[Marxism] Has genocide become the only valid basis for self determination

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Saul Thomas should tell me where I said that genocide or extermination or
ethnic cleansing are taking place in Tibet.  True, I think the evidence is
currently overwhelming that systematic population movements in favor of the
Han is being carried out.

It is the imperialist media -- ultimately as part or in consequence of their
defense of Zionism -- that acts as though only genocide or physical
extermination of a population justifies self determination, and this shapes
the propaganda of all national movements that seek this support. But
contrary to the views of Thomas and others.

I may have voiced myself too colorfully on one or two points, but I neither
argue nor believe this. I believe this line of imperialist propaganda in the
media stems primarily from the defense of Zionism, and spreads to other
national questions where mass extermination and ethnic cleansing are
supposedly taking place.

I think there are other violations of national rights taking place, and very
serious ones, including the effort -- for security and political stability
which are being pursued in a way that will ultimately damage China even more
than Tibet -- to establish and maintain a Han majority in the province. As
current events show, this course undermines, not strengthens, the defense of
China, which is actually my central concern strategically -- although I
recognize that justice for the Tibetans has a legitimate human value and
that justice involves more than just not being a victim of genocide -- a
rather minimalist goal in my opinion.

Saul Thomas and others focus on exile propaganda and exile movements, but
quite clearly there is great unrest in Tibet and the Chinese government is
no longer bothering to seriously deny that it exists. (To the extent that
Beijing recognizes the facts on the ground, the regime may actually have
stumbled into the beginning of wisdom, despite the repressive response.

Of course, treating this as a basically exile phenomenon helps if you are
trying to claim that what is involved is an attempt to restore the feudalism
that was extirpated in a by a coalition of Chinese and Tibetan forces in the
late 1950s.  The national oppression that has been institutionalized has
largely destroyed the coalition of forces that existed at that time.

What people who deny that Tibetan self-determination is a legitimate issue
systematically miss is that the overturn of feudalism did not necessarily
mean the Tibetans would become Chinese. Instead, furthered by national
oppression as practiced especially from the Cultural Revolution to the
present, is the forging of a relatively modern Tibetan nation, despite
religious and other peculiarities and distinctions. 

The Chinese government's basic dismissal of the national question and
self-determination as legitimate concerns has the potential to do tremendous
harm to both peoples.  The Chinese government should open negotiations with
the Dalai Lama and any forces inside or outside Tibet who have a base among
the people in order to avoid a disaster that would benefit only imperialism
and China's enemies.
Fred Feldman


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