Re: democracy & imperialism

[Louis N Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 5 Apr 1996, Doug Henwood wrote:

> The deposing of Marcos, Duvalier, de Klerk, and the various Latin American
> thugs, and their replacement by pseudo-democratic regimes is hardly a
> setback for imperial rule, at least for now. It confers an aura of

Louis: This has been on my mind lately: the question of Nelson Mandela as
a "sellout". First of all, if were in South Africa and a member of the
SACP, I would be arguing for a left-wing, class-struggle perspective. I
would not however look at Mandela as being equal to the typical
nationalist politicians who have popped up across the African continent
for the last 35 years or so. We used to have members of the SACP on this
list and it is too bad that they are no longer here.

It is necessary to look at the Mandela government in a dialectical
fashion. While it has not produced fundamental changes in property
relations in South Africa and has even not delivered on the modest
promises it made before the election, there is still another dimension
that has to be looked at. The South African army is no longer a
destabilizing force throughout southern Africa. This means that the
governments of Angola and Mozambique can begin to focus on development
rather than warfare.

It was an armed struggle by the ANC and support from Cuban troops that
made these conditions possible and I wouldn't take this change for granted.




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