Re: [Marxism] Long Live the North Korean Nuclear Program!

[nada <dwaltersMIA@xxxxxxxxx>]

Fred, I think there is much to defend in the very rational belief that 
"rights" should be defended regardless but that they should be always 
exercised is rather a tactical question. I think formally speaking, 
Healy was absolutely right against Hansen. Healy's problem (one of many) 
is that to him, uttering "I defend Cuba's right to have bases" is 
enough. That's because his whole political tradition is based 
exclusively on the "The Right Program" and no actions or anything else 
to put that program to a test.

I defended, actively, Argentina's "right" to control it's national 
territory called the Malvinas. Many on the left *failed* this test, as 
you well know. However, and while there was no internet then, speaking 
on the actual 'correctness" of the Colonels to launch an invasion 
against a nuclear armed Imperialist power was open to A LOT OF 
QUESTIONS. Our little committee in San Diego was composed of a few US 
leftists, Argentine immigrants and a whole lot of very staunchly Irish 
Republicans. We may of been the only US city with an "Argentine 
Solidarity Committee", I don't know. But we used to discuss this openly, 
in forums, etc. We have NO obligations to defend the *decisions* of 
countries simply because the are odds with imperialism.

The exact same thing can be said, as I noted, but you didn't respond to, 
with Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait to take it back for Iraq, to 
actually implement (many don't know this) the *standing policy* of every 
Iraqi gov't up through Hussein since independence from Britain. But 
SHOULD he have done this? NO. Not in my opinion, not trying to give the 
world the impression that he wasn't going to be smashed, hundreds of 
thousands of Iraqis dead because of it, etc. So, what is a 
"provocation"? Yes, absolutely and without doubt. The current state of 
Iraq is largely the result of this idiocy on the Baath leaders part in 
misreading his former mentor's (the US) reactions.

So, assuming for a second that Joaquin is wrong to doubt the veracity of 
the various charges that Korea detonated a nuclear device...that they 
still have right to do it, doesn't absolve them of the responsibility of 
understanding what the *results* may be in using them. In discussion 
with friends, political associates, we have to defend Korea's right of  
"defend" itself. But this doesn't mean one can't analyze and explain, 
the problems with the exercise of this right. That in fact it could lead 
to something far worse.

David

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