Fwd: Re: [A-List] Argentine spontaneous insurrection

[Mark Jones <mark.jones@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: "Gorojovsky" <Gorojovsky@xxxxxxxxxxxx> (by way of Jorge Figueiredo 
<jfgf.consult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>)

The reply of Gorojovsky, a man in spot, is lightning. But there
are many interrogations that continue.  It's important to
examine Argentine situation because it could be the
same situation in Brazil in near future (two or three years?).

The state of spirit of masses is "it's enough".  There are
subjective conditions to advance. The objective conditions
(economy, production) are infamous.  It's a very important
victory of Argentine people overthrow this government.
But I dont' see yet the good progressive and real alternative.
The new president is provisional. And after?   What about
battle of ideas for future? The default of external debt will
be a matter of fact. But it will be necessary a audit of
external debt and a repudiation of, at least, the injustified
part of this debt.  Only a very strong government, supported by
Argentine people could to confront this struggle.
This moment the history is moving anew in Argentine.
It's important to think the future.  This moment there are
a bloc of many social classes against the old situation.
But this bloc must be translated in a alternative of
power.  The law of byke is inexorable.

I understand the expression "la rosca", but I don't know
to translate to English.  Perhaps one could to say a
big conglomerate of interests of upper class (landowners,
bankers, industrialists, etc) built by interpenetration
of affairs, marriages, common culture, same place
of hollydays, same schools, etc.  I speak about "void of power"
only in the technical governative sense, of course
the existence of "la rosca" continue always.

In time: I agree that the subject of my post was
unhappy.  Would be preferablee to speak about
"spontaneou insurrection", not "spontaneous
revolution".  I correct the subject in this post.
But of course the follow up of a insurrection could
be a revolution, if there are conscience, lucidity
and force to advance.
                                JF


En relación a [A-List] Argentine spontaneous revolution,
el 21 Dec 01, a las 22:29, Jorge Figueiredo dijo:

> The present Argentine situation is remarkable in
> many aspects. Main characteristics (in my opinion
> of distant observer, 15 thousand km):
>
> 1) Masses of people surpassed political established
> parties and overthrow President of Republic (De la Rua)
> and the FMI boy (Caballo). I'm entushiastic about this.

So are we all here.

>
> 2) This revolt is almost expontaneous.  It's not a
> organized revolution. I'm not entushiastic about this.
> This is tragic.

It aint' necessarily so, as the song ran.

I can hear behind Jorge's words the long and strong debate between those who
are for spontaneity of the masses and those who, like for example V.I. Lenin,
fought for injecting ideologies in those masses which were unable to escape
ideologically, by themselves, the conditions of existence imposed by the
system.

But I think this is not the case. Argentinean history is a history of struggle
against the attempts by the imperialist-oligarchic bloc to freeze everything.
This generates a spasmodic beat, where long periods where nothing of importance
for the country is debated, not even allowed to have public existence, precede
other periods which begin with a formidable explosion of popular outrage which
forces the reactionaries back and establishes the issues of economic
dependence, political sovereignty and social justice in the centre of the
stage.

What we have had on 19/20 december has been one of those spasmodic beats. Of
course, it will only open up a road. It may be closed soon, or it may widen and
become a strong river which will wash away all the remnants of the period that
was opened in 1976. We shall see. What really matters is that people, and
history with people, is in motion again. That the basic classes of popular
Argentina, the lower layers of the petty bourgeoisie, the workers and (now) the
unemployed have all converged in a strong blow against the imperialist regime.

>
> 3) This moment there are a void of power. It would be good,
> in principle, because would open windows of opportunities
> for liberation of Argentine.

Not exactly a void of power. The government of de la Rúa was dead even before
it was born, if "power" is the litmus test. What we have is a strong "rosca"
(Jorge may translate to English, I don't know:  "lobby" may be a good
translation, but "rosca" implies an almost overwhelming and heinously roguish
power). This "rosca", which is where actual power lies, has been formed during
the last 25 years with the great landowners, the financial clique, the
imperialist companies and their managers, the banks, and the foreign companies
which own Argentinean public utilities. All of them, together with the large
companies and investment funds in the core. This "rosca" has been -and 
still is-
the only acting power in Argentina. Now, this power is paralyzed. What will
happen next is precisely the point in discussion.
>
> 4) Don't exist a party or national organization enough
> strong to fill this void of power. I consider this fact
> a real tragedy. Organized left is weak --- it's a matter
> of fact.

"Organized left" in Argentina is an oxymoron. What Jorge calls a "left" is
anything but such. This "left" didn't even see a worker when the worker was in
front of her, and has no solutions for the country. Thus, it cannot organize.
The historic memory of the working class (who remembers very well that this
"left" has always been against the workers at every crossroad of our history)
can't -and should NOT- be rubbed away.

What we are missing is a new formulation, a socialist and revolutionary
formulation, of the national front. The mobilisations, however, have IMHO
kicked the balloon for this game, which is just beginning. And don't forget
that our Argentinean team is one of the few candidates in the World Cup. Maybe
this will be a metaphor of what will be happening in Argentina the next few
years.

>
> 5) Conclusion: In short term the outcoming of this
> crisis could be a new government of right, perhaps
> a little more conciliator (corrupt peronists) or a
> military governement.  A rupture with imperialism
> (repudiation of external debt, etc) it's not in order
> of day, by moment.

Interestingly enough, the mobilisation was MADE POSSIBLE by the absolute
rejection of the chiefs of staff to accept de la Rúa's intention to establish
the State of Siege. They seem to have menaced with resignation. Thus, de la Rúa
had to establish a State of Siege with no forces to make it true. Everybody
felt that this was the case, and that is why the mobilisations took place. No
military coup possible, a new and very interesting situation. And many military
must have been enjoying what happened. They are changing too, and it will not
be the first time that they change sides...

As to the Peronists, well, the provisional president they have agreed upon
(Rodríguez Saa, up to now Governor of San Luis Province --keep in mind that
Argentinean Provinces are Federal States) is by no means the worst of all them.

A general nationalist of popular leanings, a good Catholic believer (that is,
one who can be caught while sinning) and an able administrator, his has been
the only Province that can boast a relatively thriving economic situation in an
Argentina that is tearing down by the minutes.

His roots lie with the deep popular anti-colonialism in Argentina, and -if I am
not wrong- his family is linked with General Juan Saá, the presidential
candidate of the great rebellion of the Inland Country in the 1860s.
Originally a provincial conservative, he turned very much to the left during
the 1970s, and the Constitution of San Luis province, drafted under his
personal guidance in 1987, enshrines the three basic principles of Argentinean
popular democratic nationalism: "Political sovereignty, economic independence,
social justice".

What will be a clearly right-wing move, however, is the decission to apply a
particular voting regime which is known as "Ley de Lemas". The idea is to join
the primaries with the actual elections. Thus, the enormous tensions that
accumulate between the revolutionary and reactionary wings of Peronism will be
contained within that walking corpse, the Justicialista Party, and the more
conservative wing will harvest the votes of all the remaining wings. This is a
rotten arrangement, and Rodríguez Sáa will most probably accept it.

But it is very different to fight against a Ley de Lemas, which means to fight
for the right to political debate and fission of the outdated great parties
(which seems to be our immediate task) and to fight against Cavallo. A very
long step ahead.


Néstor Miguel Gorojovsky
gorojovsky@xxxxxxxxxxxx