are heading towards imperialist war and anybody thinking that and emergency conference will not take place with those claiming to be Fourth Internatioonalists along the Zimmerwald conference lines albeit this time with the revolutionary internationalists claiming to be Trotskyist will be a vital neccessity.. Any takers? Or is Hugh and Dave off to Kosovo or the anti-imperialist leaders of the world in Iraq? Norden of to Brazil and Mexico. The ex-LTfers in France off to the to tail a strike somewhere while paying lip service to Norden and his antics in Brazil..Leading what they believe to be the new uppsurge?Perhaps Dave waiting in the wings for a new war between Argentina and Britain over some deserted islands.And the Sparts screaming from New York "Treason"!!!! Anyhow..A mini version of this circus as already been going on in South Africa by the way in the wake of the ANC/Stalinist betrayal of the black proletariat..But now it is the big one imperialist war again and any body claiming to be Trotskyist who avoids the possibility and neccessity of a Zimmerwald is fundamentally anti-Leninist ultra sectarian and objectively will wind up supporting this bloodbath unless we try to create a pole of attraction which can fill the vacum after the extrodinary events of the past few years... Because today even Hugh admits we have the popular front---but i believe not because of the line of the Stalinists and building socialism in one country like the entire post war popular fronts. But popular fronts that only can lead to a new 1914 and voting for war credits for our *own* bourgeoisies including the ex-Soviet Union..So in a historical context of the popular front of old Stalinism leading to a blood bath in one country (China, Spain Indonesia) for example these new popular fronts are leading towards voting for war credits in the next imperialist confrontation..and a world bloodbath! I also predict that China will cross the rubicon! Along with Cuba Korea and Vietnam. Albeit Cuba and Vietnam do not have the same strategic importance as China and Korea does in this stuff.. I base this on they stand on even less firmer ground then the SU in that they were deformed workers states from their inception and not a degenerated workers state like the SU.. Naturally Trotskyists will do everything to defend these countries against imperialism until they actually do cross the Rubicon Against this!... the possibility of breaking out of historic isolation might be the only and last chance there is this time around..The left has gone berserk including the so called Trotskyists..And those claiming to be Trotskyist had better get their act together to confront what is coming.. Hugh and Dave glorifying the French stuff, Iraq and now Kosovo in the face of a clear right wing shift historically is really mind boggling! The far right, nationalists and fascists are growing at leaps and bounds look at the elections in france,Norway and now Denmark. This tendency is reflected in various "Trotskyist" tendencies who were breastfeeded on events around 68 and Vietnam. Far from this now DEAD past..And one thing Hugh says which has a glimse of reality is the fact that even meer economic struggles in the future in the most defenceist way give rise to Bonapartist and even far worse solutions like in Yugoslavia and the middle East and Algeria.. Not new 1968's or 1905's or 1917's. We need a pole of attraction if this is going to become a reality! And without it the confusion you talk about and the despair will become right wing fascist reaction and nationalism and patriotism in preparation for a new wars and not just civil war like in Yugoslavia but imperialist war on a world level.. The growing desperation in Russia does not = proletarian revolution. But the growth of rightwing nationalism andd fascist solutions just because and enormous vacum has developed in the wake of this great histoic defeat..And this vacum has hardly been filled with anything..Just mind boggling circle jerk --fence sitting and out right treason! And to think that the workers are just gonna sit around as the situation heats up more and more and becomes even more desperate is just ridiculous and without a left Leniist Trotskyist pole then their are new Hitlers and nationalists Bonapartes gathering in the wings in droves! What is it please Hugh and Dave that makes you think that any of this stuff is even near what was going on in 68, never mind 1905, 1917 or 1920...Other then wishful thinking..Naturally this does not mean that we go off and chase the greens and Indians like Proyect. Nor do and SWP Barnes flim flam or a Lambertist Algerian Social Democratic 1914! Nor make the LM turn towards its public.Nor does it mean jumping on the petty bourgeois feminist bandwagon and the anti multi-national new left..Nor does it mean the recent turn by the Workers Voice people to ultra workerism and expression by the way which is general in the workers movement of mistrust and suspicion to all political parties after this great historic debacle.In fact a mini fake