Re: [Marxism] Re: Another Chavez or another Lula?

[Brian Shannon <brian_shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 5, 2006, at 1:19 PM, Mehmet Cagatay wrote:

> I have to admit that, when i read on news that Morales was elected,
> the
> first thing that i did was to send a message to my friend,
> celebrating the
> revolutionary consciousness of the Latin Americans.
>
> Now, I am very confused.
>
> All these can be regarded as a self-critique...


I think that your first instinct is the best.

I know little about Latin America. This has been a really big
mistake, but I now am restudying what I know best. At 69 and after 20
years away from any form of struggle, including this literary one, I
can only urge what others are also saying to young North American
revolutionists: Spanish; Spanish; Spanish; Portuguese; Latin America;
Latin America; Latin America.

I only jump in when I see what I believe are estimates that are far
off the mark regarding the character of the capitalist state and what
general attitude to take.

I sometimes don't write about what is positive in the revolutionary
upsurge that is now going on. For example, there has been a little
frisson as to Morales being a descendant of the first Americans. It
was pointed out that others shared his blood line, etc. Hey, even
Batista of Cuba was a descendant of slaves as well as of the
conquerors. What is distinctive here is not Morales personal DNA, it
is that the Indian masses appear to have stepped forward and are
demanding their political right to rule.

That is indeed immense and, although I side with those who
energetically point out that we should have no illusions that taking
over a government apparatus will solve the economic plight of the
rural and urban masses, it is an unparalleled step forward.

I would love to be able to be there and in Venezuela too in order to
have "contact" as you recently put it. However, from here, I believe
that what is going on in Bolivia is even more important than the more
explicit socialist language of Chavez. Just a cursory reading tells
you that there are many forces and political tendencies in motion in
Bolivia.

Brian Shannon


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