Re: [Marxism] Roman Catholic bishops urge Mugabe to quit, head off popular uprising

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The reason I submitted the peace is not to demonstrate that the opposition
is progressive but I believe their description of the breadth of the
opposition has foundation in fact.

 

I do not believe that anything would be better than Mugabe,  but I also do
not believe that anything would be worse than Mugabe. In fact conditions are
likely to continue to worsen under Mugabe (and not solely because of the
sanctions - Cuba has experienced a much more radical blockade for almost 50
years, and while life has been rough and ready in many respects as a
consequence, the country has not starved, infant mortality has declined, and
life expectancy has gone up.

 

It is absurd in Africa, as is the norm in the US media, to root the
spreading devastation in Africa in the "corruption" and "brutality": of
individual regimes.  This is part of the imperialist, neoliberal scam.  The
New Yorker reports that Paul Wolfowitz of the World Bank is opening a
campaign against "poverty" and corruption in the Third World.  I guarantee
this means nothing but trouble, US aggression, and more trouble after that.

 

The rottenness of regimes in Africa is not the cause of oppression, but a
product of the system of oppression imposed by imperialist domination.

 

The reason I raise the "nothing could be worse than Mugabe" line is not as a
lesser-evilist call to keep him in power, but because the "nothing could be
worse" line is at the core of US and other imperialist efforts to scapegoat
their clients, transmission belts, and agents as the cause of the problems.
"Nothing could be worse" leads directly to the line of strategic alliance
with imperialism against the bad regimes.  And anyone who supports "smart
sanctions" as Patrick Bond does for example, is proceeding on the line of
strategic alliance with imperialism even if their intentions are exactly the
opposite.

More important, the strategic alliance is completely conscious on the part
of the opposition coalition leadership.

 

And, yes, I think there are probably forces in South Africa that are looking
for an opening to wage a similar kind of campaign against the monster Mbeki.

 

By the way, it is my very strong impression that Museveni had very broad
support in Uganda when his forces took Kampala.

The fact that he turned out not to offer a way out of the crisis is another
and very important matter relating to the points I am trying to make on
Zimbabwe.

 

I do not support Mugabe because he is opposed by Bush and Blair.  At this
point,  I do not support him at all.  But I am opposed to the "smart
sanctions" line, the strategic alliance with Bush and Blair to dump Mugabe
which will produce nothing but more and deepening misery for the people of
Zimbabwe.

 

Remember when "nothing could be worse" than Saddam Hussein?  And he was
pretty damn bad.  Well, isn't life full of "surprises."

Fred Feldman

 

 

 

 

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