Saddam, Kurdistan and Kosovo (Re: Questions for Xxxx (was: When to support nationalism?))

["Johannes Schneider" <Johannes.Schneider@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx wrote:
>
> The 1991 uprising and the humanist intervention, which established a
> _proctected_ zone in Northen Iraq, led the Kurdish opposition to proclaim
a
> federated state under the supervision of Allies, as I noted previously.
Will you
> tell me that Saddam is an imperalist agent too because he opposes this
> federation now?
>

Xxxx,
I do not understand, why you are using _too_ here. Usually I try to refrain
from conspiracy and agent theories. When I say political positions are
close, I do not mean this is necessarily because one is acting as an agent
of another.
In regard to Saddam: Certainly his attack on Iran after the Islamic
Revolution coincided with imperialist interests. Furthermore I think Saddam
had a share in smashing the Iraqi CP.
On the Kurdish statelet: in my eyes it is as much of an state as the Kosovo
protectorate and has nothing to do with any kind of self-determination.

>
> > >me advocating some sort of autonomy.
> > >In this respect the Kurdish question is similiar to Kosovo: Denial of
> > >self-determination and imperialist interference in the name of
protecting
> > >minorities within existing states.
> >
>
> A sectarian mistake.. Kosovars were not a colonized nation. Yugoslavia was
*not*
> an imperialist state.

OK, here are the parallels: Turkey is no imperialist state and according to
you the Kurds are no colonized nation.

> Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)  was a proto fascist movement
> backed by the US .

I think this statement is as sectarian as saying Turkey is a fascist state.
Anyway  I doubt there are any new arguments in the discussion about the KLA,
so that discussion leads nowhere.
For the last two days Albanian demonstrators have been attacking NATO troops
with Molotov cocktails in Mitrovica:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010131/wl/yugoslavia_kosovo_dc_7.html
Lets see what course events are going to take.

> In  "the name of protecting minorities within existing
> states",  the purpose was to get rid of  Milo and consolidate US power in
> Balkans.. There is nothing progressive about Kosovo nationalism.  I hope
you
> clarify what you mean by "denial of self-determination" above (as it
applies to
> Kosovo).
> .

As in the Mid-East in the Balkans borders have been imposed upon the peoples
of the region by the Big Powers at the beginning of the last century. This
is most evident in the case of the Kurds and the Albanians.
The present boundaries in the Balkans are the creation of the imperialist
states and have been defended by imperialist intervention. The imperialist
states are very clear in their decision that Kosovo has to remain a part of
Yugoslavia, albeit having some 'autonomous' rights. This is a parallel to
the postion on the Kurdish question: Autonomy within the respective states.
As in the Kurdish case, the Albanian question is not confined to a single
state (Yugoslavia, Turkey), but to all neigbouring states, mainly Macedonia.
Self-determination for the Albanians would call in question the whole
imperialist status-quo in the region. In this respect it is an
anti-imperialist demand and progressive.
For the same region NATO wants to prevent self-determination.

Johannes