Re: Kosovo

["Rosser Jr, John Barkley" <rosserjb@xxxxxxx>]

    Titoist Yugoslavia was not a command economy, but the
classic example of a market sociaist economy, with all the
faults and virtues therein.  The current regime in the rump
state has become more of a command economy as a result of
the regional wars, even as it has become arguably more
democratic.
     I think that I am going to forward something that got
forwarded to marxism-international that takes a very
pro-Serbian position on Kosovo, just for peoples'
edification, as well as a post criticizing it.
Barkley Rosser
On Fri, 27 Mar 1998 05:56:52 EST PJM0930 <PJM0930@xxxxxxx>
wrote:

> (I am going to rant)
> Excuse me. Refering to purely economic arrangements as "socialism",
> ie, the arrangements in the former Yugoslavia I find perverse, if not un-
> Marxist.  I know there are a few lingering atavists who don't think
> that political democracy is not somehow key to the true empowerment
> of the working class, but I don't take them seriously and the rest of the
> socialist Left if it is to avoid becoming an irrelevant rump won't either
> given enough time.  A command economy run by an authoritarian state/party,
> even if  a relatively benign one, is not socialism (which is a term
> less vague in its political connotations than its economic ones) it is a
> command economy.  Capitalists were opposed to communism not because
> it was meant the empowerment of the workers (ie. socialism) but
> because it necessitated their disempowerment.
>
> Excuse my ranting, but this is a pet peeve.
> -Paul Meyer

--
Rosser Jr, John Barkley
rosserjb@xxxxxxx