Trotskyist version of the new Iranian workers party trend after the great defeat in Iran..And general anti political trend in the workers movement Internationally connected to suspicion of the political leadership and parties in general. Nor another round of revolution around the corner.Nor like some writting off the working class..Now historically in a great crisis the working class either was drawn to the right or towards the left and proletarian revolution. But historically there always was a left pole of attraction. Is this the case after the demise of the Soviet Union? and decades of isolation their is no Leninist pole of attraction! What we do have is and ex Soviet Union now capitalist and a third of the world which has become the target of inter-imperialist rivalry and another big chunk in China on the brink..A bunch of splinters claiming Trotskyist authodoxy.. Naturally I belive the working class will be forced to move. Events will be increasing the pressure ten, twenty a hundred times. But if their is no Leninist pole of attraction or not even a Zimmerwald left then we will see the workers move towards right wing and fascist solutions because they really DO EXIST and are growing rapidly.. Just some thoughts..Perhaps the Zimmerwald left was in a far better position then our enthusiatic the world revolution is around the corner advocates who are popping revolutionary uppsurge champagne corks on marxism-thaxis at Jefferson Village.. as elsewhere In ending up I must say as a worker, as a person who has moved from the ghetto in New York City to the Chatholic so called left into the arms of the left of center Pabloites and then on to the politics of the IST now ICL and still a firm supporter of these politics. That my loyality now comes really into question to all those who claim to be Trotskyist albeit with still a very warm heart for the politics of the ICL. My loyality to the class now comes to the center (probably because as a worker I have always been alien in the Trotskyist envionment because I have always been out numbered a hundred too one with individuals who are far more intelligent and come from and entirely different world then that I came from..plus a good dose of workerism. But my loyality must be to my class first and if the so called Trotskyists blow it this time because of a lot of stuff mentioned earlier in this letter connected to its isolation from the class I belong to. I will elect to go with the class and turn my back on all of you unless a serious attempt to revolutionary unity along opposing the coming imperialist war connected to a rewriting of the TP after the demise of the Soviet Union comes forward..But I will probably be dead before that happens! And the blood this time will be on YOUR HANDS friends because of your inability to translate all that stuff into a program of action and pole of attraction which can show at least a light at the end of the tunnel..Trotsky once wrote the the FI will attract new layers of youth, workers and other layers to the FI in the face of the last imperialist war. What is needed today is a re-affirmation of Trotsky's words and program connected to where we are today. Naturally connected to a serious organizational attempt internationally for some fundamental Trotskyist unity on a firm programatic basis.. I can wait to hear the noise after this outburst. I am sending it out in Cockroach everywhere! I also uphold on the basis of the above that we are in a far worse position the Lenin in 1914.. Christ, back then even the the Social democrats were claiming to be "Marxist"..The Soviet unions destruction is a far dire catastropy then August 1914 and our "Trotskyists" are still sitting in the petty bourgeois trenches.. One thing Vlad is right about despite is return to nostagia and Stalinism. The proletariat in the Soviet Union along with the proletariat of the rest of the world will pay for this great historic defeat which has layed the basis for the new coming imperialist confrontation. And the "Trotskyists" sit with their thumb up their asses like a bunch of hen pecked crows looking at the corpse and utter despicable inability even to attempt to find a way out.. For a real attempt to reforge a revolutionary International! Warm regards Bob Malecki ------------------------------------------------------- Check Out My HomePage where you can, Read or download the book! Ha Ha Ha McNamara, Vietnam-My Bellybutton is my Crystalball! And Now the International Communist League Page! Just push on the "Spartacist" Button. Or Get The Latest Issue of, COCKROACH, a zine for poor and working-class people. NEW! "RADIO TIME" In cooperation with Straitfacts, Bob Malecki will be giving occasional reports to Straitfacts Radio audiences in the United States. Text for these reports now on line. http://www.algonet.se/~malecki Email <malecki-AT-algonet.se> ------------------------------------------------------- --- from list marxism-thaxis-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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