Re: Saddam and history

[Ben Courtice <benj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Coming in late on this debate...

While I agree with Lou Paulsen and others that we are objectively
"defending the Iraqi state" and so on, I'm not convinced entirely by
the notion that we should leave alone the issue of whether or not the
Iraqi working class should "settle accounts" with Saddam. Rather than
the social-imperialist flavoured calls by groups like Alliance for
Workers' Liberty that we must oppose both Saddam and Bush, we should
consider ourselves in a "united front" with the Iraqi state - in the
(probably now cliched) sense that we march separately but strike
together. This doesn't mean we defend the Iraqi state against all
attackers.

We march separately not just because we are on the other side of the
world (most of us in this debate, I think, are) but also because as
Tom pointed out quite ably, Saddam is far from a progressive hero
(whatever the conjuncture of war makes him appear to be).

But an internationalist position requires us to solidarise with the
struggles of the people, in particular the socialists, of Iraq. I
don't mean the Ba'ath party 'socialists', I mean the struggling groups
like the Iraqi Communist Party and the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq.
These people are ultimately struggling AGAINST the Iraqi state.

We "strike together" in the sense that our enemy is (presently) the
same. Defeat of the US war drive is a shared goal of the Iraqi state,
the Iraqi left, and the international socialist movement as a whole.
But this is a temporary, conjunctural alliance. If the Iraqi people
rose up against Saddam it would be another matter, wouldn't it? And I
think that's exactly what the US/UK forces DON'T want, all their
rhetoric notwithstanding.

I don't advocate any different slogans like for example "victory to
the Iraqi people's revolution" or anything silly like that, nor should
we adopt the Workers' Liberty "No to Bush/No to Saddam" slogan.
"Troops out now!" is the main slogan we need. The main point I'm
trying to make is that we should make some effort to make contact
with, debate with, and publicise the struggles of the Iraqi left. Have
a look at the WCPI at www.wpiraq.org -- their page is headlined with
"stop the war now! Stop this barbarism!" I don't always agree with
them but they are a real fighting party on the ground in Iraq, very
active in the struggle for women's liberation in particular.

Ben Courtice