Re: Anti-Eurocentrism: Idealist DiversionfromAnti-racism/anti-imperialism (fwd)

[Rob Schaap <rws@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

G'day Chas,

>What is the difference between a strategy of anti-imperialism and a
>strategy of >international solidarity against capitalism. International
>capitalism is >imperialism.

Perhaps Rod means that 'globalism' should (on a Marxist account) be
globalising and thus on its way to standardising the contradictory
relationship between capital and labour.  That being so, we should both
think and act globally - which requires global organisation and some
difficult work - as the global working class differs not only subjectively
at the moment, but has, in the short-to-medium term at least, a pretty
wildly varying set of objective interests (eg wages, conditions, job
security and 'democratised' stock ownership).  And then there's the spectre
of racism.

There are ways of stressing the anti-imperialist stuff such that we
undermine what potential international labour has for coalescing.  Doug's
list in particular is working through this very topic just now, I think.
So, sure, call 'globalism' imperialism, but recognise as fundamental to
today's globe the mobility of capital; the geographical division of
(not-quite-so-mobile) labour; the concomitant global distribution of high
and low 'value-added' production; the global marketing strategies; the
demonstrable global interests, reach and resolve of the US econo-polity;
and the role of governments as hostages to currency markets.

I'm not sure I've posed the question right.  I know I haven't a clue as to
any answers.

S'pose you'll be waiting for the contradictions to show up, Lenin-style,
between the Euros, the Japanese, and the Yanks?

Cheers,
Rob.