Re: [Marxism] Replying to Carroll was Thoughts on the New World Disorder - MiddleEast.

["James Daly" <james.irldaly@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Comrade Carroll, you must have eaten something that disagreed with
you, again. I hope Gary keeps up the analyses. I think the eleventh
thesis means that Hegelians have only interpreted the social world as
natural, reasonable, hence justifying it, doing PR work for it,
whereas the task for everybody, for philosophers doing their thing
along with the revolutionary class, is to change the world, which of
course requires understanding it properly. After all, the eleventh
thesis is itself a crucial example of philosophical understanding. --
JD



----- Original Message -----
From: <g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition"
<marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2005 4:25 AM
Subject: [Marxism] Replying to Carroll was Thoughts on the New World
Disorder - MiddleEast.


: Hi Carroll,
:
: Thank you for taking the trouble to read and comment on my
: post.  Now I interpreted you as saying that I was engaged in
: counter-productive crystal ball gazing and that the peace
: mocvement had more to do than try and second guess the
: Pentagon's General Staff.  I of course tremble at the thought
: that my posts might somehow derail the American peace
: movement. May I be struck dumb forever should that  be even a
: possibility.
:
: But you were drawn into making a counter prediction.  You said
:
:
: "I don't believe it [that the USA would invade Syria]. Bush &
: his buddies are not completely free cannon; the ruling class
: still rules, and there is no indication whatever in the main
: media that any preparation of the public for expansion of the
: war is underway."
:
: I cannot tell of course what is going on in the States.  But
: CNN and Fox when I can bring myself to watch them do seem to
: me to be continuing the war monering.
:
: Here however I would like to make a substantive point and at
: the same time justify my original post.  I would argue that I
: was not crystal ball gazing but rather attemtping to
: understand the situation.  I would argue that it is vital to
: analyse what is going on.  Such analysis inevitably includes
: an account of what might happen.  It is never more than
: a "might" for all we can ever do is to isolate tendencies.
: Social systems are open and that is why we are not fortune
: tellers, nor do we ever claim to be.
:
: I would argue moreover that in this conjuncture the USA is
: not *simply* trapped in the Middle East.  It has also created
: a scenario where it must crash forward or face the most
: ignominious of defeats - possibly a terminal one. The stakes
: are that high.
:
: Now everyone knows that.  What people cannot quite grasp on
: to is the radical and revolutionary nature of the Bush cabal.
: To say that Bush will be held back because the ruling class
: rules has little analytical power in in this case.   The
: ruling class is factionalised and the dominant faction is
: behind Bush for at least the immediate future.
:
: Why is this gamble [Iraq-Lebanon- Syria - Iran] being taken?
: I am inclined to accept here the declining hegemon thesis,
: which states that the US is in economic decline and needs to
: use its miltary advantage to try and reverse that decline.  I
: am heavily influenced in this instance by the late Mark
: Jones' reference to Hitler's Germany which employed its
: military advantage in 1936-1941 to almost win through.  That
: as I understand is what the US is attempting to do right now.
:
: So back to my original post.  It is my analysis that has led
: me to emphasise that the US has to go forward into Lebanon
: and Syria and then Iran.
:
: What though of the peace movement?  You are absolutley spot
: on when you talk of increasing opportunities.  The dialectic
: will work.  Bush is calling into being the mightiest of peace
: movements.  But at this particular moment we are as it were
: in the eye of the storm.  Things appear almost calm and the
: ruling class is enjoying a little breathing space.  They are
: claiming a victory for democracy in Iraq and the Lebanon and
: Palestine.
:
: They have launched a propaganda offensive to make this point
: and to boost themselves in that situation.
:
: My post is an attempt to contribute to an understanding of
: and the tools to deflate the current triumphalism of the
: imperialists.
:
:
: But here of course though I deny crystal ball gazing, I may
: be fighting against the hard lession that philosophy always
: comes too late to paint its grey on grey. And indeed it may
: well be hubris on my part to try and fight against the great
: truth that the Owl of Minerva only spreads its wings only
: with the falling od the dusk.
:
: warm regards
:
: Gary
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